Seventeen Stones (13 page)

I have to get back to
doing homework, but I’ll write again next rest day.

      Love,

     Mia

***

Classes
were six days a week, with a rest day on the seventh.  All told, Mia had
thirteen classes, and almost all of them required study outside of class.  Mia
was beginning to wish that she’d arranged for a free period or two.  Even Sarah
had left one space open to study.

During
the third week of class Mia received a note from her solicitor, requesting her
presence at the estate on the next rest day.  Mia was excited.  She was ready
to learn more about her family.  Her guardian had told her what she knew, but
it wasn’t much.  Emma had a distressing tendency to judge people on their own
merits and so didn’t consider breeding the way most people did.  Mia wanted to
know
everything
.  What better place to find out about her family than
the family estate?  She didn’t even know if she was old blood, or if her mother
had been one of those periodic talents that no one could really explain.  She
might even be able to find out something about her father.    

The
other girls were as excited as Mia was, Vivian perhaps more so.  “Oh, how I
wish you could draw.  You have to tell us about everything and everyone, and
make sure you don’t leave anything out!”  Mia rolled her eyes and grouched
“I’ll take notes, shall I?”  Vivian glared at her for her flip answer and then
said sweetly “Yes, that would be perfect.” 

Mia,
who’d been rubbing her hand after another marathon note taking session in Theory,
grumbled “I think I’ve used more paper this semester than all of you put
together.”  Sarah didn’t look up from her book “Probably.  You should have
thought of that before you tested so high.”  Mia threw a sofa cushion at her
head, which Sarah expertly dunked, proving that she wasn’t as distracted by her
book as she would like them all to believe.  The cushion plumped itself and floated
back to the sofa, and the girls returned to the mountain of homework that
they’d been assigned. 

Mia
woke on rest day a few minutes before she would have normally gotten up. 
Annoying
thing to do on a rest day
she thought with sleepy irritation.  She pulled herself
out of the bed and decided to have a nice long bath before anyone else woke
up.  She filled the metal bathtub with steaming water and used the special rose
soap that Emma had given her before she left the cottage.  She soaked for a
long time, luxuriating in the hot water and the scent of roses.  Eventually,
when she heard the others moving around, she unplugged the tub and dried off,
slipping the sky blue dress over a white under-dress. 

The
dress swirled around her ankles; it was made along the same lines as her
uniform skirt, but in a bright blue that looked fantastic against her skin. 
She loved the crocheted border that had been painstakingly attached to the hem
and neckline.  She added thin leather shoes and a light shawl that she had
picked up the week before. 

Vivian
hadn’t been kidding about her offer to show the others around the marketplace. 
She’d never been to the City as a child of course, but a good half of the
shopkeepers had dealings with her father.  He was the head of one of the major
merchant families, due to some wise investments by his own father (who was
wanded) and his grandfather (who had been the head of the merchant’s guild at
one time).  All of this meant that Vivian knew every shop worth visiting in the
City, and exactly how much one should pay for the merchandise.  She knew which
shops would barter and which ones prided themselves on exclusivity.    

Mia
had seen the shawl in the City market, with one of the traveling traders.  Vivian
had offered to bargain for it for her.  “Those traders are pretty sharp.  It
won’t come cheap…that’s a type of wool that they raise from long haired llamas
in the northern mountains.”  The shawl was as soft as a lamb’s wool, spun into
a silky thread and knitted into cloth that was patterned with raised triangles. 
Mia, who’d done her share of knitting, was enchanted.

Lizzy,
Beth, and Ella had wandered over to another shop while she and Vivian had
dickered for the shawl.  Sarah had gone with her mother to visit relatives. 
Ella had tried to bow out, but Mia had begged until she came.  She seemed to be
having a good time, and Mia was determined to limit her own shopping since she
knew that Ella couldn’t afford to do much.  The only thing she’d seen all day
that tempted her badly was the shawl.  She was glad, after they bought it, that
Ella hadn’t heard the final total.

The
traders seemed happy to see Vivian too.  The older woman pulled her aside while
Mia was paying.  She didn’t catch the entire conversation but the quiet phrases
she heard were enough to peak her interest.  “No Barbra, that’s not in the
guild’s charter and he knows it.  If Greatlord Burns isn’t doing anything…”

Mia
managed a quick question before they met up with the others.  “What was that
all about?”  Vivian shrugged.  “Just guild business.  The merchant guild’s
Greatlord is pretty useless.  Barbra had some goods seized by Greatlord
Strathorne.  She just wanted me to let my dad know, so he can press the issue
at the next guild meeting.  She’s heading north after they finish here.  The
fishing villages are deserted until it’s too late in the year for the boats to
be out.  It’s a good time to trade up there, in the winter.  Provided of course
that you don’t get snowed in…maybe they’ll bring back some more shawls like
yours.  I need one, but I want mine in deep green.”    

Mia
smiled as she remembered the conversation.  She added the shawl to the dress
and wandered down to the dining area, where her sleepy friends were having
their first cup of tea.

Vivian
smiled as Mia walked up.  “Oh, I love that color on you Mia!  And the shawl is
perfect with that dress.  Do you think it will be warm enough?”  Mia shook her
head.  “I think so, it’s so light you wouldn’t think it would be as warm as it
is, but right now I’m too hot.” She said as she carefully laid the shawl across
the other end of the table.  Sarah looked up from her book.  “When are you
leaving for the estate?”  Mia answered as she grabbed the floating plate of
sticky buns.  “In about an hour.  The solicitor said that the carriage would
pick me up in front of the building.” 

Sarah frowned and then rolled
her eyes.  “Oh!  I forgot!  Men can’t come inside the dorm without a special key. 
It would have been terribly rude to tell you to wait outside otherwise.  Would
you like us to wait downstairs with you?”  Mia asked if they minded.  Lizzy
laughed.  “Not this morning.  It’s perfect out there.  Now if it were as hot as
it was in August….” She pulled a face and daintily speared another slice of
fruit from the floating trays.  On rest days the dining rooms served food
buffet style.

After
breakfast, Mia packed a bag with her homework, parchment, and pens, and went
downstairs to wait.  Vivian eyed the heavy bag with distaste.  “Why” she asked
“are you carrying half the library?”  Mia shrugged.  “Mr. Smith, my solicitor,
said that the carriage ride would take about two hours.  I packed all my
homework so I would have something to do.  Even if the roads are terrible I
ought to be able to manage the background reading for Professor Cavendish and
if I’m lucky I can write a first draft of my practical applications paper for
Theory.” 

Vivian
sighed.  “I don’t know what I’m going to do with you, you have a perfect excuse
to slack off, and an adventure a mere carriage ride away, and you bring
homework!  If it were me I wouldn’t be able to sit still for the carriage ride,
much less get any work done!” 

Sarah
caught Mia’s eye and cocked a blond eyebrow, but refrained from commenting. 
She and Mia occasionally found Vivian’s energy and lack of focus a bit of a
trial.  Mia grinned at all of them.  “Maybe I won’t be able to sit still, but
I’m more likely to if I have something to read.  It’s not like Professor
Cavendish ever assigns anything dull.”  Mia absently rubbed the bruises she’d
earned while doing the latest project for the professor. 

The
chimes poured liquid notes through the air, signaling the arrival of the nine
o’clock hour as the carriage rolled up the paved street.  A liveried footman (thankfully
sans powdered wig) hopped down from the back of the carriage, opened the door,
and pulled out the step so that Mia could climb up.  Mia glanced back at her
friends and waved a little before she took the footman’s hand.  She was
deposited in the seat, the step was put back in place, the door shut, and the
footman hopped lightly up on the back of the carriage.  The coachman snapped
the reigns to signal the horses, who set out at a walk to avoid the students
who were already out.  Mia tried to glance back at her friends, but the
curtains across the back window defeated her.  She told herself to stop being a
ninny, and firmly pulled out her Botany books.

The
carriage that belonged to the estate was the most comfortable coach she’d ever
been in.  It was extremely well sprung, so the ride was smoother than she’d
expected.  On the outside it was identical to many private carriages in the City,
mostly black with steel fittings.  On the inside it was upholstered in kid-skin
leather, with a small magelight, a table that pulled out of the door and a
compartment spelled to stay cold for food and drinks on long journeys.  She was
pleased to find it stocked with juice and snacks. 

Mia
finished her reading and turned to the practical essay for theory.  She hadn’t
quite finished her work when she noticed that the view was obscured by a high
hedge.  It went on for some time and then suddenly opened up into a series of
parks and gardens.  She put her work away, aware that they must be close to the
estate.  Less than ten minutes later the carriage stopped.  Mia barely felt the
footman jump off the back. 

A
second later the door was opened and the step pulled out.  She stepped out and
faced an army of servants; lined up in front of the manor, ready to be introduced
to the heiress they had never seen.  She fought the urge to turn around and hop
back into the carriage.  As she had that panicked thought, the carriage rolled
away, removing that option, however impractical it might have been.  Surely
these people couldn’t all work for her?

A
man with a smattering of iron grey hair and an old fashioned cravat stepped
forward.  “Welcome Miss Amelia.  I am Mr. Hawkins, your butler.  If you please,
the staff will present themselves and then Mr. Dempsey, the steward will join
you for the luncheon.”  Mia nodded, swallowed hard, and tried to paste a pleasant
smile on her face.  The butler took her to each of her new servants and
introduced them.  She met everyone from the housekeeper (Mrs. Wallace) to the
three upstairs maids (Anna, Jenny, and Marie).  She was told the coachman was
predictably named John, and the gardener was a young man named Sebastian.  He
took her comments on the beauty of the grounds as an artist’s rightful homage. 

The
stableman was another John, and he won Mia’s instant gratitude by mentioning
that the stables could outfit her for a ride if she had time to visit the
grounds.  Mia thanked him warmly and added “I don’t know if I will have time
today since it’s my first visit, but I will take you up on that John.”  The man
grinned, showing a missing front tooth and tipped the flat hat he wore, and
shuffled off toward the stables.

It
was a large staff, and it took over half an hour to meet all of them, shake
hands, and say a few words.  She was drained afterward, but knew that she
should have expected an introduction of some sort.  Everyone would want to put
a face to the name, and give her the once over. 

Mrs.
Wallace escorted her to a comfortable sitting room, answering Mia’s hesitant
questions as they walked.  “Bless you child!  No, we don’t have communication
mirrors on the coach, why the mistress didn’t even have one in the house, said
she didn’t want to be disturbed by City business when she was here on the
estate.  No, John Coachman has a bit of a gift for bird speech, and so do I, so
when he gets about halfway he asks a bird to tell me, and the bird comes and
pecks on my window.  Now when your mother, the Greatlady was alive, we’d have a
fair bevy of visitors here, so I would set my birds to watching an’ they’d let
me know when someone was coming.” 

Mrs.
Wallace was a tall, big boned woman who carried a great deal of extra flesh
without being precisely fat.  Her hair, which had been flaming red in her
youth, was now faded to a mild peach color.  It was currently up in a matronly
bun.  She wore a dark brown dress, with hints of ecru lace at the cuff and
neck, and sensible leather shoes that might have been older than she was.  She
moved stiffly, indicating either joint pain or too many years in the City in
her youth.