With that reminder, he left her to make her way to the bathroom.
Rosa, Spacia, Grolly – in fact, all the runners at the Fort Station – were in and out, groaning over the special messages that needed to be delivered to the Fort Crafthalls, the Lord Holder, the Harper Hall, coming from the ‘backside of beyond’ as Rosa termed it.
‘Don’t mind us,’ Rosa said when Tenna began to feel as if she ought to be doing her share. ‘It’s always like this just before a Gather and we always complain, but the Gather makes up for it. Which reminds me, you don’t have anything to wear.’
‘Oh, no, don’t worry about me…’
‘Nonsense,’ Spacia said. ‘We will if we want to and we do.’ She gave Tenna’s long frame an intent look and then shook her head. ‘Well, nothing we have would fit.’ Both girls were shorter than Tenna by a full head and, while neither carried much flesh, they were stockier than the eastern girl.
Then both turned to each other in the same instant and snapped their fingers. ‘Silvina!’ they exclaimed in chorus.
‘C’mon,’ Spacia said and reached for Tenna’s hand. ‘You can walk, can’t you?’
‘Oh, yes but -‘
‘On your feet then, runner,’ Rosa said and took Tenna’s other arm, assisting her to an upright position. ‘Silvina’s headwoman at the Harper Hall and she always has good things.’
‘But . . . I . . .’ and then Tenna gave up protesting. It was obvious from the determined expressions on the two runners’ faces that they would brook no argument.
468
‘You’re taking her to Silvina?’ Penda asked, sidling out of the kitchen. ‘Good. I’ve nothing here to fit her and she’s got to look her best when she meets that wretch, Haligon.’
‘Why?’ Tenna suspiciously wanted to know. Why would she need to look her best just to give Haligon what-for?
‘Why, to maintain the reputation of Fort Station, of course,’ Rosa said with an impish grin. ‘We’ve our pride, you know, and you may be a visitor but you’re here, now,’ and she pointed emphatically to the ground, ‘and must be presentable.’
‘Not that you aren’t,’ Spacia hastily added, being slightly more tactful than Rosa, ‘except we want you more so than ever.’
‘After all, it is your first Fort Gather . . .’
‘And you nearly finishing your first Cross, too.’
Their chatter was impossible to resist and there was no way Tenna could appear at a Gather in runner gear which was all she had of her own to wear.
At this evening hour, they found Silvina checking day-records in her office at the Harper Hall and she was more than delighted that she had been approached. She led them down to the storage rooms underneath the Harper Hall.
‘We keep quite a few performance dresses in case a soloist wants to wear Harper colours. You wouldn’t mind wearing blue, would you?’ Silvina said as she paused by the second of a line of locked doors. ‘Actually, I think blue would be a very good colour for you.’ She had such a lovely speaking voice that Tenna was listening more to her tone than what she was saying. ‘And I’ve one that I think might be just the thing for you.’
She opened a large wardrobe and, from the many there, she brought out a long gown with full sleeves and some fine embroidered trim that made all three girls gasp.
‘It’s lovely. Oh, I couldn’t wear something this valuable,’ Tenna exclaimed, backing away.
‘Nonsense,’ Silvina said and gestured for Tenna to slip out of her runner top.
When Tenna carefully slipped on the dress, the softness of the fabric against her skin made her feel . . . special. She tried a little spin and the long skirt swirled about her ankles while the full sleeves billowed about her arms. It was the most flattering dress she’d worn and she examined it thoroughly, committing the details of its design to her mind so that she could reproduce it the next time she had marks enough for a Gather dress. The one she had at home was nowhere near as splendid as this. Could she, should she dance, in something as elegant as this? What if she spilled something on it?