by Sharon Green
"We really must remember to thank Regensi," I murmured, definitely vexed. "Without her help it might have taken us another two or three days to make Beldara hate us this much."
"The feeling was already there inside her, only partially buried," Jovvi murmured back with a small shrug. "As long as she was able to consider herself completely superior she didn't care about our respective appearances, but now I'd say she's begun to develop … less assurance. I can't say doubt because she doesn't doubt her beliefs, but this comparison of physical attraction has accessed her rage. From now on she'll probably be even less pleasant to us than she has been."
"Wonderful," I said with my own sigh. "As if she was all that pleasant to begin with. And what a surprise that this happened over something as hateful as physical beauty. If I could trade my appearance for hers, she'd probably never believe that I would do it in a minute."
Jovvi frowned at me and began to say something, but Regensi came back then to remind us about sitting down and having tea. While the tea was served and sipped at for a time, she lectured about how important she was in the world of fashion even if most people had never heard of her. Then she interrupted herself to direct Beldara into a fitting room with one of the fitters, but resumed the lecture once that was seen to.
Beldara wasn't kept in the room very long, not by usual fitting standards, but the same didn't hold true for Jovvi and me. Regensi saw to each of us personally, which lengthened the process almost to the point of exhaustion. The basic skirts and blouses had already been cut to a large, wide fit, and only had to be tailored down to our individual sizes. But that meant checking the draping of the skirt to make sure it fell properly, and opening basted seams to assure that darts would not be too deep and extreme. All of it had to meet Regensi's concept of perfection, which meant fitting and fixing, fitting and changing, fitting and refixing.
Jovvi was taken in last, and by the time she came out again even I was tired of sitting and waiting. Beldara had divided her time between pacing all over the sitting area and returning to her chair to stare expressionlessly at the skirts and blouses being worked on by the seamstresses. During one of those times I caught the look in her eyes, which made me want to shiver. If she wasn't considering the possibility of "accidentally" setting every piece of cloth in the room on fire, I've never seen the urge toward vindictive revenge. Or felt the same myself…
Regensi insisted on making Jovvi sit down for some tea before finally letting us leave, and as much as Jovvi needed those few minutes off her feet she was just as relieved to get out of there as the rest of us. We stepped outside with me, at least, feeling as if we'd been released from prison, unsurprised to find that it was almost evening. Our new clothes had been promised for delivery the next day, and even if they turned out to be ill-fitting rags I had no intention of complaining. Anything to keep from having to go back for another fitting…
"That was rather expensive for what we'll supposedly be getting," Jovvi remarked softly as one of the servants went looking for our coach driver. "I've been left with two solitary silver dins."
"So have I," I agreed, surprised by the coincidence. "I wonder if I should be glad I brought only a small portion of the silver I was given yesterday. Do they make a habit of leaving people with only two coins no matter now much they bring in? How would they manage something like that without seeing inside our purses?"
"I've heard that those with Earth magic sometimes have a special affinity for metals," Jovvi said, her brows lowered as she considered the point. "Apparently that sort can tell how much you have of copper, silver, and gold by sensing them, so there's never any guesswork involved. Businesses enjoy having someone like that as a clerk, which keeps them from lavishing attention on customers who look likely but actually have nothing to spend. Did they leave you with the same two dins, Beldara?"
I joined her in looking toward our third, but we might as well have spoken to the wood of the building behind us. Beldara gave no indication that anyone in the world retained life but herself, and she had no interest in talking to herself. Jovvi's latest attempt to smooth things over between us and Beldara had failed as badly as the first one, but this time Jovvi was more exasperated than sympathetic.
"People who refuse to accept the world as it is sometimes manage to make it over according to their own specifications," Jovvi commented, looking at Beldara's turned back with no approval at all. "More often they find themselves plowed under when the world gets around to remaking them, and usually because those fighting it have no idea of what accommodation means. Some people and situations have to be accommodated if you mean to change the rest, and pretending that that isn't so is the worst kind of self-delusion."
I expected Beldara to respond to that at least, but she continued to stand there hearing nothing and saying even less. I felt tempted to admire her single-mindedness, then decided to wait until I saw how far it got her. My own determination now seemed pale in comparison to hers, but it also seemed a lot more reasonable.
"I wonder what happened to the second coach," Jovvi said, bringing my attention to ours and the driver now beginning to drive it over to us. "I know it takes less time to fit men, but there were five of them and only three of us. If they're already back at the residence, I just may throw a temper fit."
"Let's ask our driver," I suggested, more than ready to join her in throwing the fit. As the coach pulled up in front of us I added, "Driver, what happened to our companions? And how long ago did they leave?"
"'Twaren't long, ma'am," the man answered, quickly pulling off his cap. "They come out here an' talked a bit, then asked if'n they culd go somewheres besides back t' th' house. We wus hired fer th' day, so it makes no nevermind t'us where y'go. When they heared thet, they set the littlest feller up with Zorn, an' then went off."
"That sounds like they made Pagin Holter their guide, and went to have a look at the city," Jovvi said. "If I weren't so played out from being used as a lifeless dressform, I'd be interested in seeing the same. You do know the city well enough, don't you, Tamrissa?"
"I suspect I don't know it nearly as well as Dom Holter," I replied wryly. "My excursions away from home were always carefully supervised and chaperoned, so I know nothing of the sections the men will find most interesting. I do, however, have one small item of interest back at the house, and you ladies are more than welcome to share it with me."
"Now you've piqued my curiosity, so let's go back," Jovvi said with a laugh and one of her brilliant smiles. "Even if it doesn't turn out to be as good as what the men will find, I intend to tell them it was better."
I had to laugh at that, but Beldara was still in her own private world. The servant had already helped her into the coach, and although I'd included her in on the invitation it was fairly clear she had no intention of accepting. Which was just as well, since I had no real interest in sharing my secret pleasure with anyone but Jovvi. I felt certain she would enjoy it as much as I did, and I didn't care to waste it on someone who was sure to find fault no matter how good it really was.
And it would be nice to have another woman I could really talk to. As I settled myself on the seat beside Jovvi, I wondered if it would turn out to be possible for us to be friends. I'd never had a real friend, my parents had seen to that, and even my sisters and I had been discouraged from growing too close. We'd been like a group of strangers who happened to live in the same house, but now… Maybe freedom wasn't the only priceless thing I'd finally have a chance at.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Lorand stood outside the tailor shop with the other men, trying not to show how fascinated he'd been with the experience just past. He'd actually had clothes fitted to him, by a professional who did nothing but produce clothes. All his life his mother had made his clothes, and if they hadn't fit quite right, well, at least they were too big rather than too small. During his growing years the clothes had usually become too small too fast, so his mother had gotten into the habit of making things too big to be outgrown before
they were worn out. And the material that was supposed to be so cheap… He hadn't the nerve to admit the clothes would be the best things he'd ever owned.
"Is thet whut you gotta go through if'n yore a rich man?" Pagin Holter asked everyone in general after letting out a very sharp, deep breath. "If'n so, I gotta think agin 'bout tryin' t'be one. Don't like bein' mauled around like thet, I surely don't."
"Then you ought to make a very successful rich man," Clarion Mardimil told him with the heavy annoyance that wasn't aimed at their group. "Those people were quite impossible, treating us like so many cattle from a nearby field. My personal tailor would have screamed in horror had he been here to watch them."
"Even my tailor would have been outraged, and he's normally a very calm man," Eskin Drowd agreed, his tone dry and almost as annoyed as Clarion's. "Not to mention what they charged for the rags they'll be delivering tomorrow. All I have left is a single pair of silver dins."
"That's all I have left as well," Vallant Ro put in with a frown. "Did they leave any of us with more?"
Lorand shook his head along with everyone else, momentarily surprised, but then he understood.
"They must have had a clerk with Earth magic and metal affinity go over us," he said, drawing everyone's attention. "I knew someone like that back home, and even learned the trick myself. I know how much silver, gold, or copper goes into a penny or din, so by feeling how much of each metal a man has on him, I can tell exactly what coins he's carrying. Do they usually use that talent to rob people here in Gan Garee?"
"I have a feelin' this was done especially for our benefit," Valiant Ro said with a growl, glancing back at the tailor shop with an angry glare. "If I thought they were doin' it on their own I'd go back in, but somethin' tells me it has to do with those people runnin' the tests. They don't want us havin' money, but that's too bad about 'em. As soon as I get to the bank, I'll have all I need."
"And I," Clarion agreed with matching satisfaction. "If today and tomorrow weren't rest days I'd go straight there right now, but since they are I'll simply have to wait until the day after. In the interim I'll need to think of myself as penniless, for what can one do with just two silver dins?"
"Plenty, if'n y'know where t'spend 'em," Pagin Holter said, interrupting the muttered agreement of Ro and Drowd. "I got th' same two silver and nuthin' more I gotta spend it on - 'cept a real good time. 'Pears t'me like I earned one."
"As did the rest of us," Drowd said firmly in support, finally dragging his attention from Lorand. The way he'd stared for a moment had been odd, as if he were trying to swallow down some kind of jealousy. "We all passed those wretched tests and I for one would enjoy celebrating rather than returning to the residence for another early night. Are we all in agreement about that?"
"I think I might be best off not joining you," Lorand forced himself to say amid the general happy agreement. "Two silver dins are a lot better than none, and for me going to the bank would be useless. Why don't I just walk back to the residence, and-"
"Nonsense, man, I won't hear of it," Mardimil interrupted, actually looking outraged. "Your efforts were no less than those of the rest of us, which means you're entitled to the same good time. When I visit the bank I mean to withdraw gold, therefore allow me the privilege of pledging to replace your dins. That should allow you to spend your own now with an easy heart."
The others all added their own words of encouragement, which quickly ruined Lorand's resolve. He did want to celebrate with them, and Mardimil had seemed sincere about replacing the dins. It was even possible he might not need anyone else's silver, since there would soon be bonus money in gold to earn…
"Thanks," he said to them all with a smile. "I guess I'll be going along after all."
A half-teasing cheer went up, and then they were calling over the driver of their coach along with his vehicle. It turned out that the coach was theirs for the rest of the day, so another problem was neatly solved. Holter said he'd ride with the driver to direct him, but then turned back to those about to enter the coach.
"I knew we wus told t'wear these here idents all th' time, but it might not go over so good where we's goin'," he told them in a low voice. "Mebbe it might be a good idear t'sorta slip 'em inside our shirts, like, after we leave this here place."
Since Holter had become their guide and mentor, they all nodded agreement before continuing on into the coach. When they were settled the coach began to move, and once they left the tailor's courtyard everyone began to look out eagerly for the first glimpse of where they were going.
"I must admit that this will be a new experience for me," Drowd said, absently slipping his tag on its chain inside his shirt. My friends and I often met to drink tea and discuss any number of fascinating ideas and facts, but never to … carouse. In my circle it simply wasn't done, but I've always been curious."
"Then let me give you a word of advice," Ro said amiably, the only one of them simply enjoying the idea of what was ahead rather than brimming over with eagerness. "Carousin' is a lot more fun if you keep one eye on your purse, one on what you're drinkin', and never agree to gamble with the friendly stranger sittin' next to you. Especially if you think you can beat him at his own game. You can't, and the lovely lady whisperin' in your ear tellin' you you can is most likely his partner. And be especially careful with all the lovely ladles. Get the price firmly set before you go with her, and don't drink anythin' she might offer includin' tea."
Lorand felt a slight warmth in his cheeks at the mention of lovely ladies, since he'd only been thinking in terms of drinking with the others. Drinking had usually been a pleasant pastime on the few occasions he'd indulged, because his talent was able to neutralize strong drink no matter what it was made of. The degree he neutralized it to depended on whether or not he needed to be completely sober, or could allow himself to be pleasantly relaxed. But getting involved with professional women… That wasn't an approved undertaking with the people he'd grown up among…
"That's another practice I've never indulged in," Drowd said, nodding thoughtfully to what Ro had said. "Paying lovely ladies for their favor, I mean. The established courtesans were too expensive for a young man who had yet to make his mark, and Regisard is a city which discourages droves of street-strollers. Only the occasional amiable female acquaintance was available, the sort who indulged for her own pleasure and curiosity rather than for gain. That means I have no idea what a fair price would be."
"Here in Gan Garee, I don't either," Ro said with a shrug. "There's usually a big difference between what the traffic will bear and what the lady will settle for, so you'd do well to ask Holter. When you're on another man's stampin' grounds always follow his lead."
"I hadn't expected to follow Holter's advice about anything, and yet here I am," Drowd said with a small laugh. "I feel like a small boy on holiday in a sweets shop, determined to enjoy myself until I'm too stuffed to move. It's amazing what a strong sense of freedom one acquires when one first escapes strong parental restrictions."
"That's why my Momma and Daddy made sure my brothers and I weren't restricted at home," Ro said, now gazing sightlessly out the window. "They raised us to know right from wrong and how to make our own decisions, then turned us loose. When we first left home there was nothin' out in the world that we were crazy to try because we couldn't try it sooner, so we got into a lot less trouble."
"Your parents sound like wise and wonderful people," Lorand ventured when Drowd simply lifted one brow and remained silent. "You must miss them quite a lot."
"Yes, it so happens I do," Ro answered, his gaze still directed out the window. "I'm used to leavin' home on voyages, but somethin' tells me this won't be any ordinary voyage. We'll have to get past a lot of jagged rocks and sharp reefs before we reach clear sailin' to home."
That time no one commented, since even Lorand was thinking about home. It occurred to him to wonder how dedicated he would have been to making good during the tests if he'd had a home like Ro's to return to. Possibly
not having a pleasant fall-back position gave him an edge over most of those he would compete against, but it was an edge he would have preferred not to have. What must it be like, to know that there were people at home waiting to greet your return with love and laughter…?
"I believe I shall also admit that I have no experience with this thing called carousing," Mardimil said abruptly into the thickened silence. "Those of my class never indulge in such things, of course, so I find myself curious to know what will be involved."
"Surely you're joking," Drowd said, examining Mardimil where he sat beside Lorand in a way that suggested the young noble was an amusingly odd insect. "Those of the nobility indulge in carousing more often and more thoroughly than any of the so-called lower classes ever do. How is it you don't know that?"
"It could be he and his group of friends don't believe in that kind of behavior," Lorand suggested when Mardimil simply colored and didn't answer. He couldn't help remembering Mardimil saying he'd never had any friends, which could well mean he lacked experience in other areas as well. But just how far did those lacks go…?
"I've never met a noble yet who didn't believe in indulging himself," Drowd said with a snort for Lorand's suggestion. "They tend to believe that the world and all the people in it are theirs for the taking and using, and most often they can prove the contention. Not that I'm really complaining, of course. When I become one of them, I mean to do the same myself."
"So you've decided the game is worth your full effort?" Ro asked, finally turning from the window to examine Drowd. "I thought you considered the life of an academician the best a man could strive for."
"I believe I said I would have to find something of more interest to change my mind," Drowd corrected with a cool smile for the man sitting beside him. "I've discovered that the very strong possibility of becoming a member of the new Blending provides that interest, at least for me. I take it the situation holds no attraction for the rest of you?"