Chapter 8
"Oh, Princess Helena! May I walk in the garden with you? I am Elżbieta Wilczkowska," said Elżbieta.
"I suppose so," said Helena, suppressing a sigh. She had planned to see if she could eavesdrop on Jurko's lessons, but that plan must be shelved if she was to walk with one of Gryzelda's ladies. And she would have to meet them some time. "Aren't you the lady who screamed for no reason I could discern in the long gallery? I was ready to come and cut pieces off anyone who threatened you."
"I did not know you were you," said Elżbieta. "The princess explained how you have been hiding, dressed as a boy, which sounds prodigious scary and exciting in equal measure, and so romantic!"
"It was fun, and very freeing, if uncomfortable and frightening at times," said Helena.
"Oh, what was most frightening?"
"Being in battle," said Helena. "But I did not freeze, and Jurko was proud of me."
"Battle! So you have done everything a man might do?"
"Well there are two things I cannot do," said Helena.
"Oh, what is that?"
"I can't sire children and I can't relieve myself standing up," said Helena.
Elżbieta giggled.
"Oh, it is gross to talk about such things, but of course one relieves oneself standing up at balls, when your maid tucks the bordaloue under your skirts to use," she said.
"I don't even know what one of those is; do not places where there are balls have outhouses?"
"Well, yes, but it is awkward in court dress. A bordaloue is a chamber pot which is narrow and elongated to take account of going between the legs."
"Oh, my," said Helena. "But I meant, I could not go over the side of the ship as the men do, not having the same equipment."
"What equipment do they have to do that? Could they not let you use it?"
"I meant their personal ... the male parts," said Helena. "You do know what men look like ... below ... don't you?"
"I have no idea," said Elżbieta.
"The same as stallions," said Helena.
Elżbieta gave a little shriek.
"You are making it up!"
"I assure you, I am not," said Helena. "In proportion, of course."
"But ... but ... stallions and mares ..."
"We get married first," said Helena, gravely.
She was ignorant about many things, but it was difficult not to have picked up something about husbandry.
Elżbieta fled.
Helena thought her a very silly girl and rather tiresome.
.
.
.
"Helena, my dear, I need to know how ... personally you know about ... procreation," said Gryzelda. "I mean, if you and Bohun ... Jurij ... were in any wise er, premature ..."
Helena blinked.
"Certainly not; he swore an oath not to go further than I was comfortable with. Oh, has that silly creature, Elżbieta, jumped to conclusions because I know how a ram tups an ewe and a stallion covers a mare? I'd have to be blind and an idiot to miss it, you know. And as the men relieved themselves over the side of the ship, it was plain that the equipment of male humans is the same as for any other male creature."
"Indeed, and they use it, often enough, with about as much finesse and discrimination," said Gryzelda.
"Jurko would not let the Cossacks tup the slave girls because I asked him not to," said Helena.
"Indeed! Well, what an excellent influence you have on him." She paused, shocked. "You were surely not there when they took the slave ship?"
"Oh, yes!" said Helena. "And my disguise fell apart because I cried on Jurko because of having to kill the Janissary who attacked him. Not that I knew he was a Janissary at the time, but he attacked from behind."
"Sweet Jezus, Józef and Maryja!" said Grizelda. "Have you been shriven for such a terrible thing?"
"Oh, yes, Jurko stopped off so we could go to church," said Helena. "Some of the galley slaves stayed in the village as they needed men for having been raided."
"The Ottomans and their slaves are indeed a scourge," agreed Gryzelda. "Elżbieta is a nice girl, if a little ... silly. She is one of my banner; please be nice to her."
"I will do my best," said Helena.
.
.
.
Jurko found his tutor, an elderly priest, convivial and helpful. Unlike Lady Czeczeła, Father Tytus had low expectations of the attainments of a Cossack pupil, and was in consequence agreeably surprised. The young man could read, after a fashion, and had some Latin, and could read music, again, after a fashion, and he had taught himself a great deal about the world.
"He's a joy to teach," Tytus reported to Jeremi. "Soaks up learning like a sponge. Why, with a little explanation of how the alphabet is changed according to the juxtaposition of the letters, he was reading more fluently at the end of just one lesson, it was as if a light had been lit for him so he could see more clearly. He has a good grasp of current affairs, he is musical, and he has a delightful sense of humour. I confess I was expecting some truculent Cossack who had some concept that education was for the effete, and I have had to ask the Good Lord for forgiveness over the preconceived idea. My prince, he is a worthy son."
"Thank you," said Jeremi. "I am glad, though I had higher expectations of him than you did; I saw the hungry look in his eyes when I offered him a tutor. But it is good to have your assessment that he is so intelligent. I fancy he is more like me than poor Michał will ever be."
"It is early days, and Prince Michał is only six years old."
"True. And there will be plenty of time for him, and when he is older, I will permit him to be his brother's pacholik, perhaps, for a year or so. When he is twelve or thirteen; and then come to me, for at forty or forty-one, I will surely still be an active general."
"That will be as God wills," said Father Tytus. 1
.
.
.
"Jurij," said Jeremi, "Father Tytus is pleased with your application; and so am I.
"Why, my prince ... father ... I want to learn, and even if I did not enjoy it, I must surely put my all into doing so to please you, and further your plans for me," said Jurko, who may have been shaky in his loyalties before, but who had been totally won over by his father's frank speech with him. And if the prince had in any way calculated this effect, it had passed the straightforward, loyal Cossack by.
"I am delighted that you enjoy it as well as moved that you would work as hard if you did not," said Jeremi. "Now, my boy, do you think that the Princess Kurzewiczowa runs Rozłogi as it should be run?"
"No," said Jurko, without hesitation.
"And none of her sons dare cross her and do so?"
"They have less idea of estate management than I do, and I have less idea than a duck," said Jurko, frankly.
Jeremi nodded.
"That will change. In the meantime, I have a mind to have them all rounded up and brought in, leaving a steward."
"Father, Wasylij is blind, and not ...entirely sane. He is harmless. So too is Nikolai, who is a boy. May I make suggestions?"
"I hoped you would," said Jeremi, delighted that he could get insights and perhaps make a better showing over how Rozłogi was dealt with.
"I would suggest leaving Wasylij with a manservant to look after him, to live out his days; and Mikołaj to learn from the steward how to be Helena's steward in due course. You will want to send an experienced steward such as would be needed to sort things out and you will either reward him with land of his own in the future or use him for other problems, so having Mikołaj trained would make sense. And as to the others, I would in your shoes offer them positions in your army, perhaps separated, their loyalty in return for your clemency to their mother. Juri is a big man, he might train well as a hussar, on a heavy horse, he would be formidable, and it would be a way to separate them. Simeon is the clever one, and would do well spending time as a pacholik to a man who would teach him to read, and find an officer's place for him when he was ready. It is surely better to make allies of them than enemies, and then keep them as close as you would keep an enemy, but not close enough to each other to cause trouble."
"Oho, very clever. And the clemency to the mother?"
"Perhaps housed as a guest in a nunnery, or as the involuntary guest of an ally, with every consideration, and luxury, which I am sure Helena will be happy to pay for from her estate, providing she never has to see the old woman again. She showed me offhand kindness, even if it was cupboard love."
"Then will you ride to Rozłogi with Jan and troops to bring them in and implement my plan? You might tell them that you have negotiated with me for their lives."
"I will do so if you ask it, my prince; but I would as soon you sent another. No, that is selfish of me, for I would be granted entrance, and they might fight another and good men might die."
"My son! I am so proud of you!" Jeremi embraced him warmly. "Go then tomorrow morning. And bring back whatever is yours, too, of course."
Jurko laughed.
"I would need a string of ponies!"
"Then take a string of ponies. And bring back anything of Helena's that you think she might need; linen and so on, personal items."
"Yes, father, I shall do so, though I will be late for my lessons."
"I will inform Father Tytus that I have need of you."
.
.
.
Princess Gryzelda's own servant came to find Helena.
"Please, princess, the princess asked that you go to your chamber to be measured," she said.
"Thank you," said Helena, suppressing a sigh. If there were clothes being made for her, one had to wait upon the convenience of those making them, and in daylight, however fine the day might be.
In this, Helen proved herself to have more natural nobility than most, even Princess Gryzelda, who would never dream of considering the convenience of a peasant if she wanted something, however kind she might be to her underlings in an offhand sort of way.
Helena ran upstairs to her chamber, where the princess was waiting with a mantua-maker, and a huge pile of swatches of cloth.
Jurko was there too.
"Halszka! The prince mentioned that you would be seeing the mantua-maker, so I asked if I might bring you those fabrics we looted. It's nothing like the amount we get from ships going the other way, but there are some fabrics from Cathay which came overland, looted by the Tatars to be sold on, and the fabrics from the clothing of that fellow who was in charge of the slaves, which can, some of it, be made over. He had a lovely caftan in all types of gold and golden brown and lined with some golden fur, which would make you a lovely kontusik; and the slave girls were more than ready to shed their slave costumes for good Polish clothing, so there are plenty of salwar trousers for you to wear under your skirts to ride modestly, and sheer fabrics worn as overgowns. I'm sure a clever needlewoman could do something with them."
"Oh, more than likely," said Helena. "You are generous, Jurko."
"Why, you earned your part of the loot, little cuckoo!" he said. He half hesitated. "My father sends me to Rozłogi tomorrow," he said. "He... he wants to put a steward there to make sure your inheritance is properly administered."
"Oh Jurko! You will not kill my cousins will you?"
"No, my cuckoo, not unless they attack me. I am to offer them a deal."
"She will not permit it."
"Her life for their co-operation is a part of the deal," said Jurko. "I ... I hope it was not presumptuous of me, I said you would willingly pay for her to live in luxury in a nunnery or as a ... well, prisoner ... of someone he trusts in order for you to never have to see her again."
"Oh, he is generous," said Helena. "But I must not waste the time of the mantua-maker!"
"I just need to ask if there is anything you would like from Rozłogi," said Jurko.
"My little stool I kneel on to pray and the painting of the Virgin," said Helena. "Also the silver-mounted dressing-table set you brought me when I was twelve, and my aunt was so angry because I was too young to waste luxuries on, and you insisted, and made her give in and let me have something pretty of my own. I brought the comb with me, but I did not really have room for the rest when I fled."
"I will know not to look for it then. My darling, I am so glad I insisted. I shall enjoy threatening her."
"Oh, do take care, Jurko! She is quite capable of going for you with a knife!"
"I will have a care, little cuckoo. Now, enjoy playing with fabrics!" He bent and dropped a kiss onto her neck, to the disapproval of Gryzelda, and paused in the doorway to bow down to the ground.
"God with you," said Helena.
She turned her attention to the mantua-maker so as not to worry about Jurko.
.
.
Three hours later, Helena was exhausted, and dared not wonder how the mantua-maker felt. She had negotiated for more plain gowns for her maid as well, since she would need Jancia in attendance on her. Jancia might also have Helena's gowns from Rozłogi, that she was not allowed to wear any more, and Helena would bargain to keep her kontusiky. She had picked fabrics which went, as far as she could remember, well with her kontusiky, to tone or contrast. The fabrics were lovely.
"Do they have to have a busk?" she asked, wistfully.
"Of course you do, my dear," said Gryzelda. "You don't want to droop like some peasant girl, do you? A szlachcianka is not permitted to show discomfort or tiredness and the busk will help with that, even if you have been on the march with your lord and on the road for ten hours."
"It cannot help one to ride, surely?"
"Good gracious, child, you would not be riding, you would travel in a coach, no woman can be expected to be in the saddle that long."
"Highness, I can see Jurko's face if I suggested to him that he take a coach across the steppe! Why it would never keep up with a regiment of Cossacks, and I would be rattled into a million little Helenas trying to go an hundred miles in a day."
"An hundred miles! Dear God and His Mother, would that wild boy ask that of you?"
"If I was going with him, he would expect me to be as stoic as a Cossack," said Helena. "I understand stoic as well as any szlachcianka. I will not wear it to ride; I could never swing out of the saddle to get out of the way of any pistol ball if I had that thing inhibiting my movement. Also, I think the skirt of the riding habit is too long."
"It is to cover your legs properly when in a side saddle, such as all sophisticated ladies wear nowadays."
"Then I will be unsophisticated and continue to rid astride; do not add the train to the riding habit, if you please," said Helena, directly to the mantua-maker. "I will not be browbeaten on this point, highness."
"There, child, I did not wish to browbeat you like your wretched aunt," said Gryzelda. "It is fashionable to ride side saddle, but not all women do. Those harem trousers under your skirts are a good idea."
Helena did not mention that she thought the salwary also likely to be very comfortable and fetching under a żupan and kontusz.
The little mantua-maker whispered,
"A man may show his love for a lady with a carved busk, and one which has much pierced work in ivory is more flexible."
Helena beamed on her, and when Gryzelda was looking the other way, vailed her generously.
1 It wasn't as God willed in the real time line, Jeremi died at 39 years old of a surfeit of cucumbers.