Jerome and Helga
“While it would be nice to stand here all night holding you, we do have guests to get fed,” Helga said, still clutching Jerome. “Then we need to get you a proper bath and into bed.”
Releasing her, “I know, a few quick things, though. First, I sent Kathrine to watch over the Caretakers. When I arrived, the gate captain told me he thought they were former nobles, so I wanted her opinion on them. I also assigned her as Alessandra’s personal Guard,” placing her arm in his; he started for the door. “Second, I didn’t say anything in front of the others because I didn’t want to worry them. I think Alessandra killed someone in The Wet. As you pointed out, I’m too tired to think straight. Should we tell them?”
Helga stopped their progress to the door.
“Give me a moment,” she said. About a minute later, she said, “Yes, we tell the others, but not Alessandra. We will let the Fluffies ask her what happened, and if she knows she killed someone, we let them handle it. If not, I hope they let ignorance be bliss.” Continuing their progress to the door, she said, “This is something that can wait until tomorrow, though.”
Exiting the room, they rejoined the Archbishop and headed for the dining room after sending a servant off to collect Alessandra and the others. Dinner was to be served in the formal dining hall as they had guests, so they awaited the arrival of the other guests in the sitting area just outside of it. They didn’t have to wait long. However, they were surprised when Alessandra was not with them.
Feeling Jerome stiffen, Helga squeezed his arm to let him know she would handle it.
Rising to her feet, she faced the newcomers and asked, “Where is Alessandra? Did she fall asleep before supper?”
“She didn’t, but she was exhausted, so on the advice of her Caretaker and the Inspector, I sent for some soup for her. The Caretaker and Paladins are getting her in bed. Oh! The Caretaker ate with her as well; she said she would be fine until breakfast,” Kathrine answered.
Stepping forward, Investigator Rochelle added, “I will need to speak to you about a meal plan for Alessandra for the coming weeks. It can wait until morning, but I suggest breakfast be a simple meal of porridge and fruit. I will get into more detail, but your meals will be bland for a few weeks unless you want to build resentment by feeding her differently than you.”
Wanting to keep the meal brief, Helga acknowledged both statements with a nod. She motioned her guest to enter the dining room, pausing quickly to confirm the Investigators breakfast instructions with a servant. After everyone was sitting and the first course had been sampled, the conversation started to pick back up. Jerome, citing his exhaustion, squashed any discussion about Alessandra, for which Helga was grateful.
“Your Excellency, will you be staying here tonight, or do you want an escort back to your Temple?” Helga asked, bending the no Situation talk a little.
“If it’s no imposition, I will take a room here. If possible, I would like one near Alessandra. It appears one of my Caretakers has already been dismissed,” the Archbishop responded.
“I noticed Countess Moor’s phrasing as well,” she leaned back, letting a servant replace her soup with what looked like roast pheasant. She sampled the bird, and it was, making her smile. While not one of her favorites, pheasant was one of Jerome’s. She hoped it would help his mood. She made a mental note to thank the chef for his choice of meal. “However, Jerome did ask us to avoid work at tonight’s dinner, so let us make polite ‘lady talk’ to help spur his retreat after he finishes this fine roast pheasant,” getting a mischievous smile on her face, she raised her voice a little, “So what do you think of the new blouse style from the Vatrid Kingdom? I think that the sleeves are way too poofy to be practical. Can you imagine trying to carry a child with those?”
With Inspector Rochelle and Counselor Rathmon enthusiastically joining the fashion conversation, the Orders only required robes while on duty, after all. Amid Kathrine’s barely suppressed laughter, Jerome and Counselor Ufton quickly finished their meals and made their escapes. Counselor Ufton claimed he needed to check in on the CPS troops. Jerome made polite excuses and retired to his and Helga’s chambers for the night. Helga motioned for the servant to bring dessert.
“Now that Jerome is gone,” Helga turned to Kathrine, who was still laughing, “would you mind telling me if I have the body of a Priestess of Life to dispose of?”
Waving her hand in negation, Kathrine responded, “Nothing that drastic, My Lady. An overreaction by a girl too big for her britches is all.”
“My Priestess wear skirts,” the Archbishop interjected, pointedly looking at the Countess’s trousers.
Shrugging, Kathrine corrected herself, “Fine, too big for her skirts. Alessandra asked a simple question; both girls went into shock at it. To knock them out of it, I lightly slapped them,” pointing at Helga and shaking her finger to forestall an interruption, “not light for one of my soldiers, but as I would to get the attention of a panicking child, I’m not that much of a brute. It worked on the brunette one, but the blond started screaming nonsense about flogging me or something like that. I sent her to bed with no dinner.” She crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair.
Helga rubbed the bridge of her nose, feeling the headache she would get if she pressed Kathrine for more. Not tonight, she thought; the last thing I need tonight is the headache I would get prying the whole story out of her. Instead, she motioned for the servant and asked for a triple whiskey to go with her cherry compote.
“With you, Countess,” sending a murderous glare at Kathrine, Helga continued, “I expect that is fully truthful and lacking many details. Archbishop, I will send a meal to your priestess if you wish, or if you want the punishment to stand as is, I will leave it be.”
“If by blonde one you meant Suzzane,” the Archbishop raised an inquisitive eyebrow. Kathrine shrugged. “Well, as Yvette is brunette, it had to have been Suzzane; a night without dinner would do her good. She has been having some trouble remembering she is no longer a noble. Let it stand, Duchess. I will investigate tomorrow and let you know the whole story.”
Taking a deep swig of the whiskey that the servant handed her, she replied, “Thank you, Your Excellency. Forgive my rudeness, everyone; ask a servant for your spirit of choice if you are so inclined. I have never seen them unable to provide even the oddest request, so be creative.” After the others placed their orders, she turned her attention to the Investigator, “Investigator Rochelle, I do care about Alessandra’s dietary needs and will want to discuss them with you later, but if you have a menu worked up by the morning, you may pass it to the kitchen staff. Rest assured that it will be followed to the letter.”
“That is something better discussed with Counselor Ufton; he is our dietician and has been trained by the Order of Nutrition for cases like this. I will pass on your message. Prepare yourself for a lot of porridge and nuts, however. While this meal was wonderful, Alessandra would currently be puking her guts all over the carpet if she had eaten it,” the Inspector said. Gulping her grog, she added, “You may call me Gisselle in informal settings. I will be here for a while, and I’ve found non-adversarial investigations, which this one certainly is, go better if formality is loosened in private.”
“Very well, Gisselle. What about you, Counselor Rathmon? Would you like to go informal as well?” Helga asked.
“That’s fine, My Lady. My given name is Nadine. Please don’t correct Alessandra when she calls me Miss ‘dine; that’s what I told her to call me. My specialty is the mental and social integration side of things. I will be the person sticking around the longest, with your permission, to help her deal with any trauma and lingering social issues,” the Counselor said. Cracking a smile, she said, “Hopefully, we can avoid many more meltdowns. I didn’t get to interact with her much before she had enough of us and shut down. In retrospect, I shouldn’t have tried to talk with her tonight. I will try again the day after tomorrow to give her time to cool down.”
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Draining her glass, Helga debated the wisdom of having another. Deciding against it, she asked for some lime water instead before replying.
“Dealing with these issues is your specialty, Nadine. The Duke and I are well aware of our ignorance of the challenges ahead. We were sincere when we said your Order would guide us in these matters. If you think it is best to stay around for a while to help Alessandra, then so be it. If you feel it is best to travel with us back to Halrond, we will make it happen and see you get back here safely. Our concern is for Alessandra’s welfare. We truly want what’s best for her, even if that is her not staying with us.” Wishing she had gone for a second whiskey, Helga let out a small sigh and took a drink of her lime water. “While we think we have the resources and environment to provide Alessandra the best chance to lead a normal life, I realize that we haven’t considered Alessandra’s feelings after talking with the Archbishop. I don’t know if Jerome has fully come to think the same, he truly is exhausted, but he will come around.” Pausing for another sip, she changed the topic, “That being said, enough work for tonight. Let’s get back to girl talk. Do any of you know why hoop skirts, horrid things those, are making a comeback?”
****
Jerome awoke to his wife dripping water on his face. He responded by throwing his pillow at her, which backfired when she dropped the pitcher on his face. Overall, he felt that there were worse ways to be woken up, like a sword in the gut.
“I surrender, I surrender,” he growled, throwing off the sheets and getting up. Why did the sun have to come up so early in the morning? “Did anything happen I need to know about after you drove me out of the dining room?”
“Not really,” she said while stepping behind her dressing curtain, “Kathrine sent one of the Priestesses’ to bed without dinner; Counselor Ufton should have a preliminary diet plan for the chefs this morning. The Fluffies pushed Alessandra a little too much, causing her to almost kill half the city. Nothing important.” Poking her head out from the curtain, she added, “OH! I almost forgot a summons from the King arrived a few minutes ago; he wants you there around half-past nine bells. He has a Noble Court today at ten bells, so he is hoping your meeting goes long to make the quote ‘pompous idiots stand around in their uncomfortable shoes.’”
Still rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he chose to ignore the bit about Alessandra almost killing thousands of people and wandered over to his wardrobe to pick out his outfit. “Seeing as we are still alive, can I assume that the Priestesses did their job? Did the summons say if he wanted me at court? If yes, did you pack my uncomfortable shoes?”
“One did; the Archbishop is unsure if she will keep the other here. No, the summons didn’t, but you should attend. Everyone has seen our presence flag by now, and they probably know you’ve been in The Wet. If you don’t go, rumors will fly that you are dead or dying. Make sure to cough on Countess South Lake while there; she snubbed my tea invitation last time we were here,” She said to the sound of rustling cloth. “Your uncomfortable shoes are under the bed.”
“That was ten years ago, dear; why are you still holding a grudge?” Shoving clothes around, he found his court attire and started getting into it. “Isn’t that the pettiness you try to get our nobles out of showing?”
“It is, but she is one of my brother's vassals. I cannot let her get away with snubbing a member of her duke’s family, can I?” Exiting the changing area, she added, “Plus, I cannot stand the woman. The mental picture of her running to the nearest Death Mage in those impractical heels she insists on wearing puts a smile on my face.” Giving him a peck on the cheek, she whirled about and headed for the door. “Hurry, or you’ll be late for breakfast!”
He chose not to question why she would invite someone she couldn’t stand to tea. “Morning people,” he grumbled. “How she can be that cheerful before five cups of coffee? I’ll never understand.”
He dressed hurriedly, trusting Helga and his butler to fix any issues, and headed to the dining room. Unsurprisingly he was the last to arrive. He was glad to see Alessandra was there, excitedly telling Helga about how one of the Caretakers had gotten the guards to make a maid-thief give back her pretty dress. Maid-thief? Pretty dress? Something else he wasn’t prepared to deal with before coffee. He noticed four new faces; those must be the Fluffy Paladins and Caretakes the Investigator and Archbishop had sent for.
Helga noticed his arrival before he grumped at his guests and took charge. “Now that we are all here, let us head in and get breakfast.”
Gods bless the woman. She knows me so well, Jerome thought.
“Will there be meat?” Alessandra asked, tugging on Helga’s sleeve excitedly. Oh no, she’s another morning person, Jerome thought, scowling.
“You should ask your question like this: ‘Miss Helga, will there be meat?’ try again, Alessandra,” Helga said in her motherly tone.
Looking a little subdued at the reprimand, Alessandra tried again, “Miss Helga, will there be meat?”
“I do not know, Alessandra. It will be a surprise,” Helga smiled at the girl and added, “That was a very polite way to ask a question.”
Alessandra looked at Jerome and tried to hide in Helga’s skirt, which almost caused them to trip.
Jerome steadied Helga and tried not to scowl at Alessandra, and asked her, “Why were you trying to hide from me? You almost made Helga trip?”
“You looked like you were mad at me,” she said quietly. She quickly added, “Sir.”
“I wasn’t mad, girl, just not fully awake. I need coffee, ignore me for now,” he half-growled out.
She pulled Helga’s skirt in front of her face with a squeak and said, “Yessir!” God’s kids were cute.
“Alessandra, let go of my skirt! I cannot walk with you tugging on it. Jerome won’t hurt you,” Helga said, trying to extricate her skirt with limited success.
With the mostly normal morning childhood drama dealt with, Jerome accepted his usual extra-large coffee from a servant before taking his seat. Despite appearances, he had missed having small cheerful voices around in the morning. A servant placed a bowl of nut-filled porridge in front of him. A little confused, it took him a moment to remember that he had been warned that meals would be simple. That was fine; he had coffee, so all was right in the world. However, he would swing by the kitchen later for a bacon pile before heading to the palace. After a long swig of coffee, he turned his attention to his guests, noticing the blonde Caretaker’s slight scowl at the simple meal before her. He glanced at the other Clergy and didn’t see any signs of displeasure on their faces. She must not have been informed of the meal plan then.
Putting her from his mind, he turned to Helga and asked, “What are your plans for the day?”
“Meeting with them mostly,” she said, waving at the various Clergymen. “I hope to get some time in the afternoon to raid the storeroom with Alessandra to pick out more clothes for her, but we will see what happens.”
At her name, Alessandra paused in her demolition of the porridge and asked with her mouth still full, “I murflge more dreslfe?”
“Alessandra! Don’t speak with your mouth full!” he barked, not realizing he was using his father voice. “Swallow and ask politely, please.”
Swallowing, she tried again, “Yessir, Mr. Beard Man, sir. Miss Helga, will I really get more dresses, Ma’am?”
Confused at what she had called him and distracted by Kathrine’s laughter, he almost missed Helga’s reply, “Yes dear, you will get more dresses. And I have told you before that his name is not Beard Man; it is Jerome. Call him Duke Jerome or Mr. Jerome. Repeat what I just said, please.”
“Yes, Ma’am. Mr. Jerome or Duke Jerome, not Beard Man. I will try to remember,” Alessandra said.
Taking another swig of his coffee, he smiled; good coffee and a cute kid at the table, life was good.
“Finish your food, Alessandra; I’m sure the Caretakers and Paladins have a full morning planned for you,” smiling at a thought he had just had, he patted her head and added, “I’ll come by later to play with you.”
She nodded, but by the look on her face, she was still unsure about him. That was ok; he had to start earning her trust somewhere. If it meant playing with dolls, sipping fake tea, playing pickpocket, or whatever street mice did for fun, he was okay with that. A child’s happiness was worth more than the sore back he was sure to get from bending over so much. With any luck, he would rip a hole in his pants and be unable to attend Court again.