In Ink and Wine

Chapter 7 - Hessa

She didn't travel home with her parents and Cabero. Clarille simply didn't meet them at the carriage the next morning, and they didn't bother sending anyone to look for her.

Brylow, much to her chagrin, had been contained in her chambers. Leaving the dinner, Clarille had followed after Brylow and the embarrassed footman. She slipped into the room before the footman could close the door, and refused to leave. He couldn't make her move without touching her, and so Clarille had enjoyed at least one small victory that night.

As the Bervols had chosen to ignore their daughter's existence, at least for a time, nobody disturbed the girls or bothered to make Clarille leave over the following weeks. The downside was that they had very little idea of what was going on outside of Brylow's walls. The handmaidens who came in to talk to them had clearly been ordered not to discuss anything, as the usually friendly women were oddly silent while they worked. The only person who would talk to them was the footman, Jeksen, who seemed to feel a little guilty that he had been ordered to manhandle Brylow.

Through Jeksen, they learned that Berver had proposed to Aleen, with the wedding planned to take place during the Fall Festival. They learned that Lord Bervet, and presumably the other nobles at that dinner, had caused Keridel's reputation to plummet in Riode. Keridel himself hadn't been seen in weeks, and was said to be somewhere in Kitsi Lake, hiding out on his barges.

Despite his absence in Riode, Clarille talked Jeksen into delivering letter after letter to the harbourmaster. She had no way of knowing if Keridel received any of them, and there was never a reply, but she kept trying.

***

One day in early autumn, Jeksen arrived with a message

Clarille had nearly given up on hearing back from Keridel. She didn't want him to come back to Riode, it was far too risky. Urged on by Berver and Aleen, many of the young noblewomen had created their own stories of Keridel behaving inappropriately, leading to many of the young men loudly boasting about what they would do to Keridel if he ever showed his face in Riode again. To top it off, everyone seemed to take is as fact that Keridel had assaulted both Clarille and Brylow.

Jeksen arrived at his usual time, to deliver dinner with another servant. The other servant was an older man, who didn't manage to hide his disgust at having to serve the ladies. Clarille had quickly realized that many of the servants also believed the stories about them, and his distain didn't bother her as much as it used to.

He placed the tray he was holding at Brylow's usual spot at the small table in her chamber, before rushing out, as if simply being around them would mean risking his job. Jeksen, as always, lingered after putting down the tray for Clarille.

"Well?" Brylow sat down and asked the question she asked every day. "Any news?"

Jeksen shook his head. "No, my lady. I hope you both enjoy your meals." He lifted the cloches from both of their trays.

"Hmm, thank you. I suppose no news is good," Brylow said. "What about the wedding? Has—"

Clarille barely listened, because her glass had caught her eye. Usually they were given wine to drink with dinner, but this time her glass was filled with a golden liquid. Clarille picked it up.

"Jeksen," she interrupted without meaning to. "What is this?"

"It's a Navirian drink, my lady. It was delivered along with this." He pulled a neatly folded letter from his pocket and offered it to her.

Clarille snatched the letter from him. Her hands shook as she unfolded it, hope bubbled up.

Then died, because the handwriting wasn't Keridel's. It was barely even legible in some parts, and riddled with spelling and grammar errors, but Clarille managed to get through it.