I thought of Trist and the others and looked at her wordlessly.
“What are you thinking?” she asked me, worried by my silence.
I sighed. “I’m happy for those who will now recover and regain their lives. But I have to confess, I’m thinking about fellows who won’t. Nate, for instance. Trent and Caleb. Oron.”
“Think, too, of those who won’t die because of it,” she counseled me solemnly. Then she grinned rather impishly and added, “And you might say that you rejoice in the change in the Kester family fortune. The demand for the water is incredible; people are using it as a tonic for all sorts of ills now, and several very wealthy families have made the trek to visit the spring itself and bathe in it. Lady Kester has hired workmen to build a spa there, with separate baths for ladies and gentlemen, and a hotel. Oh, it will be rustic at first, but the letter from Spink’s sister says that will be part of the charm. She complains that they never have enough bottles for the water, and that they must find a new supplier for them. And she also says that, thanks to the water, she has an offer for her hand. You may know him? He’s a friend of Spink’s. Rory Hart, soldier son of Lord and Lady Hart of Roundhills?”
“Rory? From the Academy? But he never got sick from the plague at all.”
“Perhaps not, but his younger brothers did. And his mother took them to Bitter Springs, where they recovered, and she met Spink’s family and pronounced them delightful. She says that Spink’s sister Gera is exactly the practical sort of girl that Rory needs to settle him down and keep him in order.”
“I don’t know who to feel sorry for, Rory or Gera,” I said, and Epiny cuffed me lightly.
“Neither one. Spink says he actually thinks they will be well suited to each other, when they meet.”
I shook my head, unwilling to imagine a girl who could settle Rory down and keep him in order. I wondered if she carried a club with her at all times. To Epiny I said, “It is almost frightening how fast everything seems to have changed. The world has gone on without me while I was away. I wonder how I will find a place in it again.” At that moment, it did not seem impossible that I should do just that.
“You are as much at fault as anyone for these changes. Without you, how many of them would have come about?” She halted, then added reassuringly, “And some parts of the world have not changed that much. Some parts still wait for you.” She smiled teasingly.
I quickly changed the subject. “You have told me all about my family and your parents and Spink’s family, but not mentioned a word about Spink and yourself. From what Kesey tells me, the regiment has been divided, and only a company of it remains here. What does Spink think of that?”
Her smile faded a bit, but determination came into her eyes. “It is not the best post he might have. He knew that when he accepted the commission. But Spink says we will make the best of it. With the depletion of officers here in Gettys, he sees an opportunity to rise in the ranks. There are rumors that we will soon receive new troops to bring us up to strength. Or that perhaps the rest of the regiment will be called back to the Midlands and some other regiment replace us here. It’s uncertain right now. Spink says that the King has much on his mind, with the gold discovery and a new treaty with the Landsingers. There has not been a formal decision to abandon the road, though Spink thinks that is what it will come to. Spink has told me that this is the lot of a soldier, regardless of his rank. Often he simply has to remain where he is and await new commands.” She gave a small sigh. “I confess, I would love to be almost anywhere else but here. Even without the magic soaking us with fear or despair, Gettys is a gloomy, primitive place. Sometimes it is hard to read the letters that come; it does seem as if everyone else’s lives have gone on, but I am trapped here, with the same work and worries, day after day.”
“The lot of a cavalla wife,” I said quietly.
“Yes,” she replied briskly. She took a breath and squared her shoulders. “And that is what I took upon myself when I married Spink. I know that. And I intend to make the best of it.”
She hesitated at the door to the cabin, and then turned to me, blushing prettily. “Would you—that is, could you ask Kesey to join you outside so that I could be alone with my baby for a time?”
“Of course,” I assured her.
Kesey surprised me by quickly deducing that Epiny needed to be alone to nurse her child. I didn’t have to spell it out for him, and he even made the excuse that we needed to fetch more water as I’d emptied the cask with all my “scrubbing round.” We each took a bucket as we left the cabin.
