The Travels of Anadrasata Nearabhigan: Day 32

[rix_scaedu]

Day 32 of Anadrasata's travels.  Her destination is getting closer!

This piece runs to 1,896 words.

Index Page.

Onnaday, 13 Naisen, 1893 C.E.
Eheid, 28 Lamtaa, 2157 T.M.L.

Dear Journal,

One pleasure of being in a cabin on this side of the ship is seeing the early morning clouds from their illuminated side, all clean and white instead of showing their shadowed grey side.

The General...arranged things so that I ate breakfast with him this morning.  The Captains were seated next to us, and the Colonel was beyond them, and then the General kept our conversation on me.  He seemed to want to know everything about me and his questioning technique was as precise and even subtler than that of the ladies of my mother's social circle.  By the time I had finished eating and drinking, I think he knew everything of relevance about my history, circumstances, and connections.  I did ask him if there was anything else he wanted to know before I excused myself - and was immediately shocked at my own boldness.  He laughed, then said no, he thought he had enough to satisfy his mother and sister when they started asking questions, and he pointed out that his cousin (Lord Elnaith) had been spending a lot of time in the company of a respectable, unattached woman - me.  When I got over my surprise, I pointed out that Lord Elnaith's only interest in me arose from his professional concerns and his behaviour towards me otherwise was that of a considerate and good mannered gentleman.  The General chuckled and patted my hand, the Captains said nothing and remained expressionless, while the Colonel addressed his teacup.  They all stood and bowed when I excused myself.

I walked three times around the promenade deck to calm myself.  I don't recall anything that Lord Elnaith has said or done that would make me think that he was even thinking of courting me.  He is, however, one of the few people who knows about my trust fund so he knows that I am anything but portionless.  I understand from what he has said that he is a younger son, so he might not have very much money despite his connections, qualifications, and position.  On the other hand, he is very well connected, he certainly seems kind and personable, and if he were to be interested and make an offer, I would be unlikely to do better.  He would only have to agree to any children taking my family name, and they would still benefit from his connections.  On a purely practical consideration, if he were to be, well, foolish enough to offer for me, I would be foolish to refuse him.

Then I went back to my cabin to wrestle with the details of titles for different types of priest and priestess, religious ceremonies, and holy days.  I find the description of their calendar confusing.  Perhaps it is less confusing when you are using it every day?

We came into P'halaitoil before lunch and both the military and the dh'Sailhaivhaigns left us.  I received three telegraph messages from home.

From Tallaig:

"HAVE MOVED YOU AND SURA OUT OF MATERNAL HOUSE AND INTO MY HOUSE STOP ANNA AND CASTOR RETURNING TO THEIR HOME STOP YOUR ROOM IN MATERNAL HOUSE HAS BEEN STRIPPED BY US TO COLLECT YOUR POSSESSIONS STOP ANYWHERE WE SHOULD SEARCH FOR HIDDEN TREASURES QUESTION MARK SUGGEST YOU IGNORE MESSAGES FROM MOTHER FOR NOW STOP LETTER CARE OF YOUR DESTINATION TO FOLLOW STOP HOPE YOU ARE ENJOYING THE TRIP STOP"

From Sura:

"ANNA HAS MADE MOTHER INTERVIEW FOR HOUSEKEEPER AND PAID COMPANION STOP YOU AND I HAVE OUR OLD ROOMS IN FAMILY HOUSE STOP MOTHER DESERVES EVERYTHING THAT IS HAPPENING STOP"

From Mother:

"ANNA HAS ABANDONED ME STOP TALLAIG IS UNREASONABLE STOP COME HOME SOONEST STOP REMEBER THAT ALL REMAINING FUNDS SHOULD COME BACK TO ME STOP"

I only replied to Tallaig:

"NO HIDDEN TREASURES TO FIND STOP TRIP GOING WELL STOP LOOK FORWARD TO LETTER STOP"

We gained eight passengers in P'halaitoil: a family of four travelling together, the Mhabhlaigns; Lord Bheleghus dhGhaishoig and his secretary, Mr Aidais Bhlain; and two Cuoahtimollon gentlemen, Mr Tecolotl and Mr Zolin.  From my admittedly brief study of Coac-htl if seems very unlikely to me that these are their names but, given the complexity of Cuoahtimollon names and Imperial pronunciation problems in foreign languages, they may have decided on a compromise that they can live with.

Lord Elnaith sat with me at lunch, and the dh'Savhgaims sat opposite us.  It seems that Lord Bheleghus is known to their ladyships, so he and his secretary sat with them.  Doctor dh'Savghaim decided that Lord Elnaith and I needed to know about the Xalipatl eruption of 1706 C.E. - something that is central to his current research.  When the first course was removed, Lord Elnaith asked if he could please moderate his volume, given that we were only across the table from him, not at the far end of a lecture hall.  I am sure that if I had been the one to say this that Doctor dh'Savghaim would have been offended, and I think that he almost was, but Lord Elnaith's rank has its privileges and when the lecture resumed it was much quieter.  I may have made a tactical error when I asked Doctor dh'Savhgaim a question while he was eating something, but he suddenly looked so pleased and his wife looked so grateful, that it may have been a strategic plus.  (I wonder if he speaks so loudly to try and break through the look of glazed and deafened stupefaction I suspect he gets a lot.)

After lunch I went for a quiet walk twice around the promenade deck before going to the balcony parlor with my embroidery.  We were quite a company this afternoon:  Miss dh'Dhainer and Miss Saighven; Lady Hailaina and Lady Ismhailaid; Mrs dh'Savhgaim, Mrs and Miss Mhabhlaign; and myself.  Mrs Khughaign was probably napping in her cabin.  In conversation over the afternoon we covered a lot of territory.  Mr Mhabhlaign is an industrialist in textiles and stockings, travelling on business who has brought his family along to demonstrate his personal respectability and to start teaching his son the ins and outs of his business.  They are disembarking tomorrow in Ghoatroil - of the ladies only Mrs dh'Savhgaim and I are continuing past there.  Their ladyships haven't arranged accommodation in Ghoatroil, but they are going from there to their brother's estate in D'hloc.  Lady Hailaina admitted that their mother had changed her travel plans to backtrack to D'Hestoil but she and her sister had declined because they wanted to see the beauty spots on their itinerary and their brother had made it clear that he didn't want their company on the honeymoon following his second marriage.  It helped, added Lady Ismhailaid, that they had paid for their own tickets out of their pin money, and that they had the examples of Miss dh'Dhainer, Miss Saighven, and myself to show that there was nothing untoward about two sisters and their maids being the only members of a travelling party.  The older ladies gave them recommendations for suitable inns, while Miss Anaivhail Mhabhlaign, aged 16, asked me about my embroidery.  She seems a very nicely spoken young lady.

When the tea tray came in, Mrs and Miss Mhabhlaign poured for us. Lord Elnaith joined us and advised me as we drank that he would have to leave the ship in Ghoatroil to make arrangements to enter the Cuoahtimollon Confederation as the permissions he had applied for had not yet been granted.  He added that the hoped to see me again in Tlemutsiko.  (I find this to be an interesting declaration on his part.  I could be reading too much into it, but it is definitely interesting.)

I was seated at the Chief Engineer's table at dinner, opposite Miss Mhabhlaign and between her brother and Mr Tecolotl.  Mr Tecolotl was kind enough not to laugh or express scorn at my first spoken attempt at a greeting in Coac-hatl.  When I explained that I have been trying to teach myself the language basics from a primer he gave me a few pronunciation tips.  Then he asked me why I wanted to know Coac-hatl, and I explained that I was going to visit family and even if they all spoke Imperial, I wanted to be able to be polite to others, know the prices of things in shops, and be able to try to decipher street signs.  He agreed that these were reasonable ideas, and I think that he unbent a little and became a little less stiff.  Young Mr Mhabhlaign, on my other side, ate as if he were going through a growth spurt.  I managed to get him to talk to me about his education so far, but he was far more interested in his food than me.  Of course, he might also be shy.

His sister seemed to do quite well on the opposite side of the table between Baron Fulcvin and the quiet gentleman who boarded in D'Hestoil, Mr Nairabhaign.

Miss Mhabhlaign retired to the balcony parlor with the rest of the ladies, and her mother allowed her a splash of fortified wine in the bottom of her glass.  Miss dh'Dhainer, Miss Saighven, and all the other ladies discussed finishing schools.  Miss dh'Dhainer and Miss Saighven had been instructors at such an academy, their ladyships and Mrs dh'Savghaim had attended one each, and Mrs Khughaign had, in her words, absconded with one of the Board of Governors (Mr Khughaign , she assured us) at the first possible opportunity.  I had nothing to offer - not only had neither my sisters nor myself attended a finishing school, but it is not a common thing to do in our part of the Empire.  There are boarding schools for girls, and I believe that my mother makes charitable donations to one that has places for deserving disadvantaged girls, but it was never suggested that my sisters and I might attend one.

The gentlemen rejoined us after the tea tray arrived and their ladyships had started pouring.  Miss Mhabhlaign was allowed on cup of tea before she excused herself to go to bed.  [Mrs Mhabhlaign ducked out of the parlor briefly after her third cup of tea to make sure that both her children were where they were supposed to be.  Their ladyships, Lord Bhelegus, and Mrs Khughaign sat down to a game of koh.  Mr Bhlain and Mr Ghoydhaign played shabh-hab.  Mr Tecolotl and Mr Zolin played a game with round cards that didn't involve money.  Mrs dh'Savghaim challenged her husband to a game of billiards.  Mr Nairabhaign read his book.  The Mhabhlaigns, Miss dh'Dhainer, Miss Saighven, Lord Elnaith, Prince Osbalzir, Baron Fulcvin, and I made up two tables of maistoto.  I was, somehow, on the table with Mr Mhabhlaign, Prince Osbalzir, and Baron Fulcvin, and I found them all to be very good, calm players.  (I am glad it is not a game played for money, but none of us wound up in negative points, so I didn't do badly.)

We broke up for the night after six hands - those disembarking in the morning didn't want too late a night tonight.  Tomorrow will be our last stop in the Empire - after that I will find out if my entry into the Cuoahtimollon Confederation is as organised as I have been told it is.

Anadrasata Nearabhigan

Comments

[kengr]

And she actually expects them to not *talk* to each other.

She's more delusional than I thought.

[rix_scaedu]

It's worked for her up till now.

[kengr]

But now the cat is out of the bag. People *know* how she has been behaving. And they are talking to each other about it.

Major failure to take into account changed circumstances.

[rix_scaedu]

There is that, of course.

And she doesn't know how much Anadrasata knows.