Wind and Wound 1.1
"I need you to be presentable Victoria"
I didn't justify that with a response. I was already presentable. I had managed to convince my mother I was able to dress myself and had picked out a yellow ochre blouse, a black skirt and blazer combo, stockings and heels. It struck a balance between my casual style and formal, as well as playing to my mother's tastes enough that she kept the usual barbs about my choices to a minimum. It felt good, holding onto that tiny aspect of control. It was about the only thing that felt good today.
She bent down to adjust my hair, which seemed to be a way to keep her hands busy more than fix anything.
"Fragile One should be here," I said.
"That's the opposite of presentable, Vicky, we've already gone over this." she said, standing up and turning to the mirror to adjust her own hair. "You should be thankful I managed to get us as much independence as I did. Sandra usually likes to micromanage these things."
"I'm sure it would be unpleasant for you to be micromanaged."
Mother sighed. "Look, I know things are stressful right now, but I understand. I went through it too when I was your age."
"Dad isn't perfect, but don't try to compare you guys to this. He isn't even in the same league as these people."
"Don't try to gainsay me, Victoria." she snapped "And when the time comes keep your comments to yourself. I know this is major, probably better than you do. If we can secure this alliance we'd be raising the family up. I'm not just talking about Sandra and the ones living in Jacobs Bell, I mean our family; us."
There was that word again, Us. As if I was an equal participant here, as if it really made a difference if it was Mother or Aunt Sandra who offered me up like a piece of meat. As if the moment she'd considered me well enough to interact with others again she hadn't jumped at the chance to get me engaged. All so she could climb the family ladder, go from being Carol Dallon to Carol Duchamp.
"I'm just saying, that sounds like all the more reason not to be deceptive with them."
Not that I would have minded if I chased off whatever magical trust fund baby they were setting me up with. Of course it was an open secret in the family that if you screwed up with a suitor, they'd only set you up with worse options in the future. So I tuned out Carol's rationalization and tried to See past the door to where the guests were waiting.
The world became translucent, like tissue paper, while the people on the other side of the door were visible in silhouette. Each one was back-lit, with the light flaring outward in a many rayed halo, each ray a connection. The taller silhouette's connections were bright and well established, with a tint that suggested most were well compartmentalized, and several angled towards other realms. The shorter silhouette was younger, my suitor, and I could see their attention flickering out like solar flares, with most only sticking for a few seconds before moving. At some signal I couldn't hear, both figure's attention turned towards the door.
"...and don't act like I haven't been sacrificing for this family, and to get you back on your feet after-"
Carol was interrupted by a single sharp knock on the door, followed by an old woman striding through without waiting for any response. She must have been at least 80, but she moved quickly and stood straight with the sort of poise mother and our aunts had always tried to drill into us, with varying success. She was dressed in an old fashioned dark blue blouse and ankle length skirt. The door shut behind her, leaving her companion in the hall, as she barely gave me a glance before addressing my mother.
"Rosalyn D. Thorburn, Diabolist." She said "You are Carol Dallon correct?"
My mother made a half motion like she might offer her hand to shake, then thought better of it. "Duchamp might be more appropriate given the circumstance, I use both in a professional context."
"Those context being?"
"Law as career and Practice"
"Hmm." She turned to me, "And you would be Victoria?"
Now she stared at me, with an intensity that brought back all the stories I'd heard from my cousins about the Thorburns. How they'd done what was commonly thought of as a near impossibility and established a diabolic dynasty. It was the kind of Practice where using it correctly meant unspeakable suffering to whatever poor soul was the target, and using it incorrectly could result in an entire town being wiped off the map, or tainted to the point that one wiping off the map would be an act of mercy. The Thorburns made plenty of enemies in their time, and doubtlessly accrued a karmic debt that would have brought them low at the slightest opportunity. To reach her age, she'd have had to be near perfect in her Practice for most of her life.
Finally I had the managed to nod and spit out a quiet "yes"
"And your Practice?"
Carol started to reply for me "She's still growing as a Practitioner, but-"
"I can speak for myself." I interrupted, "Incarnate Practice, with some cross-over into shamanism."
For the first time I caught the shadow of a smile flicker across Rosalyn's lips. "Do you have an implement, familiar, or demesne?"
"I have a familiar; she's a complex spirit."
"And why is she not here with us?"
I gave Carol my best 'I told you so' look.
"Her familiar's appearance can be a bit disconcerting, even in animal form," Carol said. "I thought it best we leave it at home so as not to be a distraction."
"I'm neither squeamish nor easily distractible, Mrs Duchamp. But moving on the terms of engagement as discussed, my grandchild will wed your daughter, in return for an ongoing truce between the Thorburn and Duchamp families, effective from the time of engagement. Victoria will have limited access to my library prior to marriage, with extended access afterwards. And when married she will have a shared claim to any inheritance provided after my passing."
That's it? I thought That's all I'm worth.
"I want to see a contract in writing, but as a preliminary offer it sounds acceptable," Carol said
"Bare fucking minimum is what it is," I muttered.
"Victoria!"
"It's true! You might only care about closing a deal you can brag to Sandra about but I have to live with this shit. Limited library access? That could mean one book, hell that could mean a fucking pamphlet. Same goes for the extended access, maybe I get two pamphlets. And I caught that 'any inheritance provided' bit. What's to stop you from picking another grandchild as your heir and leaving me with nothing? Either you're lowballing us or you're not taking us seriously."
I felt my mother grip my shoulder. She clearly wanted to say something but didn't want to say it with an outsider present. We both waited for Rosalyn's response.
"I am willing to clarify my offer." She spoke directly to me now, pulling out a contract from her purse, "I can confirm that limited access will include at least 60% of my collection, including several books written by myself, and unique volumes personally commissioned. I'll also offer lessons, taught by myself, on Practices not known to the Duchamp family that they would find a considerable benefit. As for the question of inheritance, My offer is this: Should you marry my family and the union produce a flesh and blood child of both spouses, I will make that child my sole heir. With her parents of course inheriting in trust all that is due to her should I pass before she comes of age, along with a sizable monetary gift for both of them."
She handed it to Mother who started looking the contract over.
Now this had become a negotiation, I could press for more concessions, get to know whatever grandson she had waiting in the hall. Maybe even-
"It's a deal then," Carol said and signed on the dotted line.
What the fuck mom I thought.
"What the fuck mom!" I said
But they were back to talking over me.
"And your daughter?"
"She will accept the engagement"
Funny how Carol could play softball with a diabolist while at the same time putting me in a bind with just a single sentence. Now the onus was on me to follow along. Refusing or losing the engagement wouldn't just mean worse opportunities for future marriage, I'd be letting the Thorburns gainsay, maybe even foresware my mother. That would put the entire family against me. And while nobody liked to talk about it, 'problem children' didn't stick around for long. And I couldn't predict how Rosalyn Thorburn would react. If she was the type to take it as an insult I could end up on her shitlist as well. I could feel my thoughts start to spiral into worse case scenarios. I reached for Fragile, selfishly grasping any feelings of calm I could as I tried to think of something to say I wouldn't regret.
If either Carol or Rosalyn noticed they did not show it. Rosalyn turned back to the door. "Lisa, you can come in now."
Wait, what?
In sauntered a girl about my age, blonde, with freckles dotting the her face, and grinning like a fox in a fucking henhouse. She was dressed casual, in a t-shirt and skinny jeans
"Oh boy," She said sardonically "Most doting grannies get their grandkids a car or something, not a bimbo."
"Is this some sort of joke?" my mother asked, just as I was about to say the exact same thing.
"Not at all. My granddaughter Lisa will marry your daughter Victoria. It's perfectly legal in this country and has been for some time. And Lisa is the best pick available to you in my family."
"What about your grandsons?"
"Mostly useless. There is one who might make a halfway decent Practitioner but he has cut ties and moved away. Trust me, I am doing you a favour, leaving the rest of my family out of this."
"And the clause about the partners producing an heir of their own flesh and blood?"
"That would be difficult wouldn't it? Though if you find a way to manage it I would be impressed."
"What, you guys aren't used to someone else pimping out their daughters?" Lisa said.
She looked from Carol to me, the same grin on her face like she thought this was funny. It was too much. It wasn't that she was a girl in of itself. But the fact that it was now, when people kept talking about me as if I wasn't even there. I was feeling powerless, it brought me back to where I had been for two years and who had done the things to put me there. I couldn't stay silent, I couldn't speak, I couldn't stop the feeling like my heart constricting itself. So I ran.
It was stupid, and childish, and the only thing I could think of to relieve that awful pressure. I ran out of my cousin's house, and got two blocks down the street before I slowed down.
I wandered the streets of Jacob's Bell. No direction in mind, it wasn't a town I knew well enough to have a sense of direction in anyway. Eventually a car pulled up beside me. I was debating cutting across a vacant lot to avoid Carol or whichever relative had been sent to pick me up, when the rear window rolled down, revealing Rosalyn Thorburn.
"Can I give you a ride Miss VIctoria? It doesn't have to be back to your house."
"Why should I trust you?"
She sighed, "I swear to only take you where you request to go, and that I will not harm you, and do my best to protect you while you are in my company, from now until you are out of sight of my vehicle. Satisfied?"
I considered it for a moment. I couldn't detect any traps in the wording or with my Sight, although the drivers cab was warded in a way that I couldn't make out the driver. It was getting cold though, and I was lightly dressed.
"Fuck it. Just take it slow, I don't want to be back home quite yet."
She unlocked the door and I climbed inside. A large grey cat was sitting in between us, his head resting on her lap. He looked up at me as I sat down.
"You smell of ruin, poorly repaired," he purred.
"Be polite Paimon," Rosalyn said "or be quiet. I still have negotiating to do.
"What's there to negotiate?" I said sullenly "My mother already signed your contract, so either I follow suit or I have make an enemy of my entire family. I'm fucked either way."
"To a certain degree perhaps. But I believe this situation is a question of degrees. What is it you would want out of this engagement?"
"To marry someone I actually love. To not end up as some baby-mama to some stranger. To actually do something useful so the family doesn't just see me as bargaining chip, maybe actually do enough to be able to make things less fucked."
"Well I cannot make a promise one way or another about Lisa. I'll even admit she's not the easiest to love, but she's by no means the worst either. On the question of children I have no particular attachment to the notion, nor would I be offended if you were to have an illegitimate child with a person of your choosing."
"My family might have a different opinion."
"Perhaps, though I suspect they'd find it harder to force the issue if it were a physical impossibility"
"It would be nice to throw that back in my mother's face next time she brings up granddaughters."
"It is your last desire that's most relevant. The lessons I offered; I would teach you defend against demons and the diabolic Practices, and I would teach you alone. Part of the reason I knew the Duchamps would accept my offer was that they could not afford to pass it by, not when I could then offer it to the Behaims, or the North End Sorcerer, or any family in the region who might conceivably threaten their position. Not to mention when I die and all that I have will pass to my heir and their potential spouse. You can see, even without direct threats I possess remarkable leverage."
And with those lessons I could get leverage too. Enough to force my family to listen, to negotiate. Maybe even enough to change things enough that what happened to me wouldn't happen to anyone else.
"I'll do it."
"Excellent." She said "I'll send someone to pick you up tomorrow, and you can begin to get to know my granddaughter and my Practice."