Looking back on it, Senta thought that Zurfina had done exceptionally well in providing her with a white dress. As she walked to Egeria Lusk’s house though, all she could think about was how it made her look even younger than normal. It was a white lace knee-length dress that fit over a white ankle-length underdress. She had matching white stockings and white boots, and she carried a lace parasol. She met Graham, his sister Gaylene, and their parents in front of Finkler’s Bakery, where they were waiting for Aalwijn.
“That’s a nice dress Senta,” said Gaylene.
She was about a head taller than her younger brother, whom she greatly resembled. They both had light brown hair and very large teeth. She was dressed in a lovely white day dress that must have just been purchased from Mrs. Bratihn’s, trimmed with yellow lace and small yellow hearts. Mrs. Dokkins, who was wearing a similar, grown up version of the dress, as always was smiling pleasantly, despite the fact that she had been unable to get her husband into the proper clothing for the occasion. Mr. Dokkins had on a clean white shirt, a pair of dungarees, and a straw hat.
Aalwijn, in his best shrine clothes, soon joined them. He looked from one girl to the other, not sure to whom he owed his attention.
“Come on,” said Mr. Dokkins. “Let’s get this over with.”
Graham stuck a finger into his stiff collar and tugged. “There’s an idea.”
They met Hero and Hertzal in front of Miss Lusk’s house. They were both dressed in their usual grey and white clothes, simple, unadorned, but well maintained.
“Good morning,” said Hero, glancing shyly at Aalwijn, who was completely oblivious to her presence.
“Keep moving,” said Graham.
Egeria Lusk met them all at the step and guided them in. The front door opened into a foyer, and then led through a large arched walkway into the parlor. Both rooms were exquisitely decorated with hand-carved wooden moldings, golden drapes, and beaded chandeliers, but were sparsely furnished. In the center of the parlor sat several pieces of rattan furniture. Lawrence and Etta Bratihn and Laird and Dora Luebking were already seated, sipping tea. Mayor Korlann entered from the back, carrying a tray filled with another pot and two stacks of teacups.
“Zeah, stop that,” demanded Miss Lusk. “The lizzies are supposed to be serving, not you.”
“Chunny,” she called to a big lizzie following him into the room. “Keep the mayor out of the kitchen.”
The lizzie nodded.
“Come along with me,” she said to the new arrivals. “The Bratihns and the Luebkings have already had the tour.”
She led them through the two-story mansion. It was more richly decorated than anything any of them had seen, and while the rooms downstairs were still mostly devoid of furniture, the upstairs was filled with antiques and finely crafted birch and cherry wood furnishings. By the time they had returned to the parlor, the rest of the guests had arrived, so Miss Lusk led the Parnorshams, the Darwins, the Wissingers, the Dechantagnes, and Professor and Mrs. Calliere on a similar excursion.
Once everyone had been shown around and had been fed finger sandwiches and biscuits, games began. Miss Lusk had invited only couples so that they could play table games, and the games had been arranged around the room. They played draughts, dominoes, fox and geese, and boiler fancy. A good time was had by all, and in the end, they all agreed that Miss Lusk was the most skilled, defying at every turn the mayor’s apparent attempts to let the other teams win.
Afterwards, more tea was poured and the older guests fell into small conversational groups, while the children continued playing. Iolanthe found herself with Egeria Lusk, Mrs. Bratihn, and Mrs. Luebking.
“I do believe that Yuah is avoiding me,” said the red-haired hostess. “She hasn’t said a word to me since she arrived.”
“Don’t take it personally,” said Iolanthe. “I believe she’s under too much stress. She’s constantly complaining of a headache.”
“Married life will do that to you,” said Mrs. Bratihn.
“It’s not for everyone,” agreed Mrs. Luebking.
“Maybe I’ll send her around for another dress,” said Iolanthe. “A new dress or a new hat always makes me feel better.”
“She’s bought quite a few dresses lately,” said Mrs. Bratihn. “But…”
She and Mrs. Luebking looked at one another and said at the same time. “Shoes.”
When the two had moved on to talk with Mrs. Dokkins and Mrs. Parnorsham, Egeria took Iolanthe aside.
“I’ve had a letter from a friend of mine in Portsmouth,” she said. “She tells me that our friend Lieutenant Staff has been promoted to Lieutenant Commander.”
“Indeed,” replied Iolanthe coldly. “Why would you suppose that I would be interested in that?”
“No particular reason. Just that he was on our ship. It’s always nice to hear the news about an acquaintance, even if he is only an acquaintance, and nothing more.”
“Yes of course.” Iolanthe pursed her lips. “If you have any other news about him… or any other ships officers we may know, you may tell me.”
Yuah and Terrence were speaking with Zossef and Magda Wissinger. Yuah knew the middle-aged couple quite well from shrine, but her husband had until now not met them. They were from Freedonia and had arrived the year before on the first ship that Iolanthe had chartered from that country.
“Your sister is a very wonderful woman,” Mrs. Wissinger told Terrence. “She is helping many people, sending ships to help refugees escape.”
“Yes,” he replied. “She’s always been the giving sort.”
“Terrence is being modest,” interjected Yuah. “He’s just as much a part of it as she is. It’s a family enterprise, and it’s really his money...”
“I’ve been meaning to ask you something ever since Yuah mentioned knowing you,” Terrence interrupted. “Are you related to the writer Isaak Wissinger?”
“Oh yes,” replied Mrs. Wissinger. “He is my husband’s cousin. Isn’t he wonderful?”
“He is my fourth cousin once removed,” said her husband. “I only saw him once at a family reunion, and that was before his first book was published.”
“You’ve read them of course,” said Terrence. “I have all five in my library. I’d like to have a signed edition some day.”
Across the room, Mr. Parnorsham latched onto Miss Lusk’s arm as she passed by.
“Thank you for inviting my wife and me. We don’t get a chance to socialize very often. I imagine the same thing is true for the Darwins.”
The Darwins stood near the fireplace, listening in rapt attention along with Mr. Luebking and Professor Calliere as Lawrence Bratihn told the story of some adventure or another.
“You know what you could use, Miss Lusk,” Mr. Parnorsham continued. “You could use a music box. It’s mechanical, it’s mathematical, it’s beautiful. In fact, I can’t think of anyone who would appreciate it more.”
“I shall consider it,” replied Miss Lusk. “I do have a keen interest in music.”
As the guests began to leave, Terrence pulled Lawrence Bratihn aside.
“I want you to know, that when I go, you’re going back with me. We’ll both see again.”
“Are you ready then? It’s quite a trip. You’re a newlywed. Are you going to take your new wife with you or leave her here?”
Terrence waved the notion aside, though the other man couldn’t see him.
“I’m ready to go. It’s not that. We have to have a high level priest and a high level wizard, and wizards tend to be expensive, and we have to have them together at the same time. It’s proving damned hard to schedule especially over long distance.”
“If you can get it set up, I’ll be ready to go,” said Bratihn. “But I’ve made my peace. If I don’t ever get my sight back, it won’t be the end of the world.”
“You’re a better man than I am, Lawrence.”
Gaylene Dokkins left with her parents, but her brother stayed to walk home with his friends. After bidding thank you and good-bye to Miss Lusk he, Hero and Hertzal, and Senta walked east towards the Hertling home.
“You know Hertzal, there’s more and more work at the dockyards,” said Graham. “I’ll bet you and I could get on there full time. Foreman jobs too.”
“You think you’re old enough to be a foreman?” asked Senta.
“Sure, and think of all the money. We’d be able to buy whatever we wanted.”
“Like presents for a pretty girl?”
“Um, maybe.”
Hertzal elbowed him in the ribs.
“Stop it. I know her birthday’s coming up.”
Senta looked at him.
“Don’t worry. I’m going to get you a present, but that’s not what I was thinking about buying.”
“What do you want to buy then?”
“I’m going to get a copy of Colonel Mormont's journal.”
“What do you need that for?”
“Remember what Hero read? He was talking about Tyrannosauruses hunting in packs. That’s something nobody around here knew about until this past week. Maybe there’s something else important in there. Kafira knows we’re not getting all the goods from the lizzies.”
“Maybe we should all read Colonel Mormont’s journal,” said Senta.
“I wish I’d thought of that,” said Hero in a small voice.
* * * * *
The official start of spring was just a week after Egeria Lusk’s tea party. The entire week was warm and lovely as was the week after. The week after that, a cold spell hit and there were a few snow flurries, but the cold weather didn’t stay around. It was little more than a memory of the winter that had been. Construction in the colony picked up to a feverish pace as immigrants continued to arrive from Greater Brechalon, Freedonia, and even a few from Mirsanna and more distant lands.
The new Town Square became, as had been planned, the commercial hub of Port Dechantagne as scores of new houses were built to the south. The businesses there thrived. The pfennig store, which supplied the town with imports from toys to biscuits, grew busier. Mr. Parnorsham even managed to sell a few mechanical music players. The most successful establishment though was Finkler’s Bakery, which had so much business that they had to take on several employees, including Graham’s sister, Gaylene.
The Zaeri community on the east side of town expanded faster than any other district. Hero’s sister Honor played a major part in getting the new settlers adjusted to their new homes. As spring turned into summer, the twins were able to help her more as they were both ahead in their studies. This last detail particularly irked both Graham and Senta, who since they had been shirking during much of the winter months, had to buckle down all the harder to catch up.
More lizzies moved into Port Dechantagne to work at the docks, build roads and public works, and most of all to become servants in the homes of the humans. Cissy, Kheesie, Sirrek, and Tisson stayed on in their positions in the Dechantagne home and earned a degree of trust with the family. They became well known enough in the colony that many humans recognized them individually, as they did Miss Lusk’s major domo Chunney. Just before the end of spring, old Kendric the lizzie guide died. His remaining young disciples, including the diminutive Kendra moved out of Port Dechantagne and back to their distant villages. The positions of guides for the humans were filled by other lizzies.
Iolana Calliere grew quickly and infused the Dechantagne-Calliere home with a new level of energy. She remained the only little one in the home though. Despite hopes and prayers, by the end of the summer, Yuah found that she was still not with child. To make matters worse, Terrence grew more distant, as he looked for the day he would return to Brech to have his sight restored.
Saba Colbshallow and Eamon Shrubb became close friends and continued to be important members of the militia, until late the next year when another job opportunity arose. Though Eamon frequently pointed out that Saba needed a girlfriend, it was he who was struck down by love at first sight when he met a fetching young redhead from Brechalon. Saba, though single, oversaw the construction of his home, a small A-frame house just across the road from the Dechantagne estate. He ate many meals with his neighbors and could often watch Mrs. Dechantagne from his loft window as she walked through the gardens.
Courtney Jex returned to Sumir and his fame increased when he painted a portrait of the Brech royal family. His painting of Zurfina occupied a spot in her bedroom, directly across from the stairway, where Senta or anyone else who entered would see it before anything else.
Two weeks after the tea party, Senta celebrated her eleventh birthday. She received a beautiful white bonnet from Hero, a hand-carved wooden dragon from Hertzal, and a tortoise shell brush from Graham. Zurfina surprised her with a zoetrope, which when spun around, displayed the images of a man and woman dancing. And Bessemer gave her a toy facsimile of a pony made of wood and yarn, matching the gift that she had bought for him.
Senta continued her magical studies and become proficient at advanced magic, though it was quite some time before she next attempted a fireball spell. As Graham had warned her, once Bessemer had learned to speak he grew more and more loquacious. Senta and the steel dragon became even closer, had long conversations while sitting on the sea shore during the day or beside the warmth of the cast iron stove at night, and by the time fall rolled around again, he had far surpassed her in their shared level five primer.
The End