“Elder Brother?” said Xulai in a voice dripping with weariness.
“Yes, Daughter?” he replied, his eyes still focused somewhere else.
“The lady who died at Woldsgard left some of her beautiful court clothes for me to have when I am grown. They’re in a crate in the bottom of the dray. They’re all sealed up so moths can’t get at them, so please, ask your people not to open the crate. Can it be put away somewhere until I’m older?”
The prior leaned forward, reached out with a vague motion, as though to pat her shoulder or head, abruptly withdrew, and called out: “Did you hear that, Brother Rahas? You’ll take care of it? Good.”
The brown-clad brother nodded agreement, then went among the horses, looking them over, while other brown-clad people began unpacking the wagons and stacking the goods as Oldwife directed. When the things they would need immediately were separated from the rest, Sister Tomea led the new arrivals and half a dozen brown-clad porters up the steps onto the terrace, right along it, then left through an arch, down a corridor that became a long cloister with numerous doors on the right, one for each of the arches on the left that opened upon a garden full of fruit trees, roses, and a tall, plashing fountain. At the end of the cloister an iron gate blocked their way. The sister unlocked it, carefully locking it behind them as she remarked, “This is a secured area,” while proceeding toward another gate that stood open. Beyond this was a wide foyer with several heavy doors, one of which opened into a cozy, many-windowed room with padded chairs and an iron stove. In addition to the entry door there were two others, one leading into a small courtyard, one into a hallway separating two bedrooms and a steamy room almost filled by a huge wooden tub.
“How’n all the world do you keep that warm?” asked Oldwife of the sister. “Must take fifty buckets, at least!”
Sister Tomea smiled. “Outside that wall is a pipe that comes from a hot water spring deep under the abbey. It runs in and out constantly, keeping itself warm. When we want to clean the tub, we block the inflow and let it cool before we run the water off into the gardens.”
“You have these all through the abbey?” asked Precious Wind.
Sister Tomea shook her head. “Not all through, no, but enough of them that everyone has access to a tub. Here in the secure guest quarters, there’s one bath for our lady guests and one for the men. The men must share theirs, but since we have no other female guests at present, you ladies will have this one to yourselves until your house is ready.”
“Our house?” asked Xulai.
The sister nodded. “There are a number of houses by the back wall, in the enclosed meadows. Originally they were built by certain families who wanted to live here at the abbey.”
“Or who wanted their elderly men and women to live somewhere else,” said Oldwife, clenching her teeth.
Sister Tomea hid a quick grin. “That’s as may be, ma’am, and I’m not saying it’s always untrue, but as it happens, no one has been housed in any of them for some time. One of them is being newly paneled and cleaned. No doubt the abbot thought it would be more convenient to have all your party together and both a stable for your animals and storage for your property. That way, you’ll have some privacy without brothers or sisters or children from the school walking over you and around you all the time.” She smiled as though delighted by this idea. “And you’ll be a bit farther from the bells. They take some getting used to . . .”
She was interrupted by her subject as a great bell rang high above her, the initial bong succeeded by a multitoned peal. “First supper warning,” said Sister Tomea.
Xulai asked, “What is the building with the towers?”
“It’s where we worship and sing. Actually I should say it’s where we sing in order to worship.”
“This is very nice,” said Xulai. “Please tell the abbot and the prior we are very grateful.”
As Sister Tomea went out into the hallway, closing the door behind her, Precious Wind cried, “Bath first,” stripping off her clothes as though they were a fruit skin, leaving them where they fell, and striding naked toward the tub. Nettie, though still fully dressed, hesitantly went after her.
Oldwife and Xulai returned to the sitting room where the porters had stacked their baggage, including the cat basket, which rocked violently atop a pile, threatening to fall any moment. Xulai let the animals out, and they followed her to the outside door. As soon as it was opened they darted across the small area of stone paving to the garden planted around its edges. Bothercat went on complaining for some time while casting irritated looks at Xulai. “This is all your fault,” he was saying. “I’ve never been so ill treated in my entire life.”
“That was unlike you out there,” Oldwife said, “interrupting the prior.”
“We were all saying too much,” Xulai said. “We don’t know him. We got here and we were tired and we stopped being careful. Besides, he told a lie.”
“What lie?”
“He said my cousin told them it was a rumor, a feint. When did he do that? He was gone before the troops got there. I was watching the prior’s eyes. His eyes are cold, and they flicker when he tells a lie.”
Oldwife stared at her, through her, shaking her head. “Go along to the bath, child. I’ll keep an eye on the cats, and when you younger creatures have finished, I’ll have a wash. I’m not such a one as you Tingawans for
