The Threshold Child (23 page)

Deasa had to restrain Gainor from blurting out the name herself.
“Gainor! Let Rina tell her.”

Adesina studied Rina’s weary eyes, silently praying that the
rumors had been wrong about Sable. Rina smiled weakly. “I am to marry Master
Degan.”

She felt a rush of relief. “Congratulations, Rina.”

Rina laughed shakily. “Thank you.”

Gainor could keep silent no longer. “The wedding is to be at the
end of this week, and Rina asked
my father
to stand as one of the
witnesses!”

Adesina nodded in understanding. This was probably Rina’s father’s
idea. Having a Governor stand as a witness gave the whole proceeding a greater
degree of prestige. Rina’s father was always thinking about their family’s
status.

The next few days blurred past. One moment they were in class, the
next they were making last minute alterations on Rina’s wedding dress, then
they were helping prepare food for the wedding dinner, then they were advising
Rina on how to arrange the furniture in her new home. Degan’s house was
surprisingly bare, even for a bachelor. A good portion of the money from Rina’s
dowry was to go towards furnishing their new home.

Rina and Degan saw very little of each other in the midst of all
the wedding preparations, but when they did see each other, Degan treated her
with a gentle sort of respect. Rina seemed pleased, and was deferential and
obliging in return.

Adesina was disturbed by the lack of strong emotion in their
relationship. She had been under the impression that love was a passionate sort
of feeling, and that one shouldn’t marry unless madly in love. No one else
seemed bothered by the couple’s feeble emotional bond, so Adesina kept her
opinions to herself.

The morning of the wedding dawned warm and bright. Jelana had made
Adesina a special dress for formal affairs, and Adesina pinned small blue
flowers in her silver hair in honor of the occasion. The dress was pale yellow
with darker yellow flowers embroidered on the bodice, and she had just finished
dressing when Gainor and Deasa joined her.

Gainor’s formal dress was yellow with pink flowers embroidered on
it, and Deasa’s dress was yellow with pale blue flowers. Both girls were also
wearing flowers in their hair. Deasa’s dark curls held clusters of peach
colored blossoms, and Gainor’s hair was accented by one large pink peony.

“Ready to go?” Gainor asked.

Adesina nodded and followed them downstairs. Jelana was busy
making breakfast over the fireplace, and looked up as they entered the room.
“Would you girls like something to eat before you go?”

Deasa smiled gratefully. “No, thank you. Mistress Kelby insisted
we eat breakfast with Rina.”

The older woman turned back to her cooking. “Very well. I will see
you girls at the Pavilion later.”

Gainor urged them out the door and down the street as quickly as
decorum would allow. She was absolutely beside herself with excitement. They
arrived at Rina’s house and were shown upstairs to her room. Rina was sitting
in front of her mirror, trying to do her hair with shaking hands.

Deasa laughed softly and took over the task. “You are trembling
like a leaf in the wind!”

“I am a bit nervous,” Rina admitted in a tremulous voice.

“Just a bit?” giggled Gainor. “You look ready to faint!”

Deasa gave her a reprimanding glare as she began weaving white ribbons
into Rina’s hair. “Do not listen to Gainor, Rina. You look beautiful.”

They helped her into her simple wedding dress. It was white and
without any adornment.

Deasa had explained to Adesina that the white symbolized the
bride’s purity, and the lack of decoration symbolized the groom’s willingness
to take the bride as she is.

Mistress Kelby brought in a tray with breakfast. She hovered over
them, insisting that they eat every bite. Gainor was talking too much to pay
any attention to the food, and Rina looked as if she couldn’t swallow. Deasa
and Adesina did their best to eat enough to satisfy Mistress Kelby’s demands,
but she seemed determined to be disapproving.

By midmorning they were out the door and walking toward the
Pavilion. The Pavilion was situated in the center of the High City’s largest
and most ornate garden park. It was a large white tent where most of the
citizens held their celebrations. Long wooden benches had been brought out for
the guests to sit on, and there was a small platform on which the couple and
the officiator would stand.

All of the guests were in place, and Degan was waiting next to a
frail old man. Adesina, Deasa and Gainor took their seats at the front and
waited for the ceremony to begin. Rina’s parents walked her up to the platform,
where she took her place standing across from Degan. The frail old man began
speaking in a wheezy voice.

“Friends and family, we welcome you today as we join this man and
this woman in the bond of marriage…”

Adesina found herself studying the groom rather than paying
attention to the rote recital of the ceremony. Degan was tall and thin, with
bright red hair and light blue eyes. His sharp facial features were covered in
freckles, as were what showed of his forearms.

It was obvious that both Rina and Degan were nervous, and they
rarely looked each other in the eye. Adesina cast a glance over at the girls
sitting next to her to see how they were handling the marriage of one of their
peers. Gainor was staring raptly, hanging on every word with a wistful
expression on her face. Deasa looked happy for her friend, but reservedly so.
Adesina couldn’t reconcile herself to a tradition where Rina, who was barely
more than a child, was required to give up so much for a marriage in which she
had no say.

Mistress Kelby was dabbing her eyes, and occasionally sniffed
loudly. Master Cavell, Rina’s father, seemed more preoccupied looking around
the gathering to see who was there. His proud face darkened considerably as his
eyes fell on someone in the audience. Adesina shifted slightly in her seat so
she could see whom it was.

On the back row sat a middle-aged woman with beautiful auburn hair
and rather sharp features. She was dressed in the same yellow dress as every
other woman in the Pavilion, but for some odd reason she stood out from the
crowd. Perhaps it was the intelligent, independent expression in her vivid
green eyes.

Those eyes turned to Adesina for the briefest of moments. There
was a flash of knowing, almost as if the woman recognized Adesina, and then she
turned her gaze back to the couple.

Adesina also turned her eyes to the platform, but her mind
couldn’t have been further away. She searched her memory, trying to think of
why the woman would recognize her. It was possible that they had passed on the
streets of the High City and Adesina had been too distracted to notice.
Possible, but not likely.

The wedding ceremony soon concluded. Everyone got to their feet to
congratulate the young couple. Adesina was surprised that it had been so short.
There had been no exchanging of vows or wedding rings, only the dry little
speech of the officiator.

Adesina moved forward with Deasa and Gainor to embrace Rina. They
were only able to say a few words to her before her mother herded her onward.
All of the guests were walking towards the Dining Hall, which was just across
the park from the Pavilion. There was to be a wedding dinner in honor of the
couple, and then everybody would go back to their daily lives.

Instead of following the crowd, Adesina found herself looking for
the woman she had seen earlier. Her efforts proved to be unnecessary, as she
found the woman at her side touching her elbow uncertainly.

“I have something to give you.”

Adesina stared at her in confusion. “Me?”

The woman nodded and beckoned Adesina to follow her. After a
second or so of deliberating, Adesina joined her in walking in the opposite
direction of the Dining Hall.

“Are you not going to the wedding dinner?”

The woman gave a silvery little laugh. “I was fortunate to be
invited to the wedding. I do not think I should press my luck by staying too
long.”

Adesina had no idea what to say to that, but the woman did not
seem bothered by the momentary silence. She filled it herself after a couple of
seconds. “Degan is my favorite relation, and I am his. That is why I was not
quietly excluded from his wedding. He is a sweet and loving man. I am glad that
he chose your friend over his other prospects. She seems a good match for him.”

Adesina frowned. “Why would you be excluded?”

The woman laughed again. “I am an embarrassment to the family.
Perhaps you have heard my name. I am Mistress Faryl.”

Adesina instantly recognized the name as the owner of the
apothecary shop in the Square. It didn’t explain how she knew Adesina, though,
or why she was giving her some mysterious gift.

“What is it you need to give me?”

Mistress Faryl merely smiled. “All in good time.”

Adesina’s eyes narrowed briefly in suspicion. Her hand casually
brushed against her thigh, feeling for the dagger she kept there. The feel of
the metal against her skin was reassuring. “How are you related to Master
Degan?”

Mistress Faryl searched Adesina’s eyes for a moment before
smiling. “I am his aunt, of sorts. His father’s family took me in a long time
ago. But that is not what you want to ask me.”

Adesina was a bit unnerved by how perceptive this woman was. She
dropped her gaze to the grass that they were walking on. “No.”

“Then what is it?”

She briefly wondered if she was being paranoid. “I thought you
recognized me.”

Mistress Faryl inclined her head.

Adesina’s frown became more pronounced. “But we have never met.”

A mysterious smile appeared on Mistress Faryl’s lips. “No, we have
never met. Yet I recognized you.”

“How is that possible?”

Mistress Faryl pointed to one of the many uniform houses as they
walked past. “What do you see there?”

Adesina was perplexed by the question. “A house. Just like any
other house in the High City.”

Mistress Faryl sighed. “Yes, and that is what most people see.”

Something in the back of her mind told Adesina that this woman’s
words would be important. “What do
you
see?”

Mistress Faryl’s expression became introspective. “I see pine
panels taken from trees of the forest just outside our city. I see nails made
by a humble blacksmith. I see whitewash that is reapplied every spring with the
greatest of care. I see curtains in the window, slightly worn but meticulously
mended. I see flowers lining the path, watered and weeded every day.”

She looked at Adesina to see if she understood. “I look at people
the same way I look at that house, and in that way I recognize you.”

Part of Adesina wondered why this woman was telling her all of
this. Mistress Faryl saw the questioning in her eyes and answered. “You have
this same gift, but you do not know how to use it. Right now you only look at
faces and body language. I feel it is important for you to know that you are
capable of seeing so much more.”

Curious, Adesina decided to give it a try. She focused on a man
that they were passing in the Square. Her initial observation was that he was
getting beyond middle aged, with thick blonde hair and a matching beard. His
face was rather nondescript, and his blue eyes seemed a bit dull. He wore the
garb of a farmer and limped as if he had injured his leg.

She tried to see him in the way that Mistress Faryl saw the house.
He wore clothes that were threadbare and patched. His face was prematurely
lined from years of worry. His back slightly hunched from hard labor, and his
hands calloused from much use. This was a man who had worked all of his life,
never quite making ends meet.

Adesina looked even deeper. In spite of his reduced circumstances,
he walked with a dignity that spoke of his upbringing in the High City, but
beneath that dignity there was an underlying feeling of despair. His eyes were
dim because he had lost all hope. Perhaps because of his injured leg and his
inability to work anymore.

Adesina watched as Mistress Faryl walked up to the man, handed him
a small purse and embraced him. The man was clearly startled, but his eyes
teared up in gratitude. No words were exchanged between them and none seemed
necessary.

As they walked on, Adesina asked, “Do you know him?”

Mistress Faryl shook her head. “Not in the sense that you mean.”

They shortly arrived at Mistress Faryl’s apothecary shop. She
opened the door and led the way into the main room. The earthy smell of her
wares washed over them. Mistress Faryl disappeared through a small door in the
back of the shop and returned with a small wooden container.

She held it out to Adesina. “This is for you.”

Adesina took it cautiously. “What is it?”

“A very potent healing salve. You will need it.”

The young woman’s eyes narrowed. “How do you know I will need it?”

Mistress Faryl shrugged. “The same way I knew what that man on the
street needed.”