Yuah Korlann turned away from the street and made her way up the stone walkway, through the large snow covered yard of the Dechantagne estate. In a way it seemed odd that she wasn’t living there. She had lived in one Dechantagne house or another all her life. She had grown up with the three Dechantagnes of this generation, gone to school with them, worked for them. She paused to hyperventilate for a moment before starting up the steps to the portico. She had a white fur coat over a new pale pink dress and a new, extra tight corset beneath that. Standing at attention outside of the front door was a lizardman, naked except for a yellow ribbon with a gold medallion around its neck. As she approached, the creature suddenly moved. She flinched, but it was only reaching back to open the door for her.
“Um, thank you,” she said, stepping hesitantly through the doorway.
Inside was a maze of boxes and furniture heaped up against the walls. She navigated through them and into the parlor, surprised to find it clear of any such obstructions. A large comfortable sofa and several stuffed chairs had been set up around a small table. There was even a hutch against the wall with a full bottle of sherry and several glasses upon a silver tray. A fire was burning in the fireplace. There was no drapery in place yet, but two large trees outside kept the light from being too harsh. Above the mantle was the only picture hanging in the room—a portrait of General Augustus Q. Dechantagne, the younger brother of Iolanthe’s and Terrence’s grandfather. “Good morning Yuah.”
Yuah turned to find Terrence standing in the doorway. He looked good. He had gained a bit of weight, though he was still too thin. He was neatly groomed and dressed in a black suit. His bandaged eyes were hidden behind a pair of dark spectacles. With his left hand, he held onto the doorframe. Terrence had been captured, tortured, and blinded in the lizzie city of Suusthek, along with Corporal Bratihn. Ordinarily a magic user of Zurfina's skill could have restored their sight, but they had been cursed by a lizzie witch doctor and there was no priest in the colony powerful enough to remove the curse.
“How did you know it was me?”
“The smell. With all those potions and lotions you use, it had to be either you or a group of a dozen other women. And since I didn’t hear any chattering, I decided it couldn’t be the latter.”
“Very astute. I was just admiring the portrait.”
“Great Uncle Augie, is it?”
“Yes. Isn’t he the one that… um…”
“Lost his manhood to a musket ball. Yes. I think Iolanthe is trying to send me a message, but I don’t know what it is.”
“I’m not certain I would want to know.”
Terrence made his way to the hutch, stepping confidently but following along the wall with his left hand.
“Brandy?”
“It’s way too early for me to drink,” replied Yuah.
“Fortunately, it’s not too early for me.” He poured himself a glass, his finger dipping over the lip of the glass so that he could tell when to stop pouring, and took a sip. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”
“I was hoping I could get you to take me somewhere. You really should get out.”
“Get out? I’ve just gotten in here.”
“You know what I mean. You’ve been cooped up inside, first in the apartment and now here, since the first snow fall.”
“Where do you propose that I take you? Birmisia isn’t exactly known for its lively social spots and it’s too bloody cold to do anything out of doors.”
“Well, we could take a stroll to Mr. Parnorsham’s Pfennig Store.”
“More lotions?”
“Notions actually,” Yuah replied pertly. “I need a bit of thread and a needle.”
“Of course you realize that you passed Mr. Parnorsham’s on the way over here.”
“Of course.”
He took another sip of his brandy, and then set the glass down next to the others. “I’ll have to get my greatcoat.”
While Yuah waited, she pulled a hand from her fur muff and primped her hair. Within five minutes Terrence had returned, dressed for cold weather. Yuah took him by the hand and led him through the mazes of boxes and furniture to the front door. The lizzie opened it just before they got there.
“What do you think about all these lizzies your sister is hiring,” she said as they made their way across the front yard.
“I prefer not to think of them at all.”
“Hmm.”
They reached the center of the road and began walking west toward the Town Square. The road was slightly slippery from the snow, which had over the past few nights turned into ice. There were no vehicles in Port Dechantagne, unless a wheelbarrow could be considered a vehicle, so the roads were often left to the vagaries of the weather. Yuah tucked her hands in around Terrence’s arm as though he was guiding her rather than the other way around.
“I went to the execution the other day,” she said.
“Why would you do that?”
“I don’t know why I did it, but it was awful. There was so much blood, and that poor creature with her tail cut off.”
“What possessed you to go?” Terrence asked again. “I don’t understand why you would want to see that.”
“I didn’t want to see it! I don’t know why I went. I just wish that I hadn’t.”
“That’s one thing I don’t miss seeing.”
“Well, I can’t see how anyone or anything could have deserved that,” said Yuah. “Having the skin scourged off your back for a few marks?”
“You have to set an example,” said Terrence. “They will recover. The same can’t be said for Mrs. Gompers or that Wills fellow.”
“Yes, that was unfortunate about Mrs. Gompers. She just startled that lizzie and was badly bit for it. But who knows what Mr. Wills was doing to get clawed in the face? You can bet he was doing something that no decent person would do. That man should never have been allowed in the colony.”
“Well, I don’t know him,” said Terrence begrudgingly. “I’ll have to take your word for it.”
“Well, you can rest…” Terrence suddenly felt Yuah stiffen. She turned around to look behind her, and then came to a halt, halting him as well.
“What is it?”
“It’s those horrible birds. There’s a pack of them following us. I just saw one off to the left and there are two more behind us.”
“Velociraptors?”
“No, the bigger ones. The ones with the brown feathers.”
“Deinonychus. You can bet that if you see three, there are three around here that you can’t see.”
“Will they attack?”
“Maybe. Don’t worry, I’ve got this.” Terrence reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a .45 caliber revolver.”
“Wonderful,” said Yuah. “It’s enough I have to worry about killer birds. And now a blind man with a gun.”
“It’s not a gun. It’s a pistol,” said Terrence. “And I’m not going to shoot it. You are.”
“I can’t shoot a gun… a pistol.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll guide you through it.” He took her by the wrist and placed the revolver, handle first, into her small hand. “Where are they now?”
“Two are in the road about thirty feet back. I don’t see the one in the woods anymore.”
At that moment a squawk came from the woods to the left, and was answered by a similar call in the woods to the right.
“Well, we know they’re there. Hold the pistol in your right hand, and cup your left hand under the grip.”
Terrence stepped behind her and reached around to hold her hands in his. His body pressed against her backside so that her bustle collapsed inward and her dress ballooned out somewhat in front. She could feel his breath on her neck.
“Pick a target and line it up with the sight at the end of the barrel. Do you have it?”
“I’m afraid.”
“Don’t worry. I have you. Do you have the bird lined up?”
“Yes.”
“Then gently squeeze. Don’t pull on the trigger. Just squeeze.”
There was a tremendous boom and a cloud of metallic smoke. The gun’s kick had pushed Yuah back, but Terrence’s body hadn’t moved. She leaned backwards into him.
“Did you hit it?”
Yuah opened the eyes that she hadn’t even realized she had closed.
“Oh, no. Now there are three of them.”
“Do you see any in the woods?”
She glanced to either side. “No.”
“How about behind us?”
“No. I hear something moving in the woods now though.”
“Yes, I hear it too. Let’s take aim again at the one we missed.”
“I don’t know which one it is.”
“Just aim at one Yuah.”
Yuah took aim down the barrel of the pistol at the deinonychus that was closest to the center of the road, and just as Terrence had instructed before, squeezed the trigger. Again there was a tremendous boom and a cloud of smoke. This time as the gun pushed her back, Yuah leaned into Terrence’s body. He didn’t move. The birdlike creature that she had aimed at was hit. Its chest exploded and it was flipped end on end.
“We got it,” said Yuah turning her head so that her face was only an inch from Terrence’s.
“Good,” he said, but made no move to take his arms from around her shoulders or to turn his face away from hers.
“Should we shoot another one?”
“I don’t know. What are the others doing?”
“The other two on the road are sniffing it. Wait… three more are coming out of the woods, but they’re not looking at us. Do you think they’ll eat their friend?”
“Maybe. Proper animals wouldn’t resort to cannibalism, but these Birmisian creatures… Let’s get out of here anyway. If they don’t decide to eat it, they might come after us yet. And something else might come along.”
Terrence unwrapped his arms from her and took the gun, putting it back in the pocket of his greatcoat. They continued down the road. As they walked, he put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. Yuah looked back once to see that the deinonychus, now six, were still sniffing at their dead companion’s body.
“The tyrannosaurus is in the area, you know,” she said.
“So I’ve heard. I’m a little more concerned about utahraptors. They can come up on you a lot more quickly and more quietly than the big fellow, but they can take down a man just as fast.”
“They are pretty though, if you’re seeing them from far away.”
Just outside the Town Square, both sides of the road were fairly thick with workmen putting the finishing touches on several large houses. Yuah felt more secure. The deinonychus and their smaller cousins the velociraptors were too shy to come close to such a large group of humans. But Terrence took his arm from around her shoulders, instead wrapping her hand around his arm.
When they stepped into Mr. Parnorsham’s store, the bell on the door still ringing right above them, Yuah stopped so quickly that Terrence bumped into her.
“What is it?”
“It’s thick with lizzies in here.”
“How thick?” he asked, cocking his head to the side and listening.
“There are about a dozen. Mr. Parnorsham?” she called out.
“Be right with you, Miss,” called Mr. Parnorsham, looking around the massive body of a lizzie who was standing in front of his counter.
“It’s alright. Let’s go up to the counter,” Terrence told her, though she noticed he put his hand in his coat pocket.
She guided him up the aisle, past two lizzies, to stand next to the one that Mr. Parnorsham was trading with. The creature was evidently buying a pocketknife, which was sitting on the counter top next to a large stack of copper pfennigs.
“One mark five p,” said Mr. Parnorsham, and tapped his finger twice next to the stack of coins.
The lizzie set down another two pfennigs, one after the other.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” said the proprietor.
“How much has he put down?” asked Terrence.
“He’s got ninety seven… now ninety nine pfennigs.”
Terrence reached out and tapped the counter six times. The lizzie placed six more copper coins next to those he had already piled up.
“There you go,” said the store owner.
He picked up the pocketknife and handed it to the reptilian. The creature took it and headed for the exit.
“What can I get for you, Captain?”
“Go see to your other customers. We’re going to… look around a bit.”
“They can wait.”
“It’s fine. Go ahead.”
Mr. Parnorsham wiped his hands on his white apron and then hurried off to the next lizzie.
“I can smell them in here,” said Terrence.
“I didn’t really think they had a smell,” Yuah replied.
“Not like us. They don’t sweat. But I can smell them anyway. It’s so very faint in here, but in Suusthek… in Suusthek…”
“You helped out that lizzie with his purchase…”
“It’s been my experience that the lizardmen are very honest, regardless of what my sister or her government does. They’re also not stupid. And I suppose it’s wrong to blame all of them for what a few did to me.”
“So you don’t hate them all…?”
“Yes I do, God damn it! I do hate all of them. It’s all I can do to keep from pulling this gun out of my pocket and shooting in every direction. If you weren’t here, I would! I swear to Kafira, I would!” Though Terrence’s voice had never become loud enough for anyone other than Yuah to hear, it rang forcefully in her ears.
She looked at him, while his breathing slowed, then she said. “You’d probably shoot Mr. Parnorsham.”
“I know.”
“And it’s not a gun.”
“I know.”
“It’s a pistol.”
“Yes.”
“You should probably keep it in your pocket,” she said.
“Always good advice.”
They stood quietly while Mr. Parnorsham finished trading with all the lizzies in the store, though just as he returned to them, the bell above the door rang and another group entered.
“So what may I do you for today, lady and gentleman?”
“I would like two number four needles and a one spool of thread each of azure, beryl, cerulean, cobalt, and ultramarine.”
Mr. Parnorsham pulled a small envelope from below the counter.
“The needles come three to a package now, but it’s the same price that we used to charge for two.” He walked to the notions counter and returned a moment later, setting the thread next to the package of needles. “Here you go—five spools of blue thread.”
Yuah squinted her eyes and examined the thread, sure that Mr. Parnorsham was either trying to cheat her or make fun of her, but the thread was all of the correct shades.
“Anything else?”
“Not for me, but I’m sure that Mr. Dechantagne is in need of a few things.”
“Captain?”
“I need a tin of shaving powder, whatever kind you think best, and a bottle of Brill-Hair.”
“Very good, sir.” Mr. Parnorsham returned with the items. “Anything else?”
“I also want two jars of Major Frisbie’s green tomato chutney.”
Mr. Parnorsham paused. “Are you sure?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Well, it’s just that your sister doesn’t purchase it. I understand that Mrs. Colbshallow is the official condimentarian, if you will.”
“My sister isn’t here to purchase it. I am.”
“Of course, sir. No disrespect implied.” Mr. Parnorsham retrieved two jars of the chutney from a small stack just inside his large front windowpane. “That will be twenty five p for the lady and let’s see… two marks seventy.”
“That’s roadside robbery,” said Terrence, sounding disgusted.
“Now that hurts, Captain.” And Yuah noted that Mr. Parnorsham did indeed look as though his feelings were hurt. “You know the cost of shipping products all the way from Brechalon. If anyone knows, you should.”
“Yes, he knows,” said Yuah. “Don’t mind him. He’s just in a mood because of all the lizzies here and at his home.”
“Mmm. Oh!” Recognition suddenly rolled across the shopkeeper’s face. “Well, yes I see… of course. You know, I could do without their scaly faces myself. I keep thinking they’re going to open up those great mouths and bite me, like Mrs. Gompers.”
“I have just the thing for you,” said Yuah, and reaching into Terrence’s pocket, she pulled out the large nickel-plated revolver and made as if to hand it to Mr. Parnorsham.
“Hey,” said Terrence. “That’s a family heirloom.”
“Oh, pish posh. You bought that in Brech before we set sail on the Minotaur. And you’ve got at least two more just like it.”
“Oh, that’s a fine weapon,” said Mr. Parnorsham, making no move to take it. “Too much gun for me though.”
He reached under the counter and pulled out a small black pistol. He pressed a button on the side and a clip full of bullets dropped from the handle. After pulling back the action to empty the chamber, he held out the weapon for Terrence.
“What do you think of that, Captain?”
Terrence held out his hand and the shopkeeper placed the pistol in it. He ran his fingers over the smooth lines and sharp edges of the black steel.
“Automatic? Never cared for them myself. What is it—a Tycho Mather C-21?”
“Mather 17,” said Mr. Parnorsham proudly. “Freedonian naval officer’s sidearm.”
“7.65 millimeter?”
“That’s right.”
“How do you get ammunition for it?”
“I have two boxes. More than enough for me. I shot off six rounds to try it out and a dozen more when the lizzies attacked. The rest I’m saving for robbers.”
Terrence handed back the pistol, and then reached out to find his own still in Yuah’s hand. He took it and put it back into the pocket of his greatcoat. He took Yuah’s arm and gently pulled in the direction of the front door. She quickly grabbed their packages from the counter.
“Wait just a moment before you go,” said Mr. Parnorsham. “I’ve got something to show you.”
Turning, he whipped away a cloth that covered a small mechanical device with a wind-up handle on the side. Yuah had seen one before. It was a music player. A wax cylinder sat atop the box which, when wound, would turn the cylinder while a needle ran along grooves in it, producing sound. Mr. Parnorsham furiously cranked the small handle and then moved a small arm over until the end of it rested on the now spinning cylinder.
“I’ve had this for a while now, but I only just got the recording,” he said as music started to emanate from the small machine, followed by a high-pitched man’s voice.
Honey cakes,
My sweet honey cakes,
Honey cakes, I love you sooo-oo—ooh.
You’re more than cream in my tea,
When I see you I cry whee!
Honey cakes, don’t you ever gooo-oo-ooh.
“How lovely,” said Yuah, as Terrence pulled her gently toward the door. “We must be on our way now. Thank you for sharing that.”
“Appalling,” said Terrence, outside the shop door. “All the music in the world, and that’s what they decide to record for posterity.”
“You could call me honey-cakes, if you wanted to,” said Yuah, her mouth very close to his ear.
“You’re too skinny to be any kind of cake at all.”
Yuah started walking, rather too fast, and Terrence was pulled along at her side.
“This isn’t the right direction.”
“That depends upon where one is going,” she replied.
“We’re going through the gate and out onto the peninsula.”
“Yes. How can you tell?”
“The smell.”
“Does it smell bad?” Yuah asked. “I can’t tell.”
“It just smells like people.”
Just beyond the gate were the first houses that had been built in Port Dechantagne—small one or two room homes for the most part. Beyond those on the left were row upon row of one and two story apartment buildings where the bulk of the population lived. On the right was the militia base.
“Where are we going?” Terrence asked.
“City Hall.”
“Why do we want to go there?”
“I want to say hello to my father.”
“I meant ‘why do I want to go there’?”
“It’s good for you to be seen.”
They walked across the grounds of the base toward the temporary City Hall, which was nothing more than a converted barracks building. Though there were a few who called out a greeting, such as “Hello Captain”, Yuah was unhappy to see that most of the people they passed just stared at the woman leading the blind man. Terrence was silent as they crossed the militia grounds and Yuah had the impression that he somehow knew that people were watching them. When they reached the door of the roughly made twenty-five by two hundred foot building with a small painted sign identifying it as their destination, he suddenly stopped and took her by the elbow.
“Do you still want to marry me?” he asked.
“I don’t recall ever saying that I wanted to marry you in the first place.”
“You said that you loved me.”
“That’s not really the same thing, now is it?”
“Don’t you want to marry someone you love?” he asked.
“I want to marry someone who loves me,” she replied.
“We could have your father do it right now. He’s the mayor.”
“Why do you suddenly want to get married?” asked Yuah. “You’ve never shown two figs of interest in marrying me, or anyone else come to that.”
“I’m a blind man. There’s not a lot I can do…”
“You are going to get your sight back. It’s just a matter of time until we have the curse lifted.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. In any case, I can still provide for a family. I’m on my way to being disgustingly rich. You could be rich with me. And if you have six or eight children, you might even plump up enough.”
“What about religion?”
“I don’t care about that.”
“How would we raise the children… I mean, if there were any?”
“However you want. I leave that entirely up to you.”
She looked at him with one eyebrow cocked.
“I can’t appreciate the look you’re giving me,” he said. “I’m blind.”
“You still haven’t said that you love me.”
“Is that a deal breaker?”
“Yes,” Yuah said, rather forcefully. “It most certainly is.”
“I love you then,” said Terrence.
“Oh, this is stupid!” she shouted, pulling her arm from his grasp. “You’re playing some game with the poor little Zaeri maid.”
“I’m not.”
“We’ll see,” she said, taking him by the arm and opening the door.
She pulled him into the small room inside and past her father’s pinch-faced secretary, despite the beginnings of protestations coming from the woman’s surprised face. She opened the door to the office beyond and found her father sitting at his desk, surveying a series of papers laid out side by side. He looked up, his face shifting from one of surprise to one of pleasure.
“Yuah, how lovely…”
“Papa, we want you to marry us,” Yuah interrupted.
“Muh, muh, muh…”
“Right now.”
Zeah Korlann stood up from behind his desk.
“Absolutely not,” he said.
“What? Why not?” Yuah demanded.
“Um, well… I was hoping to make a better match for you.” Her father shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other.
“You’re not likely to find a better match, Papa. They’re practically royalty. You know that better than anyone. Our family has worked for them for generations.”
“He means that I’m not good enough for you,” said Terrence.
“That’s not what he means,” said Yuah. “That’s not what you mean, is it, Papa?”
“Well, yes it is. And of course there is the question of religion…”
“It’s been settled,” said Yuah.
“You’re too young to get married,” said Zeah.
“I’m almost twenty-seven!” shouted Yuah, with a slight edge of hysteria to her voice. “I’m already an old maid! If I wait any longer, my insides will shrivel up and blow away!”
Zeah stared at his daughter for a moment, watching her flushed face as she gulped for air, her corset and her excitement combining to take her very close to a swoon. Then he looked at Terrence, searching his face for some inkling of motivation.
“I can’t appreciate his look either,” said Terrence to Yuah.
“There’s no hurry,” Zeah said at last. “Why don’t you plan a spring wedding? We can have it done right. A big wedding. Everyone will want to be there.”
“We are doing it now,” said Yuah. “There is no Zaeri Imam, so you have to do a civil ceremony. If you won’t, we’ll go and have Brother Galen marry us under Kafira’s watchful eyes.”
“We need a best man and a maid of honor.”
“You can have your secretary stand in, and get one of the soldiers outside to be the best man. We don’t care who it is. Anyone would be proud to stand up for a Dechantagne.”
Zeah took a deep breath and stepped close to Terrence. “You must take care of her.”
“She will always be provided for,” said Terrence, though it sounded to no one in the room as if they meant the same thing.
It was only a few minutes later when Zeah unhappily began the civil marriage ceremony for his daughter and Terrence Dechantagne. The two of them were framed on either side by Zeah’s secretary Cadence Gertz and young Saba Colbshallow. There wasn’t much to it, really. He asked Terrence if he would love and cherish, and then he asked Yuah if she would honor and obey. They both replied, “I will”.
“I don’t suppose you have a ring?” he asked.
“That’s our next stop,” said Terrence.
Then it was over. He recorded the date on the certificate and all five of them signed it. Oddly, as everyone filed out the door, only Miss Gertz looked really happy.
Though he had yet to move into his shop, Mr. Vever had been for some time working from his home, a small single room house just inside the great wall about half way between the gate and the eastern beach. Here he cut gems and crafted jewelry, occasionally working on watches, though that was not his specialty. He opened his door to find Yuah and Terrence on his front step.
“Mr. Dechantagne, what a surprise,” he said, motioning them inside. “And Miss Korlann, it is always a pleasure to see the most beautiful woman in Birmisia.”
“Back off Vever,” drawled Terrence. “That’s Mrs. Dechantagne now. We’ve just been married.”
The little man squinted through his spectacles at first one of them and then the other and then back again.
“Funny,” he said. “You two don’t look like newlyweds… Well, what do I know? Come in. Come in.”
“Thank you,” said Terrence, as they stepped inside. “We’re here to buy a ring.”
Yuah began to feel a bit faint and looking around saw a small chair near the door, which she dropped down onto it, sitting sideways so as not to damage her bustle. She waved off Mr. Vever’s concerned look.
“Um, well, what type of ring were you looking for?”
“We need a pair of wedding rings,” said Terrence. “Fourteen karat, I should think. Simple but stylish. Not too big. I don’t suppose we need an engagement ring...”
“We bloody well do,” said Yuah.
“Right. We need an engagement ring too. With the biggest diamond that you’ve got.”
“Well, you might be surprised at just what I have. Wait just a moment.” Mr. Vever stepped to the back of the room and began turning the combination lock on a safe the size of an icebox, which sat against the far wall.
“We shouldn’t waste our money,” said Yuah.
“Five minutes married and already it’s our money,” said Terrence dryly.
“Here we go,” said Mr. Vever, closing the safe and stepping back to Terrence with a small velvet-covered box in hand. Yuah stood up once again to look. “I purchased this stone from a lizzies trader. I paid him quite well, because I’m hoping to get more. I cut it and finished mounting it just last month. I was planning on having it shipped back to Brech. I didn’t think anyone here would be in the market for something this lavish or… well, this expensive. If it’s too much just say so, and I will understand completely.”
Yuah looked as the jeweler opened the small box to reveal a golden ring with a very, very large diamond set amid several small rubies.
“Good God,” she said. “I wouldn’t be able to lift up my arm with that on my finger.”
Terrence reached out his hand and Mr. Vever maneuvered the box into his reach. He pulled out the ring and rolled it around in his fingers.
“Look how it catches the light,” said Yuah.
“How big is it?” wondered Terrence.
“The diamond is six and one quarter karats.”
“Kafira Kristos,” Yuah said in a whispered voice, then put a hand to her mouth as she realized she was blaspheming in the wrong religion. “Well, I mean… It’s bigger than the Queen’s diamond.”
“No, not really,” said Mr. Vever, who was in a position to know such things. “I believe her engagement ring has a twenty-two karat diamond in a marquis cut. But this is an exceptional stone, both in size and in clarity.”
“And how much do you think you can get for it in Brech?” asked Terrence.
“In its setting, I should think over one hundred thousand marks.”
“We’ll make it an even ninety thousand and save you the cost of shipping and the trouble of finding a broker in Brechalon,” said Terrence. “Do you have a receipt for me to sign?”
He turned around and took Yuah’s hand, sliding the ring on it.
“It is much lighter than it appears,” she said.
Outside the jeweler’s door, she pulled her left hand out of her muff and looked at it.
“You can’t afford to spend a hundred thousand marks on a ring, can you?” she asked.
“You have no idea,” said Terrence. “You’ve just become a very wealthy woman.”
“But one hundred thousand marks. That’s almost a million.”
“Iolanthe received fifty thousand marks last week as good faith money from Lenahan Norich. And he’s just the first. Merchant and Shannon, Pearce, Hallbourgh, Thurnby they’re all snooping around, looking to invest. In five years I’ll be able to completely cover you in jewels.”
“I don’t need any more jewelry… not that I wouldn’t accept any. That would be rude, after all. It might be nice to be able to buy some new dresses though.”
“Anything you want.”
An hour later they were back in the Dechantagne home, having seen no deinonychus, nor any other of the many frightening species of Birmisia, on their way home. They did spy the bloody spot in the snow where they had encountered them before, but there were no remains of the one killed and those living had apparently moved on. Once inside, they made their way to the parlor to find Terrence’s sister, Colonial Governor Iolanthe Dechantagne-Calliere in a sharp black and white day dress, warming herself by the fire.
“You did what?” said Iolanthe.
“We married,” said Terrence.
“Each other?”
“Yes.”
The shocked look on Iolanthe’s face was not too far from what Yuah had expected, though one could never be too sure what Iolanthe’s reaction to anything might be. All in all, she would have gladly postponed the announcement for… well, forever. But to her complete surprise, the look of shock turned to a sly smile, which slowly spread over her new sister-in-law’s face.
“Very good,” said Iolanthe. “Very good. This really is excellent.”
“Really?” said Terrence.
“Yes, of course. You need someone after all, don’t you?” She stepped forward and enveloped Yuah in a great hug, pressing cheek to cheek. “You’ll move into the house right away, of course. You know I’ve always thought of you as a sister.”
Yuah didn’t know which of those two sentences frightened her more.