Azara glanced at the new face, doing her best to memorize the heavy blond mustache only partially hiding the thin lips and the sharp blue eyes. This man could very well prove useful.
* * *
In the finest of her dresses, a scarlet silk gown with a white lace décolletage and tiered white lace at the front where the skirt split, Azara felt unlike herself. Her hair was pinned up and a thin gold band with a white rose stuck in, her hands covered in white silk gloves.
She glanced beside her, the dim light of the carriage making it hard to see Jin, but she remembered what he was wearing. Black pants, a long-tailed black jacket and a white bowtie over a white shirt had him looking good. Enough that she found herself eyeing him again. Though he would be better without the tall hat that was the fashion here. She actually found she preferred the long braid he’d worn his hair in at the palace, even if it reminded her that his hair was longer than hers.
He caught her gaze and gave her a quizzical look. She offered a smile. “I’m excited.” She kept in mind their driver could hear them. “This will be my first visit to the theatre.”
“I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.”
Azara wasn’t so sure, but was looking forward to the work they could get done. After much deliberation, they’d decided to spend the money on box seats, the better to get acquainted with those in power. In a way, Nalbinian culture was a help to her here. She wasn’t comfortable navigating the highest circles whereas Jin was. But as his wife, she was expected to follow his lead, so she could get away with a few words and a smile. Communicating anything meaningful with him would be difficult though.
Their carriage slowed in front of the entrance, their driver jumping out and opening the door for them. Jin hopped out first before offering her a hand. She took it, staring at the building as she exited. White stone rose above her, evenly spaced windows topped with elegantly carved stone blocks marched down the face of the theatre. A matching door stretched up almost the entirety of the first floor, the huge wooden doors thrown open, light, laughter and people spilling out.
Azara held onto the crook of Jin’s arm a bit harder than necessary, trying to ignore the way her palms were sweating. There were people of all sorts here, from those dressed as they were, to people who looked like they had the one outfit to their name.
Once in the door, a wide hall greeted them. Pale marble flooring met the walls papered in gold and white. To each side spiralled wide, gleaming wood staircases, while ahead were double doors that opened into what looked to be general seating. To one side lay the ticket office doing a brisk business, while to the other lay a small store selling what appeared to be drinks, cigars and fruit. They didn’t make it more than two steps forward when a uniformed young man stopped them. “Heading to the boxes, sir, ma’am?”
Jin held the man’s gaze. “We’ve reserved the second left box.”
“Very good, sir. If you’ll follow me?” At Jin’s nod, the young man took off, leading them up the left-hand staircase. At the top of the stairs, Azara found that below was only the tip of the elegance here. Plush red carpet covered the floor, huge crystal chandeliers kept everything well lit as they followed their guide down the hallway. Each box contained seating that ranged from the private two-person box to the cheaper six-person one, each kept separate with the use of heavy velvet drapes across the backs while wooden walls delineated the sides.
All in all, this was not a place Azara had thought to find herself. She kept her head up and walked as gracefully as she could. She wouldn’t let anyone think she didn’t belong here.
They stopped at the box one out from the wall, this one holding six upholstered seats. Jin handed their guide a shell before leading Azara to the seats farthest from the wall, after a quick check of the numbers. They settled down and Azara took the chance to peer out.
She could understand why this was a cheaper box, with the angle they sat at making the one end of the stage hard to see. Below them, a sea of people filled the pit in front of the stage, talking, laughing and staring up. She pulled away when she realized one man was leering at what showed beyond the lace of the front of her dress. She glowered for a moment before she remembered the kind of person she was supposed to be.
Azara folded her hands in her lap, over her fan. She studied the people visible across the theatre from them, in the right-side mirror of their own box. She couldn’t tell much, just that one of the women was wearing blue while the other wore purple. A few boxes to her right, Azara saw a woman with what looked like two tiny glasses pushed together. Glancing down at the stage and the distance, she thought those might be a good idea. They would also be useful for spying on those around them.
“I’ve heard this is a first-class play.”
“I’m excited that it’ll be my first performance.”
He looked startled. “You’ve never been to a performance before? Or any kind of theatre?”
Azara gave him a sidelong glance. “I haven’t had the opportunity before now.”
Jin shook his head, not answering as muffled footsteps approached the box. A moment later, they were joined by a portly man and his very thin wife, the two glancing at them, before the man sniffed and took the seats on the other end of the box. Azara wondered what that was for.
In the end, the seats between them remained empty, the curtains behind closed by staff making their rounds before the lights dimmed three times in warning. Azara was a little surprised they didn’t leave them dim, but kept the lights bright. She thought darkness and a lit stage would be easier for everyone to see. But then the play started and she forgot all about anything else.
It was like watching people’s lives play out in front of her, the story of a man and woman in love, pulled cruelly apart by a war that they found themselves on opposite sides of. Still, they fought for their love, finding ways to meet and marrying in secret. But before the lights flickered to indicate that it was time for intermission, the man was killed. Azara almost jumped up and yelled in outrage as some below did.
She glanced at Jin, who hid a smile before he offered her his arm. “Shall we go look for refreshments?”
Azara nodded, laying her hand into the crook of his elbow, feeling her cheeks heat up over his amusement. The play was enthralling, like the stories her mother used to tell her brought to life in front of her. There was nothing wrong with enjoying it.
Jin held the curtain open so both of them could join the stream of people entering the hallway. They followed the chattering clusters of well-dressed people, some discussing the play, but far more talking about everything else. By the time they’d reached the open area that lay past the staircases and behind the boxes facing the stage, Azara had already overheard about two suspected affairs, who were considered the catches of the season, how one woman had garish choice in clothing, and that one man was adopting his mistress’s child.
Jin brought them into the line of people waiting to purchase refreshments at the stall along the far wall, a variety of foods available, in addition to the alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks. As much as she might want an ale, Azara knew she was likely to end up with lemonade or the like. Women didn’t drink beer here.
“Hello there,” said the man coming up beside them, a friendly smile lighting his face. “I don’t believe we’ve met, and I know most of the theatre goers.”
Jin offered a smile of his own. “My name is Verryl of Renaud House, and this is my wife Azara.”
She offered a little bow at the same time Jin did. The man returned the move, as did his companion. “My name is Frewyn Mardel, and this is my fiancée Edlyn. Are you in for the season? Though your name has a Rancian air about it.”
“That is true enough, my father in from Rancia. I’m a tea merchant, newly come to the city in an effort to expand the business. We have trade routes into Pocale, but it would be good to have similar routes here.”
; Frewyn nodded. He reminded Azara of a very friendly dog, all enthusiasm and goodwill. His fiancée was quieter, her eyes down, only flickering up then away again. She put Azara more in mind of a nervy bird, one not sure it wasn’t going to get eaten. “Well, if you have good tea, I can imagine you’ll do well. Some of the stuff I’ve seen...” He shuddered delicately. “Do you have a direct connection in the Empire?”
“My mother’s family are well-established traders from the Empire. My father has used those connections to secure an export business on tea, making quite a tidy profit in the process. As his heir, I hope to expand the business further, to find new markets and flourish.”
“As it should be. You must know your tea. I’ve heard the housekeeper say it’s hard to tell the good from the bad.”
“It’s all about the smell. If the tea doesn’t have a scent, it’s too old. It should have a scent that makes you want to drink it, or what’s the point?”
“What’s the point indeed?” Frewyn offered a lop-sided grin. “Well, you should get your tea into Hyatt’s Sundries. I know our housekeeper shops there, and many others. If you can provide better tea, I can think of more than a few who would be happy, my mother chief among them.”
Azara offered a small smile, already thinking that this theatre trip had been worth it, beyond her enjoyment of the play.
Jin chuckled. “Mothers do have a way of letting their wishes for the household be known in a less direct but very firm manner.”
“Too true, too true.” Frewyn offered them a final nod as his line moved up quite a bit. “It was a pleasure.”
“For us as well,” Jin said, giving another little bow. “You have our thanks.”
He waved while Azara and Edlyn only smiled. Neither Jin nor Azara said anything for several moments, the line shuffled forward until they reached the counter. “What can I do for you, sir, ma’am?” asked the harried man behind the counter.
Jin stepped forward. “Two lemonades.”
“Right away, that will be one shell for the pair.” While the man pulled the cool bottles out of the water they sat in, Jin tossed the appropriate coin onto the counter, adding in the smaller copper coin that Azara had yet to learn the name of. “Thank you kindly,” their server said, opening their bottles for them.
Carrying both bottles in one hand, Jin led them over to an area closer to the wall that was a little less populated, situating them so they were visible without being in anyone’s way. It was the kind of place Azara herself would have chosen, she noted with approval. “Here you are, dearest.”
She accepted the bottle and took a dainty sip, though she wanted to chug half of it. She hadn’t realized how dry her mouth had been due to the excitement of the story. The gentle citrus flavour filled her cheeks with its tart sweetness, and Azara thought she could almost get used to this kind of living. It might be something she could do once she had her family back.
Azara glanced at Jin, who was watching the crowd without being too obvious about it. He was good at that. He caught her gaze, something else he was good at. His eyes held a question, but she looked away. She didn’t have a reason for staring at him. He was doing well, better than she had honestly expected, and he didn’t need any lead from her at this moment. So there was no reason to be looking him over, but it was something she still found herself doing. It was an odd sensation, relying on someone else. Not something she was used to.
She would admit that Jin was far more competent and better equipped for this work than she’d given him credit for. She couldn’t have gotten this far without him, as much as she hated to admit that fact. She needed him and that annoyed her.
About to suggest they walk around some more, the lights dimmed in an unmistakable warning. Azara retook Jin’s arm as they returned to their seats. While she was excited to see how the rest of the story played out, Azara also had to wonder why it was that needing Jin didn’t annoy her nearly as much as it had when she’d first had him thrust upon her.
* * *
While not happy about being left behind, Azara had sent Jin off with a wish of good luck and only half a dozen orders for how to behave. As he’d been expecting a dozen, Jin thought there was some progress. She did seem to be making an effort but it was an obvious struggle for her.
He leaned against the upholstered back of the rental carriage and sighed. She’d been better last night, though part of that was due to her interest in the play, a tragedy with the woman waiting years to exact her revenge, killing herself in the end when she realized she’d done to another woman what had been done to her. The bloody nature might have been what appealed to her. Azara certainly had a dark side.
There were too many contradictions in her. From the ferocity in which she defended her siblings, to the almost innocent joy she’d found in the play, getting so wrapped up in it, she barely seemed to breathe. She had a cavalier attitude towards killing others that she deemed a threat, but wasn’t comfortable in the slave market. She’d hid it well, but he hadn’t missed the tenseness in the hand on his arm, though he couldn’t say he’d been calm either. Memories rose, but he shoved them down. That was the past. His celestial majesty had ensured it was the past and not his present.
Jin closed his eyes. Everything was so much more complicated when people were involved. School and the national exams had been simpler, memorize information, understand concepts, apply them and get the correct answer. Magic was the same, follow the correct pattern, speak the correct words, and your spell went into effect. Most other magi were sensible, and understood that aspect of things. They had to, to be able to wield their power. But the posturing, sniping and endless movement of people within the Palace City was most wearing.
In a way, this assignment was a break from that endless grind. Years of dealing with his fellow students had given Jin a good enough idea of what people did, what they would do and what they wouldn’t. Being cautious in relationships had kept him from being betrayed the way he’d been as a child. He’d stayed out of the worst of the in-fighting, and not belonging to any one faction had helped him secure his position. But now he had people to deal with. Some he worked well with and others...
That was one of the points in favour of Azara. She didn’t hide things, not what she was feeling, not when they were alone. She might be controlling, stubborn and vicious, but she hadn’t been anything but honest with him with the exception of their first meeting. But he couldn’t fault her for trying to free her siblings. Her family was the only thing that mattered to her. He only wished...
Jin shook his head. His family wasn’t a topic he wanted to think about. He needed to focus on who he was, not who he had been. He was Verryl, tea merchant, on his way to see about getting his products into some of the local shops. The bribes the markets had wanted to procure a space had been astronomical, given the size of crowds. A shop had to be better.
The carriage slowed and moved over in a way that had nothing to do with the traffic. Jin peered out the window, getting a glimpse of a well-travelled road before he saw the driver hop down and head towards his door. He let the man open it for him, having seen it was expected. Jin tossed his driver two shells, acknowledging the smile and head bob with a nod. Only then did he look up at the shop.
Dark brick made up the building, a large sign over the front door proclaiming it to be Hyatt’s Sundries, established over one hundred years ago. Underneath, framing the door on either side, were large windows that displayed some of the goods. Tins of preserved fish and cocoa, jars of jams and pickles, and canisters of spices and flour showed off their brightly painted labels. Lengths of sausage and wheels of cheese could be seen hovering above them, completing the display.
The area around the shop had a milliner, a bootmaker, and a shop selling fine soaps and candles. Their scents mixed with the smell of the street, horse leavings and smoke. Everything here was clean, orderly, with those who shopped lookin
g like the upper level of middle class at the least. This was exactly the kind of place a tea merchant would want to form a relationship with.
Squaring his shoulders, Jin headed inside, hearing the delicate chime of the bell overhead as he opened the door. A wheel chandelier kept up the light, and he got a pretty good first look at the shop. Two long counters ran along each side, a variety of little cubbies with labels behind one, the other dominated by jars and tins. The man behind the counter was short, his dark hair slicked back, his mustache well-trimmed. He wore a white apron and his sharp eyes were locked on to Jin.
With no other options, Jin approached the man, smiling. “Hello.”
The man kept a pleasantly neutral expression on his face. “Hello. What can I do you for?”
That was as good as an opening as any. “The better question would be what I might do for you?”
“Oh?” The man put a world of suspicion and disinterest in that word.
“My name is Verryl of Renaud House, I’m a tea merchant newly come to the city from the Empire. I was told that your establishment would be the best place for my teas to be appreciated.”
The shopkeeper relaxed, leaning forward on the counter in front of him. “I might be interested. It would depend on the quality. We’re well known for our quality here, and I couldn’t betray my customers by selling inferior items.”
Jin gave him a sly look. “I have the highest quality tea you’re going to find outside the Empire. I have certain...connections there.”
The man gave him a once-over. “Have you brought me samples of your amazing tea?”
“Regretfully no, I have yet to secure a warehouse. I’d hoped to do so today and bring you samples after that. My wares are still at the Customs House.”
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