Okay, for complete A/N, see the bottom of the page. Sorry it's so late, I decided I wanted to wait 'til I'd read Shatterglass—and, oh, it's WONDERFUL. But this chapter contains spoilers.
Disclaimer still applies.
This chapter is dedicated to a wonderful new friend of mine, YukimiGryfith , who is supportive of my idea of sense, and to Winged Seraphin, who was willing to be persuaded..
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A merry tap sounded on the door.
Tired Sandry yawned before calling, wearily, "Who is it?"
"Evvy, Pahani Sandry."
Suddenly Sandry felt more awake. "Come in!"
The handle turned, the door opened, and a radiant Evvy stood in the door.
Sandry had turned, half her face covered in night cream, and the jar in her hand. "Well?"
Evvy did a little bouncing thing and squeaked, then ran into the room, grabbed her mentor's hands, and began a crazy dance around the room. Sandry was laughing as her half-loosened hair began to swing, getting caught in the smeared cosmetic; her maid watched in amusement.
Finally, Evvy stopped swinging the older girl around, and Sandry composed herself enough to dismiss the maid, who smiled in understanding and left.
"I take it it went well?"
Evvy nodded enthusiastically and spun around on her heel. Finally, she opened her mouth: "He kissed me!"
Sandry squeaked too, and dove for a hug. "You'll have to tell us all about it! Hang on…"(going to the door)"Will you fetch Mistress Forgespun before you go?"
"Now, don't you dare tell me anything until Daja gets here…but I really hope it doesn't take long."
A few moments later, the door opened, and Daja appeared in her nightshirt, looking worn-out. "What is it, Sandry?"
Sandry looked at her protégée proudly, letting her that hath tell the story. Daja looked inquiringly at Evvy.
Evvy's smile grew broader yet. "He kissed me!"
"Oh, Evvy, that's wonderful. I'm so glad for you." Daja hurried over to plop onto Sandry's bed. "Now, tell us all about it."
"Well, he asked if he could walk me back to my room, you know, and I was so excited just over that much, but he wouldn't say anything. He was just stalking along, and I was looking at him, trying not to be obvious or anything, you know, but just watching in case he decided to start a conversation."
"Did he?"
"No—" the older girls rolled their eyes simultaneously—"but when we got to my door, I said goodnight, and I was going to take my arm from his, when all of a sudden, he just…slid his arm around my waist, and tipped my chin with his other hand…" Evvy's voice had been growing gradually dreamier…"and then…he kissed me."
Both older girls gave a little sigh. Evvy had a very silly little smile on her face, her eyes half closed.
Sandry brisked up again. "Good. Now we can get down to some serious plotting. You are absolutely not to wear those clothes again. We have your new wardrobe almost complete…and you'll knock his socks off."
Evvy grinned. She hadn't quite been able to believe Pahani Sandry before, but now nothing seemed too impossible for the lady.
There was a knock at the door. "M'lady?"
"What is it, Jaming?" Sandry asked impatiently.
"You have a guest. I think your ladyship would want to see her right away."
"Oh?" Sandry was puzzled. "Send her in."
The word exploded out of two throats at once: "TRIS!!!"
The copper-curled girl in the doorway grinned maliciously. Sandry went across the room as though hurled by boom-dust, Daja not far behind. For a moment, all three of them were caught in a close embrace. Evvy stood behind them uncertainly, her spotlight burned out and her friends taken up with a stranger.
But then both of them stepped back, simultaneously. "Now you must meet Evvy," said Sandry, continuing a conversation from their heads. "Evvy, this is Pahani Trisana Stormspun. Tris, Briar's student, Evvy." The mental footnote to that went something like, 'we're doing our absolute best to get him to fall in love with her—and I think we're succeeding…'
"Glad to meet you, Evvy," Tris said, holding out a hand and shooting Sandry a glance. "Pahani," Evvy said, shaking it.
"Oh, goodness," Sandry said, realising suddenly, "Your baggage is still standing in that courtyard...and where are Niko and your little girl?"
"They're waiting with the luggage. Glaki is so fast asleep I didn't want to make her come up with me. If you could give orders about rooms, I think Niko would rather do reunions tomorrow, and Glaki really needs to be in bed."
"All right. Jaming? Will you go down and tell Birsch that I want Master Goldeye in the oak rooms near Master Vinespun, and that Mistress Stormspun will stay in the blue suite in this wing, and the child will be staying with her? And ask them to set up a pallet in one of those rooms."
"Yes, m'lady." The door closed quietly behind her.
"But Tris," Sandry said, suddenly remembering that she had cause to be angry. "Why didn't you warn me? You could have told me you were coming any time in the past three weeks at least. Why are you showing up at my door in the middle of the night?"
"There was word," Tris replied dryly, "even four weeks away, that you were throwing a ball for your returned friends. I had no intention of letting you make me walk down a staircase and dance and be polite to people. So I kept quiet, and we deliberately slowed down so we wouldn't get here 'til it was over."
"Tris—" But Evvy and Daja were already grinning.
"Oh…I'm too glad to see you to get properly mad, anyway," Sandry admitted.
"But I can at least tell you," Daja chimed in, "that you missed a highly entertaining soliloquy. When Briar realised the woman of his dreams was right under his nose…of course, it wasn't exactly pure language, but it was a great deal of fun."
"Oh?" Tris looked at her sister, feminine curiosity and humor gleaming in her eyes. Evvy was the color of weakened wine again, but she too was looking hopefully at Daja, silently pleading with her to tell on.
"C'mon, Daj," Sandry pleaded.
"Well…it was mostly things like, 'That's Evvy? That's Evvy? That's my Evvy?' and then, when you were dancing, 'Is he…he'd better not touch her…'then he swore at Sandry for introducing you to these people…really, Sandry, he is not at all happy with you. The rest of it was mostly swearwords. I don't think traveling was good for his vocabulary."
All three of the others giggled. Evvy was finally beginning to be secure enough in her power to be smug about it.
"I really don't think you're going to get a pleasant 'good morning' from him tomorrow, Sandry."
"Oh, Daja, as though I cared. It's for his own good," Sandry said, tossing her sticky hair over her shoulder.
Tris yawned.
"Oh, goodness, I'm being a dreadful hostess. Tris, let's get you to bed…Evvy, Daja, you too, but Evvy, don't forget, I get to choose your outfit tomorrow."
All three of her guests shuffled off to bed. Sandry double-checked Tris's rooms, took a peak at the sleeping little girl, and bid goodnight. Returning to her room, she rubbed in the night cream, finished unbraiding her hair, and snuggled into her sheets, worn down by the party and excitement. Perhaps Evvy should wear the blue trousers tomorrow…
A frantic knock came at the door. "M'lady? M'lady? M'lady, come quick! His grace wants you!"
"What?" Sandry was on her feet, pulling on a dressing gown.
"He's…he's ill, m'lady…he's…"
But Sandry was already running for the duke's floor of the family wing.
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Okay, full author's note and apology…I know I said this would be much sooner than it is, and I'm very, very, very, very sorry. But I've had college trips and exams and been banned from computer use for a while and all kinds of things. And, even though this is INCREDIBLY late, the last chapter of my HP fic took longer than this did, even though I made myself write that first. And then I realised Shatterglass would be out in a week, so I decided that before I wrote this, I would read it…and thank goodness! If I'd been without Glaki in this fic…*shudders*. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, I LOVE MY TP!!!! I LOVE SHATTERGLASS!!!! YAY!!!!!!! I've missed Tris so much. Go buy it, people.
Ruthie: Thank you. I hope you keep reading…and that my delay hasn't put you off!
Yukimi: You put some stuffing back into me—thanks! And yes, I'm thinking the original Circle are prob. twenty-four-ish. Yes, according to my calculations, Numair is somewhere between thirteen and sixteen years older than Daine, and George was seven older than Alanna, we know that. It would be interesting to see somebody's reaction to that idea, I agree. Thank you for your support and commentary!
Superalicia: I'm glad I'm managing to impress you anyway. Bri's only four years older than Evvy, and I think they'll really work together. Let me know what you think.
Ravenhood: Thanks a lot! I hope you do…I swear this won't keep me as long ever again…
Seraphin: I'm very, very flattered by that, I'll have you know. I hope you enjoyed it!
Okay, everybody, I adore you, R/R, and
Button Up Your Overcoats!
El