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apprentices like they used to when I was a girl!"
The new girl looked terrified.
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"As for beating, we'll see," said Angie. "You know I don't greatly approve of
beatings, just to help make the apprentice remember the right way to do
something. I've told May what to do. But, as one Mistress to another should,
she will, in all things outside my orders, listen to your wishes in this room.
She understands that."
"Bless you again, m'lady. I will give up May, as apprentice, then, with a
much less regret. But it is heartwarming of you to still want old bones like
mine here. But I would, if God is so good to me, to die in this Serving Room
where I have spent so many years."
"Knowing you, you undoubtedly will, still making sure everything is done
right," said Angie. She turned to the new servant in the room. "What's your
name, girl?"
"Alaine, m'lady, dotter of Will-below-the-Mill, so please you," squeaked the
girl. "Ee found me a place here, so's I'd might be not get the plague, so
please you." She made an awkward stab at a curtsy.
"Well, be a good girl, Alaine," said Angie, "and May'll treat you kindly."
"Oh, thank you, m'lady!" said Alaine, looking greatly reassured but not
completely. She had heard those words before.
Jim and Angie left, moving towards the Nursing Room.
"Gwyneth and the other old hands are like sled dogs," said Angie after they
had walked a little distance. "If one of a dog team breaks a leg and you have
to cut her out of harness, she'll run alongside on three legs, trying to still
be on the team did you know the carpenter got up from what looked like his
deathbed and went back to work, and is literally flourishing?"
"I do," said Jim. "He almost bit my head off earlier today when I dropped by
his shop. He was telling off a couple of his journeymen and simply included me
in the list ah, May, there you are."
"Yes, m'lord, so please you. Will you grant me a moment to put this rat in
the slop bin?"
"Certainly," said Jim, and May went off to do it. She was back in the moment
she had mentioned.
"Begging your forgiveness, m'lord, but holding rats is bad luck. The little
terriers are wonders at killing them, but they will never learn to take them
to the bin, alone."
"Hah! Yes," said Jim, in full knightly voice, "my lady wishes to give you
some new orders."
Now it was May looking not alarmed, but cautious.
"Mistress," said Angie and May's expression relaxed into happiness," I'm glad
to see so few patients, since I've got an extra duty for you. Idle hands are
the Devil's instrument, you know."
"Indeed I do," said May, crossing herself and curtsying at the same time, so
that allSuperior powers might be equally honored. "I will gladly "
"It is simply that Mistress Plyseth has a new apprentice named Alaine," said
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Angie, "and when you have an hour or so to spare, I'd like you to drop by the
Serving Room and teach her some things Mistress Plyseth herself now finds
difficult to do. You are, of course, a Mistress yourself now, and Mistress
Plyseth understands that your helping her is a courtesy on your part you are
in no way under her orders, though, as more youthful than she is, you will
defer to her in manners as a younger Mistress should."
"Yes, m'lady."
"One other thing. You know my views on beating apprentices to make sure they
remember what they're taught?"
"Indeed, m'lady!" said May.
"I have reminded her of them, so you need only follow her views as you think
best. I would not give this advice to most young Mistresses, but you are not
afraid of learning new ways."
"I fear nothing, m'lady." said May, stoutly it was literally true, Jim knew.
"But I will give it to you, because I think you have the wits to use it to
advantage. The truth though it's rarely known is that an apprentice will learn
more and quicker if she or he loves you, rather than fears you. That's because
loving you makes her want to be like you, enjoy learning, and be eager to do
it right to please you."
May's eyes lit up, but then she looked somewhat doubtful.
"But are they not then tempted to get up to pert or naughty tricks,
m'lady pardon my presumption for suggesting it. One might even sometimes be a
bit " May was plainly remembering her apprenticeship to Plyseth " stubborn?"
"Well, if they're into anything like that, you'll have to use your own good
judgment. But try to gain their love and keep it. That may make it so no
beatings at all are necessary."
May's eyes grew big. But, of course, she did not argue which Jim knew she had
never hesitated to do when she objected to something.
"I will, m'lady. But you and m'lord can make people love you, I don't know if
I can."
"Try.
"I will, m'lady. I really will."
Jim and Angie left, heading for the tower stairs that would lead them to
their own large and comfortable room.
"In fact, I believe you saved his life, ordering him back to work that way,"
said Angie as Jim shut the door behind them Ah, peace, thought Jim. Angie
would be speaking of the carpenter, once more. She did that occasionally,
after a gap in the original conversation, and he could hardly be irritated by
it she had probably caught the habit from him. He was often lost in his own
thoughts and forgot that the person he was talking to had not shared them.
"Well, we'll see," he said, heading across the room and sitting down on the
bed to his own surprise. He had meant to sit down in one of the padded chairs,
but his body had automatically steered for the bed.
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But the bedding and bedstrings upholding it felt good. Friendly and good. He
stretched out on his back.
"I thought so!" he heard Angie saying. "What've you been getting up to that
would gear you up more than you should be geared, now? No, forget about
answering that. Just let yourself sleep."
"I can't," he answered. "With guests here we ought to make an effort to show
up for dinner."
"Why?" said Angie. "If it's sleep your body needs? Didn't Carolinus tell you
to let yourself rest whenever you felt like it, and eventually, suddenly, this
sleepy business would stop but until then, don't fight it?"
"Something like that& " said Jim groggily. "But& " He could not think what he
was going to say.
"Hey, wait!" he heard Angie's voice as if from some distance. "Let me at
least get you undressed and under the covers "
But he heard no more. He was already gone into deep, deep unconsciousness.
It seemed only a moment later that Angie was shaking him. Morning sunlight
was once more shouting through the windows of the Solar.
"What? What& " he managed to say.
"It's the last thing I wanted to do to you, the way you are now," Angie was
saying. "But you've just got time to get to the chapel steps before Brian and
Geronde make their appearance."
"Appearance& " he echoed, bewildered, his still half-asleep brain refusing to
make sense of this.
"The wedding, Jim. Their wedding. I'm part of Geronde's wedding party, and
you're part of Brian's. We can just make it, if you start dressing now and
don't waste any time."
"Why didn't you rouse me before this?" he demanded, suddenly awake and
sitting up. He jumped out of bed, abruptly realized he was naked, and at the
same time noticed that Angie was wearing a remarkable, new, russet wool robe
he had never seen on her before. She also seemed to have gained weight
slightly since he fell asleep. It was unbelievable and hard to tell, but it
looked like it.
"Come on," said Angie. "I've got your clothes all laid out on the foot of the
bed. Come on, now, I'll help you into them!"
"I can dress myself," growled Jim, and proceeded to do so, becoming more and
more astonished at the layers of clothing she had laid out.
"Why all this?" he demanded, but putting them on, anyway.
"It's cold outside."
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