Page 227
Story: The Liveship Traders Trilogy
Her mother was entertaining Rain Wild guests.
That was unusual enough, given that her father had severed their trading connections there years ago.
A Rain Wild suitor was courting a Trader woman.
The servants did not think much of her. ‘She’d smile at him more if he replaced his veil with a mirror,’ one servant sniggeringly observed.
Another added, ‘I don’t know who’s going to be more surprised on their wedding night: her when he takes off his veil and shows his warts, or him when she shows her snake’s nature behind that pretty face.
’ Althea knit her brow trying to think what woman was a close enough friend to the Vestrit family that her mother would host a gathering in her honour.
Perhaps one of Keffria’s friends had a daughter of marriageable age.
A kitchen maid tugged her empty plate from her lax hands and offered her a bowl with two sugar dumplings in it.
‘Here. You may as well have these; we made far too many. There are three platters left and the guests are already starting to leave. No sense a young man like you going hungry here.’ She smiled warmly and Althea turned her eyes aside in what she hoped was a convincing display of boyish shyness.
‘Can I take my message to Ronica Vestrit soon?’ she asked.
‘Oh, soon enough, I imagine. Soon enough.’
The sweet gooey pastries were messy to eat but delicious.
Althea finished them, returned her bowl and used her sticky hands as an excuse to go back to the yard pump.
A grape arbour screened the kitchen yard from the main entrance, but the new leaves were still tiny.
Althea could watch the departing carriages through the twining branches.
She recognized Cerwin Trell and his little sister as they left.
The Shuyev family had also come. There were several other Trader families that Althea recognized more by crest than by face.
It made her realize how long it had been since she had truly belonged to their social circle.
Gradually the number of carriages dwindled.
Davad Restart was one of the last to depart.
Shortly after that, a team of white horses arrived drawing a Rain Wild coach.
The windows were heavily curtained and the crest on the door was an unfamiliar one.
It looked something like a chicken with a hat.
An open wagon was drawn up behind it and a train of servants began carrying luggage and trunks from the house to that conveyance.
So. The Rain Wild Traders had been houseguests at the Vestrit home.
Increasingly mysterious, Althea thought to herself.
Crane her neck as she might, she got no more than a glimpse of the departing family.
Rain Wilders were always veiled by day and this group was no exception.
Althea had no idea who they were or why they were staying at the Vestrit home.
It made her uneasy. Had Kyle chosen to renew their trading connections there?
Had her mother and sister supported such an idea?
Had Kyle taken Vivacia up the Rain River?
She clenched her fists at the idea. When the kitchen maid tugged at her sleeve, she spun on her, startling the poor girl. ‘Beg pardon,’ Althea apologized immediately.
The maid looked at her strangely. ‘Mistress Vestrit will see you now.’
Althea suffered herself to be led back into her own home and down the familiar hallway to the morning room.
Everywhere were the festive signs of guests and lively company.
Vases of flowers filled every alcove and perfume lingered in the air.
When she had left, this had been a house of mourning and family contention.
Now the household seemed to have forgotten those difficult days and her with them.
It did not seem fair that while she had toiled through hardship, her sister and mother had indulged in social celebration.
By the time they reached the morning room, the simmering confusion inside her was so great she guarded against it breaking forth as anger.
The maid tapped at the door of the chamber. When she heard Ronica’s murmured assent, she stepped aside, whispering to Althea, ‘Go in.’
Althea bobbed a bow, then entered the room.
She shut the door quietly behind herself.
Her mother was sitting on a cushioned divan.
A low table with a glass of wine upon it was close to hand.
She wore a simple day-gown of creamy linen.
Her hair was coiled and perfumed, and a silver chain graced her throat, but the face she lifted to meet Althea’s gaze was taut with weariness.
Althea forced herself to meet her mother’s widening eyes with a direct look. ‘I’ve come home,’ she said quietly.
‘Althea,’ her mother gasped. She lifted a hand to her heart, and then put both hands over her mouth and breathed in through them.
She had gone so pale that the lines in her face stood out as if etched.
She dragged in a shuddering breath. ‘Do you know how many nights I have wondered how you died? Wondered where your body lay, if it was covered in a decent grave or if carrion birds picked at your flesh?’
The flood of angry words caught Althea off-guard. ‘I tried to send you word.’ She heard herself lying like a child caught in a misdeed.
Her mother had found the strength to rise and now she advanced on Althea, her index finger levelled like a pike.
‘No you did not!’ she contradicted her bitterly.
‘You never even thought of it until just now.’ She halted suddenly in her tracks.
She shook her head. ‘You are so like your father, I can even hear him lying with your tongue. Oh, Althea. Oh, my little girl.’ Then her mother suddenly embraced her, as she had not in years.
Althea stood still in the circle of her pinning arms, completely bewildered.
A moment later she was horrified when a sob racked her mother’s body.
Her mother clung to her and wept hopelessly against her shoulder.
‘I’m sorry,’ Althea said uncomfortably. Then she added, ‘It’s going to be all right now.’ A few moments later she tried, ‘What’s wrong?’
For a time, her mother did not reply. Then she drew a deep, rattling breath.
Ronica stepped back from her daughter and rubbed her sleeve across her eyes like a child.
It smeared the careful paint on her lashes and eyelids, marking the fabric of her sleeve.
Her mother took no notice of that. She walked unsteadily back to her divan and sat down.
She took a long drink of her wine, then set it down and tried to smile.
The smeared paint on her face made it ghastly.
‘Everything,’ she said quietly. ‘Everything that could be wrong, is. Save for one thing. You are home and alive.’ The honest relief on her mother’s face was more searing than her anger had been.
It was hard to cross the room and seat herself on the end of the divan.
Harder still to say calmly and rationally, ‘Tell me about it.’ For so many months, Althea had looked forward to coming home, to telling her story, to forcing her family to finally, finally listen to her view.
Now she was here, and she knew with the unerring truth of Sa’s own revelation that duty demanded she listen first to all her mother would say.
For a moment, Ronica just looked at her.
Then the words began to spill out. It was a disordered tale of one disaster after another.
The Vivacia was late coming home. She should have been back by now.
Kyle might have taken her straight on to Chalced to sell the slaves, but surely he would have sent word by another ship if he intended to do so.
Wouldn’t he? He knew how poor the family finances were; surely, he would have sent word so that Keffria would have something to tell their creditors.
Malta had been into one kind of mischief after another.
She didn’t even know where to begin that tale, but the end of it was that a Rain Wild Trader was now courting Malta.
As his family held the paper on the Vivacia, courtesy and politics dictated that the Vestrits at least entertain his suit, although Sa knew Malta was not truly a woman and old enough to be courted.
Moreover, Davad Restart had leapt into the midst of that tangle, and had made one gaffe after another all week in his determination to wring a profit from the courtship.
Just because the man was totally tactless did not mean he was without tactics.
It had taken all her ingenuity to keep him diverted and to keep Reyn’s family from taking offence.
Keffria was insisting on trying to manage the family businesses.
That was her right, true, but she wasn’t giving them the attention they needed.
Instead she was all caught up in the flowers and the frills of this courtship, and never mind that the grain fields were only half-ploughed and the planting moon was only a week away.
A late frost had taken at least half the blooms from the apple orchards.
The roof in the second bedroom in the east wing had begun to leak, and there was no money to have it seen to right now, but if it were not repaired soon, that entire ceiling would give way and…
‘Mother,’ Althea said gently, and then, ‘Mother! A moment! My head is reeling with all this!’
‘Mine, also, and for far longer than yours,’ Ronica pointed out wearily.
‘I don’t understand this.’ Althea tried to speak calmly although she wanted to shout.
‘Kyle is using Vivacia as a slave-ship? And Malta is being practically sold off to the Rain Wild Traders to pay our family debts? How can Keffria allow that, let alone you? Even if the Vivacia has not yet returned, how can our finances be so bad? Didn’t the shoreside properties used to pay their own way? ’
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150
- Page 151
- Page 152
- Page 153
- Page 154
- Page 155
- Page 156
- Page 157
- Page 158
- Page 159
- Page 160
- Page 161
- Page 162
- Page 163
- Page 164
- Page 165
- Page 166
- Page 167
- Page 168
- Page 169
- Page 170
- Page 171
- Page 172
- Page 173
- Page 174
- Page 175
- Page 176
- Page 177
- Page 178
- Page 179
- Page 180
- Page 181
- Page 182
- Page 183
- Page 184
- Page 185
- Page 186
- Page 187
- Page 188
- Page 189
- Page 190
- Page 191
- Page 192
- Page 193
- Page 194
- Page 195
- Page 196
- Page 197
- Page 198
- Page 199
- Page 200
- Page 201
- Page 202
- Page 203
- Page 204
- Page 205
- Page 206
- Page 207
- Page 208
- Page 209
- Page 210
- Page 211
- Page 212
- Page 213
- Page 214
- Page 215
- Page 216
- Page 217
- Page 218
- Page 219
- Page 220
- Page 221
- Page 222
- Page 223
- Page 224
- Page 225
- Page 226
- Page 227 (Reading here)
- Page 228
- Page 229
- Page 230
- Page 231
- Page 232
- Page 233
- Page 234
- Page 235
- Page 236
- Page 237
- Page 238
- Page 239
- Page 240
- Page 241
- Page 242
- Page 243
- Page 244
- Page 245
- Page 246
- Page 247
- Page 248
- Page 249
- Page 250
- Page 251
- Page 252
- Page 253
- Page 254
- Page 255
- Page 256
- Page 257
- Page 258
- Page 259
- Page 260
- Page 261
- Page 262
- Page 263
- Page 264
- Page 265
- Page 266
- Page 267
- Page 268
- Page 269
- Page 270
- Page 271
- Page 272
- Page 273
- Page 274
- Page 275
- Page 276
- Page 277
- Page 278
- Page 279
- Page 280
- Page 281
- Page 282
- Page 283
- Page 284
- Page 285
- Page 286
- Page 287
- Page 288
- Page 289
- Page 290
- Page 291
- Page 292
- Page 293
- Page 294
- Page 295
- Page 296
- Page 297
- Page 298
- Page 299
- Page 300
- Page 301
- Page 302
- Page 303
- Page 304
- Page 305
- Page 306
- Page 307
- Page 308
- Page 309
- Page 310
- Page 311
- Page 312
- Page 313
- Page 314
- Page 315
- Page 316
- Page 317
- Page 318
- Page 319
- Page 320
- Page 321
- Page 322
- Page 323
- Page 324
- Page 325
- Page 326
- Page 327
- Page 328
- Page 329
- Page 330
- Page 331
- Page 332
- Page 333
- Page 334
- Page 335
- Page 336
- Page 337
- Page 338
- Page 339
- Page 340
- Page 341
- Page 342
- Page 343
- Page 344
- Page 345
- Page 346
- Page 347
- Page 348
- Page 349
- Page 350
- Page 351
- Page 352
- Page 353
- Page 354
- Page 355
- Page 356
- Page 357
- Page 358
- Page 359
- Page 360
- Page 361
- Page 362
- Page 363
- Page 364
- Page 365
- Page 366
- Page 367
- Page 368
- Page 369
- Page 370
- Page 371
- Page 372
- Page 373
- Page 374
- Page 375
- Page 376
- Page 377
- Page 378
- Page 379
- Page 380
- Page 381
- Page 382
- Page 383
- Page 384
- Page 385
- Page 386
- Page 387
- Page 388
- Page 389
- Page 390
- Page 391
- Page 392
- Page 393
- Page 394
- Page 395
- Page 396
- Page 397
- Page 398
- Page 399
- Page 400
- Page 401
- Page 402
- Page 403
- Page 404
- Page 405
- Page 406
- Page 407
- Page 408
- Page 409
- Page 410
- Page 411
- Page 412
- Page 413
- Page 414
- Page 415
- Page 416
- Page 417
- Page 418
- Page 419
- Page 420
- Page 421
- Page 422
- Page 423
- Page 424
- Page 425
- Page 426
- Page 427
- Page 428
- Page 429
- Page 430
- Page 431
- Page 432
- Page 433
- Page 434
- Page 435
- Page 436
- Page 437
- Page 438
- Page 439
- Page 440
- Page 441
- Page 442
- Page 443
- Page 444
- Page 445
- Page 446
- Page 447
- Page 448
- Page 449
- Page 450
- Page 451
- Page 452
- Page 453
- Page 454
- Page 455
- Page 456
- Page 457
- Page 458
- Page 459
- Page 460
- Page 461
- Page 462
- Page 463
- Page 464
- Page 465
- Page 466
- Page 467
- Page 468
- Page 469
- Page 470
- Page 471
- Page 472
- Page 473
- Page 474
- Page 475
- Page 476
- Page 477
- Page 478
- Page 479
- Page 480
- Page 481
- Page 482
- Page 483
- Page 484
- Page 485
- Page 486
- Page 487
- Page 488
- Page 489
- Page 490
- Page 491
- Page 492
- Page 493
- Page 494
- Page 495
- Page 496
- Page 497
- Page 498
- Page 499
- Page 500
- Page 501
- Page 502
- Page 503
- Page 504
- Page 505
- Page 506
- Page 507
- Page 508
- Page 509
- Page 510
- Page 511
- Page 512
- Page 513
- Page 514
- Page 515
- Page 516
- Page 517
- Page 518
- Page 519
- Page 520
- Page 521
- Page 522
- Page 523
- Page 524
- Page 525
- Page 526
- Page 527
- Page 528
- Page 529
- Page 530
- Page 531
- Page 532
- Page 533
- Page 534
- Page 535
- Page 536
- Page 537
- Page 538
- Page 539
- Page 540
- Page 541
- Page 542
- Page 543
- Page 544
- Page 545
- Page 546
- Page 547
- Page 548
- Page 549
- Page 550
- Page 551
- Page 552
- Page 553