Page 105 of Unrivaled
I started.Had I ordered that?
She laughed nervously and I quickly rearranged my features.Valuewasbased on perception, at least somewhat.“I just assumed, m’lady, my apologies.I know the berries are good for Stitchers’ dyes, too, I forgot y’now have a mage.From the capital, no less!”
I knew I’d bought the berries, but I couldn’t recall what for.And she was right.If I had small amounts of flavors, Icouldfancy them up and sell them for more.“I—I don’t know.”I hadn’t known they were a necessary item for Stitchers, either.
“I’ll ask Bernie later, if you like.”She scratched something else on the board.
“Can you check with the Stitcher, too?”I asked.
“Oh.Stitcher Amber is an important person for the likes of me.”There was color in her cheeks.“Mayhap you ought to send mistress Isolde, or…”
The idea hit me with such clarity that I wondered how I hadn’t seen it earlier.“Sandra, would you be agreeable to training as my steward?It isn’t as desirable as formal etiquette, but?—”
“You’d teach me how to run a wholekeep?” she squeaked.“If I can help run La’Angi, I could runanything!”
She wasn’t wrong.Still, I had to say, “In terms of social status, Sandra, marrying into the noble class has expectations.”
“If I get to steward, I can learn from Inker Apprentice Allison, and Stitcher Amber, and Bernadette, andyou,and—” She frowned at me.“Do I have to marry a nobleman now?Truly, there’s no other option?”
I thought of my own long, and now broken, betrothal.“In terms of maintaining your financial stability, youshould.Your little brother will inherit your father’s lands.He might have you live on as steward, or you could earn a living here working in La’Angi.”Guilt twisted through me at that promise I may not be able to keep.
The moons between me and my father’s arrival were so few.
“To protect your status…you should,” I added.“But I don’t think youhaveto, unless your liege lord or king indicates you must.”
She propped the slate on her hip, staring at me intently.“So, if I just got a good income, and helped my little sisters make good marriages, put by a bit of coin and lived simply, that’d be okay?I could make sure they had somewhere safe to go if they didn’t make a good match, or if their luck went sour?That’d be okay, yes?”
Tears burned my eyes.More promises I might not be able to keep jammed up in my mouth.Your family will always be looked after so long as I am here.Allfamilies will be looked after so long as I am here.But how long would that be?
“Technically, no one except my father or the king can order you to wed,” I told her.I couldn’t imagine Thomasforcinga wedding on her.“Have you discussed this with your parents?”
She tossed her hair.“No.They’re scared of change, but also scared to not change.We’re stuck between.No offence, m’lady, but I don’t want to spend all my time learning to dance.I like learning about different size bottles and ways we can stopper them and how the Inker makes labels.There’s something satisfying about making it all orderly.”
Why that made my tears burn even more, I didn’t know.“I can’t promise your family will be happy, or that the Duke won’t order you marry someone, but I’d love to have your help running the keep, Sandra.”
“Well, if I’m forced to marry, it won’t matter that I don’t know all the dances or how to address the third son of a lord who looks after a large fief.”She looked back at her slate.“You can go on your ride if you want, m’lady.I’ll finish this room, then chase up those blueberries.Should we prioritize the Stitcher’s dyes or knappchs, if we have to choose?”
I played with the string of weighted coins dangling from my belt.Dyes were a luxury, but I didn’t know if they were also required for uniforms, which were a necessity, unlike knappchs.“Prioritize filling the fancy bottles,” I decided.I could alwaysbuydyes if they were needed.“See if Stitcher Amber can make some ribbons and Inker Allison can make a simple, classy label.We’ve got a lot of black sealing wax that’ll look striking.See what Stitcher Amberwants,and whether we could make enough blueberry mash to flavor the gift bottles, too.”
Her eyes widened.“If you give them a small taste…”
“Mayhap.”I’d have to mark up the special bottles to account for the loss of profit from giving away that many small bottles of spirits.Most years we just kept the cider flowing, but I didn’t have limitless liquor.
They could alwaysbuyit, though.
“Prioritize limited run bottles,” she said.“Then see what’s needed.I’ll check what Stitcher Amberwantsand what sheneedsand see where we go from there.”
I looked at the big, dusty crates full of different bottles.The boxes had all been neatly marked, but some of them had been opened, and a few times someone must’ve grabbed the wrong ones because some had been returned and not always to the correct crate.Mostly it wasn’t such a hard job, but we didn’t have a Crafter mage on staff, so if the count was done incorrectly and I couldn’t bottle what we’d produced, it would mean losses I didn’t want.
She’d started to hum again.It was a happy noise, really, when I wasn’t trying to concentrate.She walked on, blowing dust off the markings on another crate, giving it a quick once-over to see if it’d been opened, and made another note.
She could do this.It was a lot safer for her and her family if she learned a profession.She was right.The incomewouldbe protective for her little sisters—and also, for her parents.
“Thanking you, Sandra,” I said.“I’ll be back this afternoon.”
She glanced up, a smile splitting her face.A lock of her light brown hair had come free from her simple, sensible plait and curled at her temple, but it didn’t make her look young, just distracted.“Thankingyou,my lady.”
I was going to need to get her a proper mentor.Not for etiquette—I’d already done that.If she was going to take over a lot of the menial little day-to-day jobs I was doing…
