Faralmark’s leading lights take the centre of stage

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Disclaimer:

The original characters and plot of this story are the property of the author. No infringement of pre-existing copyright is intended.
This story is copyright © 2020 Julia Phillips. All rights reserved.

It uses some of the associated characters and situations that arise from the world called ‘Anmar’ created by Penny Lane, whose stories
are also copyright © 2010 - 2020 Penny Lane. All rights reserved.

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“I suppose I must thank you,” said Dab, a little grudgingly.

“Indeed,” Yussuf replied. “And Landgrave Herso, mayhap?”

“Are you sure? I remember it as Henso.”

“Herso,” replied Yussuf firmly. “And that is NOT on our point. You were going to try to keep focussed, remember?”

“That WAS fortuitous, was it not?”

Yussuf debated with himself whether or not to let it ride, but ultimately decided he needed to clarify the point beyond ambiguity. “You mean meeting with the Landgrave and him giving us, you, advice?”

“Of course I do, Yussuf. Whatever else would I mean?”

Yussuf grinned wryly and bit back a sharp retort. Things were after all much better since that evening in the Margrave’s rooms, the one after he had sat Dab down and forced her to finally listen to him. The evening before the Grand Duke and the Landgrave embarked upon their vessel to return upriver. Along with some valuable trade contracts, which were, are, useful both for Faralmark and for their two nations.

All that had happened exactly one month beforehand. And both Yussuf and Dab had often to pinch themselves over how their lives had had in the meantime such a huge turnaround.

In fact, thought Yussuf, we could har…

“Do I look alright for you, my Minister?” came a teasing, almost flirtatious question. Which dragged a hugely surprised Yussuf back to the present.

“Dab my dear,” he enthusiastically said, “you look wonderful tonight.”

He had a momentary flash of panic in case she chose to interpret that remark as her NOT being wonderful at other times, but his fears were allayed by the pleased and slightly coy smile she gave him as she wriggled slightly in her ‘best’ dress and her ‘best’ jewellery. Daret had also managed to do something special with her hair.

He turned and held the bedroom door open for her and followed her out to the staircase, her maid between the two of them. The trio descended to the house’s entrance hall where Dab started to turn right, but then checked herself.

“Will I ever get used to being in a new home?” she smilingly wondered aloud, with a put-on peevish tone. Yussuf and Daret laughed. Jafes, as usual, retained an impressive face, but his eyes told a different story with their twinkle. The other two household members, Confet the cook and young Timit, smiled broadly and openly, despite Jafes’ subsequent frowns at them.

“Shall I send Timit for the guards, Minister?”

“Indeed so, Jafes, thank you. We shall attend them outside in the front courtyard. ’Tis a warm evening and I deem the wretched fiktis have yet to gather. However,” his voice dropped into a mock gloomy tone, “I have no doubt they are even now conserving their strength for our return journey!”

“Daret has some loose covers with us, dear! In her carrybag. We shall be protected to a certain degree as we scurry back.” Dab was actually smiling along with him.

“Excellent foreplanning. ’Tis a delight to have the administrative Dab back once more.”

Dab frowned as she briefly remembered those darker days she had recently had. She smiled once more, this time ’twas just a tad forced, and then started to give Daret some quick instruction as to how to behave once they got to the Fortress. She broke off to ask Yussuf yet again for the name of the Margrave’s guest they would be meeting this time. There was a time recently he would have been irritated at having to answer the same question over and over, but he bit that reaction down. Positive, Yussuf, be positive.

“’Tis the Magel Gorgay, the leader of Upper Faral tonight. He has his wife with him, but I know not yet her name, and he has two advisors also. They came down the Faral River the day before yesterday after the Margrave strongly suggested that the Magel does so.”

Dab gave an acknowledging nod.

“Last week, Daret,” said Dab, turning once more to her maid, “we helped entertain the leader of Jestik, on that first night when you three all joined our household. You will remember we barely had time to greet you and show you round before we had to leave to go to the dinner. The week before that, ’twas the rulers of Vosanal and Hofer who had made the journey here to see the Margrave. We still lived in our old house then. And work had only just really started on the ‘Royal’ Dock here.

“This being your first time at a diplomatic function up at the Fortress, then no doubt you have some concerns. But fear not, we have thought of that; there shall be other servants there this evening who have all been instructed to help you find your feet, so there really is no need to look so scared!”

“Mistress, I regret I do not tolerate crowds too well. I am hoping that this will pass with exposure.”

“Hmmm! I deem we must wo… Ah, lo! The guards arrive to escort us up the hill. Now, I should warn you that there may be some press of citizens on our way which can be a little scary at first, but these men will keep a passage free for us.”

The little group formed up under the direction of the armsmen’s leader, and they all shuffled out of the house’s gate, across the bareness of the Dockyard’s parade ground, and out of the guarded gates into the street. Daret took a little time to settle into the required rhythms - which actually did nothing to settle her nerves.

In order to attempt to do just that, Yussuf decided to explain the circumstances to her as they went, trusting that his explanation would be sufficient to distract her thoughts.

“Soon after the Margrave saw fit to appoint me to the post of Minister for Trade and Transport, my elevation became public knowledge. Every day I was met as I made my way from our home to my office by increasing numbers of citizens, all of whom attempted to persuade me to appoint them or their friends and relatives to some contract or position. They tried everything up to and including manhandling me. I was late for several meetings and the Margrave decided this was now enough; he would have to assign a bodyguard to my travel to and from work.

“However, we immediately had several problems with that.

“First was that the cadre of armsmen serving the Margrave directly was already stretched with their current load of duties.

“Second was that we had no place to accommodate a permanent squad at our home.

“Third was that I required assistance only when I was walking to and from work.” He smiled cynically at that moment. “The nuisance-bringers have yet to think of disturbing Dab as she goes about her day,” he continued, somewhat pessimistically.

“Now, in those early days, the MarGRAVE ...” Yussuf had to raise his voice slightly as a sudden crowd of petitioners noisily tried to gain his attention. The surge of this crowd clearly worried Daret. Yussuf continued “ … took the time to thoroughly brief me on the events that had happened downriver when he was there. These sessions were very intense but he had the sense to split the narrative up into several sections, to give me time to absorb it all.

“One of those sessions involved the happenings surrounding a Royal Princess of Palarand named Eriana. I shall give you the background to her tale at some other time, but ’twill suffice for now to give you just the more relevant information. Her High...”

He broke off again as a particularly loud shout came from behind. All heads turned to see what had happened. A hand sneaked through the ring of guardsmen and plucked at his robe, pulling him initially off balance. He slapped the hand away, forcefully. The angles were such that the hand flew off and slammed into Daret’s right breast with sufficient power to bring a plaintive cry and for tears to spring to her eyes. He made a grab at the hand which was already disappearing back into the press. He strained to recognise a face to which the hand might be attached.

Yussuf’s temper flared. “MINISTERIAL PARTY - HALT!” he yelled commandingly. Everyone heard his infuriated tones and froze, guardsmen and crowd alike. With less volume, but still enough to be clearly heard for at least a hand of paces around, he continued: “Men, draw your weapons. You are commanded to cut off any hand or arm that encroaches from now on.”

A loud gasp came from the crowd, upon which Yussuf now swung round and addressed them all in magnificently irate tones: “YOU HAVE NOW ATTACKED A WOMAN AND HURT HER. I SHALL TOLERATE NO FURTHER INTERFERENCE with my, with our, free passage. I have an office and an assistant. If you need to see me, make an appointment with him. From now on, anyone who impedes my progress in any way will be arrested and any wounds they receive in the process of impeding me may or may not be tended by a healer promptly.”

He paused significantly. All eyes and ears were upon him.

“NOW CLEAR THIS FOOTPATH AND GO HOME.”

There was barely a moment’s pause before the naked anger in his voice made them all scurry away.

He turned to Daret, this time with much concern in his much quieter voice. “Are you alright, dear Daret?”

“Indeed so, Master. ’Twas not the worst I have had in my life. But without doubt the worst in the street. I shall be fine in just a few heartbeats. It shall not stop me walking.” But her voice was quivering.

And so the party carried on. This time, they covered the remaining ghally or so to the Fortress’ main gate completely unhampered and thus far quicker than at the rate that which had by now become normal.

When they reached the Fortress wall, they were ushered into the compound there by the guardsmen who then promptly formed a line behind them at the gate, all facing outwards with swords drawn. Yussuf led the two women across to the main door where a guardsman opened it for them, showing surprise all the while as he directed most of his attention to observe Captain Hannar running across to the leader of the armsmen that had escorted the Minister up the hill.

The door closed behind them as Yussuf led the way up the stairs to the Reception Room. His anger was fuelling the adrenaline that was coursing through his body, so much so that Dab called after him: “Slower, husband, if it pleases. We cannot keep pace with you.”

He swung round, instantly contrite, stopping with his feet on differing treads. “My dear, I must apologise – to you both. I was allowing my ire to lead me. I regret I was not thinking properly.”

“Your ire, Minister?”

Yussuf swung round again and looked up to the next floor. “Just so, Birug. The undisciplined rabble outside have tonight gone too far and accosted myself and Maid Daret here. She was manhandled and thus frightened enough to be reduced to tears.”

“Oh, Minister! That IS bad. Were there any injuries?”

“Only a very slight one to Daret. But my ordering the guard to draw weapons and my threat to the crowd of arrests with or without injuries managed to get us through. I deem we were able to surprise the populace sufficiently for them to withdraw for a day or two. But soon enough they will start to repeat. I know not what we can do about it. I had hoped that ’twas merely the novelty of this situation, the creation of my Ministry. I hoped that they would learn to approach my office rather than accost me in the street, but as yet, the message has failed to penetrate.”

“One trusts the shock of this evening’s events will manage to get the message across at last.”

“Let us so hope.”

The trio of visitors stood and twitched their raiment into as best order as they could manage, then Yussuf nodded to Birug.

Birug opened the doors to the receiving room, thumped his staff loudly on the thumping tablet and announced loudly: “The Minister for Trade and Transport, Master Yussuf and his wife, Mistress Dab.”

The trio entered the room, Daret conscious that all eyes were upon them. She found herself blushing.

… … …

“So might we discuss a little more of things hinted at this evening?”

Yussuf didn’t really want to, not right then for he was looking forward to his bed, but he knew he should; his wife would sleep even worse than normal if she had questions in her mind. He looked round their relaxing room as he gratefully drew his mug of pel, freshly made upon their return by Confet, to himself and took a large draught.

“Very well, m’dear. Where shall we start?”

“I would know more of this Princess from somewhere else entirely and yet a Princess of Palarand as well. She is coming up the Sirrel in some sort of ship?”

“Indeed, m’dear. ’Tis down to her that we have all this frenetic activity here in what has now been designated the ‘Royal Dockyard’. We know that she has reached as far as Joth after suffering some unspecified damage to her vessel and we also know that she departed from Joth City some three weeks or so ago to continue her journey upriver. We know her avowed intent is to reach at least us before she must return downriver lest the rains catch her.

“When downvalley, amongst many things he learnt, the Margrave saw the charts and maps of OUR region that the Palarandis have and realised that detail beyond Yod was not the most accurate. So he promised her more accurate information for when she arrived.”

He broke off for a moment and snapped his fingers to himself as he went off on an aside: “Which reminds me, I must chase young Lim up with regard to having those new charts available.” Dab and Daret could both see him file that thought away into some corner of his mind.

“But to get back to this dockyard being built where OUR boathouse was, the one that has now been so grandly renovated and has been designated simply as ‘Boathouse 1’ or as ‘Number 1’.

“There were, since ages, three boathouses here. All sadly declining, though ours was in use most recently. The other two boathouses were purchased to make this complex a reserved basin unavailable to normal citizens. We freely donated ours in return for some authorised use, as the Minister.

“It has been prepared as a safe haven for the Princess Eriana and her ship, for the moment she arrives – IF she arrives. I should point out at this moment that it is for HER that the word ‘Royal’ is in the name of this base. Which has been so constructed that an encircling wall has been built; and the guards’ barracks, and the storage house and this, our new home, they are all inside those protecting walls. This as a whole shall be a solidly defensive port, unlikely that any attackers would have it easy when attempting to break in. Although antagonists in the near future are not anticipated.

“However, no confirmation of any absolute certainty from Her Highness has ever been received up here. We do know that she has several calls to make on her way upriver which, we are given to understand, might delay her. My latest information is that she and her men have reached Forguland where they were met apparently with some degree of pomp and circumstance. She and her crew had been there earlier, back in the war (but that time without their vessel) after their heroic attack on Boldan’s Rock broke the back of Yod’s dominance. So I have no doubt that they shall have been most splendidly feted upon their return. The celebrations could go on for days!”

He took another gulp of pel.

“Had she simply made journey to here after departing Joth then she could have been here at the beginning of last week, or even the week before. So we know she has not been rushing. But what meetings, stays and inspections she has had, and has planned, we have no idea. And Ferenis might well try to outdo Forguland’s welcome, for they too owe much to the Princess. On top of all that, I’m sure any visit she would make to Yod would require much detailed visitation of several sites of interest.”

He paused for breath just then and took another swig from his mug.

Dab it was who filled the slight silence. “Now that is indeed quite interesting – I would also learn more of this, of her, involvement in the war! However, first perchance, we could come back to something you just said about maps above Yod? Why should that be, that the Palarandis do not possess accurate information?”

“Ah! I deem I can calculate the answer there. ’Tis to do with the valley itself. With the mighty river that flows down it.

“There are many small bends, many small twists and turns, but the river up here tends to flow mostly down the centre portion, rarely getting close to the Valley walls. This means that our countries up here are long and thin and crushed into the space between the river and the valley walls. Look at Thesk for example. ’Tis seven hundred or more ghallies long, from the border to our land here in Faralmark, all the way upriver to about the level of the end of Mirdul, where the river basically cuts straight across leaving but a thin littoral on either side. On the other side of the river from Thesk are parts of or all of Zebrin, Benmond and Mirdul.”

Even though Dab herself had never travelled quite so far on the river, unlike her husband, she could build up a reasonably accurate mental picture. Daret was floundering.

“But, in contrast, down below Yod, the river’s curves, and I am not talking about the individual bends and turns, just about the general flow, they sweep from one wall to the other. This means that the countries, the lands down there, are wide but not very long in terms of valley distances. Each major loop of the river creates a new land, their home soil jutting into the valley width. As opposed to jutting into the valley’s length such as we have up here.”

Daret was beginning to form a better picture now. Something had just switched in her head.

“Now it is some two thousands of ghallies, yes, you heard right, two thousand, from Palarand’s end by the ocean to Yod’s end at Upper Fanir and Pakmal. The Palarandis rarely needed to come up here so their charts show the GENERAL sweeps of the river and not the accurate curves, bends and twists. Generalities rather than specifics.”

Daret’s mouth had dropped open at the distance that Yussuf had described. It was left to Dab to say something. “Thank you Yussuf. I understand much more now, but find I have even more questions about this Princess Eriana, and then several about other subj...”

“If I may interrupt you, m’dear. I would fain allow my pillow to attack my ears, so may we discuss this on the morrow?”

Dab looked closely at her man and saw the creeping fatigue in his eyes. “Certainly, dear. I too find myself quite weary and all but us three are yet awake. Mayhap ’tis sensible to retire now.”

… … ...

“Mistress?” asked Daret hesitatingly. The two were alone in the relaxing room; ’twas in the middle of the following morning. Yussuf had long since departed for work.

Dab knew from the tones used that this question was an important one to Daret’s mind. But Dab could not tell whether ’twas personal, or about her duties, or about one of the topics from last evening. Or indeed about whatever.

“I have been told that, in order to be a good lady’s maid, then any secrets I may learn must always remain secrets.”

“That is so, Daret. I find that you are coming along very well. But I am also new to having a maid, so am not sure that I am the right one to give you instruction in your duties.”

“That’s not exactly what my question is about, Mistress. If I may?”

“Oh?”

“Errrrm, I have gathered that you yourself have not been your usual self for quite a while? Or that’s what it sounded like. And somehow the Landgrave Herso was involved? It’s all very confusing for me, Mistress and I was wondering what had happened and how I might help? I should be able to know your secrets too. And then there was all that advice last evening from Milady Franaka. I am a trifle concerned.”

Dab’s eyes welled up as a huge sigh escaped her. She waved a concerned Daret away though, used a cloth on the corners of her eyes, took a deep breath and began to answer: “Several years ago, the Master and I worked well and efficiently and ran a successful business using our boats to move goods up and down both the Sirrel and the Faral. The Master was often away, waterborne somewhere or other. We replaced our fleet of ageing and unsuitable boats with ones built to the Master’s design. Although I say it myself as shouldn’t, our boats were the best on the waters and our systems and contracts were all top-notch. The Master trusted me to keep the contracts flowing and to run all the crews and so on when he was away. I was his trusted administrator.

“But Yod confiscated our boats during the war, despite the river being supposedly open to travellers.

“With no boats we had no contracts, no crews, no income. We have since discovered that each of our captains were put to death by the Yodans and our crews were used as slaves – all because the Master had designed such valuable vessels.

“But before this, things were changing within me and I knew not what was happening. My Calls became irregular and eventually stopped. I was not any longer interested in doing those things that a husband and wife enjoy when in bed together. I woke often, usually feeling disgruntled and upset. I had bad headaches that were increasing in frequency. I was short-tempered. I could not concentrate as I was worrying about all this. Some nights my body felt it was on fire and I often had to wake us both up just to change the now-sodden bed clothes. My husband soon slept in another bed in another room. My joints and muscles ached, sometimes painfully. Those hot spells in my body started to occur in the day as well.

“I was depressed, cranky, with massive mood swings and even had a racing heart every so often.

“And I had no idea what was wrong with me, what to do about it, what would happen to me. And no-one to talk to about it. Our local healer had no experience of this and was mostly useless.

“I felt so very, very alone.

“I did not know that I could have, indeed should have, been talking it over with my husband. Although, frankly, he was suffering already with the loss of our livelihood, so I would probably have decided not to add to his burdens.

“We were at the diplomatic evening on the second day after the Master had become the Minister. I had a sudden hot feeling and was very curt even when we were talking to the Landgrave. I was so embarrassed and I stammered an apology, but he just gently smiled and said he was used to that since his own wife suffered the same symptoms. My eyebrows shot up so high, I thought I would lose them in my hairline!

“I wasn’t alone!

“The Landgrave was kind enough to devote to us a full half bell in a private room; telling the Master and I all about it. And he made suggestions as to how we two could cope with all of this together. He stressed ’twas something to be done together.

“No-one knows why it happens but it is apparently something that all women shall suffer from as they grow older, should they survive to an older age, which is quite rare.

“Just knowing that this is all, in its way, a natural thing for women suddenly relieved so much of my in-built anxiety. So many of my fears were revealed to be groundless. Almost immediately I found I could handle both it and myself so much better.”

Her face darkened. “This condition is relatively unknown,” she concluded bitterly, “because, as I mentioned, we women usually die before we reach such an age.”

She relapsed into silence.

“Oh Maker! I have myself never heard of this. My own mother died at about your age, Mistress, but showed none of the problems you have just described.” Daret’s sorrow shone clearly upon her face.

A sad sort of grin twisted Dab’s mouth: “Well I hope that you know not to use my name when you start spreading the knowledge of this condition! It shall have to remain about just a woman you know from somewhere a little distance away. Now that people know you are my maid, I would not want them to immediately associate it all with myself.”

“Oh Mistress, I shall be very discreet. And I must thank you for your honesty. It explains many of the little asides you share with the Master. And clarifies much that Milady said last evening.”

“We, the Master and I, are very much working together on it and I have noticed that the Minister feels happier nowadays as well as I. While still not perfect, we are MUCH better off than we were just a month ago. I have to say that the Master is a most considerate man. I have been a great trial to him recently.”

Daret knew she should change the subject lest Dab start to dwell on it. “Mistress that raises another question. He was so forceful last night as we went up that narrow footway, and yet he is always soft-spoken and considerate to us both. I was quite shocked.”

“Indeed, Daret. I have learnt over the years that he has an extreme tolerance but there comes a point at which it is wise to back off lest he lose his temper. He did so last night and those citizens will never be able to get back into his good books. I just hope that there was no-one amongst them with a good idea, for Yussuf will never now accept him – unless, of course, he doesn’t recognise him! I know that he must needs recruit several more men into his steadily increasing department, why today he mentioned that he would be busy learning about something he called a rolling road, or roll road, no that’s not quite it, something like that anyway. When he said that it would be a good hand of years before it came here to Faralmark, I confess I decided not to concentrate on the matter just yet.”

“I deem that has been mentioned before actually, Mistress. But I too forget the exact name.” She cocked her head suddenly. “I further deem that the bell has arrived for us to depart to visit your friend, Mistress. May I ask if she knows about your … condition?”

Dab was taken aback. This having a maid business was much more complicated than she had ever imagined.

“A good point, Daret. Yes, Mistress Zenab knows about it, so you may have no fear of the subject. She is a year or so older than I, but has yet to feel any of the signs. So I conclude that it is a situation that is not tied to any exact age.”

“Ah! That could be valuable information, Mistress. I am grateful.”

… … ...

The two women had barely returned home and were awaiting one of Confet’s pots of pel when there was a loud and insistent knocking at their front door. They looked at each other and were about to go to see what the fuss was about when Dab remembered that Jafes was in charge of her household nowadays and that she should await either him or Timit to come and fetch her, or at least just report to her. They could hear Jafes’ voice and an animated other voice from a man that sounded to be a little younger. The conversation stopped and then they heard Timit running off immediately after Jafes said something to HIM.

Their impatience was growing and they both unconsciously sat on their hands. Jafes’ footsteps came closer and closer. There came a knock on the door. Daret surged to her feet, suddenly remembering that Jafes did not approve of her being seated when in the presence of her Mistress.

“Enter, Jafes,” called Dab, after swallowing because at first just a croak had appeared when she tried to call him in.

The door opened far too slowly for both women’s nerves.

“Mistress, the Minister sends his compliments and requests that you should join he and the Margrave down at the now-completed dockside. He has sent a further message that says to assure you that this is an event at which you would want to be present. I have sent young Timit there to find out if anything else is required from here at this unknown event. Mayhap I should fetch your mantles? As you know from your earlier excursion the wind is keen today and the sun shall soon disappear below the valley wall. There is much construction dust still around this, the new dock area. I must add, though, that apparently there is a degree of urgency about all this.”

“Thank you, Jafes. Yes, I deem the mantles to be a good idea, if only as dust covers. Daret and I shall just use the facilities as we know not when we shall next have an opportunity, then we shall scurry off down there.”

And so it was that a mere five moments later, the two women were half walking and half trotting across the Parade Ground to pass behind the new Storage House and onto the still sweet-smelling timbers of the long floating dock that had been built there butting up against the back of the new river wall.

The two important men were standing together on the dock edge, half way along its length, the Margrave just behind the Minister as they both looked to their right, towards the mouth of the dockyard and the river. Standing a hand of paces behind them, and very much on the alert, stood a large squad of armsmen. Lined up along the side by the new river wall were a dozen, maybe three hands, of powerfully built working men. Right down at the watery end of this new dock stood clustered together a further group of men, a group Dab could not immediately place in the scheme of things. She acknowledged Timit standing alone here where the dock joined the hard surface of the compound. They trod warily across one of the several narrow ramps that joined the flat ground to the floating dock.

As soon as this scene came before their eyes, the two women had slowed down and then, once at dock level, they progressed towards the gathered men much more elegantly and gracefully. It also gave them time to have a hastened whispered conversation.

“Ah!” said Dab, “I recognise what must be happening.”

“What’s that, Mistress?”

“The men right down the end there, I think I recognise one or two of them as having been overseeing all this construction so I venture to suggest that they are here to observe that all happens as it should. The man in day-to-day charge is named Prokos and that is he there, in the middle, in the green.

“Now those men over there, the ones lined up almost against the wall there, they are cargo handlers. I could not mistake them for aught else.

“The armsmen are the Margrave’s guards, of course; they will be here simply because he himself is here.

“This all tells me that a boat load of trade goods is about to arrive. The first to use this facility.”

She thought briefly a little more as their feet brought them ever closer: “Now Daret, if we are to be present as well as the Margrave and the Minister, this must be an important cargo or – hmmm, maybe even AND now I think about it - an important visitor. Could this actually be the very Princess Eriana we have so recently discussed?” Her voice took on a most serious tone. “Whatever happens, we must act with the most graceful decorum, is that understood?”

“As you say, Mistress. I shall make sure I do so.”

The Minister, who had obviously been keeping a keen eye out for them, had turned and when he saw them, he beckoned them to him urgently, a most infectious grin plastered on his face. The Margrave turned too at his colleague’s gesturing. Even he bowed his head to them as they neared. The guards’ leader swiftly made a complicated hand gesture and the standing men all turned their heads at the same time and gave a formal salute, which flustered Dab for that too was very unusual.

But what flustered Dab even more was when her husband’s left hand sought and found her right hand, which he squeezed joyously a couple of times and then simply held it, his attention once more on the watery entrance to the dockyard. He quietly said to Dab: “She’ll be here any moment now.”

“Who will?”

He smiled mysteriously: “You’ll see!” But he kept her hand in his, which gave her a most warm feeling.

She looked out all around at the much-changed ‘lagoon’ as she had always thought of it.

Their boathouse, now designated as ‘Boathouse 1’ had been freshly coloured and the doors rehung properly. The long stalky legs, built to allow for the great height of the river in flood, had been freshly repainted down at least to the existing waterline. The roof was fixed and cleaned and the outside stair was tidied and renewed with freshly hewn wood. The other two boathouses had both been knocked down and rebuilt. Their style was somehow more modern, but still fit well with the old. Her gaze swung round more to the left and saw the new, much larger launching ramp and the …

“It passes the Faros now,” called a deep-toned voice from the small cluster of men at the far end. All there waiting along the dock stiffened to attention, even the group of constructors. The dock itself seemed to grow more solid as the solemnity of the occasion took hold.

Each of the heartbeats during which they were standing there seemed to stretch into a moment.

Dab had time to notice how perfectly Daret behaved herself. No fidgeting, no flashing querying glances, no agitated movements. A first and surprising glow of satisfaction with her maid spread through her. (Dab grinned as she found herself double-checking that it was indeed a glow of pride rather than another dreaded ‘heat attack’ as she mentally called them.)

Then Yussuf’s hand gripped hers hard, dragging her attention from her thoughts and up to his face. He was however gazing away from her, gazing intently at the mouth of the dockyard.

She herself switched her gaze to the harbour entrance where the outside curve of a boat’s prow could now be seen. The shape of the craft rapidly became ever clearer as it nosed through the outer markers, out of the main current, and there turned sharp left to head directly towards them.

Her breath caught in her throat. Could it really be? Surely not? But it’s so… Yes it is!

“Yeeeeesssss!” she squealed as she turned to her husband and buried his face under a ton of kisses. She danced on the spot, clapping her hands and squealing even more with sheer unadulterated glee. “Oh thank you, thank you, thank you...” She jumped up and down which set the floating dock to bobbling just a tiny bit. But she did immediately calm down and trod from then on carefully.

She simply waved her hand dismissively when Daret whispered just loud enough to be heard by those nearest: “And this is the gracefulest decorum?”

The remark did distract Dab enough for her to throw an explanation in Daret’s direction: “This is the very first boat that Yussuf himself designed and built all those years ago. The one upon which our little fleet was founded. I have not seen her now for such a long time. Those wretched Yodans! Does she not look splendid? She has obviously been expertly refurbished.

“Her name - oh Daret you should learn that all ships and boats are referred to as ‘her’ even if they have a man’s name - is ‘En-dhow-ment’.”

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