by Robin Roseau
“I could set you to weeding or pest management,” she said. “But it’s planting and harvest when I need more people than I have. Luckily not all the crops come in at the same time, and we all help each other.”
“I understand,” I said. I moved closer then leaned up to kiss her, a sweet, simple kiss.
She took my arm. “Let me finish walking you home.”
Chapter Four
I gathered Ressie, Wesla, and Liessa in my quarters at the inn. “This is none of my business,” I told them. “They are your personal lives, and what you do really isn’t any of my business. But there are politics involved, and while I’d rather not have anything to do with that, either, I think it’s better if it’s me instead of Lord Hibonite. So, if anything happened any of you think I should know, or that you want to tell me…” I trailed off.
They shifted nervously. Well, Wesla was as cool as cucumber, and she smiled besides. “You disappeared,” she said. “And we saw your return.”
“We’re not talking about me.”
“Yes,” she said. “We are.”
I looked into her eyes. “I had a very nice evening. It is not the Ressaline way to form solo attachments, so the next time this is possible, I may have another very nice evening but with someone else. And that’s all I intend to say.”
“Well, I had a very nice evening, too,” she replied. “And from the noises, I believe Pandary had at least as nice an evening.” She grinned.
“That’s disgusting,” Ressie said.
“Oh?” Wesla replied. “Because I’m fairly sure I saw Gibslen and Pandary crossing the bridge together this morning.”
“You don’t hear me bragging about it,” Ressie said in response.
I smothered a smile.
“Yours all stayed overnight?” Liessa asked. “Mine left!”
“Before or after?” Wesla said.
“After, but a girl likes a little cuddle.”
I held my hand up. “I don’t want details. I really don’t. Is the lack of a cuddle the worst complaint?”
“No complaints from me,” Wesla said. She grinned. “I think I like the Ressalines.”
Ressie and Liessa said nothing further, so I said, “I’m glad you had a nice time. Enjoy your days.”
“I intend to,” Wesla said. She flounced out. Ressie and Liessa both looked at each other, and I swear, they had a staring contest, each willing the other to leave.
“I take it you both want to talk with me privately,” I said finally. “One of you volunteer to find me later.”
“Are you seeing her again tonight?” Ressie asked me.
“No.”
“I’d like to talk to you after dinner, then.”
“Of course.”
She offered a look at Liessa and then turned around. She closed the door to my room on her way out. Liessa looked around and grabbed a chair. We both sat, and I waited to see what she said. She stared at her hands for a minute before she said, “I’ve never done something like that before?”
“At all?”
“With a woman.”
“Until last year, neither had I,” I said. “Do you have regrets?”
“I don’t know,” she said. She looked up. “She left.”
“Ah. Are you upset because you think she was disappointed, or because you hoped for a much longer relationship?”
“Oh, please,” she said. “But she left.”
“Right,” I said. “Did she offer a reason.”
“She apologized but said she had duties and couldn’t stay. That’s bullshit.” She was starting to sound upset.
“Okay, I think I have the picture.”
“It’s my day off,” she added. “I’d have spent it with her. Even if she has duties, you said we can cross the river if we have an escort.”
“Ah. But they won’t take you very far. I won’t explain why. It is actually illegal for you to help her with her duties.”
“Is it illegal for you?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“That is a conversation you have with Lady Olivia. Not, I will point out, Malstar.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
“Like Lady Olivia would take the time to talk to me.”
“The list of Flarvorian women free to travel through Ressaline is very short, but I have the impression she hopes to lengthen the list, one person at a time.”
“Really?”
“That being said, it’s a three-month commitment.”
“It’s not that far to Charth.”
“And then you stay for somewhat longer than two months.”
“Seriously?”
“Rituals,” I said. “There are rituals.”
“You’re serious.”
“I’m entirely serious,” I said. “I promised not to say more than I have. You need to talk to Lady Olivia, or to anyone she appoints. She isn’t going to appoint border guards. If you want to spend more time with them, you may cross the bridge and speak to them at the guardhouse, but they’ll probably come here.”
“Fine. But she left.”
“Yes, and you know what? She probably did so because she has duties.”
“In the middle of the night?”
“From what I can tell, they keep someone at the guardhouse full time,” I pointed out. “And farmers rise very early. She is in a position similar to mine, but as a farmer. I don’t know how large her crew is, but they each have a crew. She has responsibilities every single day. Now, it could be exactly what you think, but you know what? If you were disappointing, I bet she would simply have helped you learn.”
“She had to, a little.”
“I was pretty embarrassed the first time I needed help,” I said. “Did she seem pleased?”
“Women fake.”
“You know what? I get it. But if she faked with you, that’s on her, not on you. Did she say she wanted to see you again?”
“She said she had to share.”
“They don’t make the same sort of one-on-one relationships we do. She’s right. They share. Which means the next time you see her, she might be with me. You can’t get jealous. Because you know what?”
“What?”
“There are only four of us in our crew but six of them.”
“There’s an entire village, plus however many they have over there.”
“And yet, I’m fairly sure you can have a date any time you want one. I can’t promise that, but I’m fairly sure.”
She paused then looked back down at her hands. “Have you ever had a conversation like this before?”
“No, and I really feel weird having this conversation with a member of my crew, but I think I’m sort of like a big sister right now.”
“Ha. Little sister.” Liessa was big and strong. I was more compact.
“More experienced sister,” I said. “But Liessa, I’m still your boss.”
“I know,” she said. She looked up. “Why did you pick me for your team. I know you had choices.”
“That’s easy. First, you came to our interview and treated me with respect.”
“Wait,” she said. “You had interviews where they weren’t respectful?”
“Of course I did, and some of them were with women.”
“That’s just stupid. Everyone knows you should have become the next minister.”
“Politics,” I said. “And I’m young. But thank you for that. And that attitude is the first factor. I wouldn’t have taken you if I thought you were incompetent or lazy.”
“I work hard!”
“And that’s the other reason,” I said. “Yes, you do.”
“I’m not smart.”
“You’re smart enough.”
“How do I become a crew leader?”
“Ah,” I said. “It’s a lot of little things. Let me ask my own question. Do you want my job?”
“I couldn’t.”
“Okay, but do you want it?”
“But I cou
ldn’t.”
“We’re going in circles.”
“You had to go to school. I’ve held a job since I was twelve. I can read and write and do my numbers.”
“Ah,” I said. “So you might be older than I am by the time you could learn everything you would need to learn.”
“I don’t understand. I can’t afford to go to school.”
“School isn’t the only way to learn.” She stared, not understanding. “Liessa, have you noticed how much I’m teaching all of you?”
Her eyes widened. “I’d go to school with you?”
“I don’t have time to be a very good tutor. You would need to do a lot of self-study, and I’d probably ask you to see Ms. Lazuli or Ms. Kunzite with questions before coming to me. But I can be a guide.”
“Really?”
“It’s a big undertaking. You are not qualified for their jobs.”
“I need to learn more numbers.”
“Yes, and more than numbers.”
“Are they qualified for your job?”
“Not yet,” I said. “Part of my job is to train them. Part of that training is to teach them to teach you. I’d already done this with my old crew, but now I’m starting over.”
“I didn’t know any of this,” she said. “You said it’s a lot of little things. This seems like a big thing.”
“Yes. This part is a big thing. You have a lot of basic learning to do, the sort anyone who will remain basic crew learns. You need to continue to learn everything you can, and to become as good at as many tasks as you can. And you need to teach me.”
“What can I teach you?”
“That when Liessa Sardonyx says, ‘I’ve got this’, I don’t need to ask another question.”
Her eyes widened again, but she nodded. “What else?”
“When I ask for volunteers, your hand goes up, even for the shittiest work.”
She made a face. “Why?”
“Because favors go to people who solve problems for me. I hate having to pick someone to do a shitty task. It tends to lead to sullen attitudes.”
“Oh, I get that.”
“I don’t play favor for favor. But what happens is the people who do the shitty jobs also get a choice for the best jobs. Mr. Thinaksite is a good example, and do you think he had fun making places for the green tufts.”
She laughed. “Yes.”
“More fun than painting?”
“I painted. Yes.”
“Painting is easier,” I said. “Anyone can pick up a paint brush. Sure, a little practice makes you better, but anyone can do it. Not everyone can do what his little crew did.”
“I wouldn’t have thought of any of that.”
“I don’t know how much of that was borrowing from his grandfather,” I said. “Ms. Sardonyx, I have no idea how clever you are. You have a good attitude, and you work hard. You also have an open mind. Those are all good signs.”
“I’m clever,” she said.
“Then you have real promise.”
“So what do I do?”
I stood. “Come with me.” We filed from my room. I led her to the stable. I had a watertight chest I kept in one of our wagons. I used a key to unlock it. Inside were books, precious books. Some of them were quite advanced engineering books. But some of them were schoolbooks on math and the precursor sciences to engineering. I pulled out several thin books covering a course on mathematics. I closed the chest and set the books on top of the chest. “These books cover the math you would learn. This is the easiest book I have.” I opened it to the first set of practice problems and handed it to her. “Do you recognize this?”
She stared, and I saw her eyes start to water. I took the book back. “All right,” I said. “It’s fine, Liessa. It means I don’t have books for you, but this is my responsibility. I’ll get some more. It will take a letter to Barrish. I might find them here, but I’d rather use the people I know at home.”
She nodded. I stepped closer and lifted her chin. “This is life,” I said. “You have plenty to learn. Numbers will be part of that. Just not today.”
She nodded. “Thank you, Ms. Cuprite.”
“You need to trust me.”
“I trust you,” she whispered.
“Are you sure?”
She lifted her eyes and looked into mine. “Yes,” she said with more confidence.
“There we go,” I said. “One last lesson. Rest days are important. If we don’t enjoy them, we tend to begin making stupid mistakes. I need to know what you’re going to do to enjoy your rest day.”
She smiled. “Unless you tell me I can’t, I’m going to walk across that bridge and tell whoever I see that I would enjoy company for dinner.”
I laughed. “That’s a very good plan.”
“I may stay and talk, if they let me.”
“They very well may. I don’t know. There’s traffic today.” I gestured to a wagon crossing the bridge in our direction. “This bridge used to be traveled far more heavily. Trade patterns have changed significantly.”
“May I call you Allium for a minute?”
“Of course.”
“She did… things to me.”
“Things. Good things?”
“Really, really good things,” she said. “I really liked them. I mean, I really, really liked them.”
I smiled. “I’m glad.”
“But how do they make babies?”
“I have no idea. That wasn’t something they taught me.” I laughed. “Um.” She joined my laughter, then held her hands in front of her stomach, miming being pregnant. “Right,” I said. “But I saw a couple of babies, so they must do something. Maybe they keep a few men locked up in some sort of harem.”
She laughed again. “I think I like Ressaline customs.”
“Better now?”
She nodded. “Thank you for speaking with me, Ms. Cuprite.”
“You’re welcome. Ms. Sardonyx, I can’t promise you a position as a team leader. It’s up to you far more than me. It will take time before you are ready. But I can promise every opportunity to learn and to prove yourself. We have no shortage of opportunity.”
“Thank you, Ms. Cuprite.”
* * * *
I was a hypocrite. I spent the afternoon working. Worse, I was a bad example, as I did it in the common room, letting myself be waited on by the very flirtatious Seorie.
Which was probably why I did it there.
At one point, she sat down opposite me, grabbed my papers, and looked at them. “What in the world is this?”
“Top secret government plans,” I said. I leaned forward. “You’re holding our secret plans to build a culvert.”
She laughed. “Oooh.” She shoved them back at me. “I think I like my job better.” She grinned. “You’re a horrible tease.”
I laughed. “Have I been teasing you?”
“You helped me tease them,” she said. She laughed. “They check me out, and they think they’re being subtle about it.”
I laughed. “I’m not sure whether they believe that or not.”
“They’re my favorite customers,” she said. “They’re always polite. They never cause trouble. And no one else causes trouble when they’re here.” Then she sighed. “Did you tell them I’m married.”
“Yes. Were you keeping it secret?”
“I wear a love knot,” she said. She let her sleeve ride up, and I saw the complicated embroidery about her wrist, extending halfway up her arm.
“I bet they don’t know what that is.”
“Shit,” she said. “I never thought of that. Damn it. Does that mean they’re going to stop flirting?”
“I find it unlikely,” I said. “If you instigate.”
She nodded. “It’s the first time any of them have stayed overnight. You disappeared.”
“You seemed awfully busy to notice.”
“I pay attention,” she said. Then she waited, looking at me.
I gazed back, but she didn’t say anything. Finall
y, I sighed. “We could do this all afternoon, but neither of us really has time for that. Why don’t you ask what you really want to know?”
“I’m not sure what I want to know. Three of them stayed. And you disappeared. I want to know what that means.”
“It means I didn’t sleep in the inn last night,” I said.
“Do you really not know what I’m asking?”
“Seorie, last night, several people met in an inn. Some of them formed temporary attachments. I’m fairly certain it’s not the first time you’ve seen that happen.”
“It’s the first time I’ve seen that happen with women, and it’s the first time I’ve seen it happen with anyone from across the river.”
“And?”
“And, it’s different.”
“Not really.”
“Of course it is.”
“No, it really isn’t. The smaller details are different.”
“But-” She broke off. I thought she looked frustrated. “Do you know how often the men in here make a play for one of them?”
“I imagine nearly every time any of them cross the river.”
“Pretty much,” she said. “Not once has it worked. They’re very polite, and they leave if it’s getting raucous.”
“Wise,” I said.
“But last night, it was four for four.”
“So?”
“That’s just weird.”
“Because there were a total of eight women involved?”
“I’ve never seen that happen. There are always odd ones left out. A woman who goes home alone, or goes home with someone out of desperation. Most of the time, its men going home in disappointment, but they’ll be back the next night. Last night. Four Ressaline women arrived like they do with some regularity. They sat down. Ten minutes later, you sat down. Over the course of the next half hour, three more women sat down with you. And eventually, the eight of you left in four pairs of two. That doesn’t happen.”
I laughed. “I arrived here last night expecting to find someone waiting, as I’d sent a note.”
“Oh.”
“I wasn’t expecting things to go quite like they did. I was expecting two happy Ressaline women, not four. I have no idea what will happen next time. If they come back tonight, I might sit for dinner, but I won’t be crossing the bridge again tonight.”
