Vere will announce at the next gathering of the Council that he has gathered some preliminary information on the Paresh. First, he hands Paige a sack filled with gold coins, and a list of names. "These are the members of the Paresh who are leaving the city," he says, "And this is the amount required by law for their pilgrimage tax. You might wish to check this against the appropriate Episcopacy Laws, but I believe that they are acting within the bounds of the law."
"Their reasons for wishing to leave make sense to me; their faith is based upon silent meditation. They can no longer retreat to the monasteries they once used, so they wish an alternative. This seems logical, and I see no objection. They have food, which when added to what fish they will be able to catch will last them for what they view as the remainder of the time left to Amber."
Vere pauses for a few seconds, then continues. "This is an interesting and worrying point. Their spiritual leader has pinpointed the exact time at which Amber will cease to exist. He claims that the world has already ended, and that Amber will follow it in just over 700 days. I can give you the exact date if you wish."
[Ossian]
"I'd like to know that. I'm curious to verify the exactness of this
guy, provided that Amber does cease to exist."
"Their leader is a very interesting man, with a very overpowering personality and a deep faith in his visions. I have some reason to believe there may be some substance to at least some of them, and this leads me to worry that his belief in Amber's destruction may have some factual basis. I am reminded of the food issue."
He looks at Cambina. "He has told me of some of his visions. He has seen bodies raining into the sea, and floating in the harbor so deep that you could cross it by walking across on their backs, the castle lying in a heap and the mountain peak above it shaved away. He has seen hordes of pale, ghostly horsemen watching while the city dies."
"Any thoughts any of you might have on this would be welcome. I am continuing my researches. I have a few leads to follow, let me tell you about them and see if any of them mean anything to you."
"Time to get a horse and some face powder," Reid mumbles.
Vere glances at his notes, but it is clear they aren't really necessary. This is all very much at the forefront of his mind. "The founder of the Paresh was a man named Elder Scale. He was a sailor in Amber's Navy who was washed overboard, and found his salvation on a desert island, apparently under the direction of Visions and/or Voices. He may or may not be the same person as a sailor named Solvent, who lived somewhat over 500 years ago. Elder Scale died shortly after Uncle Eric's Coronation."
"The Paresh were accustomed to travel to an island, I believe the same one where Scale found his salvation, by way of Asir. The time differential appears to be several months on the island to a week in Amber."
"A splinter group of the Paresh was subject to an Episcopacy prosecution a century or two ago, for inciting armed defiance of the crown. Priests were hanged, and many people were banned from Amber. Their Temple is the current headquarters of the Paresh, but the modern Paresh deny having the sort of structure that this splinter group appears to have had."
Vere folds his hands. "For now, I am not worried about the Paresh. They may prove to be a problem in the future, but I think denying them permission to depart would be more harmful than allowing it. I will continue investigating."
"Hah. He's not the first one to preach the end of the world," Ossian comments. "On the other hand there is a rather apocalyptic war going on, if I understand things correctly."
Vere nods. "It is my impression that one could make a good case that the universe did in fact end when Oberon recreated the Pattern, and that the Paresh's visions might indicate they had some knowledge of this." He pauses. "Then again, there is also the possibility that the 'spirits' who are giving them these visions were somehow tied to Chaos, and were telling the Paresh what they hoped would happen when the Pattern was destroyed." He frowns. "Too much speculations on too little data, I fear. It is one of the reasons I spent so much time with them."
He steeples his fingers together and looks into the distance. "If necessary, I may continue visiting with them, possibly in their retreat once they have left Amber. While I do not wish to encourage their fantasies, there is a mystery here that I would like to resolve."
"Beyond saying that Amber's going to end in 700 days, you haven't mentioned why you believe there's some concern." Jerod says. "What makes you think that this person's visions are to be considered worrisome?"
Vere hesitates, glances at Cambina, then says, "There is nothing definite and logical that I can point to in answer to that question. There is the vague possibility that this fits into the food anomaly, of course, but that could be an unimportant coincidence. But there is something about him, and about his Visions. I cannot quite put my finger on it, but there is something with at least a touch of the supernatural involved in this."
Vere pauses again, then continues. "There is also a possibility of another person being involved." He describes a young man in precise detail. "I have reason to believe this person might have met with foul play, although again there is nothing that would stand up as evidence in Paige's court. If any of you have seen this man, or heard of someone who matches that description, I would appreciate knowing of it."
Vere's second glance at Cambina is enough for Jerod to look at her pointedly. "If there's something you would like to bring up now, it would be appreciated." he says.
Vere lifts a hand slightly. "I have not discussed this matter with Cousin Cambina," he says, "I regret if I have given that impression. It is merely that I look to her as something of an authority on..." he pauses, "...the unusual. Such matters are left to women in my homeland, you understand, and especially to women of such sensitivity as your sister possesses."
[Cambina]
"That's right, let's ask Cambina, our government's Minister for
Supernatural Affairs. I have no idea what it means. If you'd been to
Tir-na Nog'th, I'd be able to make some guesses, but we don't even have a
stairway to that place."
Reid realizes that neither Tir-na Nog'th nor Remba had been mentioned since he got back, and he didn't know both were inaccessible.
[Cambina]
"Although I've always wondered how a city gets to be that way. Maybe this
is how it starts."
Paige gives Cambina a quick worried look. "Listen, I was only joking when I threw out the idea of Amber leaking Shadow fluid. Why are we putting any weight on it?"
"Because we are in Wild Speculationland right now" Ossian says, "and we need to stay there for a while, until we find out why Vere's food calculations are wrong."
Ossian leans back in his chair, crosses his legs and puts his hands behind his neck. "Have we considered that the drug consumption might have gone up? People don't eat all that much food when smoking opium, you know."
"And elephants can fly if we attach enough hot air balloons to them too." Jerod say drily. "However, it's about as relevant to the current conversation as whether or not drug consumption has gone up.
"We can speculate our brains out and it will solve nothing. Until there is something factual to be put forward concerning the food shortage or whatever it is, I suggest we rein in any over-active imaginations and proceed on with the next item on the agenda."
Folly shoots Jerod a look of surprise and distaste. Reining in one's imagination seems, to her, as strange an idea as lopping off one's own hand.
If Jerod notices her look (and he seems to), he pointedly ignores it.
"Yes, let's not waste cousin Jerod's time now." Ossian's tone is acidic. "We can always send him a messenger when the apocalypse happens."
"And when the apocalypse comes, I'll be sure to receive said messenger." Jerod says. "Until then, we're wasting everyone's time."
"Depends on whether or not the food issue is related to the question of what happened to the Pattern and the shadowpaths, doesn't it?" Martin says. A number of the people at the table can tell that he's mildly annoyed at having to support Ossian's position.
"I don't think wild speculation is any help, but declining to think about the problem altogether seems equally unhelpful. Unless somebody knows something they're not telling, we're all equally clueless here. This food thing is one of the few hooks we have. If it turns out to be nothing, it's nothing. But if it doesn't -- if, say, substance is being drawn towards where the Pattern is -- we'll be sorry that we didn't look at it now."
"Then I suggest Vere continue his investigation and report back." Jerod says. "Cause like I said...it doesn't do us any good to speculate."
"I'd rather hear these speculations made openly in council. First, creative synergy on these things can't hurt. Second, if Solange here goes off alone on a wild hare to satisfy her curiosity about something, I'd prefer to have heard what she thinks so we might have some idea of where she's gone, in case she needs a rescue." Martin offers the lady in question an insouciant grin.
"How very thoughtful of you, cousin," Solange says, suppressing a snort. "I see you've mistaken my 'I haven't got a clue about eschatology and the food-consumption conundrum baffles me beyond knowing where to start' silence for a scheming and planning silence. I assure you, it's the former, not the latter. If anyone DOES have ideas about where to go looking for answers, and wants my help, I'm game."
She looks around.
"I also wonder who's behind the arson and the vandalism. Jerod, you were the one who said my property-reform ideas would ruffle feathers; who do you think would feel so threatened by my book that they'd vandalize the two printers producing it? Or could Heap be the one behind the vandalism at Stout's, since technically speaking, Stout's edition is unauthorized, and it's affecting Heap's profits?" She smiles brilliantly. "And now that I've admitted to being the author of 'A Guide to Financial Management for Ladies,' I'd love to know if any of you wrote the sequel, since I didn't."
Vere smiles at his Sister, then glances around at the rest of his Cousins. "Whoever did write the second volume did an excellent job of duplicating the style of the first book. But from internal evidence it appears to me that she, or possibly he, of course, has not travelled extensively outside of Amber. It's also interesting that the book could, theoretically, be used as a manual on how an unscrupulous person could use the legal system to take advantage of the unsuspecting rich."
[Jerod]
"It's possible, but I've done a bit of digging into Heap. I doubt he's
behind it, though if he thought Stout was doing it to him, it might
come down to a tit for tat contest. And nothing's come up on the
property reform angle in Court, beyond the typical grumbling that
was expected. The fact that its now entrenched in the legal system
makes it a lot harder to eliminate. I might be more suspicious if
someone was trying to suppress the book before it had the effect
of becoming law.
"But we've gone and done it the other way around...made the law and then wrote the book. So destroying a printing press might slow down the information flow a bit, but it won't stop the law from being enacted. Paige will see to that...and no one's going to gainsay her, not without risking a whole lot of retribution.
"Now that doesn't mean that someone might not be really dumb and didn't think about that angle. So I think tomorrow I'll go pay Heap and Stout a visit and see how things are going with them. I've got some reason to speak to them, concerning a submission for a friend we'll say. Maybe someone came calling on them to try to suppress the book first."
And the next morning, Jerod does just that...
"Perhaps," says Vere, "It is merely that I grow overly concerned when I do not understand something. This may be nothing more than an annoying form of intellectual arrogance on my part." He smiles slightly. "In addition, when all theories seem equally likely I grow concerned that the one with the most dangerous consequences has an equal chance of being the correct one, and begin looking for evidence to either support or contradict it. So far no one has given me any reason to believe that this wild speculation cannot be true, and I do not understand the Pattern and the nature of Shadow well enough to be able to analyze the situation adequately on my own."
"Hm. I'd should probably look into this food business a bit more than I have done before. But we need not take that with all of the council."
After the council meeting, or the next day, Ossian approches Vere with a few questions regarding the food calculations:
"Are the discrepances equal for all sorts of food, or does it seem that for instance potatoes are consumed in the amounts they should be, while eggs are not?
"Can the discrepances be located to any specific areas of the city?
"How long back can we trace the dicrepances. Back to the Sundering?
"I must confess I do not know very much about the food distribution, except from what I learned from going through all those warehouses."
Vere will be happy to go over all the calculations and reports with Ossian.
[GMs]
The records of the weeks immediately following the Sundering are, of
course, awful, but within a couple of months of the Sundering, you've got
reasonably accurate records of the food available and the consumption rates.
Even accounting for things like "victory gardens", as it were, there's an overall decline in food consumed in all categories that exceeds known emigration from the city, based on the rough information Vere and Ossian and Cambina have.
"How exact is our knowledge of who lived in the city before the Sundering?", Ossian asks "we don't want to make a census, do we?
"And do we keep any records of who has left the city after the Sundering."
[Jerod]
Has there been a census to verify the number of citizens in Amber?
Can one be taken to make a comparison against previous records?
And is there any evidence of starvation or systemic resource
prohibition (a fancy term for people doing without because they're
conditioned to do based on their environment/culture)?...Folly's crew
might have a better hook on that since she deals with the less
fortunate, who logically would be the first to encounter this situation.
[GMs]
Records are available for people who have left through specific methods
that get recorded, like the emigration programs. Amber is a huge city --
its population was close to a million before the Sundering -- so the
likelihood of exact records of the residents is pretty low.
If Ossian is feeling cross with Vere, he can be mean and ask Nestor to do the research directly. ;-P
If there is anyone around here Ossian trusts, it is Vere.
"It seems there are few things we can do to determine why your calculations differ, short of a census of the people."
"Of course, we might start buying up all of some kind of food, and see if there is more of it on the market than we are aware of. That kind of operation is expensive of course."
"I have another loony theory: we are shifting shadows all the time here; what if we unconsciously shift into a city with smaller and smaller population?"
"It is no more unlikely than any of the other theories we've been advancing. The fact is that we simply don't have enough information. I will have Nestor continue researching this, and we can continue trying to determine what could have become of the people, but I have an unpleasant feeling that we will not learn the answer to this riddle quickly."
[Jerod]
"As for who this guy is, I'm curious to who he is...so I think its time
to meet him. I personally don't believe that the universe is going to
end, but if he can motivate others to believe that, then I want to
know if he's being manipulated, or is just bloody nuts."
"Mmmmm," says Vere. "I do not know if that would be truly useful, but I also do not know of any reason why you should not, if you wish to. I can arrange a meeting, if you wish. I warn you that he is very focused on what he believes, and I doubt that he will speak of anything very important to an outsider."
[Jerod]
To the GMs: does the person that Vere described sound familiar.
[Not particularly to Jerod, nor for that matter to any of the rest of you.]
To Vere: "Does this person you've described have a name?" he asks.
"If he truly exists, then I am sure he did, but I fear I do not know it."
Folly, who has been looking a little pale throughout the discussion, addresses Vere. "You say you think this guy met with foul play. Has he gone missing? -- because it occurs to me that if Amber's population really were dropping away mysteriously, as has been hypothesized, we'd probably be hearing reports of missing persons -- wouldn't we?"
Vere shakes his head. "The person I speak of definitely had some connection with the Paresh in the past. There was a strong resemblance between him and the leader of the Paresh, enough that they might be related." All trace of emotion has vanished from his voice. "It may also be that the person who saw him was mistaken, and that it was actually a shadow of Elder Germaine that he saw, or something equally unusual. The situation is very complicated."
"You know," Brita says from afar :),"the Paresh view of the end of Amber bears a remarkable resemblance to the place that Reid and I ended up in. At least in the fact that the top of Kolvir was gone and Amber castle was gone. There were no floating bodies though..."
(Jerod thought bubble) (what? - Jerod thinks? Impossible!!..:) "Another reason why Jerod's quite eager (well, maybe eager isn't the word if he's looking to find the end of the world) to go exploring for the Pattern"
A short time after the Council meeting, Jerod makes arrangements to speak to Gerard concerning shadows and the impact of Amberites on shadow. Given his age and experience, Jerod's hoping for some insight.
[GMs]
[Reminder: Gerard is one of the younger elders! He's either the last or
next-to-last before Random.]
[Jerod]
He's also head and shoulders older than Jerod and the only available
Elder...:)...you use what you've got (one never claims that what one is using
is actually useful).
After making sure that Gerard is up to date on Vere's finding, Jerod puts forward his thoughts.
"We have a situation right now where the food levels are different from what we were originally anticipating. I've been wondering about that and I'm wanting to get your advice." Jerod says.
"I'm wondering if you can tell me if the unconscious desires of one of us...or several of us for that matter, can have an impact on Shadow. I know dad talked to me about this stuff, but I was never able to see it first hand...I didn't stay anywhere long enough. And I'm wondering if that might be the problem we're having with the food." Jerod says. "I'm also wondering if it might be part of what's going on with this deadline concerning Amber's end...our uncertainty of the future is manifesting itself. I'm concerned because we're all used to being in Amber...which doesn't change. So we might not be aware that we're making unconscious changes to our environment. And if that's the case...we're going to have some problems I think."
Gerard hrrrms. "First things first: the universe doesn't turn on the babblings of some fanatics. Vere's told me some of what these "Paresh" have to say, and they sound like they've had too much grog, not like they have any special insight that you and I don't. So discount the Paresh; if they want to run away from Amber with their tails between their legs, let 'em. We're better off without such."
He thinks for a minute before answering the other. "I wish I'd fidgeted a bit less and paid a bit more attention when Dworkin was teaching me as a lad, because I know less about how the Pattern and the family gifts work than I should. I can't say your theory's impossible, Jerod, but I can't say it's true either.
"As for the food, well, we're exporting people right and left, so it's no wonder there are fewer folk eating it. I'm not sure what all the hullabaloo is about. Someone changed a minus sign for a plus in the accounts, or forgot to carry when subtracting, or something. When you're accounting for the food eaten by as many people as live in Amber, a tiny mistake in the math can have a huge effect on the numbers. Vere and Cambina are both very clever, but even they miss things on occasion. I'm pretty sure that's all that's happened here."
"I'm hoping the same...but the possibility makes me nervous." Jerod replies. "And that little concept got me wondering about other stuff...like if we run into any problems from our erstwhile enemies. When the Pattern was around, things were stable. Now that we're living in Shadow, we're a lot more vulnerable than we used to be."
"A lot of things are possible, Jerod, but being possible doesn't make them so. We're the last ones who should ever think that. And I'm not sure we're living in Shadow either. That's not quite right either."
Gerard frowns, looking for a bit of technical vocabulary that he doesn't quite have. "If this place has thousands of years of reality anchoring it, it shouldn't go away overnight, or in a year or three. It should take longer. Or that's what my gut says, anyway.
"If the redheads were here, they'd come closer to being able to tell you if you're on to something. Or maybe not; I don't know that Dworkin taught them about broken patterns either."
Jerod frowns for a moment, not sure as to the wording that Gerard has just used. For a moment he seems like he is going to continue, but Gerard's phrasing brings him back. "Broken patterns?" he asks. "Do you mean about having the Pattern not working? Or is this something else?"
Gerard shrugs. "There's a crack in the floor of the chamber, running right through the thing. It's broken in two and it doesn't work. What am I supposed to call it?"
"Ah...I wasn't clear on that." Jerod says, smiling slightly. "It's a great pity Dworkin was never around when I was growing up. I'd have loved to talk to him.
"In any event, I'm still wondering about the Pattern. After the next bit of shadow path work, if things are going reasonably well, I'm going to see about putting together that plan for looking for the Pattern, like I outlined awhile ago. I'm just giving you the heads-up now."
"We'll see if we can spare you," says Gerard, in a tone that makes Jerod think that Gerard isn't keen on the idea.
"I'm sure that when I bring it up next, we'll be doing just fine." Jerod replies with a smile, and a tone that says he recognizes Gerard's...and he's still not going to quit...:)
It's been about a month since Heap's shop burned down. Apparently his sales of _A Guide To Financial Management for Ladies_ were more profitable than expected by many, because he's been able to rebuild his shop and replace the damaged presses.
Heap has printed another edition of his bestseller -- an inexpensive yellow chapbook version, like the first. He has also printed a new book, apparently by the same author, entitled _A Guide to Property Laws and the Courts for Ladies_. Both editions are twice the size of the first edition Heap printed, about 1000 copies each.
Again, Paige purchases copies for Vialle and Solace in addition to herself. She reads this volume with a much more critical eye than the previous book.
This book was written in much the same style as the first, although it's clear the author's area of expertise is financial more than legal. It seems to have suffered from expert advice in some of the heavier sections.
The work is very practical, and frequently ends with advice about how to choose a solicitor. The advice is often pragmatic, sometimes even suggesting settlement rather than justice as expedient and financially wise. The recurring theme seems to be how to avoid being taken advantage of at law.
Does the feel of the book remind Paige of any of the solicitors/barristers she's come across in her time in the courts?
Not particularly, but property pleadings in particular are supposed to be limited, standard forms. Besides, how do you tell various forms of lawyerese apart? ;)
Broadsheet satires about "The Revolt of the Ladies" appear. There is a particularly well-aimed political cartoon that shows Paige as a pirate captain with her crew of Folly, Brita, and Solange; Jerod, Vere, Lucas, and Martin are chained to the oars; Cambina is the cabin boy. The ship is labeled "Amber", it's headed towards the rocks, and Paige is saying "Straight ahead, ladies!". The caption is "Smooth Sailing So Far". Adreano of the Thrush Pack writes a short, pithy poem based on the conceit. It's published in another broadsheet, and is much quoted in conservative political precincts such as the clubs.
Vere smiles quietly to himself.
Jerod collects a few copies of the satire in question, finding the contents vaguely amusing. They will be kept with his other papers to collect dust.
"So that is the way to portrait you cousin?" Ossian asks, somewhat teasing "You could have told me you wanted a maritime portrait anytime, you know."
"People can portray me however they want." Jerod says, looking over the satire again. "It's an occupational hazard of being in the Court to be a target of sarcasm. One cannot take it personally. At least, not while it has to do with Court. Which is what this is mostly about."
"Were it something more personal...something obscene...or something meant to hurt my friends or someone I care about, that would be another matter. People are usually pretty smart about where they draw the line of sarcasm. And if they step over it...they get stepped on."
"Well at least they've got me on reasonably respectable duty." Jerod says. "I'd have been really pissed if they stuck me with cabin boy duty." and he laughs.
Cambina stares at it. "Obviously I'm not causing enough trouble in certain quarters. Maybe I should write a book. _Cabin Boy on the Ship Of State_ or _Fifty Years behind the Mast, Sixty Years behind the Times_. I know, _If You Would All Do What You Know You're Supposed to be Doing, This Would Be Easy_. _A Ladies Guide to Beating Your Head Against The Wall: Adventures in Governing_. Anyone else care to become Authors? It's probably fashionable now..."
"I'm a Writer, not an Author." Jerod says. "Everyone interested in looking pretty can produce something now, so you might want to be careful. Otherwise what you write will get ignored along with most of the rest...and you know it'll be better than half the stuff that gets pumped out."
Paige finds the artist and commissions a larger version in oils and color if he's willing. It'll be hung at her house in Garnath, most likely. She finds it extremely humorous. She'll also turn her hand to some sewing, which she hasn't done in years, but still turns out a wearable Dread Pirate Paige costume. For what occasion, she has no idea, but a girl must be prepared.
Brita will probably see the cartoon when one of the Rangers brings it to her (or maybe a cousin?). "Well, they got my height right." she says. In another comment - made only to her cousins - Brita notes, "the 'muscle' of Amber in chains; what a concept." :)
[Paige]
Only around her female cousins, "Well, I always did think Martin looked
cute, well...
"There's a mental image that will distract me for the rest of the evening," jokes Folly -- but there's an edge to her voice, and she gives Paige a gently chiding look when she catches her eye.
Solange blushes beet red and says nothing.
Cambina is behind Paige. She rolls her eyes.
Solace, who has been sitting quietly in the corner working on her embroidery through all of the discussion, says, "Paige, Martin seems like such a nice man. Why do you talk about him like he's a cheap, ungrateful, fortune-hunter?"
She's genuinely curious.
Paige laughs. "A nice man? I can't ever remember anyone referring to him as 'nice', but I will admit that at the core I think he's a wonderful person. Perhaps you missed it, but cousin Martin and I have a troubled past, the end of which I handled badly, to say the least."
She shakes her head, "If I were objective enough, I'd say that my petty, spiteful comments are a vain attempt to build myself up by pulling him down. Of course, I'd also think that I've not been as bad, of late." Paige shrugs.
"I suppose I owe him an apology, but this was only meant in a humorous vein, for us ladies, but he is a rather private person, so in your position as his advocate, I beg your forgiveness," Paige concedes with a slight tilt to her head.
"Paige!" Cambina chides from behind the couch where her cousin sits. "Be nice." She reaches down and pets Paige's hair. "People are like the cards, Paige. They're much better at seeing the present than the future or the past. It doesn't matter if you were right, people see how you are now.
"We keep saying we have all this time to let things heal themselves, but we don't have to. It's a choice, cousin, that you can make any time you want. You can let it go. How will you ever win by out-graciousing him if you won't be gracious? He gets sympathy because he's quietly bearing up under the burden of your comments.
"If our new cousin Solace thinks you're unkind, can you imagine what people who don't know you very well might think?" _for instance, Lady Vesper..._
"Do you think his step-mother would want to know about his sex life? Do you think his father will? Amber is a vast city, but there are only a dozen of us. Do you think it's possible to keep things quiet when you're not even trying?"
Folly chooses this moment to move from her seat to the floor by Paige's feet, ostensibly to offer comfort. She herself looks a bit uncomfortable, though. She leans her head against Paige's knee so that her face is obscured from view.
"I swear, Paige, for someone who's so naturally good at reading the future you've got a blind spot the size of Kolvir about yourself."
Paige bears up under Cambina's words without exploding. She seems more hurt than angry. She addresses Solace, trying to explain, "I'm not trying to 'win' some game, cousin. I was sincere when I apologized. Martin and I had some issues and I have been less than ladylike in my dealings with him. I'm trying to correct that, but sometimes, I suppose, I forget myself."
"Ugh -- 'ladylike'," says Folly, looking up and grimacing. "I hate that word. Maybe instead you should work toward being unladylike but civil. Doesn't that sound like more fun?" she asks, sprawling gracelessly on the rug for emphasis.
Paige sticks her tongue out at the prone singer. "I'm resolved not to turn this into an argument, but other than a discussion I had with Solange the other day, I haven't touched this subject for quite possibly a year now, and I really don't care to now. As to civility," Paige shrugs, "I really meant it as a compliment as much as a joke. He is attractive, after all."
Solace says, "Yes, but not as handsome as my Lucas.
"Mama said that Martin was a Prince in Rebma and it would be very fine to be married to him -- but not as fine as it is being married to Lucas, I'm sure! Martin's always been very nice to me. He never seems short of money; he's always well enough dressed in company and you never hear about him being slow to pay off his gambling debts."
She looks over at Paige. "He didn't seem like he'd need to marry a Prince's daughter. I guess you could marry anyone you like, being a Prince's daughter. Or would your daddy want you only to marry a Prince?"
Solange is wearing her "This is me, not saying a word" face...
Paige smiles softly at Solace. "I've not really considered marriage, Solace." In this room of high Waters, it doesn't ring wholy true, but she continues, "I suppose that my Father would be much happier if I married within the nobility. As to his feelings on me marrying a prince? I guess he would have to answer that.
"As to my relationships, I suppose it's a benefit of my station that some of the concerns you take into consideration aren't the same that factor into my choices. I'd prefer a friend I can talk to over someone financially well off. Marriage isn't just for securing precedence." Paige looks thoughtfully at Solace. "So, you know these circles better than I, cousin . How would you see my marriage prospects?"
Solace thinks about it. "You should marry like a widow, Cousin Paige. You don't have to worry about having any children, unless you want to of course, so maybe an older man. One who has adult children of his own, so he doesn't need to beget an heir. And since you have money and position of your own, the children wouldn't have to worry about you wanting to keep the estate. Of course, the solicitors would settle all that."
She continues: "For rank, best a Duke or a Marquess, but I think you could go as low as a life peer if you liked. And when the king comes back, he can always grant a patent to your husband, I think, unless he weren't presentable at court for some reason. Or you could bring back a foreigner from somewhere. But he'd have to be a man of power or wealth of some sort, or everyone would assume he was, well, a cheap fortune-hunter."
It's the smartest -- and longest -- comment of substance any of you can recall ever hearing Solace make.
Solange is not surprised. After all, the focus of all Solace's education through her girlhood was in Marrying Well.
"So my comments about Lord Martin seem like I'm trying to make him sound like that sort?" Paige looks thoughtful, twirling a lock of red hair. "Hmmm.
"I admit, I had never thought of it that way. Thank you, Solace," Paige says with a sincere smile. "You've a benefit of being raised with sensibilities I either never had or have long ago forgotten. Promise me that you'll remind me if I ever slander our cousins such again, especially if it's outside such closed doors as just we five?"
"So, while we're discussing my deportment and I'm not proving red-headed addages true, any one else feel like offering some criticisms?" Paige asks good naturedly, looking to Cambina.
Cambina offers Paige a drink. It is not her usual, but it is exactly what she wanted.
Paige smiles and sips at it.
"They all," she says, "think we're so different, so dangerous. I think it would amaze them to see how much we're not. Did any of you know Princess Deirdre before she left? I've always wondered what it was like growing up as the only Princess."
"Gee, I've always just wondered what it was like growing up as a princess, period." Paige chuckles.
Last modified: 1 Jan 2002