by Robin Roseau
* * * *
I hurried to my home. With the door closed, I took in great breaths of air, pushing away my emotions.
Governor Grace hated me, and I thought everyone else would, as well.
But I had an assignment, and I would see to it.
With You
For the next two days, I alternated my time. I wasn’t offered an office, and there were no spare desks, and so I took a small table from my home and set it in the hallway outside Governor Grace’s office. I then brought a chair. And I declared that my office, at least for now.
When the governor saw me, she frowned, but I rose from my chair, smiled, and said, as cheerfully as I could, “Good morning, Governor Grace. It is a fine day.” It was in Talmonese, although I was sure my accent was horrible. I had tried to duplicate the recordings, but I was sure I was doing poorly.
She stopped, staring at me. Then she spoke in careful Talmonese. “Good morning, Maddalyn.” She spoke longer, but I caught enough to understand she was asking if I had slept well, or that’s what I decided.
“Yes, thank you. And you, Governor Grace?”
I didn’t understand a word of her response, but then she switched to German. “What are you doing here?”
“I am your assistant. I cannot do my job for you if I am not convenient for you.”
“You have one duty right now, Maddalyn.”
“And perhaps in a half hour, you will require someone to run an errand. Perhaps you have forgotten something in your home, and you will send me to retrieve it. Perhaps you will spill your tea and require a fresh blouse. Perhaps you will allow me to see to your future cups. Do you prefer a fresh pot, Governor?”
She said nothing for a moment then asked, rather gently, “Did anyone give you a tour?”
“Yes. As your assistant, offering tours to new personnel and any visitors is my duty, unless the person is sufficiently lofty to be above my station. And so I gave myself a tour.”
She smiled briefly. “All right,” she said. “Then this is your next assignment. You will learn enough Talmonese to offer a tour to one of the locals. I do not expect you to be able to answer questions, but I do not want a memorized speech, either. I imagine it will take you a few days.”
“Yes, Governor.”
“When you need a break, begin studying my old reports, beginning with the most recent that is heading outbound from Talmon system and work your way back.”
“Yes, Governor.”
“Can you find them?”
“I gave myself a very complete tour, Governor. Yes, I can find the reports.”
“I have authorized you access to every official document from the day Talmon officially entered the Empire. You do not have access to private data or anything from prior to the First Planetary Congress.”
“I understand, Governor. Thank you.”
She nodded. “Very good. We keep the tea in the kitchen.”
“I saw.”
“I am from Centos Four and import my favorite teas. I take one cup in the morning and sometimes a second if I need to calm down. Otherwise I eat and drink from locally available sources.”
“I understand, Governor. Does everyone else know the tea is yours only?”
“I do not hoard it, Maddalyn.”
“You drink one cup of your favorite because Centos Four is a very, very long way away, and once your supply diminishes, it can be a long time before you have more. I will see to this, Governor.”
“No.”
“This is my responsibility.”
“I am not going to have anyone think I begrudge them a cup of tea, Maddalyn.”
“They won’t. They’ll think I do.”
She snorted but said nothing further, instead stepping past me to proceed into her office. She stopped at the doorway. “Where did you find that table?”
“From my home.”
“I will authorize you,” she said, tapping the pad beside her door. “When I’m not here, you may use my office.”
“That will be difficult, because I will be with you.”
“I work from Indartha. You will stay here.”
I said nothing, not aloud, but inside I said, “You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”
“A cup of my tea would be lovely, and a pot of local tea in about forty minutes.”
“Yes, Governor.”
“Take a cup of it for yourself,” she said. “It will taste unusual, but you need to begin growing accustomed.”
“Yes, Governor.”
* * * *
As I said, I alternated. I saw to the needs of the governor, as best she could. I studied Talmonese. And I studied the reports, reading them slowly. The material was very dense, and written in English, of course. When I reached sections I thought were particularly important, I translated them into German. If she gave me enough of her time, I would ask Governor Grace if I had understood properly. I felt it was important.
I made her tea and later gave myself a cup from the pot of local tea. She was right; it was unusual in flavor, but over time, I would grow to prefer it.
As mid-day approached, a woman dressed in local clothing approached. She looked quite dashing, actually, and came to a stop at my desk. I was already on my feet, facing her.
“Good morning,” I said in Talmonese. “Welcome to the Imperial Embassy.” The last two words were in English, as I couldn’t find a translation into Talmonese. I had made notes to ask, if offered an opportunity.
“You are Maddalyn,” she said in Talmonese. She spoke very carefully, which I appreciated.
“Yes.” I pressed my hand to my chest. “Maddalyn. Pleased to meet.” I held out my hand.
She paused then smiled and took my hand. “Sartine.” Then she said more words I didn’t know, but I recognized one: Indartha. Then she dropped my hand and stepped around my desk, heading for Governor Grace’s door.
I got there first, setting my back to it, one hand out in a “stop” gesture. I hoped it was universally understood. The woman came to a stop, either at my gesture or simply because I was in her path.
Then she set her hand to her chest. “Sartine.”
“Yes,” I said in Talmonese.
She pointed at the door. “Cecilia?”
“Yes. Governor Grace.”
She spoke a full sentence. The only word I recognized was Cecilia’s name. And so I said, in German, “Tut mir leid. Ich verstehe nicht.” I am sorry. I don’t understand.
She frowned. “Sartine,” she said, pressing her hand to her chest again. Then she pointed. “Cecilia.” Then she said a word in English. “Wife.”
I nodded. I’d already heard her name and had guessed this was the governor’s wife. On the other hand, I didn’t know what Governor Grace was doing, and she may not want her wife walking in. So I nodded and said, “Yes.” I didn’t know any other words yet, but vowed to learn them next. But I held my hand out in a “stop” gesture again. Then, watching the woman carefully, I knocked at the door and opened it. I continued to eye the woman, but I said, “Governor Grace, a local woman named Sartine is here for you.”
“And you have assigned yourself as the castle guard.”
“I am doing my job, Governor Grace.”
“Did you know she’s my wife?”
“Yes, Governor Grace.”
“And you believe your duty is to act as my chaperone?”
“No, Governor Grace. But my duty is to ensure you are not engaged in sensitive duties for the empire before allowing a local woman into your office.”
“I thought your loyalty became to Talmon sometime yesterday.”
“Are you telling me that I should translate technical manuals for high energy weapons into Talmonese and share such information in Sudden?”
She snorted.
“Would that be helping the Talmonese people?”
“No, it would not,” she said. “The only time you will bar that door from Sartine is if I have told you I am in here planning a surprise for her. Am I clear?”
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“Yes, Governor.”
“I don’t care if you think I am having an assignation with someone else, Maddalyn. Am I perfectly clear?”
“Yes, Governor.” Then I smiled. “What if I know you’re having an assignation?”
“You are impertinent,” she said. “Show her in and I will provide a proper introduction.”
“Yes, Governor.” I turned to the woman and then opened the doors widely, gesturing, then using one of my few practiced phrases, I said, “Governor Grace will see you now.”
The woman smiled and stepped past me. She crossed the room to her wife, chuckling. By the time Sartine arrived, the governor was on her feet, and the two embraced and kissed passionately. I turned away, but I’d been told to wait, and so I waited.
I heard Sartine chuckle again, and then the governor said, “Get used to it, Maddalyn. The local Talmonese do not have the sort of inhibitions of Frantzland.”
“Yes, Governor.”
“Come in here,” she said. I turned and closed half the distance. She switched languages, and I understood she was providing a formal introduction. Sartine offered her hand again and said something.
“I am pleased,” I said, or tried to.
“Well,” said Cecilia. “Did you memorize phrases?”
“Yes, Governor.”
“My wife’s title is Vendart of Indartha. Vendart is a village chief.” Then she laughed briefly. “I do not recommend you use her title.”
“It would offend her to use her title?”
“No. You could refer to her as ‘The Indartha Vendart’ in the same fashion as you might refer to me as ‘The Imperial Governor’. But do not call her Vendart, even though you will hear me and others do so. That advice goes for any other vendarti, most especially Sudden Vendart.”
“I understand.”
“No, you don’t. I’ll add this. If you use the title, it is admitting allegiance. You would be safer calling me Vendart than anyone else.”
“Oh,” I said. “I think I understand.”
“Good. We’ll be leaving for lunch shortly. You will join us.”
“I couldn’t, Governor Grace.”
“Why not?” she asked. “Do you have dietary restrictions that prevent you from eating the local foods?”
“No, Governor Grace.”
“Perhaps I have so sufficiently frightened that you cannot bear the thought of stepping outside.”
“Not at all, Governor.”
“So, is there one single reason that prevents you from joining us for lunch?”
I looked down. “No, Governor Grace.”
“Then it is settled. I hope your shoes are comfortable.”
“They are, Governor Grace.”
She shook her head. “Five minutes or so. Close the door on the way out.”
As I did, I heard chuckling from the striking woman in leather clothing.
* * * *
It was more like ten minutes when the door opened. I rose to my feet. Sartine held her wife’s arm, but it was Cecilia that said simply, “Come along, Maddalyn.”
I rose to my feet and hurried after them.
Outside, there was a large animal waiting, attached to a wheeled vehicle. I came to a stop, staring. The two women made it to the side of the vehicle before they turned to see I was still in the doorway, staring at the animal. Sartine said something with a large grin.
Cecilia matched her smile and then said, “You’ve never seen a horse before, have you?”
“No, Governor.”
“That’s going to get old. This is not a business meal. Until we step back through those doors in an hour or so, my name is Cecilia.” I nodded.
Sartine said something. From her tone, I thought she was amused. Cecilia said, “Normally we would ride, but I was fairly sure you’d never been atop a horse, and I don’t care to be the one to teach you. If you had come from any other planet, you would most likely have at least seen one. Did you even know what it was?”
“No. That animal pulls that vehicle.”
“Yes.”
“Why don’t you use a ground vehicle? Wouldn’t it be safer and faster?”
“We don’t use a ground vehicle because it tends to cause a stir. And it wouldn’t be safe to travel the streets of Sudden any faster than this horse will pull us. The roads are not designed for such traffic and instead will have both foot traffic and others on horses.”
“We could have an accident.”
“Yes.”
“And if we took a ground vehicle, you wouldn’t have had this opportunity to see what I do when faced with a horse.”
“I admit a certain amount of amusement,” she said. “But actually, I thought it was best you see one horse here before seeing far more in the middle of Sudden.”
“Oh. Thank you. Is it tame?”
Cecilia spoke in Talmonese for a moment and then Sartine said in English, “Name. Killer. Safe. Eat only not Talmon girl. You Talmon girl?”
So the governor’s wife had a sense of humor. Avoiding the massive animal, I walked to her and spoke a few words of Talmonese. “You Indartha Vendart.”
“Yes,” she said in the same language.
I smiled as sweetly as I could. “This Sudden. Not Indartha.”
She matched my smile then wrapped her arm around Cecilia. When she spoke it was English, just a few words. “I Mrs. Governor.”
“I suppose you are,” I said, but in German, but then Cecilia said something, and I decided it was a translation. “Where do I sit?”
Cecilia spoke again, and I heard Sartine’s name. Sartine turned and patted what was clearly a seat, then reached down and patted a step I could use. Then she reached over and took both my hands, pulling them to handholds I could use to steady myself as I climbed into the vehicle.
I climbed up then moved over. But I looked at Governor Grace. “Why is it so high?”
“I am told for two reasons,” she said. While she spoke, Sartine climbed aboard, taking the center seat, and then Cecilia on the far seat from me. Sartine collected several leather straps that extended to the horse and gave them a shake. And then we were moving.
I nearly fell off the back, but Sartine reached over quickly and steadied me. I was impressed neither of them laughed.
“It is a function of the wheels,” Cecilia said. “They make large wheels because they hold up better to rutted roads. Smaller wheels tend to break more often, or so I am told. Add to that, do you wish a lower ride. Imagine the view.”
I realized the view would be of the animal’s backside.
“There may be safety reasons as well,” she continued. “It is better to be near a height with riders, who would sit atop the back. And you would not wish to be near the hooves. Also, if we are to run, the hooves throw mud, and you could receive quite a bath. This also moves us further from the hooves if something startles the animal, and it kicks. It would kick the front of the carriage and not the driver.”
“Oh. So several reasons, all of them justifying such a high climb.”
“Quite so,” she said. “Maddalyn, I hope you know how to be gracious.”
“Of course.”
“These are good people,” she said. “But their ways are different than you know. The food is different. Everything is different.”
“Do you believe Anna White would send someone on a diplomatic mission who was unable to be diplomatic?”
“No, I suppose she wouldn’t. However, Talmon is about as opposite Frantzland in pretty much every way you can imagine, and that includes how people behave in public.”
“I don’t think I understand.”
“You need to be gracious, Maddalyn, and learn the Talmon way. If you cannot do that, I will send you back on the next shuttle. Am I clear?”
“You are clear, Governor.”
“Good. If you are able to be open, you could love it here.”
“It is very beautiful, even if the horses eat foreigners. Is your wife angry I am the castle guard?”
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nbsp; “No. My wife is offering her version of friendship.”
“She is?”
“Yes.”
“Oh. So I should tease her back.”
“Yes. And call her ‘Vendart’.”
“I feel that is a trap you have set for me.”
“It is.”
“I should call you ‘Vendart’ instead.”
“I agree.”
“Maybe I will.”
She said nothing but switched back to Talmonese.
* * * *
I must admit: I gawked.
Sudden was actually bigger than I was expecting, but it was still a small village compared to anything I might consider a town. I didn’t even know how to describe it. This girl from Frantzland hadn’t anything familiar to use in comparison.
“What are the structures made of?” I asked
“Wood.”
“What is that?”
“The trees are cut down and turned into slabs,” Cecilia explained. “They are then constructed into these structures, using different sizes of slabs for different parts of the homes. Other materials are used for the roof and interior.”
I pointed. “That building looks like stone.”
“Brick, like this road,” she said. “It’s actually fire hardened dirt.”
“That house is made from dirt?”
“Bricks,” she said. “And from a type of dirt called ‘clay’. It is quite hard.”
“Won’t it turn into mud when it rains?”
“No. They last nearly forever, although they break if you drop them.” Then she pointed. “But that building is made of stone.”
“What is that?”
“Sudden Vendart’s home,” she explained. “Our home in Indartha is wood. It is in the mountains, and transporting stone can be difficult.”
“You are surrounded by stones.”
“And yet, the entire town is built of wood,” she said. “Except the consulate, which Blaine and Aston built for me.”
Eventually we came to a stop, the horse and carriage simply pulled to a space clearly intended for such conveyances. Around there were people, some on foot, some on horse, although it was by no means busy. Cecilia and Sartine climbed to the ground, and then Sartine turned and waited for me, setting her hands on my hips and guiding me as I descended.
I turned to her. “Thank you.”