Seventeen Stones

by Vanessa Wells

  Ella’s brow darkened. “What if the headmistress is wrong and it’s nothing but an odd series of accidents?” Mia nodded. “Better safe than sorry is what I’d say to that.” Ella looked down at her pale hands clutched in her lap. “I just can’t believe that anyone would hurt someone I know. Everyone knows we have dangerous creatures about, but no one thinks that another human might want to hurt them.” Mia didn’t answer. There was no reason to disillusion Ella just because she’d seen another version of the world.

  In some ways, Ella had been more sheltered than the rest of them. She’d lived away from even a small village with her mostly affable family and the rare trip to Lonely Hold. Lonely Hold was hardly large enough to be called a village. It was a place for the stage to stop, change horses and turn around. From what Ella had said there was a dry goods store that doubled as a post office and a blacksmith. Mia had grown up in a healer’s hut outside of a major village: she’d seen Emma mop up the results of brawls. No one had died, but there was little doubt in her mind that Ronny Kipper and John Appleton would have killed each other if their friends hadn’t interfered. As it was, Ronny would limp from now on from the dislocated knee John had given him. John’s father had been a guardsman. He’d known what he was doing. Now he had to pay Ronny three copper a week to compensate. Since the limp was life-long, so was the recompense.

  Mia hugged the other girl quickly. She wouldn’t tell her any of this. “Ella. If you don’t feel up to this, I understand, really. You don’t have to help…” Mia didn’t finish her sentence. A strange change came over Ella’s face and she straitened her shoulders and raised her chin. “I may not want to believe that anyone would really do something like that Mia, but believe me, I’ll stand against it. Anyone would.” Mia found herself revising her opinion of her quiet friend and admiring Ella’s parents without ever meeting them. Ella was scared, disheartened, and unsure, but Mia wouldn’t want to cross her with that look on her face.

  They exited the coach almost exactly two hours after they’d left the dorm. Even with a well sprung vehicle Mia stretched with relief. Emma had indicated that she would send a letter tomorrow, to give her final answer on the party. Mia devoutly hoped that she would be sending the carriage off to get her guardian.

  Mrs. Wallace met them at the door as the footmen started unloading the luggage. It was less than it could have been, for Lady Anne and Sarah had packed in the same fantastic cases that Sarah had used when she arrived at school. Vivian had been convinced that bringing her entire wardrobe was out of the question. Most importantly of all, Madam Reece was going to deliver most of the girls’ wardrobes the day after tomorrow. Mia hoped that there were some spare trunks around the manor, or she would be forced to leave most of what she was buying here at the estate after the party. She laughed silently to herself at her thought. She could leave part of her wardrobe here. This was her home, or it would be in a year and two months. It was still difficult to think of a place like the manor as home. Home was in Forestreach, at Emma’s cottage.

  Mrs. Wallace was herding them in like a goose girl with a gaggle of geese. “You leave the footmen to fetch the luggage girls. I want all of you to come have a bit of tea and cake and we’ll get you all settled in your rooms before dinner.” She didn’t quite attempt to shoo Lady Anne, but Mrs. Wallace did manage to get all of them inside, divested from their cloaks and scarves, and into a sitting room with a roaring fire. Once they were seated with a cup of tea Mrs. Wallace nodded. “If you’ll just rest here ladies, we’ll be ready to go to your rooms in a moment. I’ll just step out and make sure everything is in order.”

  Seeing Lady Anne in her own home brought to mind an argument between the girls about how much to tell her about Mia’s situation. She had been inclined to tell Lady Anne everything the headmistress had warned her about, but Sarah insisted that they should use a sanitized version. “We’ll need to tell her the whole truth if we find some proof, but for now the fewer people who know the better.” At Mia’s startled look she smiled. “Mother would agree. She always said that a secret is best kept by one. We’re already five over the limit without Professor Fain and the headmistress.” She held a hand to quiet the uproar. “None of us would hurt Mia on purpose. I’m not saying that. But as long as Mia’s hiding her talent she isn’t in danger, or at least that’s the current theory. My mother will understand. Let’s just gather what information we can, as quietly as we can get it. We don’t know enough right now.”

  Lady Anne smiled as she sipped a steaming cup of tea. “Mia, you have the most efficient staff. I shudder to think what all would be going on if my people were left to their own devices for years.” Mia shrugged. “They seem glad that I’m here. Most of them were here from my mother’s time, and the old steward, Mr. Dempsey’s father, was a friend of my grandfather’s.” Lady Anne nodded. “A good core group of family retainers is always a plus.” She didn’t say anymore because Mrs. Wallace had returned.

  After the others were settled into their rooms, Mrs. Wallace led Mia to the master suit. The double doors led into a set of rooms that were larger than the dorm rooms she shared with five other girls. It was larger than Emma’s cottage. She entered and saw the two blue leather chairs in front of the fire. They sat on a blue and gold rug, with a heavily carved table between. There was a large bed on the other wall with sumptuous blue and gold hangings. Through one door was a comfortable maid’s room with its own modest brass bed and hangings. The second door revealed a bathroom: but such a bathroom! The dressing area was at one end. There was thick carpet meant for bare feet and another fireplace to keep the toes toasty warm. The bathing pool was deep enough for Mia to stand in and be neck deep in warm water. Bars of scented soaps, crystal bottles of oil, and piles of fluffy blue towels completed the picture. The pool was tiled with tiny blue stones, none larger than Mia’s thumbnail, and each a slightly different shade of blue. White hothouse lilies were growing in a small garden box in one corner, and a thick white robe was waiting, folded on a shelf.

  Mia never failed to regard the room with wide-eyed wonder. Mrs. Wallace smiled. “Your mother did all of this you know. She changed most of the furniture when she became Greatlady, the wall paper, paint, everything was her own design. This was her favorite room. She turned it into the master suite by knocking out a wall and taking the room on the other side for a bathroom and wardrobe.” Mrs. Wallace opened the massive closet and chuckled. “I was her lady’s maid in those days. I’ll tell you this young Miss. Your mother put every lady of her age to shame.”

  The older woman closed the double doors. Mia’s single case looked lonely. The closet in this suite was larger than her little room at Emma’s cottage. She fought down a stab of homesickness. Mrs. Wallace hadn’t noticed her distraction, she continued chatting. “She wanted all her gowns to be given away when she died, so we don’t have so much as a petticoat of hers left in the house. Otherwise you could see some of the dresses she wore: pinks and purples, and blue. Always in blue and gold. She used to say those were her colors. No one else could wear them the way she did, and that’s the truth.” Mrs. Wallace shook her head. “You rest up dear. It’s a lot of work to hostess a party like this one, but we’ll see you through it, never fear! It’s so good to have you home!” Mia was enveloped in a hug, and Mrs. Wallace was walking out of the room. Mia sat, stunned for a moment. The she pulled herself together and started unpacking.

  Mr. and Mrs. Smith were waiting in the drawing room when everyone was dressed and ready for dinner. Mrs. Smith was a handsome woman, with features that had aged better than her husband’s. There were a few crinkles around her eyes, and some laugh lines around her mouth. She was tall enough to carry off the lacy garnet gown she wore, and the glittering rubies at her neck and wrist. Her golden hair was so lightly frosted with silver that it seemed to be an accent to her coloring rather than the advancement of her age.

  The Smiths were staying with Mr. Dempsey in the newly refurbished dower house, now the Steward’s residence. The eig
ht bedroom home with its own servant’s quarters couldn’t really be called a cottage. Mr. Dempsey was playing the role of host with careless ease. The Stubbs were joining them for dinner. Cook had chuckled when Mia asked if having the large crowds of guests would be too much for the current staff. “Never worry about that Miss. ‘Tis a joy to be able to prove to the rest of the neighborhood that this is still the Great-house and we still have the finest hospitality in the City bounds!” Her emphatic nod persuaded Mia that she meant it.

  They sat fourteen to dinner that night, using the grand dining room for the first time. Mia was impressed. The entire room seemed to expand as they walked into it, the long table setting itself up with china and silver for each guest. Mia wondered idly how many it could accommodate, but it didn’t seem the time to ask. Someone, or several someones, on the staff had a deft touch for levitation, because the glasses were filled, the courses served, and the plates removed without a whisper of a servant in the dining hall. From the general lack of comment from her guests, Mia quickly realized that this was normal in great houses.

  Mia was seated across from Adeline Stubbs. They weren’t close enough to have a real conversation, but in a single evening Mia observed enough good sense and good humor to feel satisfied about the girl her steward was marrying. She was pretty enough, with large blue eyes and black ringlets. She was very short, and tended even as young as she was to plumpness, with a round figure and rosy cheeks. Her mother, Mrs. Stubbs, was shorter still and twice as round. She had a merry way about her, and her charm was mirrored by her daughter. The elder Mr. Stubbs watched them both indulgently, while Mr. James Stubbs (the youngest Stubbs whom Mia knew slightly from Creation) applied himself to emptying his plate. Mrs. Stubbs gushed a little about James taking the top place in Creation, and Mia contented herself with merely grinding her teeth so loudly that Sarah kicked her under the table. As she hadn’t dumped soup on James’ head, she thought she’d behaved very well. She didn’t know how she was going to bear Martin’s smug face when she got back to school.

  Mr. Dempsey was seated next to Adeline, and his manners to everyone else at the table were deplorable: he was too busy watching her to pay attention to anything anyone else was saying. Thankfully the table was filled with ladies who thought his preoccupation was endearing. Vivian giggled every time Mr. Dempsey tried to pass her the salt when she inquired about the weather. She just took the salt and caught Mia’s eye. Lady Anne hid her smile behind her fan and asked Mrs. Stubbs about when the wedding would take place. Mia made a mental note to seat Mr. Dempsey with Miss Stubbs at every gathering, and to make sure their table partners were sympathetic.

  The evening ended in the music room. Mia was horrified to discover that she was expected to begin the music. It was so much worse than the school concert, because she could see each of the people she was playing for. Once again, the endless hours of practice saved her. After a single song she gratefully abandoned the instrument to the other girls. Mrs. Stubbs later attributed it to an attractive sort of modesty, rather than bone-chilling fear. If Mia had known, she would have laughed at the lady’s kind misimpression.

  Sarah and Ella took the floor next, performing an outstanding duet for harp and soprano. Vivian and Adeline courteously declined the opportunity to play, and then Lizzy and Beth took their turn. They played a nocturne, modified for two players, deceptively simple but requiring as much skill as the duet they’d written for the mid-winter concert. Mia wasn’t alone in dashing tears from her eyes after the final notes died away.

  They played chess and cards for a few hours after the music ended, and the Stubbs called for their carriage about ten o’clock. Mr. Dempsey and the Smiths were gone soon after. Lady Anne laughingly told the girls to enjoy the early night: they wouldn’t have many opportunities to do so during the house party.

  ***

  There had been little time, in between planning the party and schoolwork to research her family tree. She understood from chance comments from Emma and Mr. Smith that her family was multi-generational wand wielders and she had left it at that. But there was a leather bound book in the library that contained a family history, and Mia picked it up for a bit of late night reading. The script was modern and neat, written in the precise strokes of a wanded historian. According to a note on the flyleaf, it was written some twenty years before, and so must have been commissioned by her mother.

  She was surprised to learn that some of her ancestors had been involved in setting up the City’s government and in the formation of the College. The first Greatlord in the family was given the title for inventing the process to make wands fit the wielder instead of the other way around. It was his fault they’d harpooned her finger at testing! Twenty-six of her family members had sat on council at one time or another, fifteen had been Guild Masters, and two had gone on the hold the title of Magus. There were many second sons and daughters who became Professors at the college, many more distant ancestors who were awarded estates of their own. There were a few less satisfying entries. Some of her family members sounded like petty tyrants, and she suspected that their characters might have been whitewashed in the grand tradition of family historians everywhere.

  The book ended with her grandparent’s deaths, without any mention of her mother’s being proclaimed a Greatlady. Mia put the book down and sighed. Two hundred pages of family history and all she’d found out about her mother was that she was born in the spring.

  She had inquired and was informed that the family picture gallery remained intact, though many of the early family portraits were lost with the original manor house. Mia made a mental note to ask Mrs. Wallace to show it to her at some point.

  The next morning, the stable master met them at the stables, with five horses saddled and ready. All of the girls were looking forward to visiting the local village, which Mrs. Wallace had assured them was a pretty sort of place.

  Mia was seated on a grey unicorn cross-breed who nudged her with his soft nose in an attempt to solicit another round of petting. He was sweet natured and affectionate, so Mia couldn’t understand why he was named Temper. Ella was seated on another cross-breed, a lazy roan conversely named Uppity. He looked like he was in danger of falling asleep with Ella on his back. Mia wondered who had been naming the stock for the past fifteen years, and made a mental note to stay away from any creature called Sweetness.

  The groom helped Sarah onto the monster her father had brought for her to ride: he was seventeen hands, with a wicked eye and a seemingly nasty disposition, but he settled as soon as Sarah was firmly on his back. He made an odd sort of sound as he smelled her leg to be sure it was her, and then he stood like the Knight he was named for.

  The others mounted up and they set out for the village by simply following the road. It only led two places: to the City and to the village. The rest of the paths that intersected were nothing but dirt trails from one farmstead to another. The trails themselves were so seldom used that Mia was surprised that they remained at all.

  The village was well built, mostly using the local dark gray slate. The streets were paved with it, the shops made of it, and the houses used it for everything from floor to roof. There were open gutters on the side of the street, with only a bit of debris to catch the eye, indicating a well-run little hamlet. There was the typical butcher shop and blacksmith, a baker, seamstress and cobbler in the same shop, and a dry goods store. A little cottage sat on one side of the street with a cracked sign indicating that it was the local tea shop. The market square would be open on rest days, allowing the locals to bring their fresh eggs and butter, candles and honey for sale. The estate produced most of what they needed on the home farm, but did barter with some of the local farmers and the butcher for produce, especially with so many guests.

  It wasn’t difficult for the shopkeepers to guess who was visiting their village in the middle of the day. Who else would it be but the local wanded? They were greeted with courteous nods and thinly veiled curiosity. The girls stopped first at the
dry goods store and made their purchases, and then they rode around the hamlet for a few moments, long enough to be very sure that there was little to see on a normal business day. Mia informed the others that the best goods would be brought out on market days. The girls agreed that they’d like to visit and see the local handicrafts during the house party.

  Lizzy stared at Beth for a few minutes while the others talked. Beth looked up and mentioned to Mia that it was time they returned to the estate. Mia didn’t notice the twins hanging back at first. When she looked they were horse lengths behind the others, whispering furiously. “Lizzy? Beth? Are you coming?” Lizzy pinned her sister with a look and said “We’re coming, don’t wait on us.” Mia laughed a little to herself. Lizzy was the more outgoing twin, but she was in for a fight if she was trying to strong-arm Beth.

  Mia exchanged a quick glance with the rest of the girls. Sarah shrugged and urged her horse forward. The others followed her polite withdraw reluctantly. Mia could tell it was almost a physical battle for Vivian. She took a second to consider that it was just as well that her nosiest friend didn’t have sight; she’d probably sink into visions and never return to her body. Mia’s raging curiosity about the twin’s conversation was put on hold by the unexpected arrival of Ethan Fain on a dusty black gelding. He looked shocked when he saw them riding around the corner, but he quickly schooled his features into a courteous mask. “Was I expected?” he asked Mia archly.