He’s quite pleased with how he handled the doctors. The difficult thing is that I can’t tell whether he really did well, because his self-confidence gets in the way (and makes me think that because he thinks he did it right, he must have done it wrong). I don’t think I got any sleep at all that night. As soon as I was back at the house, there were other things to be done. First of all, to get hold of a woman doctor willing to sail to Iss-Peran at short notice. I asked the house-master where to find the doctors’ guild, but he didn’t know. Then it occurred to me to ask the only doctor I did know where to find: the one who had treated Kare’s hand. I sat in the waiting-room with a bunch of other people. A small boy came to talk to me, “do you want to know what’s wrong with me? I have a crooked leg, look! But it’s almost straight again, I’m getting my last brace today.” I told him that there was nothing wrong with me, but that I wanted to ask the doctor something. Then the other patients said that if […]

This is the second part of a post that would otherwise be unwieldily long. (Small edits, mostly in conversation.) The singing-girls were only the first lot of people we lost in a few days. Some went to be servants elsewhere, some found other work, a whole lot of girl clerks and a young eunuch or two enrolled in the trade school. The work went on, not only taking valuables to the attics but also converting the house to a royal palace with offices, and then there came a moment that we were suddenly finished. The building work wasn’t done, but the stowing away and labelling was. Only the small reception room was in its old state. Lydan paid Halla’s father and tipped Halla royally for the introduction: without him we’d have been stranded for sure. “We can leave!” I said to him. “We’ll have to,” he said with a grin, “we don’t have a kitchen at the moment, they’re breaking down the back wall to add on the next house.” And off he was, to order in food. I resolved to go to Raisse and tell her that I was going ahead with it, but just then we had a […]

More stuff written by Fian’s evil twin because there’s no way he could have had time to write. And he’s still embarrassed, but no longer terminally so. Some of the incidents may be out of order, because this is two sessions that run together in my mind. Posted in two parts; Part 4 forthcoming. Well, Athal is away to the south on a ship, poor man. I didn’t go to see him off, because I was too busy keeping Halla’s father and the under-seneschal Khatar from killing each other. I said earlier that the under-seneschal seemed a decent chap, but that was before I knew him– he’s the kind of person who gets under one’s skin subtly and insidiously. I did go to the temporary palace –the Mighty Servant’s doxy’s house– to talk to the queen about Naravati, and she promised to go to the Order house to speak to her. The next day was much alike: work and more work, with me overseeing and trying to keep the peace, and Lydan keeping records and running to the Temple of Mizran and everywhere, and ordering in food because all the suppliers seemed to think that because Koll Neveshtan had died […]

Very hard to write because I was writhing with vicarious embarrassment. I am so ashamed! For of course Morin was right, much as I hate to have to admit that. Well, I’ll start at the beginning. I took the boys to the queen as I’d made up my mind to do, only to find her in great haste because she was leaving to visit the poor quarters. Lydan’s girl Bebakshi came along because they clung to her like snails to vines, and also because she could understand the kind of Iss-Peranian they spoke and Lydan and I understood less than half of it. Because the queen didn’t have time she told me to solve the problem myself, but the boys could stay in the sort-of-palace and so could Bebakshi, for now. I think she signed and sealed a freeing letter, too, but it was all so hectic that I’m not sure. “You’ve taken my girl away!” Lydan complained, when we were in the boat again, but I think he’ll get her back– I’m of a mind to find a woman veteran, or a man who has little kids of his own, who is going to Lenyas anyway, and have them […]

Fian doesn’t actually have time to write so much of a diary, but I’m letting his evil twin write it because I want it to be written. It’s very much his voice. Essle, day of Naigha, eighth week of Mizran Lydan says I should write everything down because otherwise my grandchildren will never believe what I tell them. Well, I scarcely believe it myself at the moment, so yes, it’s a good idea. Where did it start? Perhaps with joining the travelling court so I could be near Halla. Not that I ever had any chance with her, I see that now, and even then she was already as cold as a fish. Lydan says she’s probably secretly in love with the king, but I think it may be the queen she’s secretly in love with. Or only with her work– she should have been bursar of the Order of the Sworn, or perhaps of the Temple of Naigha. Anyway, being in the travelling court got me in the right place at the right time for the queen to offer me, well, the job of a lifetime. Literally. She wants to send me to Albetire to woo a pair of […]