by M. Gregg Roe
The design of the house still puzzled her. All of the windows were rectangular or square, except for the two large round ones set back above the front door. Audrey now knew that those windows looked out from Draymund and Almera’s bedroom. She was also certain that Saxloc’s bedroom was in the section opposite the guest area. But she didn’t understand why the two sections were at a small angle to the main house. The whole thing was very odd.
Her walk eventually took her behind the house on the west side. There was a small building there that appeared to be made entirely from glass panels. It was filled with plants and she could actually see Almera inside, dressed in work clothing and carefully trimming a flowering vine. Audrey had never seen anything like it. Glass was very rare in Farmerton, but it seemed to be common here.
Audrey walked up to the glass building and saw Almera motioning for her to go around to the right. She headed that way and found the door standing open. It was made of wood, but it too had large glass panels. She walked inside and it smelled just wonderful. She took a deep breath and sighed happily.
Almera smiled and said, “This is called a greenhouse, Audrey. It allows me to grow plants all year, even in the Winter. But they are not common here. You would not believe what it cost to have this much glass made and shipped here. If I recall, Draymund obtained it from Glasston. That is in the area where you’re from, is it not?”
“Yes. It’s to the north and also borders Fog Lake. But I’ve never been there. This is the first time I’ve been anywhere. I’m … I’m sorry about my parents. I didn’t want them to come along.”
Almera looked first surprised and then thoughtful. “I didn’t want you coming here either, Audrey. I don’t approve of how you entrapped my son.” Audrey lowered her head in shame. “But we can talk about that later. I have work to do.”
“Okay,” said Audrey in a quiet voice. She began to walk out, but then stopped. She turned to the right, bent down, and sniffed one of the plants sitting on a table there. “This,” she said. “This is what you put in the eggs. They were wonderful. I’ve never tasted anything like them.”
“That’s exactly right,” said Almera, looking pleased. “Many of these plants have portions that can be used to season foods and improve their flavor.” She gave Audrey a speculative look. “You’re not much like your parents, Audrey. And that’s a good thing. We will definitely talk later.”
Audrey made her way back to her room and laid down on the bed feeling sad and depressed. Nothing was going according to plan. None of them wanted her here. Or her parents. It was probably just a matter of time before they tossed them all out. She fell asleep wondering if she should just run away into the city and try to make her way on her own.
5
‡ Almera ‡
It took a moment for Audrey to realize that it had been a knock on her door that had woken her. From the windows to her left, she saw that it was already mid-afternoon. She heard the door open and looked over as Almera walked around the lattice sporting a smile that Audrey found worrying.
“Time to get up,” Almera announced cheerfully. “We are going out.”
“Out?” Audrey sat up and rubbed her eyes. “Where? What about my parents?”
“We gave them money and suggested places where they might shop or eat. Draymund and Saxloc are out right now, so it is just the two of us. Put on something nice, and we will go.”
Now Audrey felt ashamed. “This is my nicest dress. I probably shouldn’t have slept in it.”
“It will do,” said Almera, frowning slightly. “Wash up and brush your hair. Then come down to the parlor. I will be waiting.”
“Parlor?” She had never heard the word before.
“The big room with chairs and sofas and fireplaces. It’s called a parlor.”
Audrey lowered her head. “Uh … okay.”
She did as Almera asked, and tried to smooth some of the wrinkles out of her dress before going down. Soon the two of them were strolling through the city. It was warm and sunny and the streets were filled with people. Audrey was happy just soaking up the atmosphere; everything seemed so alive and interesting. Most of the people weren’t wearing clothing as fancy as Almera’s dress, and many would have looked right at home in Farmerton. She spotted several elves, or possibly half-elves, so she assumed that they must be fairly common in the Witch’s City.
Audrey noticed that Almera had been watching her. “What do you think of the Witch’s City?” she asked while making a sweeping gesture with her right arm.
“It’s wonderful. So many shops. All kinds of different people. I’m pretty sure that I can see more people on this street than even live in Farmerton.”
Almera laughed. “You may be right. It is pretty busy here at the moment. Ah, here we are. My favorite dress shop.”
Audrey stared at the shop. The windowless front was black, and the door on the left was black with a gold border and gold handle. The name was written in gold with a tangled mass of curves and loops that Audrey couldn’t read at all. Almera opened the door and walked in. Audrey followed her in, closing the door behind her. It was fairly bright inside, and she glanced upward to see translucent glass panels in the ceiling that were letting in sunlight. The interior was all black as well, except for dozens of brightly-colored dresses, each displayed on individual black-painted wood stands.
The store owner was a handsome, middle-aged man, impeccably dressed in black, including a cape. He was already busy waiting on a gaudily-dressed older woman, but he clearly recognized Almera as he gave her a smile and a nod.
Audrey was feeling very out of place. Almera’s dress was absolutely beautiful and fit her perfectly, and Audrey strongly suspected that this was where it had been bought. Audrey’s own dress fit well, but the design was conservative and the material was cheap. The dresses in the shop all looked well-designed and beautiful. And very expensive.
Almera smiled and told her, “Go ahead and pick out something you like, Audrey. Any of these are better than what you are wearing now.”
Audrey hesitated, wondering if this was some kind of test. Finally, she said, “Okay,” and began to browse. All of the dresses had nice designs in her opinion. She finally settled on a bright yellow dress with some gold zig-zag decorations. But when she examined it closely, she saw a problem. She quickly examined two more dresses, but they were even worse.
She carried the yellow dress over to where Almera was browsing and held it out to display one of the seams. She moved closer and whispered, “This material is very nice, and the designs here are really good, but look at this stitching. It’s uneven and it’s not even the right kind of stitch for something like this.”
Almera suddenly looked angry, and Audrey was afraid that she had gone too far. Then her expression softened and she carefully examined the seam that Audrey was holding out, even running her fingers along it.
“You know,” she said thoughtfully, “I had to have repairs made to one of the dresses I bought here recently. One of the seams tore open and I had barely worn it. I don’t know much about sewing, but even I can see that this doesn’t look correct. Something must have changed. They used to be better than this. Put it down, Audrey. We’ll go somewhere else.”
Audrey felt greatly relieved. She put the dress down and the two of them quickly departed. Almera set off at a rapid pace and she followed quietly. After a few minutes walk, they arrived at another clothing store. The outside was reassuringly normal, with large windows and a sign that she could at least read, although she had no idea what “WCC” meant.
Following Almera inside, she saw that it was a much larger store with a wide variety of woman’s clothing. It also had small glass panels in the ceiling to let in light, and there was an office area in the center where she could see a young couple talking to an older man who was probably the owner.
“Let’s try this again,” said Almera. “Pick out some things that you like and let me know when you are through.”
Audrey spent some time bro
wsing, finally settling on two shirts, a pair of pants, and a long skirt. They were plain, but nicely-sewn and made from quality fabric. She carried what she had chosen over to Almera, who had seated herself on a sofa by the left wall.
“Is that all you want?” Almera asked while frowning at the pile of clothing. “You still need a nice dress. You don’t have to impress me with your frugality, Audrey. I’m more than willing to spend money on my future daughter-in-law.”
“Your … I thought you didn’t want me here!”
“You’re growing on me, Audrey. Here, let me pick out a dress for you.”
Almera began to look through the racks of dresses. She had Audrey hold up several dresses in front of herself before settling on one that was deep gold with cream accents. In the far left corner of the shop, there was a separate small room with a door, and Almera sent her there to try on the dress. Audrey was impressed that they had something like that. Inside, there was only a small bench and some pegs on the wall, but it was roomy enough for her to undress.
She was able to don the gold dress, but the fit was a little off—loose everywhere except the waist. Audrey went out into the store, looked at herself in the large mirror on the wall nearby, and immediately began to blush. She had never worn a dress that covered so little. The sleeves were short, the skirt didn’t even reach her knees, and much of her back was bare. But the real issue was the low-cut scoop front. That was incredibly embarrassing.
“That looks very nice on you, Miss,” said a pleasant male voice from her right. She saw the store owner standing next to a smugly smiling Almera. He was an older man with graying hair and handsome features. He was simply attired in brown pants and a white cotton shirt with the sleeves rolled up.
“Yes it does,” agreed Almera. “I’ll take this too, Tobias.”
The man nodded and pulled a cloth measuring tape from a pocket. “Very good, Almera. I’ll take her measurements so that it can be altered.”
Audrey felt like things were getting out of control. She turned to face them and held up her hands. “No. I don’t want this.” She glanced down at her chest. “I can’t wear something like this.”
“Nonsense,” replied Almera. “This is exactly the kind of dress that a young girl with your figure should wear.”
“But …”
Almera looked determined, and Audrey realized that there was no escape. The man walked toward her and she quickly told him her measurements. He produced paper and a stylus and jotted them down. She was relieved because she really hadn’t wanted him to be touching her as he measured her body. She went back to the room, changed into her own dress, and then handed the gold dress to the man when she emerged.
The ordeal continued as Almera made her look through the footwear. She ended up with sandals that would go well with the new dress and leather shoes that Almera insisted she wear immediately. Audrey put them on, but she refused to simply throw away her old ones like Almera wanted.
Finally, Almera told the store owner to have everything delivered when the alteration was done. He told her the price and Audrey felt faint. It was over nine hundred copper pieces! Almera put a coin in her hand and said, “Pay the man, Audrey.”
But Audrey couldn’t stop staring at the coin. “Is this gold?” she asked in wonder.
The man chuckled and Almera burst out laughing. “Audrey, dear,” she said when she had caught her breath. “You are a breath of fresh air. I’ve obviously been spending too much time around wealthy people. Now pay the man and then we will go get something to eat. I know that you didn’t have lunch, so we will have an early dinner.”
Audrey handed the gold coin to the owner. He opened a drawer, dug through it, and then handed back several copper and silver coins. She turned and held out her hand to Almera.
“Just keep it,” she said while waving her right hand.
“No. I won’t.”
Audrey stared directly at her, determined not to give in this time. Almera stared back for several seconds before shaking her head and holding out her hand to receive the coins. She put the coins away in her belt pouch and then gave her an odd look.
“All right, Audrey,” she said. “Let’s go.” Audrey nodded at her and they set out through the streets of the Witch’s City again.
For dinner, Audrey found herself at an establishment called Lucien’s. She had been expecting a tavern or inn, but this place just had a large number of tables and chairs. Almera referred to it as a restaurant, and she said that Lucien was the one who originally founded the city. They sat down at a round table that had a single fat red candle burning in the middle of it. A handsome young man handed them each a piece of paper with writing on it, and Almera asked him to bring two goblets of rice wine.
Audrey looked at the paper in despair. It was much too long a list to be a single meal. It must list a number of possible meals to order and she could hardly read any of it. She looked up and saw that Almera was giving her a pitying look.
“It is called a menu, Audrey. And you obviously can’t read it.”
Audrey shook her head in shame as tears began to run down her cheeks. “No. I learned the letters, but I hardly know any words. I’m sorry.”
“It is nothing to be ashamed of. Most people can’t read or write well if at all. You learned the things that you needed to know for where you lived. I never learned to sew, and I only learned to cook after I found that I enjoyed growing spices and herbs.
“Audrey, I will take care of it. I will arrange for a tutor. No daughter-in-law of mine is going to be illiterate.”
“Please stop toying with me!” Audrey begged as she closed her eyes and began to cry even harder. “I know I’ll never be your daughter-in-law. Saxloc hates me. You all hate me. I’ll leave. I’ll find a way to make my parents leave. This was all my father’s idea. No one goes by that old law about having to marry a girl if you take her virginity. This is all my fault. I just wanted Saxloc to like me enough to take me with him. I threw myself at him and ruined everything!”
She felt Almera take her right hand gently. “Audrey,” she said in a gentle voice. “I am not toying with you. Well, not deliberately. I can see now how you might misinterpret what has been happening. I should really have thought through how this would appear to you. Sorry about that.”
Audrey looked out through her tear-filled eyes and saw Almera smiling at her. It wasn’t the reaction that she had expected at all.
“Audrey, you are not at all what I expected. You surprised me in the greenhouse, and later I spoke with both Draymund and Saxloc. Saxloc admitted that his description of you as a ‘conniving money-hungry bitch’ may not have been altogether accurate. And he told me how you reacted when you saw our house and grounds. You really are nothing like your parents, especially your father.
“I think that you are exactly what you appear to be: a farmer’s daughter who longs to be something more. Saxloc saved your life and you tried to use him to get yourself out of Farmerton. But you chose a poor way to achieve your goal and hurt my son. Then your parents made things worse.”
As Almera let go of her hand, Audrey nodded and said, “That’s a fair description. And I would never have let things go so far as to force Saxloc to marry me, although I do like him.” Actually, the Saxloc she liked was the one she first met, not the current one.
“That is good to hear because Draymund and I would never have allowed that. I know my son well. He likes you too, whether he realizes it or not.”
Almera clasped her hands together with her elbows on the table. “Audrey, I would like you to stay. Sending you back would be a waste. You are smart and need to be educated. I will take charge of it and arrange a tutor for you. In exchange, I want you to help me with my plants and to help cook. I might even ask you to teach me how to spot a badly-sewn dress,” she concluded with a friendly smile.
Audrey felt elated as she said, “I would be happy to, Almera. That all sounds wonderful. But what about my parents? And my so-called engagement?”
&nb
sp; The waiter brought two silver goblets and set them down in front of the two of them. Audrey picked up her goblet and took a large gulp. It had a clean, fresh taste unlike anything she had ever experienced, but it was incredibly strong. It was all she could do to keep from coughing.
Almera chuckled and advised, “Take small sips. This is probably stronger than anything you have had before.” Audrey nodded and then took a small sip, finding that it went down much easier.
“I suspect that it will not be long before your parents decide to return to Farmerton,” continued Almera. “Large cities can be intimidating for simple folk. And I am not going to have them sit around free-loading off us.”
Almera smiled deviously. “As far as everyone else is concerned, you and Saxloc are still engaged. That will explain why you are staying with us. Saxloc has handled this entire situation in a very immature fashion, so this is also a form of punishment. I am also hoping that this will break him of some of his bad habits. Is that agreeable?”
Audrey was confused, but she didn’t see any alternative. “Uh … yes. I understand. Saxloc is still my intended.”
“Good. What do you want to eat? They have a great variety of food here.”
“Any food is fine as long as it doesn’t come from a pig. My father is a pig farmer.” Almera found that very funny, and Audrey laughed along with her.
When the waiter returned, Almera ordered beef and rice for them both. After he left, Audrey frowned and asked, “What is rice? I’ve never heard of it.”
“It’s a type of grain,” explained Almera. “It grows well in wet areas.”
“Like in the marshy area outside the city?”
Almera nodded approvingly. “Yes, Audrey. Very good. There are two farming communities nearby, and they both grow rice. They provide much of the food for the Witch’s City. You might want to go see them since you are from a farming village.”
“Okay. That sounds interesting.” Audrey gestured at her goblet. “This wine is made from rice too?” she asked.