Discovery

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Hannah listened to the ebb and flow of a hundred conversations in the marketplace. Music filtered from four or five locations, all playing different songs on different instruments. At least two women sang, as did a man with a deep voice in another part of the market. But far more than sound captivated her. Directly ahead a woman in layers of colorful skirts danced, twirling around while trailing a gown of green the color of spring grass, copper bracelets jangled on her wrists.

Food fried, baked, boiled, and roasted, all twisting and turning Hannah’s hungry stomach. The vendors called out to strolling shoppers, describing the wonderful items for sale. She heard them describe meat pies, bread, tent poles, knives, hats, and sewing material fit for Queens. She heard a man that would sharpen any blade, another who worked the finest leather, and a woman who claimed to serve the best soup in the kingdom. A boy shouted praises about a goat he had for sale. Another boy sold apples, the best tasting of all, if they believed his calls.

The sights, sounds, smells, and excitement assaulted her like nothing she’d ever experienced. Sir James pulled the wagon to where all other wagons and beasts of burden were standing at the side of the market, gathered in the one location for the day.

A boy about her age ran up to Sir James. “Sir, for a small copper I’ll water your mule and watch over him.”

The Knight stood in the wagon and stretched before climbing down. “You live here, son?”

The boy nodded eagerly and pointed at a man replacing the sole of a shoe for a customer, “That’s my father.”

“Then walk with me,” he said to the boy.

He glanced at where Hannah was, missing her location by three steps because she’d already climbed down, but the knight still couldn’t see her any better than anyone else. She enjoyed the game of being invisible and saw him looking at the dirt where her footprints appeared, then he smirked. He was on to her.

Once they arrived at the cobbler, Sir James stood and waited his turn. When the old man, nails held between his lips, looked up, Sir James lifted his hat. “Do you recognize me, sir?”

“Yes, sir,” the cobbler said without losing a nail, but looking at his son in an accusing way, as if to ask, “What has he done now?”

But the Knight just smiled and pointed. “See that broken down wagon and mule? It has served me well, but I have no more use for it. I would consider it a personal favor if your son saw to the care of the animal until you can find a buyer for both.”

“How much should I ask for the pair?”

“Whatever you wish to pocket, my good man. Any profit is yours. And your son’s.” Sir James spun and managed to find Hannah’s arm with his hand. He grabbed and held on, almost dragging her across the courtyard. She noticed people looking at Sir James, now, his name on many lips. The word of his arrival had spread. She thought it funny until realizing it might place her in danger.

The two squires telling of his arrival had no idea of the trouble they caused. She realized that they had been told not to say a word, and had. Battles have been lost because of less. Her anger grew with every well-wisher, every hello, and even nods of heads. Everyone in the palace seemed to know he had returned. Many genuinely seemed happy, but others feigned their pleasure.

They neared one wing of the large building ahead, and a door with a guard on duty drew her attention. The guard snapped to attention when they were still five steps away. Sir James threw the door open without acknowledging the salute, his mood foul. He pointed to a massive stairway for the sake of Hannah, and they climbed what seemed like fifty steps to the second floor. Another set of stairs greeted them, and he started up them, not as fast, and his breath came in gasps. He paused, part of the way up, holding a rail for support, and for the first time she realized he was as old as her father.

The stairs, walls, and roof were all made of the same gray stone as the outside walls, but unlike the ground floor, the second held paintings covering the walls along with woven works of art. Carpets covered the floors. Obviously, more important people lived there.

The third-floor walls held even more impressive paintings and tapestries, the glint of gold thread sparkling in the dim light. The third-floor carpeting overlapped, sometimes three deep, so it felt like walking across a spongy meadow.

Sir James didn’t slow. They walked, and she looked at the doors, most ornate and carved. Finally, at a door carved with a leaping stag, he reached for the latch and pushed it open. Inside a man already stood at attention, well dressed, and obviously expecting him.

“Sir, the maids are getting your rooms ready as quickly as possible. I only heard of your arrival a short while ago. Is there anything you require?”

“Yes, there is, William. I need a bed placed in my chart room today. I need a bathtub brought as quickly as you can have it done, along with at least twenty buckets of hot water. And soap, I need lots of soap. I also need three of the best seamstresses in the palace, and I need them now.”

William hesitated. “Do you mean tailors, sir?”

Sir James swelled his chest and shouted, “If I wanted tailors I would have requested them.”

William spun and ran across the room to another doorway. Sir James called after him, “When I have the seamstresses, bathtub, and water, I will need privacy, no matter if my bedding is fresh or not.”

“Who is he?” Hannah asked.

“My manservant and old friend. The best in the kingdom, if you ask me,” Sir James said, throwing the straw hat to one side and pulling off his shirt. His fingernails raked across his chest and stomach. “I think that farmer gave me an itch.”

“Probably bugs,” Hannah said. “You deserve them; you don’t treat William very well.”

“I do not enjoy talking to a person I cannot see. We’re going to correct that with a bath for you.”

“You can correct those little bugs biting you with a bath of your own.”

“You had better be smiling.” He made a parody of an angry face.

She glanced down at the carpet. No telltale footprints to give her away. She backed a step and said, “What if I’m not?”

He reached out both of his arms, encircling the place where she’d been standing. She jumped back a few more steps and teased, “I’m over here,” before scurrying a few steps away.

He didn’t chase her, but laughed and said, “My bedroom is this way.”

He took her across the expanse of the room, thirty steps to another door. But on the way, her attention found the doors to the terrace. Peeking outside, she saw the bustling marketplace spread out below. Tables and chairs sat on the terrace in groupings. She could imagine sitting in the shade of the overhanging banners and sipping ale or watered wine. Back inside, she hurried after Sir James, but he was still talking as if she stood near and heard him.

A bed dominated the next room, posts reaching almost to the ceiling and draped with thin material that formed itself into loops and curls to surround the entire mattress. He stood before a chest of drawers, pulling out clean clothing and throwing it onto a chest at the foot of his bed.

The other door opened to the hallway. Two men struggled to carry a copper tub between them. Sir James pointed to the bare floor near the chest. A stream of women entered, each carrying two buckets of hot water.

William returned with soap and a stack of cloths to use as towels. “The three seamstresses will arrive shortly, sir, as will another bed for the chart-room.

Hannah reached out and slid a drawer open. She’d seen a few drawers in her lifetime but never opened one. Inside were stockings. A whole drawer filled to overflowing with nothing but stockings. Turning to ask about them, she caught sight of William’s expression.

So did Sir James. He said, the corners of his mouth twitching in humor, “Something wrong William?”

William swallowed and shook his head, his eyes still on the self-opening drawer.

Sir James said, with a sly grin, “Would you like to see me push it back in without going near it?”

“You can do that, sir?”

Theatrically, Sir James held up his arms and wriggled his fingers as if he was a mage. Hannah slid the drawer slowly until closed, but couldn’t contain herself. She snorted once, giggled, then burst out into high-pitched laughter that Sir James joined. Finally, he said, “William, I’d like to introduce my niece, Hannah.”

William’s severely pinched face said, “It is so nice to see you. Or it would be if I could.”

That made them laugh harder. Finally, Sir James said, “A sorceress placed a spell on her. You cannot see her. We’ll get her cleaned up and then you can see her. Sorry to have a little fun at your expense.”

“I’m so glad you said, little. But it explains the extra bed and seamstresses.” He went to the hallway door and slid the bar to lock it. Then he went to the room leading to the sitting room with the terrace and said, “Should I send the seamstresses in, or wait?”

“Better let her get the invisibility powder washed off her first. Close the door.”

He poured five buckets into the tub, tossed in the soap, and said, “I’ll be right outside. Will it embarrass you if the seamstresses come in after you clean up?”

“I lived in a room with seven others most of my life.”

“All girls?”

“Of course not. We were kitchen workers.”

He hesitated, “I suppose modesty is for those with money and position. Call out when you’re ready.”

She watched him leave, then stepped into the warm water. She let her feet and legs get used to it. She noticed she could see her feet again. Easing into the water, she soaped and cleaned all traces of the powder off while wishing she had more for future use. She thought of a hundred uses for it. Maybe making it should be the first spell she learned.

“Uncle James, I’m done.”

Three women entered, two old enough to have children older than Hannah, and one closer to twenty. Having been filled in by her Uncle James about her needs, they chatted and complimented her, as they measured and asked what colors she liked for her dresses.

“Blue, I like blue.”

“What color of blue, dear?” One of the older ones asked with a concerned tone. “There is an entire rainbow of blues.”

Hannah stiffened and then relaxed. There was something in the tone she didn’t like. She duplicated the pretentious sounds as well as possible. “I prefer the blue of snapdragons just before they die. Do you know that color?”

The younger girl winked at her in understanding and said, “I think I know that color. If I’m wrong, we can always make you another to the exact right color.”

The three women left, chatting about styles, colors, and accessories. Hannah wrapped strips of thick cloth used for drying around herself went in search of Sir James. She found him behind another door, in a room filled from floor to ceiling with papers, charts, maps, graphs, and scrolls. In the very center stood a large worktable that two men were dismantling so it would fit through the door. A small bed sat in the sitting room, which seemed a proper name for the room when stated that way. People ‘sat’ in it. Sat and talked, many of them from the number of chairs, sofas, and benches conveniently placed. Sir James must entertain often.

William entered and said, as if surprised, “Let me guess who you are, young lady. You are the niece I’ve heard so much about but have never seen.” He stressed the last word and tried unsuccessfully to hide a smile. “It is very nice to meet you.”

Sir James held several scrolls and charts rolled up in his arms. He kept trying to put them on shelves already overflowing with others, and they continued rolling off. Finally, he stood them in a corner and said, “I will need a place to work near here. Find one and move all this.”

William nodded, but said, “If I may offer a suggestion. Your library is valuable and having it elsewhere may not be the best idea. The sitting room is oversized. Would you consider the carpenters building shelves in the corner of the main room for your temporary use?”

“Excellent idea,” Sir James threw his chest out and crowed as if he’d thought of it himself. “She can sleep in here, and I can work out there. Temporarily.”

“I’ll see to it,” William said. “I also took the liberty of instructing the seamstresses to have three dresses delivered here within the hour. One will be a housedress and the others formal. I also asked for slippers and anything else a young girl may need for an audience with her King.”

Sir James spun on William. “He already knows?”

“And insists on both of you being in attendance at your earliest, which means he wants you there now,” William said.

“Send a messenger that we will be there as soon as we have proper clothing. Don’t explain further, just let him wonder at what we wear.”

William headed for the door. “It is so interesting to have you back, sir.” The door closed firmly behind him.

Hannah said, “He’s a bit rude, isn’t he?”

“Yes, he always has been, but I couldn’t ask for a better uncle.”

“Uncle? He is your uncle. So he knows you’re not my uncle?”

“Yes, but he also knows that if I make the claim, he will back it up to the death. I do not have to explain my reasons to him, although we spend many an evening in front of the fire, sipping white wine and talking about home, family, orchards, and fresh air. It does not matter what. 'Family’ is about togetherness and talking of nothing and enjoying it. I’ll explain it all to him soon enough.”

“In many ways, you have a strange relationship.”

Sir James shrugged. “We manage. He has insisted I find a wife for twenty years or more, but my job and poor attitude make me a sad catch for any woman.”

She shook her head. “A woman looks inside of a man to see more than what he shows to the world. A woman would be good for you.”

He carried an armload of scrolls from the chart room to a sofa and placed them down as if each was made of thin glass, then went back for more.

Hannah strode around the room, still wrapped in lengths of drying cloth, examining statues, carvings, and on one table colorful rocks, just plain rocks as near as she could tell. She paused near the fireplace and admired the man wearing the crown in the painting above it. She said, “I’m going to meet him, the King, I mean. Today.”