by Lisa Daniels
The eldest son’s wife spoke first, “What else would she do?”
Kerensa’s sister picked up from there, “I can see why she would feel that way though. It’s not like boys flock to her with those ugly things she wears on her face.”
Her sister-in-law leaned over, “You really should stop wearing those dear. You are so much prettier without them.”
Kerensa raised an eyebrow as the three men in the room looked on with interest in the feminine bullying of the youngest member of the family. Pushing her glasses up a little on her face, Kerensa was not about to listen to the harebrained advice of the women in the room. “You do realize that I wear these because I do not see well, right? Without them, I will look rather foolish stumbling around any room.”
Her mother laughed, “You don’t need to see or move around, my dear. You just need to stand still and be seen. That’s what matters.”
The other two women quickly agreed as the young woman blinked at them. Finally, Kerensa decided now was as good a time as any to point out that she did not in fact subscribe to the life the rest of the women cherished, “I will not live my life blind the way you three have.”
Though they did not understand the exact meaning, the three women did recognize an insult when spoken from the youngest daughter. Kerensa’s sister was first to find words to express her annoyance, “We have lived our lives knowing full well what we needed to do and we are all happy for it.” Her voice was full of disdain for her sister and the idea that the women were anything other than completely satisfied with their lives.
Kerensa spoke in a calm, nearly monotone voice, “You live in ignorance of your realities. Of course, you are happy, but you cannot pretend it is the same thing as knowing what you need to do.” Her eyes looked at the three men in the room, and suddenly there was a tension that had not been there before as she spoke, “I dare say all three of the men in the room would agree that you hardly know what you need to do.”
Her eldest brother began coughing as her brother-in-law looked on at her with curiosity. Only her father was smiling at the exchange.
Kerensa’s mother spoke up, “We know all that is required for women of our station. We give our men children and raise those children into a society that is fitting for their breeding. That is all our men expect from us, and we accomplish that as only high class women can.”
Kerensa cleared her throat, “That is true. They have come to expect no more from you. And yet, none of the men in this room are satisfied with your feeble contributions because you fail to please them in any way that actually matters to them. Once they have an heir, you serve very little other purpose since you do not believe that any more is required of you.”
The three women spluttered at such open contempt from Kerensa. Her sister-in-law was the first to speak up, “Surely they are happy with what we offer! There is nothing more noble or desirable than that. Right Fender, you are happy with me?” She turned to look at her husband, the eldest boy in the family.
He gave a slight inclination of his head and said, “My dear, I wouldn’t know how to ask more of you.”
Kerensa immediately burst into laughter, “Oh, but you are still the charmer, aren’t you Fender. It’s no wonder you are still able to bed any woman you take an interest in.”
Fender’s wife’s eyes went wide open as she turned to look at her sister-in-law, “There is no way he would do that!”
Kerensa simply looked at her and flashed a mirthless smile, “I have to admit that his appetite is far more restrained than my brother-in-law’s – he’s not particularly picky at all. The number of men he’s bedded is nearly as many as the number of women, and station does not play any part in his choices. Of course, he lives with Jeannie, so I can’t say that I blame him for wanting a constant escape from my sister. If she were to move back into this house, I would certainly have to leave that same day. I am just fortunate that I have that option, unlike my sister’s unfortunate husband.” The man watched with passive amusement, his eyes sparkling at the young woman as a hint of emotion was betrayed in her last response.
Kerensa’s mother was storming over to her when Kerensa’s father cut in, “Kerensa, dearest, I think you have said quite enough. Why don’t you go do some more of your studies? I hear that there is an exceptional dragon hunter in town. You may be able to do some real research on your latest paper.”
Kerensa’s eyes had gone wide as her mother turned on her husband, “She will stay here for the punishment she seems so eager to have. Did you not hear what she said about the lovely men in our presence?”
Her husband looked back at a newspaper as he responded, “I did. I also heard how you three were bullying her into thinking as you do instead of using persuasion to back your views. I fear that Kerensa has a far more intelligent and capable mind that you three are not likely to be able to persuade or bully. Our little Kerensa has read too much to believe any of the stuff that goes for common sense around certain types of women. Finally, and here is the part you clearly missed, neither of our lovely men here have denied what Kerensa said.” He looked up at his youngest child, “Go ahead honey. I heard that she was staying at the Cut Throat, so please make sure to take Chadwick and Manford with you.”
“She?” Kerensa’s eyes went wide. “You mean the dragon hunter is a woman!” It was the first time during the discussion where excitement and emotion were so obvious on her face. Kerensa’s mother stood in stunned silence as the pair ignored her.
The man held a finger up to his lips, “It’s a secret so make sure you are careful as you approach her.”
Kerensa hurried out of the room as her mother turned on her father. The last thing she heard was his request to the butler to take his wife for a lie down to calm her nerves.
Lady Gwavas largely gave up trying to improve and prepare her daughter following that day. She almost completely ignored the girl, deciding that the girl deserved whatever misery she created for herself. The woman’s attitude toward her husband was somewhat icy as well as she felt he was undermining her in her role. In the end, both the father and daughter took pleasure in the change, and Kerensa finally began to think of the direction she wanted to take her life.
Women were not allowed to be scholars, which proved to be a barrier that even money could not break for the young woman.
One night, the servant Chadwick had convinced the young woman to come out with him to a tavern. Kerensa had been too young to go before her mother’s meddling, then she had been forbidden as long as her mother was involved in her life. Now without anyone to tell her what she could and could not do in the home, Kerensa was more than happy to accompany the young man.
At first, Kerensa was entirely unimpressed with the kind of people in the establishment. Then a stunning red-haired woman had plopped down on a seat next to her.
“Don’t you think you are a little out of place here?”
Kerensa’s head turned, thinking that the woman must be addressing someone else. The young woman’s response was merely to look the gorgeous woman in the eyes. The woman tilted her head to the side and an exquisite grin spread across her face, “You don’t think so?”
The young woman blinked at her, “I doubt I am any more out of place than you are.”
The woman’s lips twitched as she looked the young woman over, “Oh, I am certainly more in my element here.” Conspiratorially, she leaned toward Kerensa, “I dare say that you are lucky that I am the first to approach. You do realize that the men over in the corner are talking about what they can do to the youngest daughter of Sir Gwavas, don’t you?”
Kerensa sat up straighter at the words, and she swallowed hard. Looking around, her eyes sought Chadwick, who had gone to get more drinks for them. She found him caught in conversation with a few men that she recognized from deliveries they had gotten recently.
Finally, her eyes met the red-haired woman’s gaze, “People really know who I am?”
“Of course. Do you really think that you blend in w
ith those clothes?”
“I-I-I-“ It was one of the few times that Kerensa had been at a loss for words.
“Don’t worry. I will stay with you until your companion returns, but you and your lover had best get out of here before anything happens.”
Kerensa shook her head, “We aren’t that. I mean, he works for my father. And-”
The woman looked at the man, “That is an absolute shame. He is quite an attractive man.”
Kerensa’s head swiveled to look at Chadwick, who looked very energetic as he talked with the others. Now that she looked at him properly, she could see the woman’s point.
Suddenly there was a hand extended to her, “I’m Bree. Witch and spy for anyone in need of a particular type of assistance.”
Kerensa looked down at the hand, uncertain what to do. The woman named Bree stretched out her other hand and placed Kerensa’s hand in her’s. The motion was exaggerated as she shook the young woman’s hand. “It’s a hand shake. I hear it is all the rage with humans.”
Kerensa frowned, “Aren’t you a human?”
The laugh was almost hypnotical, “Gods bless you, but you are very generous. Most people would not say such a thing. So, what brings the daughter of one of the wealthiest families in one of the wealthiest nations on the planet to a tavern?”
Kerensa answered simply, “Research.”
The woman lifted both of her elegant eyebrows, “Research? What kind of research?”
That was all Kerensa needed before launching into her theories and ideas about Vetitum, a place renowned for its wealth, cold, and seclusion from the rest of the world.
Bree proved to be an ideal listener. When the young woman finished talking, she quickly began to apologize for her enthusiasm, to which Bree waved off the words. “Never apologize for what you love. It taints it with a false sense of regret. Oh!” She looked at the young woman, “Actually, I think I may be able to help you.”
By the time Chadwick reached the women, Bree had told Kerensa about an expedition that was to leave Berenice in about six months. The witch had given her some advice on how to disguise her gender and how to behave so that she could pass as a man when surrounded by a ship full of men on a long journey. Kerensa got the impression that Bree spoke from personal experience as she quickly jotted down the ideas.
Now here Kerensa stood on the ship, dressed as a male researcher. She had been unable to cut her long hair, but in every other aspect, she had tried to appear masculine. It had been a particular challenge as none of the men in her life took the outfit seriously besides her father. He had given as much support as he could, but his time was incredibly limited and his assistance only given with half of his attention.
Only her father had seen her off as her mother and sister were completely against her taking a trip, and that was without knowing the full extent of what she was to do. The young woman had been ok with that as it meant she could leave dressed as a man without anyone causing trouble for her. Sir Gwavas had given her a big hug the evening before and wished her well. Chadwick was to join her as a research attendant because even Sir Gwavas was not entirely comfortable with his daughter on a ship full of men without someone he could trust. He also was very aware that Chadwick was in love with his daughter, but this appeared to be more of a boone as that meant the man would keep a close eye on Kerensa.
Her eyes looked over everything, from the ship to the men to the water. It was surreal and wonderful. With a smile, Kerensa bent over to pick up her luggage as a young man began to pass her.
“Please allow me to help you with that.”
Kerensa looked up, half expecting to see Chadwick already breaking his promise to act like an assistant than a servant. Instead, she looked into the startling sky blue eyes of a very well-off looking (and finely built) gentleman. The man’s clothes were incredibly white, a color only used by those with a lot of money or royalty as it was next to impossible to keep anything of that color so impeccably clean. The seams were stitched with golden threads that matched the buttons and the delicate designs around the base of the neck. The shirt moved up the man’s neck and folded over just a little, exposing an incredibly pale, muscular neck. The outfit may have been the first an onlooker would notice, but it would not hold anyone’s attention beyond a couple of seconds.
Not when the wearer was altogether more startlingly handsome than his clothing. The man’s hair was a pale blond pulled back in a way that only nobility in a few countries wore their hair. All of those countries were a long way off and were known to be far wealthier than anything in the part of the globe where Kerensa lived. The fact that he was relatively pale indicated that he was probably from the land where no one dared to travel because it was entirely unfriendly to outsiders. It was so far north that even Scythia seemed almost tropical by comparison. At least Scythia had a summer. Not that anyone had ever traveled far into that distant land and returned. One of the few things known about the place was that it was a land formation completely covered in ice and glaciers.
It was the one place where she had longed to go.
The people in Kerensa’s part of the world had called the land Vetitum simply because a ban on traveling had been made nearly 100 years ago when they had unsuccessfully waged war on the tiny frozen continent. The war had been so one-sided that most people where Kerensa was from refused to acknowledge it had happened. She only knew about the war after delving into some of the private libraries of her father’s friends over the last few years. It was somewhere that Kerensa would have paid her family fortune to see just for a day. How did a place where nothing could grow contain so much wealth? That was the question most people asked. The more pressing question to Kerensa was how in the world did anyone live on such an apparently barren continent? One day would be enough to at least hint toward the answer to that riddle.
For the first time in her life, Kerensa was struck speechless by the sheer beauty and elegance of the man in front of her. She blinked a few times, unable to say anything as her eyes tried to process what she had thought would be impossible. Somewhere in her mind was screaming at her that this was the chance of a lifetime – there was someone in front of her who was probably from that fabled land. She had to say something! Anything! But too much of her brain was preoccupied with a completely different assessment, a completely unrelated idea of what once in a lifetime could mean. It was a new experience for her, and for a moment, Kerensa could understand why poets and artists were so enamored on beauty. The man was everything that artists described, and the kind of image that she had always laughed off as being not only unrealistic, but unattractive based on the impossibility of it. Kerensa had always been a firm believer that there was no point in desiring the impossible when there were plenty of challenges that were attainable if she just put her mind to it.
The man’s head tilted to the side as he waited for a response. When she said nothing, he gave her a smile and reached down to pick up her largest pieces of luggage. He gave her a dazzling smile, and her mind noted the little dimple that appeared. Feeling self-conscious, her eyes looked away from his and down at her luggage, where she noticed his elegantly gloved hands. The fingers were slim, yet he did not seem to have any trouble lifting her bags and moving away from the ramp.
“If you would be so kind as to direct me toward your cabin,” he looked back at her when he realized that she was still standing where he had left her.
Several of the men looked over at them, but just as last time, they quickly returned to work, completely unconcerned with researchers and wealthy travelers.
Kerensa felt her cheeks flush for the first time in years as she realized that she must look like a complete idiot. “I’m sorry, I’ll carry those.” She moved forward to take her bags back.
“I would hate to have one of the researchers get injured before we even leave land. Just show me the way and make sure you ask for help next time.” The smile never left his face as he brushed off her delayed reaction.
It was the ki
nd of behavior that Kerensa had been accustomed to as a woman from a particular type of family, but she had not expected that sort of treatment onboard the ship. She was completely disarmed as she nodded her agreement and headed toward the cabin the captain had shown her a few days before.
It was only as she was walking that she began to think of a number of questions. Why was the man carrying her stuff? Was he one of those men who was hoping to buy knowledge from those who studied? Or perhaps he was hoping to sway researchers to back something he wanted approved? That was fairly common with men who did not understand how seriously scholars took their work. Kerensa was reprimanding herself for being so foolish as she came up with reasons why such a stunningly beautiful and obviously privileged man would want to help her. Especially since she looked like a boy. Whatever his reasons, the young woman was certain they weren’t altruistic. She resolved to set him straight as soon as they were to the cabin so that there would be no expectations from the man later.
Chapter 2
The Unexpected Lesson
As soon as they reached her cabin, Kerensa stepped to the side and spoke, “Thank you very much for your help, but I’m afraid I cannot repay you.”
The man stepped into the room and closed the door with his foot.
“Hey!” Kerensa was frowning. “What do you think you are-”