The Secret Village: Chapter Five
The new landowner has arrived, which means it's time for Sonja and Rael to put their plan into action.
Read Chapter Four here.
Ten days later
“The new owner’s here.”
Sonja looked up from a half-finished shirt. “Really? Did you see them?”
Rael nodded as she shut the door behind her. “Her name is Lady Cosina Alarus. She’s about our age. I only saw her briefly, but she seems…kind. She’s offered to set up a small court so anyone who needs help can petition her for it. Her housekeeper was not happy about that.”
She placed a small book on the table. “I doubt Lady Cosina will even know this is missing.”
Sonja walked over and picked it up. She had seen the book several times in the library, but had never dared read it because it looked so frail. The binding on the spine was half-falling off and more than one page was poking up above the others. “The cart will be leaving soon; I’ll read this when we get back. Thank you, Rael.”
Alvert’s wife, Elspeth, helped them load the bundles of shirts onto the cart before setting off for Kenauste. The money from Sonja’s inheritance was running dangerously low now.
“What do we do?” Rael asked once they were in the marketplace.
Sonja looked around for a stall with purple awning. To her surprise, there was only one. “That’s our stall.” She and Rael went over to it and placed the samples on the wooden surface. Sonja had also brought a thin charcoal stick and some parchment for writing down measurements. “If they want a shirt made from scratch, all you have to do is hold the string against the clients and read out what their measurements are.”
The piece of string had knots tied in it, one for every inch.
It was slow at first. Only a few people trickled into the marketplace when it began, and all of them were women. Most were interested in the fresh bread at the baker’s stall, but one woman approached Sonja’s table and asked: “What do you sew?”
“I can make shirts, jackets and trousers,” Sonja replied without hesitation. “I made all the clothes I’m wearing.”
“Hmm.” The woman held up a shirt and inspected it. “That looks like good work. How long have you been coming here?”
“This is our first time. We’re charging three silver pieces a shirt…”
Another woman was hurrying towards the stall. She was plump and wore an apron over a smart red dress. Sonja’s spine instinctively straightened, as it would have when she was facing Hanna. This woman had to be one of the new lady’s servants.
She casually plucked a shirt up from out of the pile and studied it, tilting it back and forth and staring at the needlework. Then she dropped it on the stall, grabbed Sonja’s arm and said: “I suppose you’ll do. Come along.”
“Wait.”
Sonja blinked; she hadn’t even seen Rael move in front of them.
“She has a customer,” Rael said, glaring right into the woman’s eyes. “You cannot just take her away like this.”
“I am housekeeper to Lady Cosina, and this could be an opportunity your friend cannot afford to refuse.”
Sonja nodded soothingly at Rael. “Watch the stall while I’m gone. Remember, it’s three silver pieces a shirt unless they want one with their measurements.”
As soon as she stepped into Ivy House, Sonja was hit by such a sense of home that her throat ached and her eyes stung. She held her head up and focused on where she was going. They walked up the stairs and headed towards the chambers that used to belong to Lady Adessa.
The housekeeper fixed Sonja with a warning glare. “This could make your career. Don’t disappoint her ladyship.” She knocked on the door and opened it, saying: “I found a seamstress for you, my lady.”
Sonja was expecting Lady Adessa’s chambers to have been altered in some way since her successor’s arrival, but they looked very much the same. There were three empty trunks nestled against the wall, and Lady Cosina herself stood in the middle of the room. Her pale golden hair curled prettily around her shoulders, and her dress was sky-blue. was sitting on the edge of the bed.
She smiled as Sonja entered. “Thank you for coming. My name is Lady Cosina, and I’m the new landowner here.” She laughed. “It still feels strange saying that. What’s your name?”
“Sonja Inara, my lady.”
“Have you ever made dresses before, Sonja?”
“Only festival dresses, my lady.”
Lady Cosina beckoned her over to the desk. “Take a look at these.”
She showed Sonja several pieces of thin paper, each one with the design of a simple gown on it. They were very good designs - had Lady Cosina drawn them herself?
“Can you make these if you have my measurements? I had to pack so quickly, I didn’t have time to take everything I needed. I’ll pay you well,” Lady Cosina added hastily.
“Perhaps it would be wise to have her make only one dress, my lady?” The housekeeper was standing in the doorway. “If it is to your satisfaction, you can keep her on.”
Lady Cosina nodded. “Yes, that is a good idea.” She handed Sonja a small slip of paper with a group of numbers on them; Sonja recognised them as measurements. “Which of those colours do you think would best match this one?”
Sonja studied the design Lady Cosina was holding out to her, then at the five rolls of fabric stacked against the wall. The fabrics were in pale shades: mint, lilac, peach, frosted blue and a delicate pink like a fresh rose. The designs had neat embroidery patterns around the hem of the skirt and the wrists; Sonja was glad of that, as anything further would have spoiled the design.
“I think the pale green would suit, my lady. Would you like me to work on it here, or should I take the pieces home?”
“Work on them at home, please.”
Sonja carefully drew out the sections of the gown on some delicate paper. It was only when she’d started cutting them that she realised something was missing.
“Is there any fabric for lining, my lady?”
Lady Cosina’s hand flew to her mouth. “I hadn’t thought of that! Julia, could you go and fetch it, please?”
With a nod, the housekeeper left.
Sonja concentrated on keeping her hands steady. She couldn’t afford to make any mistakes here. One bad word from Lady Cosina could ruin her career.
Eventually, the pieces were ready. Sonja folded them carefully and put them in a canvas bag generously provided by Julia. The housekeeper escorted her out of Ivy House with a reminder: “Remember what I said.”
Rael was still at the stall, pacing about like a caged cat.
“I’m sorry I’ve been gone for so long. Lady Cosina asked me to sew a dress for her; I’ve got the pieces in this bag.”
The stall was completely empty. Rael held up a small bag and shook it lightly, making the coins inside jingle.
“You sold everything?”
The sound of marching feet echoed through the air. Dread coursed through Sonja’s veins as General Aleksei walked into the market square, a bow and quiver hanging over one shoulder. Behind him were four soldiers, each pair holding someone by their arms: one young man and one young woman.
As the remaining inhabitants of Kenauste gathered in the square, General Aleksei raised his voice and said: “This woman believed she could shield her husband from the rightful decree of Her Majesty.”
The young couple’s faces were pale, but they held themselves with a quiet composure.
The General’s voice grew harsh. “There are consequences for breaking the law.” He swung the quiver off his shoulder and nocked an arrow.
Someone gripped Sonja’s hand tightly.
General Aleksei spun around and shot the arrow right into the woman’s chest. Her husband screamed, straining desperately to get to her, but the soldiers held him back. The General nodded with satisfaction and said: “Consider this a warning to anyone who thinks they can break Her Majesty’s laws.”
As the General and his soldiers moved away, the weeping man still held in the grip of his guards, Aleksei’s eyes met Sonja’s. They narrowed slightly, just for a moment.
Sonja felt her inner fire flicker.
Four townspeople ran towards the fallen woman. Sonja recognised one of them as the town healer.
“Can you do anything?” someone asked.
The injured woman gasped and whimpered, her hands grasping at the arrow.
“We can move her to my house.” The healer’s face was sad and resigned. “She’ll be comfortable there.”
“If they’re searching towns for people who escaped conscription,” Rael whispered, “they could find Oren.”
They needed to warn him.