“Jack got assigned to work with Professor Asher when he showed his intent to support Oxdale’s research in the Senate,” Eleanor informed her. “He did not find Professor Asher to be…effectual.”
“He’s bloody barmy,” Jack corrected her. Eleanor rolled her eyes at her brother as if she, a lady, could not use such course language. Mrs. Potter tut-tutted at him as well. “But, he has a lot to answer for, and I shall thoroughly enjoy sticking him in the hot seat.”
Hot seat!? Deliverance glanced at Jack, visions of a man strapped to a chair and Jack roasting him like a pig dancing across her vision. No, it must be an expression, she decided. No one else seemed remotely alarmed, and she did not peg them to be deranged.
“So,” Jack announced, clapping his hands together in anticipation for whatever schemes were circulating in that active mind of his,
“while I do that, Eleanor and Mrs. Potter, see that Deliverance is brought up to speed and also well concealed.”
Mrs. Potter regarded Deliverance with a sharp eye, as if assessing all the work she had ahead of her. “It will not be an easy task, sir,” she said.
“Which is why I am entrusting it to you. Family can withstand anything, right Mrs. Potter?” Jack came over and put an arm around the elder woman’s shoulders.
Deliverance could see any protests melt away and be replaced with unadulterated pride in those slate grey eyes of hers. “Leave it to you, to use my words against me,” she muttered, although good-naturedly.
“Right, so that’s settled then,” Jack said. Deliverance had the distinct impression Jack had been charming his way out of the bunch for most of his life. For him, it was never a question whether they would support him, even if he brought a strange Narisi woman home and expected them to hide her. It struck her that perhaps he often pulled antics, and that could be another reason they took the situation in relative stride.
“Can I at least see if I can detect anything in her?” Eleanor broke in, not having given up her previous quest.
Jack paused, evidently thinking a million steps ahead into whatever plan he was machinating in his mind. He sighed. “Yes, I suppose…but NO tinkering!” he warned.
Eleanor’s demeanor brightened like a gas lamp. “Yay! Okay, let me see. Miss Deliverance…can I just call you Deliverance?”
“You may if I can call you Eleanor…it reminds me of a friend…from home,” Deliverance said.
Eleanor seemed pleased with this arrangement and beckoned her to come stand in front of her. The girl also stood, although she only came up in height to Deliverance’s throat. Deliverance had always been a tad taller than the other girls on the island. Her mother would always correct her when she referred to herself as ogre-ish in those awkward early teen years. You are lithe, she would insist, replacing the bad self-image with the good.
“Ok, now remove your gloves please,” Eleanor instructed, but added, “Oh, those are exquisite though.”
“They were actually meant for you. Your brother was going to gift them to you,” Deliverance said, although she didn’t really want to distract the girl if she needed to concentrate.
Eleanor waved a hand. “You shall need them more than I in the coming days. Now place your hands, palms facing down, lightly atop mine. Remain there, and do not move.” She proffered her own delicate hands, palms upward in front of her expectantly.
Carefully, as though reaching to touch a skittish colt for the first time, Deliverance lowered her hands to Eleanor’s waiting ones. The girl closed her eyes in concentration, her eyes shifting beneath silky eyelids. They remained like that for several moments before Eleanor’s eyes slammed open, wider than Deliverance thought could be possible for a human—and they glowed effervescent green, beaming from her bulking sockets. Deliverance, in her efforts to remain absolutely still, became aware the girl seemed to be getting taller. But through her peripheral vision she saw the girl was not growing…but floating. The heels of her feet lifting from the floor until just the tips of her toes remained in contact with the parquet floor.
Then as suddenly as it began, it dissipated. Eleanor touched back to the ground, her eyes fading to their normal coco, righting themselves in their sockets. Deliverance quickly removed her hands.
“Told you it was disturbing,” Jack said wryly. Eleanor seemed to snap right out of her trance and yet again poked that pink tongue out in his direction.
“Oh no, it’s not that. I just did not want to absorb her gift,” Deliverance said, not wanting to be unkind to the girl whose gift was actually quite uncomfortable to see.
“Oh, you wouldn’t have. I blocked that from happening. I learned to do that as one of the first safety steps in curing magic illness. It’s like…magical hygiene, I suppose,” Eleanor said matter-of-factly. Then she turned to Jack. “You saw it right?”
“Yes. You light up like a ghoulish jack o’ lantern,” Jack confirmed. Deliverance decided whoever Jack was, his lantern must be absurdly creepy.
Eleanor turned her attention back to Deliverance, not rising to her brother’s bating. “That means,” she said to her, “that there is a detectable malady in you. Otherwise nothing would have happened. My gift only activates when there is something to fix.”
Deliverance nodded, her stomach deflating a bit. So, it was true then. She had some sort of affliction.
“I was prodding at the edges of it though…it’s hard to explain in words exactly how I go about doing it. But I could see a good picture of it in my mind. If I were allowed to…” Eleanor reasoned, although Jack cut her off with a warning stare. “Yes, okay fine. I’m just saying I think I can fix it, given a chance.”
Jack beamed. “That’s my girl. I knew you had it in you…but one step at a time. There is more at play here than just remedying one woman.”
“I know,” Eleanor said while the others in the room agreed as well. The girl seemed to inflate under her brother’s praise. She must hold him in high regard, Deliverance thought. They all seemed to, in each other in return. It was a reassuring thought that perhaps she was amongst trustworthy people. It imbued her with a small flame of warmth that although she was marooned in this alien world, she was surrounded by people of character. Deliverance had learned from a young age to be critical and assess the character of those around her and trusted her gut in this.
“Right well, it’s late and there is much to do,” Jack said finally, drawing their “family meeting” to a close. “Remember to keep what you say about Deliverance from prying ears.” They promised, and stood to go about the rest of the night.
“Mrs. Potter, I think the Green Room for Miss Deliverance,” Jack instructed Mrs. Potter, after giving Deliverance an assessing look. Deliverance turned away. She was not used to such intense study, especially not from a man. Not from one she respected or felt any sort of affection for anyway.
“Very good, sir,” Mrs. Potter said and turned to collect Deliverance.
“Oh and set out something for her to wear. I intend to take her out early tomorrow morning. Something she does not need help getting into but will disguise her well,” Jack said and turned to start discussing plans with Stevens.
“Master Jack, is that wise?” Mrs. Potter asked, looking at Deliverance apprehensively.
Jack turned back to her, but instead of being peeved, as the men on Nar might have been had their orders been questioned, he seemed cheerful. A mischievous glint flitted across his eyes. “Frankly, I do not care how prudent it is. Deliverance has been deprived of the world for long enough. I intend to show her all I possibly can of it.” With that he broke into a satisfied grin and bade the ladies good night.
Deliverance wondered if he enjoyed thwarting whatever powers that be. She suspected that might be the case and that he derived great enjoyment from doing so.
After leading her through a dizzying array of hallways bedecked in artwork and paneling, Mrs. Potter led her to her room.
“It is to your liking, Miss?” the older woman asked as she drew the curtains and starlight filtered into the room. The windows overlooked a massive garden, and Deliverance could hear the babbling of the tile- and-stonework fountain below chortling a song to the night sky. She wandered over to the feature wall, green like the name of the room, and ran her fingers along the velvety filigreed vines, emerald atop a field of the same green her basil plants obtained in the height of summer when their leaves were plump with sun.
“Very much so. It is much fancier than I am used to…” Deliverance replied, then added, “My favorite color is green. I wonder how Jack knew that?”
Mrs. Potter clucked as she set about turning down the mattress and doing various other tasks about the room. “My Jack, he is a thoughtful boy. And quick as a whip.” She pulled some plush looking fabrics from the armoire. “He’ll talk his way into knowing just about anything he wants to know without you even realizing you told him, that one.”
Deliverance nodded. This seemed an accurate assessment of him.
“Now, through here is the bathroom,” Mrs. Potter said, tapping a switch on the wall, which lit up an adjacent room. Deliverance was starting to become used to how they illuminated their houses here. It seemed quite efficient. “You probably do not have indoor plumbing?”
When Deliverance gave her a quizzical look, she nodded. Plum-ing? Plum trees inside? There were not any trees in the tiled room only…oh. A commode…inside. How unhygienic.
Mrs. Potter must have seen her looking distastefully at the pot and gave out a hearty ha-ha! “Oh my. Do not worry. It is quite sanitary. Just pull this lever here when you’ve completed your business,” she said and demonstrated. Water swirled through the bowl and down its gaping mouth. Interesting. Deliverance wondered where the nastiness went once it had passed through the mouth. Best not dwell on that, she decided.
“And here is the shower,” Mrs. Potter announced, showing her a room within the bathroom encased in glass. There was a glass door to the shower and various metal knobs and such. Mrs. Potter demonstrated how to use each of the knobs and handles.
“Amazing,” Deliverance breathed. They had a waterfall inside their house! After questioning Mrs. Potter some more, who remained patient and affable despite her torrent of questions, Deliverance discovered that not only did the manor house have many of these waterfalls, but most everyone had at least one in their home in Arcanton. How very useful…and yet Deliverance still wondered where the muddy bathwater would go once it seeped through the cheese-grate looking sieve in the floor. She reasoned it could not simply just go down, otherwise all the rooms under her would be soaked.
“Do you need me to help you? I do not mind. We are both ladies,” Mrs. Potter kindly offered. “I used to have to help Miss Eleanor when…when she was ill. And when she was still a babe too, of course. It’s not something I bat an eyelash at.”
“No, I think I can manage,” Deliverance decided. Mrs. Potter gave her a button to press should she require further assistance from her tonight.
As she turned to go, she mentioned over her shoulder, “Oh, and Miss Deliverance?”
“Yes ma’am?”
“Here it is customary to shower daily.”
“Daily?”
“Daily.”
CHAPTER 12
Deliverance
After a few moments, Deliverance decided indoor plumbing was magical in and of itself, even if it was not actually powered by magic. It was odd at first to get used to the waterfall being so warm. Mrs. Potter explained most people enjoyed a hot shower. The waterfall in the alcove by her and her mother’s homestead was frigid even in the dead of summer, its source being mountain snowcaps. It took some time to soap her hair with the various creams Mrs. Potter showed her, but the result was luxurious. She smelled like a flower, rather than the squeaky smell of lye mixed with earthy lavender, like their baths at home. Arcantons must like not smelling like people but rather…flowers or fruit. She supposed there was some merit in it. The men on Nar did not smell particularly good if they were ripe for a bath, but she did not have to deal with their odor much other than a few nasty wafts here and there selling her wares in the town square. Effie, though, she would appreciate the miracle of indoor plumbing, especially in her trade.
Deliverance stood under the waterfall long after the rivulets of dirty water turned clean. Finally, she stepped from the glass enclosure in a cloud of steam. Having shut off the water faucets, she dried herself with “towels.” At home they used linen sacks, or if the weather was warm, the power of the sun. Towels were fluffy and a bit like drying oneself with a baby lamb…without that baaing.
Her worn garments had disappeared from the spot on the floor she left them, although they left a ring of sand on the marble floor in their wake. On the chair lay a simple shift made of some soft, tightly woven foreign fabric Deliverance was not familiar with. She ventured into the main bedroom chamber and tested out the bed. It was pillowed and far more giving than any bed she had ever slept in. Actually, she had only ever slept in her own bed at home since before her sea adventure, or occasionally out under the stars on a pleasant night in the soft pine needles or tall rushes. Despite all its plush virtues, Deliverance found it hard to get comfortable. After throwing open all the curtains and tinkering with the windows to let in some fresh night air, she began to relax. Finally, curled in a small corner of the overly large bed, she was able to find peace.
She must have sunk into a deep sleep because it seemed like only moments before she felt a strong, warm hand gently prodding her shoulder. There was something about his smell, the lingering of sea and pine, that told Deliverance it was Jack without opening her eyes. She did not want to open her eyes.
“Hmmf,” she groaned and flipped over. She heard a small chuckle but tried to ignore it.
“Come on, sleepyhead. I have things to show you.” His voice came. She sighed and cracked an eye open at him. The sun was not yet up.
“Do you never sleep?” Deliverance moaned, righting herself in bed.
“Not when adventure awaits,” Jack said, cheerfully tossing various garments from the chair onto the bed in front of her. She assumed Mrs. Potter had left them out. She sat up a little straighter. Adventure sounded good…and what was that smell?
“And here is a little incentive to get dressed,” Jack said, handing her a mug of steaming coffee. It smelled divine.
“My hero,” Deliverance said, inhaling the aroma from the heady vapors. He chuckled again and left the room swiftly, so she could get dressed. True to her word, Mrs. Potter had selected clothing she could don herself, although she ha
d to figure out what order the various skirts went in.
She gave it a try then called Jack in, who proceeded to laugh out loud and tell her to try again. Deliverance reversed the order of the skirts and called him in again.
“Better…I think. Although I must admit I am no expert in these matters. Here, take this. It will be chilly at this hour,” Jack said, and pulled a heavy, green velvet cloak around her shoulders. She stood still as he fastened it at her throat. “There, I think we’re ready.”
“Where are we going?” she asked, as they descended the main staircase and wound their way out the back of the house toward another outbuilding.
“That, my darling, is a surprise,” Jack said impishly and led her inside. It was a stable for the aught-to-mobiles. Although they were eerily silent. Her stables at home were always filled with snorts, stamps, whinnies, and all the other sounds that made a barn come alive.
Jack helped her into the front seat of one of the aught-to-mobiles and got in the other side.
“Um,” Deliverance said. “The gate is still closed.” The large door in front of them was still shut. Jack must have forgotten to open it before taking the reins…the wheel, of the mobile.
“Oh, haha. Right!” Jack exclaimed, and with a click of a button, the gate started to pull itself open. He awakened the mobile with a twist of its key, and away they went.
The morning was just beginning to grow into the sky as the God of Horizons began to shift his cloak. The black of deep, resting night was making way for royal, promising blue. Through the headlights, Deliverance could see them winding through the city, but it was still too dark to make out much of it besides that which the curious not-flickering street lamps illuminated on their posts. The sheer scale of the buildings and variety of architecture as they whizzed by awed her. They passed several spacious parks, lit up with lamps and fairy lights. On their edges perched stately manors and what Deliverance would call castles. She craned her neck to see up the largest clock tower she had ever seen, which really was not saying much as the largest and only one she had ever seen was the one in Nar’s town square. It was only four stories high at the most. It was slightly frustrating to try to take in all the sights in the dark and limited by the windows of the aught-to-mobile, but she suffered silently. Jack, for his part, drove smiling silently to himself.
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