The Travels of Anadrasata Nearabhigan: Day 25
The Pearlish Queen, her passengers, and crew are now free to leave the Kerajaa on their journey south.
This piece runs to 1,543 words. I hope that you enjoy it.
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Rhoinday, 6 Naisen, 1893 C.E.
Eheid, 21 Lamtaa, 2157 T.M.L.
Dear Journal,
Today is the first day of the Kerajaan week - it seems odd to me that their day of religious observance and rest just sits in the middle of the rest of the week. Perhaps because I'm just a visitor I'm missing something about how the Kerajaans organise their lives.
Mr dh'Lhais from the consulate, the gentleman who travelled here with us on the Pearlish Queen, was breakfasting with the dh'Lhathairs when I arrived in the dining hall this morning. Lord Rhainhais was not present, and it was mentioned to me by a steward that he has been confined to the infirmary after another episode last night. Apparently this means we no longer need to take extraordinary precautions in moving around the hostel. Mr Taighaign did ask me about the escort back to his room he'd had the night before, and I said that Lord Rhainhais dh'Lhathair had had some sort of episode last night resulting in concerning behaviour - then I asked him not to ask me any more questions because I didn't know anymore.
When I finished breakfast, I went over to the dh'Lhathairs to wish them well, and to say hello to Mr dh'Lhais. I thought that the dh'Lhathair ladies, mother and both daughters, looked relaxed compared to my previous meetings with them - it improves their looks immensely in my opinion and reveals both girls as very pretty misses. Mr dh'Lhathair looked worried, of course, but less tense than previously, as did his eldest son, despite the impressive fresh bruise on one temple. I hope that the rest of their trip goes better than last night. I also thanked Mr dh'Saigh again for his escort last night.
I also firmly quashed an imprudent desire to find someone to gossip with about the dh'Lhathairs' situation. I mean, I am here alone in a foreign country, but there isn't someone else controlling my movements, money, travel, and so on. More particularly, there isn't a sometimes violent someone. Did Lord Rhainhais plan to put his younger relatives in a position where he had almost complete control over them? (Now I've written it down, it does look like something from a dark novel of manners, but then there was Idairaia Nhaireanaign who had classes with Sura and killed her father and brother to stop their incestuous abuses of her person. The male Nhaireanaigns had so many friends who didn't believe her, until their diaries and sketches were made known.)
I returned to my room after breakfast and finished my preparations to return to the Pearlish Queen. While I was on my way to the front desk of the hostel with my overnight bag, I met Mrs dh'Lhathair and took the opportunity to hope, again, that her family's travels would be less fraught from here on. She gave me an odd look and asked if I didn't have questions? I replied that I thought that I knew as much as I needed to know about the situation, unless she wanted to talk to someone, in which case I had about half an hour before I needed to be elsewhere. Mrs dh'Lhathair gave me a lovely smile, thanked me, and said that, no, she wasn't ready to unburden herself. We curtsied, said farewell to each other, and parted company.
I had enough time once I was back aboard the Pearlish Queen to put my things away again before lunch. Someone had definitely been through my chest. but nothing was missing, and I can only admire their packing and folding skills because everything took up less space than it did before I left the ship. "My cabin and possessions were searched by government officials who left everything neater than they found it," really doesn't sound like a complaint. does it?
At lunch the first class passengers, in addition to Mr Taighaign and myself, were revealed to be roughly half and half Imperial and Kerajaan. Most seemed to be travelling on business, and I was seated at lunch between Mr Zukru and Mr Rijail dh'Ghaittais. Mr Zukru is a Kerajaan legal gentleman travelling to assist a client establishing a business venture between our two countries, while Mr dh'Ghaittais is a factor dealing mainly in fabrics. Mr Zukru and I conversed on general subjects, while with Mr dh'Ghaittais I discussed fabrics, threads, and their suitability for various uses.
After lunch I took a turn around the promenade deck, and then repaired to the balcony parlor to finalise my tablewear embroidery designs and, possibly, start the test piece on a spare napkin. I'd decided on a swag design along the edges of the tablecloth, with medallions along the centre line - large medallions and only two or three, or maybe four. For the napkins I decided on a medallion, not as large as on the tablecloth, in one corner, with half the napkins being one design and half the other - because I am only using two different medallion and swag designs on the tablecloth. I decided that my test piece napkin was going to have both different corner pieces on it and both medallions, so I put in my marking threads, for centre lines and so forth, and that was when one of the Kerajaan ladies who'd come into the parlor while I was absorbed in my task asked what I was doing.
Mrs Uasyauh is a formidable matriarch, and she was accompanied by two daughters-in-law, Mrs Nyr and Mrs Miryim. Mrs Miryim is younger than me, but Mrs Nyr is almost as old as my mother. I explained that I was getting ready to begin a new embroidery project. Mrs Uasyuh, whose Imperial is excellent but with a very particular accent that one mainly hears on the stage at home, asked why I was doing such a thing. I replied that it is an activity that I enjoy, and as I have no duties to perform while I am travelling, I was taking the opportunity to indulge uninterrupted by the necessity for household tasks. I added that it was the only ladylike feminine accomplishment in which I was skilled. Mrs Uasyuh considered that for a moment, and then she laughed. Mrs Nyr ceased to look almost disapprovingly at me, and Mrs Miryim laughed too when Mrs Uasyuh translated for her.
The ladies talked among themselves, occasionally including me with a few exchanges in Imperial while I began stitching the medallions. We continued that way until the Kerajaan-style tea tray was brought in, and I put away my sewing. The ladies made some complimentary remarks about the amount of stitching I had gotten done, and then we were joined by some more Kerajaan ladies, and an Imperial lady in charge of some Kerajaan children. Miss Khygainh introduced herself to me when the children's mother, Mrs Ferheneh, took charge of them and we sat together through the tea service. Miss Khygainh is a governess employed by a Kerajaan extended family who seem, from what she told me, to be of approximately our gentry level of society. They live in a large compound near the town of Kebong Lopon and Miss Khygainh has been with them for fifteen years, with this current group of children being the youngest of their generation in the family. We discussed, briefly, my journey and then moved on to our respective homes. Miss Khygainh knows of Umbrial, as she hails originally from Satdrel, but hasn't been home for over twenty years. Additionally, her family are not great letter writers, or so she says. It seems a little sad to me, but Miss Khygainh seems happy in herself and looks well. There is no suggestion that she might be pining away with homesickness! She was glad though, she said, to have some conversation with a native Imperial speaker.
At dinner I was placed between Mr Maleti, a Kerajaan botanical artist, and Mr dh'Khonai, a legal gentleman. Mr Maleti has been commissioned to paint a series of plates for a book on orchids written by a prominent botanist whose name he told me, but which now escapes me. Mr dh'Khonai is travelling with a client, Mr dh'Ghaikh who was sitting at the Captain's table this evening, to help negotiate a business deal. Both gentlemen were excellent conversationalists but preferred to address their dinners.
After dinner we all went to the balcony parlor for tea in the Kerajaan style, although several groups disappeared almost immediately to the billiards room or to the lounge. I suspect most of the latter groups were going to discuss business. I found myself flanked on a sofa by Mr dh'Ghaittais and Mr dh'Khonai, whom I introduced to each other. We were then persuaded into a table of the Kerajaan card matching game, which resulted in great frivolity. Nine people around a table having fun together can do that. We wound up going through the deck five times before we called an end to the game. I went to my cabin and thence I am soon to go to bed, but most of the others were still in the parlor when I excused myself.
The night seems clear outside my window, so we shall see if the weather continues calm.
Anadrasata Nearabhigan