A Holiday by Decree
~~ Day 6 ~~
Hirat placed the last pin in Sansa's hair and left. Sansa remained on her dressing table seat and offered Jesa a seat once the door was shut, but probably from force of habit, she remained standing. Sansa was not sure how Daenerys and Jon had selected the staff to live on and care for the property, but Jesa's commitment was obvious. She was clearly the backbone of the place.
"I trust that you had a pleasant time at the beach this morning?" Jesa smiled, looking in the direction of the shells spread on the table near them. When Sansa nodded happily, the housekeeper continued. "I wanted to make sure the picnic food was to the liking of you and the Lord too. It is not as often that gentlemen guests involve themselves with the kitchen, but Lord Tyrion was quite attentive with his request, so I helped personally."
"Indeed, Lord Tyrion is a different sort of man in more ways than one," Sansa replied kindly, thinking happily of him planning their outing with such care.
"Yes, my lady," Jesa said, a little more quietly at first. "Actually, it is somewhat related, my real reason to visit you. You see, the day before you arrived, we received a message from Our Queen - by dragon. We were anxious because sending messages by dragon is far more urgent than other means. Her message was vague, but it indicated we should keep you and the Lord separated on the property, as otherwise the Queen and the King thought you might be at 'unease'."
"I can see why this worried you," Sansa flushed.
The thought that Dany had found the comfort of both Sansa and Tyrion important enough to send a dragon was oddly complementary and embarrassing. Sansa was very glad that she had already received Jon's letter checking on her happiness. If not, the message-by-dragon may have also seemed overbearing.
No, indeed - Jon's message helped Sansa decide that Dany's instruction came from a place of caring (be it a ham fisted one) on Jon and Dany's part; that Sansa had never been overly warm with Tyrion in public had likely added to their loved ones' various concerns.
These realizations also alerted Sansa that the situation likely looked understandably odd. If people who knew Sansa and Tyrion well were uncertain, how could it look to an outsider?
Given this, Sansa started to guess the direction of the current conversation as well. While it all could have struck as offensive, she was glad she had gained the poise over the years to see otherwise. Instead, Sansa listened quietly to the clearly worried woman.
Jesa continued, "Of course, though we tried our best, you and the Lord encountered each other. That you and Lord Tyrion appear to get on fine these days has reduced my concern; however, the Queen's message before your arrival, and its urgency still unsettle me.
"My Lady, are you alright with the way the house is open to both you and Lord Tyrion?"
