The next morning, Jonathan did not say anything about what he had or had not seen the night before. In fact, he did not mention the task all day. He spent the day talking with all of us, or trying to, since we still were not the most interesting conversationalists around. He toured the gardens, with one or more of us as his guide, although it had been so long since any of us had been there, it was more of an exploration for all of us. It was also the first time in almost five years that I had felt somewhat alive. Every time Jonathan looked at me, I felt weightless and alive and happy- something I had not felt since that first night. It was amazing how one person could make such a difference.
And yet, I still could not mention what had happened last night; I still had to keep my silence.
Throughout the course of the day, Jonathan managed to extract our names from all of us, and he even managed to remember them all. We had a hard time giving our names freely; old habits die hard, especially when formed in the interest of self-preservation. None of the young men underground knew our names, just as none of us had tasted their food.
We had a quiet dinner that evening, then retired. I again offered Jonathan the wine; this time, he accepted with my name.
I thank you again, Fiona, he said, looking straight at me. I shuddered, and prayed to whoever might be listening that he had found a way of getting around the sleeping draught. I couldn't bear it if he was blandly accepting failure.
The night was uneventful. Again, Nathie's boat was far, far behind, and her man was starting to look a bit frustrated at the landing (the only truly human expression I had ever seen on any of their faces- I suppose frustration is a universal expression). And again we danced. At one point, I noticed suddenly that all the music we heard was the same as every other night before. The music repeated itself, endlessly, always the same. And no matter how joyful it tried to be, there was always an undercurrent of hateful things beneath the surface.
As we walked back up to our room after the dancing, I wanted to ask Nathie why her boat was always so slow, these past two nights. But it had been so long since I had truly spoken to any of my sisters, beyond a good morning and how are you? that was never answered, that I couldn't. So I stayed silent.
The next day, we again went to the gardens, this time to the smaller, less public ones. They were less organized and more wild. A different sort of garden. The thirteen of us had a picnic and I remember thinking that with all of our bad luck, surely having thirteen of us sitting there could only improve it. I hoped I was right. Jonathan was very kind to all of us, though we mostly sat there blankly. I wished I could laugh- I almost thought I'd forgotten how. Jonathan did not seem to be ill at ease, but then, as a soldier he'd have learned how to conceal his true feelings.
That night, I decided I would have to do something underground. I knew that if Jonathan were following us, he'd need a token to bring back to the upper world to prove what he had been saying was true. So, when Daniel offered me refreshments, as he always did, instead of gracefully refusing, as I always did, I responded,
Maybe a little wine would be nice. Dancing is a very thirsty business.
Daniel left and quickly returned with a heavily encrusted wine glass filled with a rich looking red wine. Upon closer inspection, it looked almost exactly the same as the wine I served our guest every evening. I pretended to sip it, then put it down and returned to the dance. If my ideas were correct, I guessed that Jonathan would take that glass and make off with it.
And as we headed back to the landing, I saw with some amusement that indeed, the glass had disappeared. It could have been taken by one of the many servant men that watched silently and unemotionally, but I didn't think so.
I returned to bed with a considerably lighter heart, feeling that my suspicions had been true. I only wondered what would happen tomorrow morning, when Jonathan had to tell my father what he had seen.
A/N: sorry so short! But the next one should be longer, I think! Thanks again to all who reviewed!
