Chapter 2
The sun was low in the sky as Kynbessne knocked on the door. She’d stopped to wash off the extra make-up that Jennika had applied and to let her hair down again. It had taken longer than she would have liked and she knew that she wasn’t exactly on time.
The house was set on a hill above the city in a row of other luxuriant homes that the town leaders rented out to visiting nobility. From the front door, you could look down over the entire town and the port that it merged with as well as a good stretch of the ocean. It was a long ways from the city, but most made the journey by carriage or horse, rather than on foot as she had just done.
Kynbessne stopped her eyes from wandering over the landscape and turned back to the door, wondering if she should knock a second time. Just as she was about to, the door swung open to reveal a housekeeper wearing a long apron over a dull blue shift.
“May I help you?” the woman asked, planting a hand on her hip tiredly.
“My name is Kynbessne Reforen. I’m here to see Lady Richelle,” Kynbessne said. She pulled a letter out of her pocket to show the maid and stopped as the woman waved it away.
“She’s been expecting you.” Opening the door wider, she ushered Kynbessne inside.
The house was decorated in gold and soft blue, with high ceilings and intricate woodworking at every opportunity. A wide staircase directly in front of her led up to the second floor while hall led past it and twin doorways opened up on either side of her. On her left was an elegant sitting room and on her right a slightly larger room opened up, furnished with grand bay windows that displayed the port below.
“This way, if you please,” the housekeeper said, starting up the stairs. Kynbessne lifted her skirts careful to avoid tripping over them as she went up the steps and followed after her. At the top of the stairs they turned to the left and headed down a long hall that ended in a set of double doors. The woman knocked and then stood back, folding her hands in front of her.
“Come in,” a woman called from the inside.
The housekeeper motioned for Kynbessne to stay where she was before slipping inside the room. There was a soft murmuring from beyond the door and then the housekeeper was back, shooing Kynbessne inside.
The room was small, modestly furnished with a long couch along one wall and two cushioned armchairs set in the far corners. A monochromatic rug was placed between them and delicate ivy had been painted around the top of the walls.
Lady Richelle sat in the chair farthest from the door, holding a book on her lap with one finger keeping her place between the pages. Her daughter, sixteen-year-old Taneya was seated on the couch, her embroidery gathered in her lap as she worked on it. Both wore simple gowns made of silk and had their blonde hair gathered at the back of their necks to fall down their backs in curls. They smiled, but after the way that Jennika had smiled it seemed distant.
Kynbessne shook the thoughts from her head and smiled back, curtseying as best she could with her bags still in her hands.
“I’m terribly sorry I’m late, your Ladyship,” she said as she straightened up again. “I was delayed in town and came just as quickly as I could.”
“It’s quite all right,” Richelle assured her and motioned for her to take a seat in the other arm chair. Taneya resumed her work, glancing up from time to time.
“I assume my letter found you promptly?” Richelle asked.
“Yes, ma’am,” Kynbessne sat down, setting her bag at the foot of the chair. “I was very happy to receive it.”
“You understand what I am asking of you then?”
Kynbessne laughed quietly to herself, nervous. “I beg your pardon, your ladyship, but I do not. You said that you would like for me to sail with you to Derend, but I confess I do not understand why.”
“You have been on the sea before?” The way Richelle spoke, it was only half a question.
“Yes, ma’am, I have,” Kynbessne told her. “My father took me with him on his trading routes once I was old enough to leave home. But, I can offer you no more guidance on the seas than any common sailor.”
“I believe you misunderstand why I asked you to come. I have already found a ship willing to carry us and interviewed its Captain and he will provide all the guidance that we require. However, we will be on the ship for some weeks and I fear that my Taneya will find little to do onboard.” Taneya lifted her head at the mention of her name, suddenly attentive to the conversation. Richelle hardly noticed her. “I wish to hire you as a traveling companion for her, to help pass the time. In return, I will pay for your trip from here to Derend and then from Derend to whatever destination we can agree upon. I understand you have reason to go to Lyardin…”
Kynbessne nodded quickly. “Yes, my lady. I have an uncle that lives there with his family. I’ve been meaning to make the trip for some time now.” She smiled. “Your offer is most generous and I would be happy to accept.”
Richelle leaned back in her chair happily. “Good. We intend to leave first thing in the morning, unless you have need to stay in town?”
“No, ma’am.” Kynbessne shook her head. “I can be ready then.”
“You’ll stay the night with us here,” Richelle said. “The housekeeper will show you to your rooms and –“
“I can do it,” Taneya cut in. She blushed and lowered her eyes at the sharp look her mother gave her. “I mean. I can show her to her rooms. And perhaps afterward we can walk down to the wharves?” There was a quiet hopefulness in the girl’s voice.
“It’s late, Taneya,” Richelle scolded. “Girls of your age do not walk the wharves at this time of night.”
“Just in the garden then,” Taneya begged, sitting forward in her seat. She looked at her mother imploringly. “Please?”
It took a few more minutes of pleading, but Richelle finally gave in, with the understanding that they would be back inside before the hour was through. Taneya thanked her and hurried to stow her embroidery. They stopped in Kynbessne’s room only long enough to drop her bags beside the bed and then Taneya dragged her down the stairs and out the backdoor.
Outside, rounded hedges had been planted along a long walkway that lead up and down the rolling hills behind the house. Flowers and other bushes had been planted along the way, releasing a sweet scent into the air. Across the way, the path crossed over a small wooden bridge covering a brook that ran down to form a pool a few yards away. The evening sun cast long shadows over the ground and played in the ripples in of the stream.
Taneya pranced over the stones, breathing in the fresh air. “They haven’t let me out of the house all day,” she laughed. “Mother was too tired and they wouldn’t let me come out by myself. I don’t know why. It’s not like they’re not watching me from the upstairs window anyway.”
Kynbessne bit back a laugh and shot a glance toward the upper story windows. Sure enough, someone stood there, watching.
Taneya grabbed her arm, linking elbows with her, and led her away down the path. “So, why are you trying to get to your uncle? Why can’t you just stay home?”
“Well,” Kynbessne tried to find the best way to put things. “My parents passed away a few years ago and…”
“You’re looking for help to run your estate?”
She blinked. Apparently Richelle had failed to mention Kynbessne’s financial situation to her daughter. Still, it was a better explanation than the truth. Her father had never been a nobleman, but a merchant with a wide range of trade, so his home had been a modest one with only a few more luxuries than others of his class. The “estate” was in shambles when it passed into her possession. Her mother had died of consumption and her father had passed away at sea while still trying to find the means to pay off the debts that had been incurred during her mother’s illness. Afterward, Kynbessne had been forced to sell everything and strike out for her nearest relative. Unfortunately, they had been hard to find and her uncle was the first she’d managed to come across. In the mean time, she was little more than a commoner with manners.
Taneya looked at her, waiting for an answer.
“Something like that,” Kynbessne whispered.
“But they allow you to travel on your own?” Taneya pressed. She laughed as Kynbessne shrugged. “I’d give anything for that! But Mother wouldn’t think it proper. She’s much to concerned with that word.” The girl wrinkled her nose. “We put so many rules on ourselves that we can’t even do anything at all. I mean, that’s what mother meant about the wharves.”
Kynbessne looked at her quizzically.
“She said that it wasn’t proper for a girl my age to go,” Taneya explained. She shook her head. “She meant that it wasn’t proper for a girl of my rank to go alone.”
Their boots hit against the planks of the bridge as they stepped onto it and stopped to look down over the city. Taneya sighed, leaning on the rail.
“It’s not like anyone is even down there,” she sighed. “We’d just be there by ourselves. All the sailors are either asleep or in the taverns by now.”
Kynbessne shook her head. “You don’t know that. They’re not exactly the most predictable of men.”
“When they’re on shore leave they are,” she countered. She looked back over her shoulder at Kynbessne. “You’re lucky. You don’t have a mother watching your every move to make sure you don’t destroy the family honor.”
Kynbessne shrugged. “I suppose you could look at it that way.”
“I’m sorry,” Taneya looked down. “But then…” Her face brightened. “You’ll have my mother breathing down your neck for the next few weeks. So either you won’t miss it for a while, or you’ll learn you don’t want to miss it.”
They both laughed.
“Come on!” Taneya grabbed her hand again, leading to the other side of the bridge. “There’s this beautiful spot I’ve got to show you.” They lifted their skirts slightly to run, Taneya glancing up toward the watcher above them and giggling harder. “We may even be able to hide there for a while and get some extra time outside.”
Kynbessne shook her head, but smiled as well.
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