The Travels of Anadrasata Nearabhigan: Day 21
Day 21 of Anadrasata's travels, and is it really eavesdropping if the conversations are in a public place at normal conversational level? Also, shopping.
This runs to 1,566 words. I hope you enjoy it.
Index Page.
Twirsday, 2 Naisen, 1893 C.E.
Khemaas, 17 Lamtan, 2157 T.M.L.
Dear Journal,
If there weren't two storms last night, then there were two different lots of thunder, or perhaps it just circled back around to find us again. The sheets on my bed here are even nicer than the best guest linens at home - I wonder if I can buy some? Either for my hope chest or, if I really do have money, my own house. I will ask Miss Eyeu.
There was drama at breakfast this morning - the governess and the nanny disappeared in the night. Mr Taighaign and I did not need to get involved - the hostel staff and the First Officer of the ship the children are passengers had the matter under control. The hostel brought in the proper authorities and the First Officer acted for his Captain who is in the place of their parents and guardians in a case like this. (I did not know that, and I couldn't help but think that Mrs Efune would have found that fascinating.) The eldest girl was concerned that the governess had all their money with her, and not only the local constable (?) but someone from the consulate came to ask her questions. (It was not Mr dh'Haibhaint.) Some complicated arrangement was made with the children continuing on under the care of the ship's crew but being escorted by a Kerajaan official and one of our consular staff. The second oldest child made a comment about, "but she wasn't our nanny," which led to an explanation that seemed to involve a lot of people dying unexpectedly. One of the local officials asked Mr Taighaign and I if we had spoken to the two missing women, and both of us replied that we had not. After a moment's thought I added that I thought I had seen the governess near the Hamada yesterday afternoon, but I couldn't say for certain that it was her. I do not know if it was the best thing to do, but I cannot support the governess in abandoning her charges and keeping the travel funds that were supposed to convey them safely to where they were going.
The meal itself was rice, pickles, fried fish, and fruit. Rice seems to be a diet staple here, and they seem to cook it better here for savoury dishes than we do at home.
It seems to me that the Kerajaa doesn't trust the Empire. There are the rules around the hostel, and they are sending one of their officials to make sure that the children are going somewhere where they will be safe and cared for. Our last war with them ended eight (?) years ago, and I don't believe tensions have been rising between us recently. I am concerned that the old saying, "It's not paranoia if it's justified," might apply here. What have we done in the past, and what do they think we are doing now?
Miss Eyeu was available at the stated time this morning and asked me what O wanted to do today. I think she was surprised when I asked to go to a draper's shop to buy bedsheets. Once I explained that I liked the bed sheets herein the hostel and wanted to buy some for my future home, and asked where her family went to buy theirs, she seemed less confused. She took me to a stall in the open-air market, and they had exactly what I wanted. The owner is a friend of Miss Eyeu's mother, which doesn't bother me, and if it gives Miss Eyeu a status boost with her mother's friends, I think that is a good thing. Their bed sizes here are different to ours, but I bought a set of sheets and pillow slips that will be a generous size on a marital bed. I also bought a tablecloth large enough for a ten-seat table and twenty-two napkins to go with it - two sets of ten and two to practice on because this is an unfamiliar cloth. I asked about the cloth itself, and, if I understand the explanation correctly, it is made with a similar process to that used for linen and nettlecloth, but from a plant called rimpat.
I asked to go to an embroidery shop next, and suggested that we might want to drop my shopping at the hostel first. Miss Eyeu waved her hand, and a porter appeared out of the crowd. A uniformed porter who Miss Eyeu knew by name, because she introduced us. I wondered how many people were following us around and if it is because they were worried about what I might do or if they are just used to people like me needing our shopping carried.
We went to a shop rather than a market booth for my embroidery needs. Miss Eyeu translated for us, and the proprietor and I had a detailed discussion about the right needles and thread weight to do embroidery on my drapery purchases. I bought a set of embroidery needles, six hanks of silk thread in different colours, and two books of local embroidery patterns. I also bought a stitch instruction booklet in Behessa so I could work out the instructions in the pattern books - the illustrations seem quite clear.
Then we went back to the hostel for lunch, and I deposited my shopping in my room. Before we separated, I warned Miss Eyeu that I would like to go to a bookshop that sells the Aunty Ssang books in Imperial this afternoon, and to have another bath.
The medium spicy broth was delicious and not quite too spicy for me.
After lunch we set off for the bookshop. It was beyond the Hamada but because we weren't on the tour, and we needed to go behind the Hamada complex, she took us through a series of covered over laneways that housed shops of trades that didn't lend themselves to open air markets. This was where the apothecaries had their businesses, jewellers and silversmith's their workshops, and the various types of clothiers had their shops. It was just as interesting as the open-air market, and no-one tried to accost me and draw me into their shop. The breeze was funnelled through the laneways and our journey was cooler than the outside portions of yesterday's tour.
The bookshop was in one of these laneways and Miss Eyeu told me that its name meant, in Imperial, 'A Garden of a Thousand Tales.' There are three floors of books, and the section in Imperial is part of the back wall on the second floor. Most of the books in it are Imperial primers for Behessa speakers and Imperial-Behessa dictionaries. Many more are simple reading material suitable for people learning Imperial. There were Imperial novels, including the entire Caifair series, but they also had the Aunty Asang books. I looked at my money, considered my options, and bought the full set. Tallaig can be angry about it at me later if he wants. Another porter was summoned to carry the books back to the hostel for us.
Today's bath was as good as yesterday's.
Two more ships had passengers in the first class dining section tonight. The Pearlish Princess is heading north, and their first class passengers are the dh'Horenaiths - an old Savvetaape family ennobled during the Southern Wars as Mrs dh'Horenaith was at pains to tell us when she introduced herself and her family to Mr Taighaign and myself. The second table, all gentlemen, were all passengers on the Fairwind Lass, which is also south bound. There was also an announcement before dinner was served that the missing governess, Miss Ghaindharaigh, had been found - murdered and dumped in a seawater inlet on the southern edge of the city. We were exhorted to remember that guides are assigned to us partly to keep us out of trouble, and to be extremely cautious if contacted by anyone claiming to be the other missing woman.
Mr Taighaign turned to me and said, "They think the nanny did it," and I think he was right.
The dh'Horenaiths were pleasant company and happy to talk about our different home provinces over tea. Mrs dh'Horenaith also talked about the family's long and illustrious history in the province and I gathered that she and Mr dh'Horenaith are cousins in some degree. I freely admitted that my family are landed gentry of no particular distinguishment, which Mrs dh'Horenaith seemed to find disappointing. However, she asked how long we'd been on our estate, and when I replied that the original grant was from King Tallaig III, which puts it about 1257 C.E., she sort of choked and her younger son sort of sniggered. The thing is, yes, we have been there a long time but aside from husbanding our land, and people back when there were serfs because the relationship with tenants is different, my ancestors didn't do things out of the ordinary or of note.
I made my apologies after I finished my tea and came back to my room to pack my overnight bag for tomorrow, as much as I can. I wrote letters to my family to post before we leave in the morning. [I didn't mention the bath house to my brother, but covered it in detail to my mother and sisters.]
Anadrasata Nearabhigan