A/N: Hello strangers! Please do forgive me for how long it's taken me to post. I've been crazy busy with my move to England and settling in to a new job in a new place. Weekends have been spent enjoying the amazing things the UK has to offer, but today I am sick, and taking the weekend to recuperate (and write...more chapters on the way). Thank you for your continued support of all of my stories. I will be the first one to admit that this chapter has bothered me for a while, and I'm not completely satisfied with it- but it was high time I moved past it and on to the next segment of the plot. SOOOO without further ado and a thousand and one apologies! HERE IT IS!
Love,
C.V.
Chapter Twelve- Friends and Rivals
Clara looked puzzled when I asked to borrow one of her frocks the next morning, but she went to fetch one from her home right away. She was a little smaller than I was, so she promised to bring the loosest one she had, as I'd no desire to traipse around all day in a dress that was too tight a fit.
When she presented the mouse grey garment to me, her face was flushed pink with embarrassment.
"I don't know what you'd be wanting this for, milady, not when you have fine things of your own," she said, though I made a clicking sound with my tongue to dismiss her worry.
"This serves perfectly," I told her, tossing the dress over my head and reaching behind me to tie the waist ribbon to help it fit as best it could. It might have hung a little loosely over my chest, and a little snug around my waist, but overall it was quite comfortable- if not a little itchy.
"May I ask why you wanted it?" Clara wondered.
"It's really best if I don't tell you," I assured you. "I'd hate for you to know and then be compelled to tell the Queen if she asks you."
"I wouldn't tell," she snuffed, a little upset at my insinuation.
"You would hardly have a choice in the matter, and I don't want you to have to lie for me- that would be awful." Clara sighed in acceptance of my decision.
"How will I know if you'll be safe if I don't know where you're going?" she wondered, and I placed my arm on her shoulder gently.
"Thank you for being concerned for me, but I'm not going alone. Theron is coming as well, and I'm certain he'll keep me safe." If the identity of my companion surprised her she didn't show it, instead, she reached into her cloth bag and pulled out another piece of triangular material that matched my frock.
"Use this to cover your hair milady," she insisted, urging me to sit as she tied it over the braid I'd styled myself earlier.
"If you're trying to be incognito your hair will give you away. And you ought to wear an apron as well. Not many of us commoners do without it. We have very few sets of clothing and we try to keep them clean," she assured me, taking off her own and handing it over.
"How did you know I plan on being anonoymous?" I asked, though Clara scowled, as if asking me if I thought she were completley daft.
"I don't know what fool plan the two of you have hatched up, but if you're determined to go in a disguise at least you truly look the part now," she said.
"And how do I look?" I asked, mirth gleaming in my gaze.
"Peasant clothing suits you well milady, though I've a feeling that you'd look well in anything," she said with a smile.
"That is most untrue. I look revolting in chartreuse," I laughed, and then before anyone could notice me, I made my way from my room to the servant's hallways.
I'd never travelled by them before, but Theron had insisted it would be easy to find the kitchen, since all paths seemed to lead directly there. He was correct, and after not to long at all I made my way to the most bustling room I'd ever seen.
"The King wants cucumber in his sandwiches, you nit! Not aubergine!" The loud voice of who must have been the head cook shouted out.
"Sorry Cook," a young maid's voice replied, and I almost winced for her as I watched the scenario take place. Before I could see the culmination of the event however, I felt Theron's hands as they wrapped around my eyes and spun me around.
"I barely recognized you," he grinned merrily.
"What gave me away?" I wondered, and he reached behind me to tug on the tail end of my braid.
"Your hair truly does stand out. It is a good thing you've covered most of it."
"Still, you noticed," I pointed out.
"That's only because I was looking for you. Otherwise, I daresay our disguises are perfect," he insisted with a smile. He was dressed as sterotypically common as he possibly could have, with a dark green tunic that was even frayed and patched up for authenticity. His pants had a few holes in them, and his leather shoes looked suitably worn for peasant life.
"Shall we go before we get noticed and put to work?" he wondered. We had been beginning to get a few curious looks from the servants passing us by, and I had to concede that it was a good idea. Besides, I was growing quite excited at the prospect of going out into the city anonymously- that I was going with Theron was even more thrilling, as if it was a special secret between the two of us.
The guards at the palace entrance sized us up rather thoroughly as we left, and asked us a number of questions pertaining to our identities, which thankfully we'd worked up the night before- Sarah and Kellen, newly married and relocating to High City from the country to find suitable work in the palace. Our story seemed to have been reasonably believable, as the guards let us through, satisfied with our well practised answers.
"I do hope that no assassin comes to the castle looking as inconspicuous as we do Theron. Otherwise you might find yourself in some trouble," I whispered as we left, and he laughed.
"Agreed, perhaps I ought to look into our security a little more."
"See, we're already learning about your kingdom, and we've barely set foot outside the palace walls," I said with a sense of profound accomplishment.
As if it were the most natural thing in the world, Theron held his hand out to me.
"We're newlyweds, remember?" he reminded me, as though I'd need an excuse to take it. I didn't, but it was impossible for me to tell him so.
"Oh -of course," I finished, feeling a little spark of excitement at the feeling of his hand in mine- warm and comforting, my heart was completely at ease with him.
It was odd, but looking at the city from the perspective of one who toiled there day and night was profoundly different, and I did my very best to consider what was going on around me from the perspective of one such as Clara. Although I was by no means wealthy, it almost shamed me to think that I'd never had to work for the things I had been privileged to in my life. Yet, the people around me were doing just that. Vendors called out their wares for sale, each one trying to be louder than the other, or to offer better deals and prices. People bumped into Theron and I as they went about their shopping, and I could hear them speak about how they would prioritize their purchases.
"If we buy the fish today we'll need to wait on getting the lye," one woman said to her husband as she toted a newborn on her hip.
"It's better you're fed than I'm clean, when you've got the baby to look after as well," he replied with love in his eyes. How I wished it would be easy for me to step in and help. After all, lye soap was hardly a substantial cost. Still, Theron gripped my hand and shook his head.
"Today we are only observers. There will be time yet to help."
"But lye soap is hardly expensive Theron, I don't mind purchasing it for them."
"Will you buy some for the rest of those who need it in the crowd as well then?" he wondered, not cruelly, though he certainly made his point. It would hardly be fair for me to help one family when there were so many others in need. Instead, a way to solve the problem altogether would need to be found.
"How then instead can we help these people? Which of these vendors would have the soap?" I wondered, and the two of us looked around until we saw a bald man who looked as if he had more than his share of generous feasting hawking his wares. Dressed in an ornate, silken robe that did little to conceal his girth, he had shelf upon shelf of fantastic looking salves and perfumes, the least of which were small, brown bars of lye.
"A whole silver for one bar of soap!" I exclaimed. "Surely that cannot be reasonable," I insisted, but Theron shook his head.
"If he is the only vendor providing it he can charge what he likes,"
"Would his sales not improve if he reduced the cost?" I wondered.
"Perhaps, but then he would run out of lye to sell, and many would still go without," Theron replied reasonably. It irked me that there was little I could do, yet in my heart I was certain that he spoke the truth.
"You needn't make such a face," he continued. "There is still much we can do to assist in situations such as this, and we can do so without incurring the anger of this man as we would if we demanded he lower his prices. All we must do is introduce some friendly competition, preferably a vendor who specializes in lye soap alone, without all of the more expensive lotions this man provides. Should he desire to keep on selling this vendor will be forced to lower his costs, and there will be more product available to sell in the long run."
"I suppose I understand, though I must admit business is hardly my forte," I admitted to him, and he laughed. Still, I couldn't help but admire at how easily he managed to come to a solution that would be the most beneficial to the greatest number of people.
"You'll just have to wait and see it in action, first hand. I know a particularly proficient Indaran soap manufacturer. I shall have to write and inform him that perhaps there is a profitable market for lye here. Does that ease your worry a little?" he said with a smile, and I nodded enthusiastically.
"I can't imagine all of this city's problems are so easily corrected,"
"They're not. Nevertheless, I'm already pleased with our idea to come down here incognito. I might never have known about the lye issue otherwise, since it's not used in the palace. Now, let us see what else we might discover," he grinned and we began to walk down what was unofficially referred to as the Silk Road by those who lived here thanks to the inordinate amount of dressmakers and fabric vendors that made the lane their home. When my father was still living, I often came to this place with my mother, as she enjoyed handpicking materials for my gowns, and it was necessary to ensure that the colours didn't clash with my hair in person. The place was as lively as I remembered it being, but it was incredibly different walking down the streets without an entourage of servants and vendors ready to do a noble's bidding.
"I used to love this place," I said.
"The Silk Road has ever been popular with ladies," Theron replied with a shallow grin.
"I take it you are not fond of shopping," I laughed.
"You'd be correct in your assumption, though I do find it appealing to see women in dresses, waiting while they choose them has never been my favourite activity. My mother would be here for hours, and sometimes she'd purchase nothing at all," he grimaced at the memory.
"And yet you managed to have excellent taste in all of your choices for me. Or was it not you who picked them out?" I wondered. I knew that I would have been secretly disappointed if I learned that he hadn't, since I had been treasuring his gifts all the more thanks to the knowledge that it was him who'd chosen them for me.
"Oh I chose them, but not here. You'll find ordering dressmakers to the palace a far more efficient way of getting things done than coming here. Besides, I couldn't let people know I was buying you gowns. If word had spread my mother would have found out," he laughed.
"Still, there is something about the energy of this place that is appealing," I admitted, running my hand across a swatch of bright yellow silk daintily embroidered with white flowers. Bright yellow hardly suited me, yet I could appreciate how masterful the design was and how much effort had been put into it.
We walked hand in hand, enjoying the sights and sounds of the Silk Road, until a commotion could be heard from within one of the more prestigious shops on the street. A small crowd had gathered in front of it to listen in on the shouting from inside, and pushing through them, Theron and I managed to manipulate our way to the front. Looking through the window into the shop however, I immediately regretted it.
"It's Phoebe and her mother," I hissed, ducking behind him.
"Of course it is, are you actually surprised?"
"This isn't funny! What if they recognize us?"
"Then I hope they shall be suitably embarrassed by their behavior," he answered as we listened further to the conversation.
"We have ordered a gown meant to be lavender! This gown is obviously mauve, any imbecile could tell you so!"
"B-but My Ladies, we used the swatch you selected yourselves when last you came," the woman manning the shop protested, although she was clearly intimidated by Phoebe's mother's wrath.
"Impossible!" Phoebe retorted with an indignant laugh. "I wouldn't be caught dead in such a horrendous color! Mother I don't think I shall shop here any longer. They destroyed this gown, and assured me my gown would be the most spectacular at the ball- and it wasn't. The Prince didn't even know I existed. My friends will all be eager to hear how this shop has wronged us. You will lucky to do business in High City again!" she exclaimed, and I winced at her words, for although what she threatened might have seemed paltry, the truth was that with her influence, she could utterly destroy the poor vendor's reputation as easily as she batted her eyelashes.
"Surely that is not necessary Phoebe," I heard a voice much softer in tone than the shrill shrieks of her mother. I hadn't noticed her at first, but now I recognized the doe-eyed lady as Grace of the Westernlands, who must have accompanied Phoebe on her trip. I was pleased to see her at least attempt to step in which was far more than the other nobles in the shop were doing.
"My dear Grace, once you've lived in High City long enough, you learn to recognize charlatans when you see them," Lady Ellen chastised gently, but it was enough to cause the other girl to fall silent. The poor shopkeeper was nearly in tears, having just been yelled at, ruined, and called a charlatan, I'd probably be ready to cry as well.
I found the justice of the whole thing incredibly ridiculous. The dress was spectacular, and the mauve and lavender Lady Ellen was trying to compare in front of the shopkeeper were so virtually identical I never would have noticed they weren't exactly the same- and I'd always considered myself someone of discriminating taste. Faulting the dress for Phoebe's lack of noble attention at the ball was hardly fair either, and I found myself itching to step in and say something despite the fact that I'd wished to remain inconspicuous.
"Think before you do anything, Honoria," Theron advised, and I took his words to heart. I wouldn't be able to accomplish anything if I went inside now. I'd only be laughed at for my appearance and would hold no clout in swaying the nobility's interest in the poor woman's shop.
"I've got a plan, but I'll need your help," I said, and then, swallowing my pride a little I continued.
"I'll also need some coin,"
"I don't much care for that glint in your eyes," Theron teased, his tone amused as he pulled out a veritable fortune hidden in his pockets.
"You'll follow along, right? We will do much more good as ourselves here than as anonymous peasants. Phoebe and all of those other pampered ladies need to learn how to behave with some dignity, and I'm about to show them."
He raised his eyebrow at my comment, and I couldn't help but slap him lightly on the shoulder.
"I can behave with dignity, sometimes I just choose not to. But I would never destroy someone's livelihood to feed my own vanity," I finished.
"I know that," he smiled, and I beamed with pride at the thought that he trusted me enough to follow my whims. "Lead the way."
Grinning, I pulled him into the shop, ignoring the shocked expressions on the faces of those inside.
"Excuse me, we are in the middle of an important conversa-" Phoebe began, but as soon as she caught a glimpse of both of our faces she froze in place so that she almost looked like a statue.
"I'm terribly sorry Phoebe, I didn't realize!" I laughed, almost as if I didn't loathe her entirely. Her eyes looked both Theron and I up and down, and while I knew she'd never speak out against my state of dress as long as I was with him, her eyes spoke far louder than her words ever could.
"Oh dear, Theron. It seems we've been caught in our little charade, I'm so embarassed," I continued.
"It seems so, my love. Well it looks as if our game is up. I apologize for our state of dress Lady Phoebe, but Honoria and I thought it would be amusing to hide among the commoners on our way to this shop. We'd so hate to attract unwanted attention," he said with a smile that didn't betray his annoyance with her behavior, although his words definitely held a hidden barb.
The shopkeeper, who it seemed had finally realized who Theron was, bowed immediately.
"Forgive me Your Highness, I didn't realize-" she stammered, dropping Phoebe's gown on the floor rather unceremoniously.
"That was quite the point, dear lady. Neither my fiancee or I take any offence," he smiled, this time I knew he was being genuine, and his kindness towards her made my heart flutter uncontrolably before I insisted it settle down.
"Theron's right. Actually, we've come here to request your assistance. I've heard that this shop produces absolutely beautiful gowns, and after my, rather surprising, engagement I've realized I'm quite unprepared. Theron offered to bring me here to arrange for some to be made, but I didn't think I'd meet you here Phoebe. Is that your gown? The color is exquisite," I smiled. In front of Theron I knew neither her or her mother would speak out against the shopkeeper when it was suggested that the prince valued the designs here.
"Well yes, we often do order dresses here. Your Highness has excellent taste," Phoebe's mother chimed in with a false smile. Lady Grace on the other hand looked half-amused and half-embarrassed at their quick change in behavior, and if I thought I might have gotten away with it unseen, I might have winked at her to let the poor girl in on my plan.
"If you've concluded your business Pheobe, then I would love the opportunity to commision some new gowns," I finished, and although I could tell that she was a little hesitant to pay the shop its dues, Lady Ellen handed over her purse while she barely restrained her grimace. The shopkeeper breathed an audible sigh of relief and accepted it gratefully before Phoebe and her mother began to depart. Grace on the other hand, lingered for a moment before calling out to them.
"Actually, I think I'll stay behind with Lady Honoria," she said a little quietly. "I've been meaning to order a new ballgown and I believe this is just the place."
"Well of course dear, if that's what you wish," Lady Ellen called back to her, and I couldn't help but breath a sigh of immense satisfaction as she turned a rather violent shade of red before both her and her daughter scuffled out.
Theron lounged against the side of the shop, his arms crossed in smug satisfaction at their departure.
"You've done it now Honor," he grinned, and I shot him back a look of annoyance, uncaring that Lady Grace and the shopkeeper were both within earshot.
"Their behavior was appauling. A little humility would go a long way in that family," I replied with a sigh. Grace chuckled a little.
"I must admit, I am grateful that you intervened. I only wish I had your courage My Lady, I admire you so for it."
"Oh my, I am hardly worthy of such praise Lady Grace. To be honest, I have recently taken an inordinate amount of pleasure at finding new ways to humilate Phoebe and her mother."
"My dear, you shouldn't admit it so openly," Theron said in reproach, though his eyes were smiling too obviously for me to take him seriously. Instead, I walked over to stand next to Grace.
"Well, shall we get measured Lady Grace? I know how much the Crown Prince enjoys shopping," I laughed, and while Theron rolled his eyes, he still waited while the two of us spoke quite happily for some time. It was only after we'd returned to the palace when I realized that despite all of the mechanisms of court working against me, I might actually have made a friend.