by Tara Brown
Her mother glided to the magistrate’s wife, with her arms out. “Helene what a wonderful sight you are. It’s been a fortnight at least.”
“Indeed, Elsie. You must be pleased.”
“Blessed.” Lenny’s mother beamed as Josu and Amaya made their way to the front door of the hall to begin greeting any guests arriving after them. Of course, any missed would be caught on the way out. Blockley was nothing if not traditional in these sorts of celebrations. “He is a wonderful young man and a perfect fit for Amaya.”
Lenny agreed with her mother’s sentiments as she thought to herself how perfect a match Josu and Amaya were. Both handsome and graced with beauty, but also the type of people who cared about the show and spectacle. And the ways in which they didn’t match would complement each other.
Her attention drifted back to her mother and Mrs. Tuille. Lenny realized how much her mother’s beauty made the other woman pale in comparison. It was odd to see her so lit up and happy. When she was smiling and joyful, she shone like a star. Lenny tried to recall a moment in her life her mother had gazed upon her the way she was Amaya. No instances came to mind.
“And, Hilde, my dear girl. How have you been since I saw you last?” Mrs. Tuille asked.
“Very well, thank you.” Hilde smiled brightly, never saying too much.
“Did I hear you are also engaged?” Mrs. Tuille pried.
“Not yet, I’m afraid.” Hilde’s eyes lowered. As the eldest, Hilde felt she ought to have been engaged first, but what did minutes count in the grand scheme of things?
Lenny contemplated going to find food, really the only reason she attended functions such as this, but assumed she wouldn't be able to eat with the corset.
“Good evening,” Lenny’s father said as he interrupted the women’s small cluster of gushing.
“Good evening, Edwin.” Mrs. Tuille offered him a fake hug and a soft kiss on the cheek.
Lenny smirked at her father as he stood taller, sticking his chest out slightly.
“Why, hello there, beautiful girl,” a man murmured in Lenny’s ear as he sat down far too close. She was about to stand, offended at the scandalous act, but when she turned to glare, her brother Wilfred grinned at her.
“Wilf!” she exclaimed loudly and wrapped her arms around him, wincing when he hugged back.
“Dress too tight?” he laughed.
“I’ll give you all my savings to trade clothes with me. Mother always says I favor you in looks. No one will know,” she pleaded.
“I don’t have the forearms for such a gown. But I can do you one better. Turn around.” She obeyed as he opened up her dress and loosened the laces enough that she might get some air and maybe some food in.
“Oh, Wilf. That feels amazing.” She took several breaths, making herself dizzy.
He closed her dress back up and kissed the side of her head. “Let me guess, they attacked you as a group? Held you down and forced this on you?” His tone was light and merry.
“No. I volunteered to be victimized,” she lamented. “Amaya’s engagement, how could I not?”
“You’re a better sister than I imagined you to be. However, I’m sure you thought of ways to avoid it.” He smirked at her, knowing her all too well. Wilfred was the eldest at twenty-two, four years older than the triplets, and already a fine young man.
“Where’s Bethel?” she asked, only because it was the polite thing to do.
“Home and unwell. Needless to say, she was pleased as punch that I had to come here for the evening, as I arrived home last night.” His smirk remained.
Wilfred tolerated his wife. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever beheld. But she had not been his choice. His mother had decided for him. Wilfred wished he’d listened when his gran had stated that the gods were fair and likely there would be something wrong with Bethel if she was still single at twenty-one. No one had a pretty face such as that without having other problems. Sort of the same way Hilde lacked emotion or a spine.
Bethel was insanely jealous and always accusing him of things he hadn’t so much as had a chance to consider, let alone do.
“I have just heard you are to accompany our dearest sister Hilde to the city with Mother.” He loved that Lenny was his company in all his misery. Only she understood what it was like to endure their mother and her expectations as well as he did.
“And I have heard you are to go back out to sea with only two days of rest.” She glanced his way, mischief floating about in her stare. “You can’t avoid Bethel forever.”
“Says the most beautiful girl at the party sitting along the wall.” He winked.
“We’re a pair, you and I.” Lenny laughed weakly.
“How are the dogs, speaking of pairs?”
“Magical.” Lenny smiled sweetly thinking on them. “Scar remains nervous of everything and everyone. She only relaxes on the farm. And Ollie is forever the ham, trying to get into everyone’s face for a scratch and all the affection he might soak up from a person. He’s dramatic.” She nudged her brother. “I think he gets that from you.”
“Obviously. Does everyone still continually say all that nonsense about getting them saddles and making them pull the cart?” Wilfred chuckled.
“Every single day.” Lenny sighed.
“Nothing changes around here. And on that note, I suppose I must go into the pits and do my duty.” He leaned into Lenny. “I don’t love you and I never miss you.”
She turned and beamed, rubbing her hand along the scruff on his chin. “And you are the worst brother anyone ever had.”
He kissed her forehead and she pressed herself into the kiss.
“Try to behave,” he whispered and stood, disappearing into the crowd to find Amaya and Josu.
Lenny’s eyes again found her family speaking with Helene. Just then, the magistrate came strutting over reminding her of one of the cocks in the farmyard, taking over the conversation and speaking loudly. Lenny recoiled in disgust and began to scan the crowd until she finally saw a face that made her hopeful.
Master Barnes.
She stood and tried as she might to walk gracefully to where he stood. He appeared cleaner than she’d ever seen him. His wife laughed loudly nearby, causing an annoyed look to rest upon his face every time she spoke.
“Master Barnes,” Lenny said loudly, trying to speak over top the rest of the crowd.
He turned and his eyes narrowed and then widened. “Lenny?” He gasped.
“Good evening, sir.”
“Indeed.” He stepped away, taken aback, and stared at her. “I wouldn't have recognized ya.”
“I know. I’m wearing a dress,” she said as if he needed help figuring out the difference.
“A bloody fine one at that. You look like a proper princess. And you’d give your sisters a run for their money.” His cheeks flushed, suggesting he hadn’t meant to say all that at once, and certainly not aloud. “Must be uncomfortable though. I bet you’re wishing to be home in your britches.” He stammered again, “I mean—”
“I am.” She saw how red in the face he was becoming and presumed he was similar to all men who saw Lenny in a dress, unprepared. “I think my aunt Mildred broke a rib getting me into this frock.” She sighed, stopping herself before she spent the entire evening complaining. “Did James come as well?” she asked the question she was actually after.
“Oh aye, he’s here somewhere. I imagine hiding. A giant baby, that one.” He sipped from his mug of the stout that Kelpies had agreed to bring over in barrels for the party. “Doesn’t like crowds or noises or this many candles in one room. He’ll be where the food is.”
“There you bloody are!” Lenny spun to an annoyed man’s voice, only to discover her uncle on the other end of it. “And what the bloody hell has happened to ya? I’ve been searching high and low, couldn’t find ya anywhere. I think I’ve walked right by you three times now.” He wrinkled his nose before he could think that maybe he shouldn't. “You look strange.”
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�Sold my soul to the fair folk, they made me pretty in trade.” Lenny rolled her eyes. “Your wife and my mother got ahold of me. What did you think happened?”
“Well, you finally look like your sisters, I suppose.” He shrugged and went back to the topic he’d hoped to discuss, “I need you at the docks right after breakfast. That massive ship that came in today, we finished the inside repairs, but I’m not liking it. It’s why I’m late. I am certain the bottom has damage that hasn’t come through the side I can’t see, and the ship belongs to a family from the North who have a fleet. I need to impress them, something fierce.” He pointed at Lenny who shrugged, then turned his attention to Master Barnes. “How are things, Barnes?”
“Good, Alek. That boat you have in the dock banged up, is it?”
“Aye. Captain says he doesn't know what happened. They launched the anchor, went to sleep, and woke to water coming in. They hadn’t drifted. Not a rock in sight. No shore for miles. They have no idea what they hit.”
“Musta been another boat, eh?”
“It’s not hit in the right place for it to be another boat, unless it was fully submerged and coming up outta the water when it hit. And it’s too big for us to careen her here. But Lenny here might find some scuffs tomorrow to give me some clues.” Alek shook his head in confusion as a hand across the room raised and gestured for Lenny to come over.
“Sorry, excuse me. And I won’t forget, I never do,” she said as Uncle Alek opened his mouth as if he might say something. She walked to where Hilde was calling, smiling as pleasantly as possible when one couldn’t inhale all the way.
“And this is our youngest”—Lenny’s mother pointed to Lenny and then a stranger—“Ilenia.”
“Miss Ilenia.” A handsome young man wearing impressive dress robes nodded a bow at her, not deep enough to show respect, but rather shallow enough to show he had title and importance. He was pretty in the same obvious way Hilde was and Lenny couldn’t tear her gaze from his.
“Lenny, this is Lord Ivor Lindley Evadarc from Waterly City,” Lenny’s father said proudly, though why anyone would think to be proud of a name like that was a mystery to her. It was a mouthful. “He arrived a week early from the city to escort your mother and Hilde to Waterly City. Made record time traveling here so as to attend the party tonight.”
“Which means we shall leave early for Waterly City. I should think we could be ready to go as early as tomorrow. Exciting, isn’t it?” her mother said with a subtle strain in her voice as if to plead with Lenny to be polite.
“A pleasure,” Lenny uttered what she should, curtseying just enough to show she had no care for this man or his title.
“The pleasure is all mine. I was quite excited when I heard we are to be blessed with your company on this long journey,” Lord Ivor added, his eyes twinkling in a way that made Lenny’s stomach tighten. It was an odd thing to say to a stranger. Odder yet, when he stepped a little closer, making her want to back up, but she wondered if that was the reaction he hoped for and stayed put, lifting her head more to stare him in his shiny eyes.
“Actually, I am afraid I will have to decline the invitation. But I’m certain you’ll have a pleasant journey all the same.” She didn’t bother to fight the smirk she offered him.
His stare tightened for a moment as he took her meaning to be a mockery, yet Lord Ivor couldn’t be sure who she mocked. Him or her mother?
“Ilenia!” her mother said sharply.
But she gave her answer to her father, “Uncle Alek has a ship in with mysterious damage. Rich family from the North with a huge fleet, and he needs me to check the bottom before he sends him back out. I’m not sure how long I’ll be with it.”
“Of course.” Her father nodded and turned to his wife then Lord Ivor. “She won’t be joining you, I’m afraid. But Hilde and Elsie should be more than enough company for you.” He offered a tone that he hoped helped his stubborn woman see she wasn't winning this one. The family business came first. And a large fleet meant money.
“I’m not meaning to pry,” Lord Ivor lied, “but does the lady have employment?” He fought what appeared to be a laugh but not hard enough. “On the docks?”
“Best diver in the whole kingdom of Dahleigh, I’d put my money on it.”
“Diver?” Lord Ivor didn't seem to understand, which Lenny’s father then had to fight a smile over. Of course, a blue-blooded lord such as himself wouldn't have worked a day in his life.
“Indeed. Here we don't have the fancy lift you all enjoy in the Great Harbor. We can careen the ship and do our best, but if the damage is too great, there’s a risk to putting that much pressure on the hull. Not to mention, boats react differently to being on shore than to being in the water.” Edwin spoke slowly, with just enough dryness in hopes the young lord understood he might be able to get away with a lot of things but laughing at Ilenia Ailling wasn't one of them. “Here we have to hire a diver who can hold their breath for twice as long as you or I could while swimming incredibly fast. They need to be able to feel the vibration of the rotted wood in order to tell under water if the damage has been repaired enough.” He slung an arm around his youngest daughter’s shoulders. “And this is the finest swimmer and diver you will find in the kingdom. Saved many a life, she has.”
Lord Ivor’s cheeks flushed, matching Elsie’s.
Lenny pressed her lips together, attempting to hold back the smile that so badly wanted to let loose upon her face.
Hilde’s eyes widened and darted to the side, also possibly stifling something naughty.
“That’s marvelous. If this slip of a girl can dive and help with the repair of great ships, then I for one would love to witness it. That is something we don’t see in the city. Ever. We will delay the trip for as long as it takes Miss Ilenia to do her job.” Lord Ivor recovered from his embarrassment, adding a bit of challenge to his stare as his eyes met with Lenny’s. “And I suppose I’ll take that wager that she’s able to hold her breath longer than anyone I’ve ever seen.” He offered Edwin a hand. “Loser buys dinner?”
Edwin spit on his palm and pressed the spit into Lord Ivor’s as they shook hands.
“I haven’t been this excited in a while, Miss Ilenia,” Lord Ivor said, his gaze lingering on Lenny. “What a fascinating acquaintance to make.” It was his turn to smirk and he relished the moment.
But Lenny didn’t take the bait. “Everyone calls me Lenny, your lordship. And we’re meeting on the dock at Quays after breakfast, if ya can get out of bed that early. Father, Mother, milord.” She curtseyed much deeper this time and walked away with a grin on her face.
Fortunately, she saw the one person she had hoped to, in the corner at a table with a large plate of food piled high. He was eating slowly and staring out at the crowded space as it filled more and more.
He was handsome, even eating, and was cleaned up almost as well as she was.
“James.” She waved and hurried over. “You came?”
“Lenny?” He gasped, wide-eyed. “You’re beautiful.” But it came across as shocked and not at all as a compliment. “I mean—you don't look like yourself tonight—no—that’s not—”
“It’s fine. I understand.” She laughed and brushed it off, though she did relish in the fact he no longer saw her as a boy. “I’m dressed like one of my sisters. I know, I was shocked when I saw myself. Thought the mirror was a window,” she muttered.
He nearly smiled again.
“Who’s the lord?” Wen asked, appearing out of nowhere and sitting beside James, ruining Lenny’s hopes of being alone with him.
“Lord Ivor something or other.” She wrinkled her nose and glanced back, wincing when she caught the lord’s gaze. He continued to stare at her, a strange expression on his face.
“He appears as though he may have fallen in the garden and gotten a carrot wedged in a place he won’t easily remove it from,” Wen commented and took a bite of lamb from James’s plate. “I mean, who stands that straight with their chest puffed out?”<
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“Here.” James handed him the entire thing, sighing.
“He’s escorting us to the city for Hilde to meet her betrothed after I help Uncle Alek repair that boat tomorrow.”
“Rotten luck,” Wen moaned. “Eight days of that?”
“Indeed,” she groaned, and not just meaning about the lord, as she sat next to James. “And then I have gods know how long in the city.”
“You might like it,” James offered quietly enough she had to lean in to hear the rest. “It’s a beautiful city and the pomp and protocol is something everyone should see once.”
“You’ve been?” Wen asked, chewing on meat from the plate.
“Aye, two summers ago. Went and stayed with an uncle when he got ill. My da couldn’t go, ma refused, so it was left to me. His house was in the slums but it was fascinating to see the sights. Smells of spices and filth and fish and people.” James shrugged. “You’ll be glad you saw it and glad you came home. I know I was.”
“I was born there, and apparently went once when I was a lad, but I don’t recall it,” Wen added, his eyes stuck on the crowd at the front door to the hall where Lenny’s sister greeted the guests.
“Isn’t your ma from there?” James questioned between sips of his beer. Lenny almost asked him how many he’d had, for she’d never seen him chattier than this. Never.
“She is.” Wen nodded but left the story short. It was one he hated. From the day Lenny met Wen, his mother had gone on about the king of all Dahleigh being Wen’s father. She swore up and down she had been sent to Blockley as punishment for birthing the first son. The story grew with the years, becoming a monster Wen preferred to avoid. If his mother was drinking, she was talking, and Wen was hiding. It was a vicious cycle.
“Speaking of your ma, Wen, I saw her the other day. I waved and thought maybe she didn’t see me, but she did at the last second and she merely glared. No wave. Is everything all right?” Lenny asked.
“No, she’s been at the home brews a lot more lately. Drinking and staying up late. I’m not sure what she has her knickers in a twist over, but I wouldn’t take it personally,” Wen lamented.