Word Usage Key is at the end. The brackets after a character eg CLAIRE (4nc) indicates Claire is a character who is 4 years old. nc indicates new character not encountered before.
29th of Towin Day 2
After dinner Dominique had been introduced to Oxlip, a thin man who towered above her. She could see Oxlip liekt(1) her gown, from his highth(2) all he had to do was look down to see most of what she had to offer, and to her joy he did, frequently. He had asked her to dance, and they had discovered they were both reasonable dancers, he to her surprise having no difficulty dealing with the difference in their highths. “I’m surprised you dance so well with a woman so much smaller than yourself,” she telt him.
“Wigeon, my wife who dien(3) from the fevers was no taller than you,” he had explained. They danced and chatted whilst dancing for half an hour when they decided to sit down and have a glass of wine. Oxlip asked her, “What craft do you follow Dominique?”
“I am a seamster,(4) but I make bedding, particularly eiderdowns which are effectively two blankets with feathers stuffed between them and sewn into pockets to prevent them moving which are very warm. What do you do?” she asked in turn.
“I am a member of a large clan of poultry crafters, but I craft a lot with my brother Rush. I particularly like ducks because they make me laugh. I supply the feathers to the pillow makers which may be of interest to you.”
“They would indeed.”
They continued to discuss feathers and their uses, and after they finished their wine decided to dance again. Both Oxlip and Dominique were at the point where they were ready to reach agreement. They liekt each other, and they maekt(5) each other laugh, but they both wished to make sure of a few more details first.
“What are you looking for other than a wife, Oxlip?” Dominique asked.
“I loes(6) all four of our children with Wigeon last year,” he replied slowly, “and whilst I know I can’t replace them I do wish a family as well as a wife. I should may hap point out to you, before some other does, Wigeon was similar to you and that gown you are wearing would have fitt(7) her perfectly. As I sayt,(8) I am not trying to replace her, but I am attractet(9) to women like you.”
Dominique realised Oxlip, so as not to cause any offence, had carefully not said he liekt small chubby women with large bosoms, but naytheless he had maekt sure she realised he did. She was pleased he did, and laughing to make sure he realised she wasn’t in the least offended she remarked, “It must be quite an advantage for a man as tall as you to be able to look down and see what ever you want when dancing with a small, large bosomed woman.” He laught too, but said naught, and Dominique continued, “I quite like being looked at in that way, most women do you know. Changing the subject entirely, Oxlip, I should like children too, I am thirty-eight, and as far as I am aware am able to have children, though I have never had any. I do like you, and I came here with the intention of finding a man.”
“I am fourty-two,(10) and I came here with the intention of finding a wife, and I like you too. Since we’ve both expresst(11) interest, will you marry me?”
“Yes,” Dominique replied. “I should like to sit down and talk awhile if you don’t mind?”
They left the dance floor and Oxlip said, “I don’t usually drink it, but I should like a brandy. Would you like one? It’s not every day I find a wife.”
“Yes, please. You at least have been married before which is once more than I.”
Oxlip led her to a table, left and returned with two small glasses of brandy. He pushed her glass across the table to her, but Dominique moved berount(12) the table to sit next to him and taekt his hand in hers and her glass in the other. She raised her glass and said, “To us.”
Oxlip drank, “To us,” and asked, “Does Dominique have a meaning? Is it a flower whence you come?”
“I’m not sure,” Dominique replied, “but I think, in a language different from the one I speak, it is a female form of a name that derives from a leader, one who dominates, but I’m not sure. What of Oxlip, what does that indicate?”
Oxlip laught, “My mother was a little eccentric. An oxlip is a rather attractive yellow flower like a primrose, and it would usually be considert(13) to be a pretty name for a girl. My mother was convincet(14) she was carrying a daughter neath(15) her heart and settelt(16) on Oxlip. She liekt it and refuest(17) to change her mind when she had a son, despite the protests of all her kith.”
Dominique was a little puzzled and asked, “Did that not make growing up a little difficult when you were a boy?”
“No,” replied Oxlip, “I suppose in my own way I’m a little eccentric too, but though not usual it’s by no means uncommon for men to have flower names here. Though some names are uest(18) predominantly by one sex rather than both, there are few if any that are exclusively so uest. If it had ever been a problem, I should have uest another name, but no, it’s never bothert(19) me.”
They spake(20) of practicalities awhile, and decided they would spend the night at Oxlip’s chambers, and consider what best to do for the future nextday.(21) They left the dance at eleven, and as Oxlip was helping her on with her coat Dominique mischievously asked, “Do you want to take one last good look before we get back into the warm? To keep you going I mean till you get me out of this gown?”
Oxlip smiled and in a tone of great self sacrifice replied, “No. I suppose I’ll survive till then.” They were still laughing as they left the Greathall both looking forward to the rest of the night, and even more to the future.
29th of Towin Day 2
Allan arrived on time as Alma had finished dressing and offered her his arm on the way to the Greathall. His behaviour throughout the eve was as it had been before. He was respectful, embarrassed and totally captivated by her. At quarter to ten she asked him, “Will you take me back to my chamber now please, Allan? I know it is early still, but I can’t dance, and I’m feeling a little tired now.”
“Of course,” he had replied, disappointed he wasn’t going to spend much more time in her company.
When they arrived back at her chamber, Alma asked him, “Would you like to come in and talk awhile? I don’t have anything to offer you to drink except leaf I’m afraid.”
“I should like that and leaf would be pleasant. I don’t usually drink much wine because it makes me sleepy,” he explained.
Alma maekt them some leaf, and sat down close to Allan much to his joy and embarrassment. “I wanted to leave early so neither of us would be too tired to talk, or do anything else we may feel like doing,” Alma telt him stroking his thigh.
Allan went crimson but admitted, “I am very interestet in you, but I never had a heartfriend(22) and have never been interestet(23) in a woman in this way before and I don’t know what to say or do.”
Alma taekt hold of his hand and kissed it, and then turning his face to hers kissed him first gently and then with passion. From his reactions, it was his first adult kiss, but it was an easy skill for him to learn. Looking into his eyes Alma read insecurity and asked, “You have never been with a woman before have you?”
“Never, and you are making me nervous.”
“You have no need to be,” Alma telt him “We shall have to be a little creative because of the bump, but don’t worry. I am very interested in you too.”
She undresst(24) both herself and Allan, and the sight of her naektth(25) was the most moving and arousing sight Allan had ever seen. “You are so beautiful,” he gasped, unable to believe the situation he was in was happening.
Taking both his hands and placing one on her swollen stomach and the other on her breast she telt him, “It’s good to touch. You may do so if you want to because I want you to.” They spent the rest of the night doing what many new lovers do, mostly chatting, though that’s not usually how they remember it in years to come. They decided they would see the Master at arms staff for chambers nextday.
29th of Towin Day 2
Tress and Bryony were introduced before dinner by Clœve, a member of the Master at arms staff. Bryony was much more nervous than Tress, mostly because Tress had never had any unpleasantth(26) to deal with due to her sexuality. Tress, despite family support, was finding it difficult to manage her craft and to rear her three sons. She had passed the initial grief of losing Balsam and their daughter, but despite considerable efforts she hadn’t managed to find a new wife with whom she felt compatible. She was hoping Bryony would prove to be not just someone to help her with the day to day practicalities of her life with the children, but also someone to ease the crushing burden of loenth(27) she had been enduring.
After a few minutes spaeking(28) of inconsequentialities, she brought the conversation to the matter uppermost in her mind. “I am twenty-four and a seamstress crocheter, though I do some bobbin knitting for trim too. I have three sons, Tunn aegt(29) six, Whin aegt five and Plane aegt three. I live in a set of tower chambers overlooking the Arder. I loes my wife, Balsam, and our two year old daughter, Lavender, to the fevers last year.” There were tears in her eyes as she was spaeking, but she continued, “I haven’t yet managt(30) to find a compatible wife. The nearest I have managt was a woman whom I could have been happy with, but her craft meant she would only have been home a fraction of the time, and I willen(31) more than that.”
Tress stopped spaeking and wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands looking Bryony thought hopeful. Bryony thought for a few moments. Tress had been exceedingly open, and Bryony felt obliged to be at least as open. “I am twenty-six and now a seamstress. I am a quilter which Faith thinks will become a new craft within the seamstresses. I have never had a long term relationship, nor even a good one really. Life is difficult for same sex couples where I come from. We have some protection under the law, but are still not really accepted by most of society. My life has not been good, and I have never had any children.”
The kitcheners(32) began to usher the diners towards the tables, and Bryony and Tress taekt a table for two. Tress with a questioning look at Bryony poured a glass of the deep perse(33) red wine each from a decanter on the table. The conversation over dinner started with Bryony questioning Tress regarding her three boys with Tress providing answers, and explaining to Bryony how children were educated on Castle. They then compared each other’s education with Tress describing the contents of the receipt books women wrote for their daughters’ education. She laught and said, “The one my mum wrieten(34) has been a mine of information for my sisters, explaining as it does every aspect of the relationship between a woman and a man. Unfortunately it has not been quite so helpful to me.”
The meal passed quickly for the two women who both knew they wished to know much more of each other. When the tables were rearranged so the dancing could begin they had another glass of wine, this time of the much lower strongth(35) rosé, and Bryony said to Tress, “That looks as if it is a lot of fun, will you shew me the steps?”
The women danced for three quarters of an hour, and laught at their missteps and wrong turns as a lot of other couples did. Tress taking her courage in her hands said to Bryony, “We can leave early if you like. The children will be in bed. My youngest sister, Sloe, is looking after them at my chambers. You could braekfast(36) with us. I have a spare chamber.” Then looking Bryony in the eyes said quietly, “But you don’t have to use it if you’d rather not.”
Bryony said, “Let’s dance one more and then do that, and you don’t need to make the spare bed up.” They danced one more, finished their wine and left together laughing as Tress was relating the recent antics of her middle son, Whin.
Word Uasage Key
1 Liekt, liked.
2 Highth, height.
3 Dien, died.
4 Seamster, specifically a needle crafter one who sews.
5 Maekt, made.
6 Loes, lost.
7 Fitt, fitted.
8 Sayt, said.
9 Attractet, attracted.
10 Fourty-two, forty-two.
11 Expresst, expressed.
12 Berount, around.
13 Considert, considered.
14 Concincet, convinced.
15 Neath, beneath.
16 Settelt, settled.
17 Refuest, refused.
18 Uest, used.
19 Bothert, bothered.
20 Spake, spoke.
21 Nextday, tomorrow.
22 Heartfriend, a relationship of much more significance than being a girl- or boy-friend is on Earth. Oft such relationships are formed from as young as four and they are taken seriously by both children and adults. A child’s heartfriend is automatically one of their heartfriend’s parents’ children too, and a sibling to their heartfriend’s siblings. Such relationships rarely fail and are seen as precursors to becoming intendet and having agreement.
23 Interestet, interested.
24 Undresst, undressed.
25 Nakedth, nakedness.
26 Unpleasantth, unpleasantness.
27 Loenth, loneliness.
28 Spaeking, speaking.
29 Aegt, aged.
30 Managt, managed.
31 Willen, willed, wished, wanted.
32 Kitcheners, a distinct craft that manage all in the kitchens and refectories other than cooking.
33 Perse, purple.
34 Wrieten, written.
35 Strongth, strength.
36 Braekfast, breakfast.
