Chapter Nine

Copyright 2009. All Rights Reserved.

The next day I rose early and walked to the garden. I breathed in the perfume rising from the flowers and tried to stem my mounting excitement. A trip to the market! I felt a sudden urge to dance around in the flowers like a little child. Perhaps I would have followed the whim, but Lynled poked her head out of her bedroom window and called down to me
“Go to the dining room! I’ll be down in a minute.” and I heard a chuckle behind me. It was Jarvis. He was staring up at the window with amusement.
“What grace! What dignity!” he said, gentle mockery in his voice. He grinned at me. “Could I escort you to the house?” he asked, still looking back at the window. I nodded, and as we walked back to the house he continued “You may be unaware of our customs, but here we consider shouting out a window impolite.” We entered the drawing room on the tail of this sentence, and Lynled turned to greet us.
“Shouting out a window? Now who would do a thing like that?” she asked all innocent curiosity.
“An inelegant female that you could have no connection with, my dear adopted sister.” Jarvis smiled, seating himself at the table.
“Indeed.” Lynled said haughtily.
“Indeed?” Kurt asked, entering the room.
“Oh, nothing. Let’s talk about something else.” Lynled said impatiently, flapping her hand at Kurt. “Oh, I know! Look at Natalie, everyone. The new clothes are breathtaking, are they not? I chose the dark red fabric because she never would have been so daring on her own.” I squirmed in my chair as the two young men politely examined my new clothing. Before they could mutter compliments, Amza’s voice came floating across the room.
“Lovely, simply lovely.” she said warmly. To my relief, everyone turned towards her.
“You’re looking well, Mother.” Kurt remarked. She smiled at him as she came to the table.
“Thank you, Kurt. I feel wonderful this morning. Are you going to the marketplace today?” Jarvis nodded.
“We’ll eat lunch there and perhaps do some trading.” he said.
“Maybe Kurt could find some new seeds,” broke in Lynled. She turned to me. “The garden is his handiwork, you know.”
“Your handiwork?” I echoed, turning towards Kurt. He nodded. “I didn’t know you gardened.”
“It started when I began growing herbs for medicine and I enjoyed it so much that I began gardening in earnest.” he said.
After breakfast Lynled and I went to her room to fetch a basket full of items she wished to trade. I reminded her that I didn’t have anything to trade. Lynled smacked herself on the forehead.
“Lazy girl!” she said to herself angrily. “I’m sorry, Natalie.” she answered, turning back to me. “This whole week I could have put you to work, but I didn’t think of it in time. The main things that females such as you and me trade are items that we’ve made. Had I thought in time, you could have a nice bundle. As it is you can share with me.”
“Thanks.” I replied awkwardly. “But on one condition.”
“What?”
“You have to let me work with you the next week to replace any items that we spend.”
“Agreed. Now let’s go meet the boys.” she said, leaving the room with the basket on her arm.
“The boys?” I asked as I hurriedly followed her. “They look older than that to me.”
“Fine. Let’s meet the young men.” she said laughingly.