1629, Fire Season, Disorder Week, Fireday
Context
Kesten has been away in Boldhome, meeting Lord Eril to see if he is prepared to join the Hero’s band. Session S5.01.
Events
Kesten’s final missive, a factual sentence or two with no poetry or enclosures, reaches her on Fireday of Disorder Week. He will be in the Temple for seven days, and then will recover as long as needed, and set off. He will write again if he believes he will be delayed.
No romance or beseeching for a return letter, no flowery words or suggestive hints. Not even a request that she press his name to her lips and her heart. He is so dull and staid. Dependable. Not boring, however. Someone so irritating will at least never bore her. Does he not know that her private letters may be left around for gossips to find? He does not think of her reputation at all.
He will likely be a week or two after the letter. A woman who missed her husband as deeply as she can might be expected to count down the hours, but in fact it has been very busy this last season. There was not even time to find the lover she promised herself, and so she has slept alone some nights, and yet still been exhausted by the work of keeping the House.
On Windsday of Harmony Week, as she is devotedly rehearsing her very important part in The Steps Ernalda Took, Aktas comes in to the dance studio. Of course he has the rank to interrupt her, if the matter is dire enough. All he says is that the Wolf Pirates are reported by Karse, and there is no current danger.
No current danger! As if her second husband is not even now deciding whether he should come down the Creek-stream, or take the Karse route! It quite throws off her footwork. Aktas did not even think to bring her a restorative drink, but then again, he has only been her first husband for a decade or so, and really, why did she marry anyone anyway?
It is three long days of agony, hoping and praying that dear Kesten will take the obvious route and not try to hurry home. Of course he will want to travel by raft. He is sensible. He will not endanger his mount just to return swiftly.
He sends a note from the dock, where he is disembarking. “My honoured wife. I am back within the city. I will be with you soon.”
No romance. It will be hours yet, and a woman must be seen to be waiting, and if she does not order food for him then it will be noticed. It is more than appropriate to go bathe in preparation and then her hair must be dressed and her nails lacquered.
Only the most annoying husband in the world would come back home on foot after arranging to have his luggage brought with his horse once everything is unloaded. His voice is of course a balm to her heart. She sends him to be sure to enjoy a hot bath after his long and arduous journey. The nail artist is naturally horrified by his behaviour. That is the only explanation for her looking so carefully blank as she keeps working.
Divorce is probably not called for, but she will be terribly sweet to him, and that will have to suffice. She can bear this, as she bears many such little frictions, and besides, is it really so bad that he hurried back to her arms? A woman could even be flattered by that, as long as nobody ever finds out that he began hurrying after hearing the news of the pirates. She was his destination, after all. Not only will that have to suffice, but she tips the very talented artist and makes sure that the right story will emerge, and goes to greet her dear second husband. Perhaps she could slip in the bath and drown him…
