Convergence (40 page)

"We really must remember to thank Regensi," I murmured, definitely vexed. "Without her help it might have taken us another two or three days to make Beldara hate us
this
much."

"The feeling was already there inside her, only partially buried," Jowi murmured back with a small shrug. "As long as she was able to consider herself completely superior she didn't care about our respective appearances, but now I'd say she's begun to develop . . . less assurance. I can't say doubt because she doesn't doubt her beliefs, but this comparison of physical attraction has accessed her rage. From now on she'll probably be even less pleasant to us than she has been."

"Wonderful," I said with my own sigh.
"As if she was all that pleasant to begin with.
And what a surprise that this happened over something as hateful as physical beauty.
If I could trade my appearance for hers, she'd probably never believe that I would do it in a minute."

Jowi frowned at me and began to say something, but Regensi came back then to remind us about sitting down and having tea. While the tea was served and sipped at for a time, she lectured about how important she was in the world of fashion even if most people had never heard of her. Then she interrupted herself to direct Beldara into a fitting room with one of the fitters, but resumed the lecture once that was seen to.

Beldara wasn't kept in the room very long, not by usual fitting standards, but the same didn't hold true for Jowi and me. Regensi saw to each of us personally, which lengthened the process almost to the point of exhaustion. The basic skirts and blouses had already been cut to a large, wide fit, and only had to be tailored down to our individual sizes. But that meant checking the draping of the skirt to make sure it fell properly, and opening basted seams to assure that darts would not be too deep and extreme. All of it had to meet Regensi's concept of perfection, which meant fitting and fixing, fitting and changing, fitting and refixing.

Jowi was taken in last, and by the time she came out again even I was tired of sitting and waiting. Beldara had divided her time between pacing all over the sitting area and returning to her chair to stare expressionlessly at the skirts and blouses being worked on by the seamstresses. During one of those times I caught the look in her eyes, which made me want to shiver. If she wasn't considering the possibility of "accidentally" setting every piece of cloth in the room on fire, I've never seen the urge toward vindictive revenge. Or felt the same myself. . . .

Regensi insisted on making Jowi sit down for some tea before finally letting us leave, and as much as Jowi needed those few minutes off her feet she was just as relieved to get out of there as the rest of us. We stepped outside with me, at least, feeling as if we'd been released from prison, unsurprised to find that it was almost evening. Our new clothes had been promised for delivery the next day, and even if they turned out to be ill-fitting rags I had no intention of complaining.
Anything
to keep from having to go back for another fitting . . .

"That was rather expensive for what we'll
supposedlv
b
e getting," Jowi remarked softly as one of the servants went looking for our coach driver. "I've been left with two solitary silver dins."

"So was I," I agreed, surprised by the coincidence. "I wonder if I should be glad I brought only a small portion of the silver I was given yesterday. Do they make a habit of leaving people with only two coins no matter now much they bring in? How would they manage something like that without seeing inside our purses?"

"I've heard that those with Earth magic sometimes have a special affinity for metals," Jowi said, her brows lowered as she considered the point. "Apparently that sort can tell how much you have of copper, silver, and gold by sensing them, so there's never any guesswork involved. Businesses enjoy having someone like that as a clerk, which keeps them from lavishing attention on customers who look likely but actually have nothing to spend. Did they leave you with the same two dins, Beldara?"

I joined her in looking toward our third, but we might as well have spoken to the wood of the building behind us. Beldara gave no indication that anyone in the world retained life but herself, and she had no interest in talking to herself. Jowi's latest attempt to smooth things over between us and Beldara had failed as badly as the first one, but this time Jowi was more exasperated than sympathetic.

"People who refuse to accept the world as it is sometimes manage to make it over according to their own specifications," Jowi commented, looking at Beldara's turned back with no approval at all. "More often they find themselves plowed under when the world gets around to remaking
them,
and usually because those fighting it have no idea of what accommodation means. Some people and situations have to be accommodated if you mean to change the rest, and pretending that that isn't so is the worst kind of self-delusion."

I expected Beldara to respond to that at least, but she continued to stand there hearing nothing and saying even less. I felt tempted to admire her singlemindedness,
then
decided to wait until I saw how far it got her. My own determination now seemed pale in comparison to hers, but it also seemed a lot more reasonable.

"I wonder what happened to the second coach," Jowi said, bringing my attention to ours and the driver now

beginning
to drive it over to us. "I know it takes less time to fit men, but there were five of them and only three of us. If they're already
back
at the residence, I just may throw a temper fit."

"Let's ask our driver," I suggested, more than ready to join her in throwing the fit. As the coach pulled up in front of us I added, "Driver, what happened to our companions? And how long ago did they leave?"

"Twaren't long, ma'am," the man answered, quickly pulling off his cap. "They come out here an' talked a bit, then asked if'n they culd go somewheres besides back t'th'house. We wus hired fer
th
' day, so it makes no nevermind t
'u
s where y'go. When they heared thet, they set the littlest feller up with Zom, an' then went off."

"That sounds like they made Pagin Holter their guide, and went to have a look at the city," Jowi said. "If I weren't so played out from being used as a lifeless dressform, I'd be interested in seeing the same. You do know the city well enough, don't you, Tamrissa?"

"I suspect I don't know it nearly as well as Dom Holter," I replied wryly. "My excursions away from home were always carefully supervised and chaperoned, so I know nothing of the sections the men will find most interesting. I do, however, have one small item of interest back at the house, and you ladies are more than welcome to share it with me."

"Now you've piqued my curiosity, so let's go back," Jowi said with a laugh and one of her brilliant smiles. "Even if it doesn't turn out to be as good as what the men will find, I intend to tell them it was better."

I had to laugh at that, but Beldara was still in her own private world. The servant had already helped her into the coach, and although I'd included her in on the invitation it was fairly clear she had no intention of accepting.
Which was just as well, since I had no real interest in sharing my secret pleasure with anyone but Jowi.
I felt certain she would enjoy it as much as I did, and I didn't care to waste it on someone who was sure to find fault no matter how good it really was.

And it would be nice to have another woman I could really talk to. As I settled myself on the seat beside Jowi, I wondered if it would turn out to be possible for us to be friends. I'd never had a real friend, my parents had seen to that, and even my sisters and I had been discouraged from growing too close. We'd been like a group of strangers who happened to live in the same house, but now . . . maybe freedom wasn't the only priceless thing I'd finally have a chance at.

Twenty-one

Lorand stood outside the tailor shop with the other men, trying not to show how fascinated he'd been with the experience just past. He'd actually had clothes
fitted
to him, by a professional who did nothing but produce clothes. All his life his mother had made his clothes, and if they hadn't fit quite right, well, at least they were too big rather than too small. During his growing years the clothes had usually become too small too fast, so his mother had gotten into the habit of making things too big to be outgrown before they were worn out. And the material that was supposed to be so cheap
...
he hadn't the nerve to admit the clothes would be the best things he'd ever owned.

"Is
thet
whut you gotta go through if n yore a rich man?" Pagin Holter asked everyone in general after letting out a very sharp, deep breath. "If'n so, I gotta think agin 'bout tryin' t'be one. Don't like bein' mauled around like thet, I surely don't."

"Then you ought to make a very successful rich man," Clarion Mardimil told him with the heavy annoyance that wasn't aimed at their group. "Those people were quite impossible, treating us like so many cattle from a nearby field. My personal tailor would have screamed in horror had he been here to watch them."

"Even
my
tailor would have been outraged, and he's normally a very calm man," Eskin Drowd agreed, his tone dry and almost as annoyed as Clarion's. "Not to mention what they charged for the rags they'll be delivering tomorrow. All I have left is a single pair of silver dins."

"That's all I have left as well," Valiant Ro put in with a frown. "Did they leave any of us with more?"

Lorand shook his head along with everyone else, momentarily surprised, but then he understood.

"They must have had a clerk with Earth magic and metal affinity go over us," he said, drawing everyone's attention. "I knew someone like that back
home,
and even learned the trick myself. I know how much silver, gold, or copper goes into a penny or din, so by feeling how much of each metal a man has on him, I can tell exactly what coins he's carrying. Do they usually use that talent to rob people here in Gan Garee?"

"I have a feelin' this was done especially for
our
benefit," Valiant Ro said with a growl, glancing back at the tailor shop with an angry glare. "If I thought they were doin' it on their own I'd go back in, but somethin' tells me it has to do with those people runnin' the tests. They don't want us havin' money, but that's too bad about 'em. As soon as I get to the bank, I'll have all I need."

"And I," Clarion agreed with matching satisfaction. "If today and tomorrow weren't rest days I'd go straight there right now, but since they are I'll simply have to wait until the day after. In the interim I'll need to think of myself as penniless, for what can one do with just two silver dins?"

"Plenty, if'n y'know where t'spend 'em," Pagin Holter said, interrupting the muttered agreement of Ro and Drowd. "I got th' same two silver and nuthin' more I gotta spend it on—'cept a real good time
. '
Pears t'me like I earned one."

"As did the rest of us," Drowd said firmly in support, finally dragging his attention from Lorand. The way he'd stared for a moment had been odd, as if he were trying to swallow down some kind of jealousy. "We all passed those wretched tests, and I for one would enjoy celebrating rather than returning to the residence for another early night. Are we all in agreement about that?"

"I think I might be best off not joining you," Lorand forced himself to say amid the general happy agreement. "Two silver dins are a lot better than none, and for me going to the bank would be useless. Why don't I just walk back to the residence, and—"

"Nonsense, man, I won't hear of it," Mardimil interrupted, actually looking outraged. "Your efforts were no less than those of the rest of us, which means you're entitled to the same good time. When I visit the bank I mean to withdraw gold, therefore allow me the privilege of pledging to replace your dins. That should allow you to spend your own now with an easy heart."

The others all added their own words of encouragement, which quickly ruined Lorand's resolve. He did want to celebrate with them, and Mardimil had seemed sincere about replacing the dins. It was even possible he might not need anyone else's silver, since there would soon be bonus money in gold to earn . . .

"Thanks," he said to them all with a smile. "I guess I'll be going along after all."

A half-teasing cheer went up, and then they were calling over the driver of their coach along with his vehicle. It turned out that the coach was theirs for the rest of the day, so another problem was neatly solved. Holter said he'd ride with the driver to direct him, but then turned back to those about to enter the coach.