Adlen to Winthrop-- January 5, 2004

January 5, 2004


Dear Winthrop,

You stubborn, proud, camel-minded fool. Would you care to explain why I had to learn from Keisha that there was concern about how to pay for Arri’s apprenticeship? You led me to believe that everything had been taken care of. Not to mention that you all but told me arrangements for Quin had been made.

Why didn’t you come to me? I could certainly have funded Arri’s training there or made arrangements for her to come train in Arella. Imato could have stopped worrying about it and returned to his training. (I’m sending him a stern letter also.) And I could have helped with the arrangements for Quin, though likely King Trunsle would still have insisted on taking care of that.

Next time, I insist you come to me first. And if you won’t, I’m sure Imato can be prevailed upon to be reasonable. (Though if he can’t, Arri will still tell Keish and I will still find out.)

And as to your conduct before King Trunsle, I am appalled. Renounced title or not, you know better. Even at their most outspoken, neither Ellean nor Keish ever approached such disrespect. And how could you put Arri in such a wretched position? Can’t you see how important this is to her? Between her desires and her embarrassment the poor child probably wished she were hundreds of miles away! You really must stop trying to make everyone live your way. And you may as well stop being so antagonistic toward Brynn Garrard. She is inseparably connected to the Brio line now, you know. Stop being ridiculous and you’ll see how valuable she is. Heaven knows Ellean found her indispensable.

And like it or not, she’s proving to be very important to Keish and Arri as well. Even if you didn’t agree with all that Keish yelled at you while we were there, you should at least have realized by now that the girls are destined to follow their mothers whether we like it or not. After having resigned myself to that, I’ve been able to enjoy Keisha’s developing talents. She is so much like Ellean was when she first came here.

So please, stop being a fool before you alienate the entire younger generation.

Adlen



PS (January 6th) Concerning your questions about Keisha while we were there-- Jace came to me today to request my permission to court her. Well, to make sure I approved of his intentions. He wants to let things progress naturally, rather than announcing a formal courtship. (No doubt he’s heard about my courtship with Ellean.) He is unsure of his future, having decided that he does not wish to take his father’s position, but says that he cannot deny his heart (or, apparently, the strengths of some of Keisha’s arguments against Imato’s caution with Gretel). So when the young ladies sent him away so they could dress for dinner he came to me. If I didn’t know him, I might be concerned about his future, but he’s an industrious young man and is bound to find his way. Not to mention, if I’d sent him away for such a “trifle” Keisha would never forgive me. And she would surely point out that the inheritance she will receive soon is more than enough for them to live on, if it comes to that. Apparently she’s found him distracting lately, so I’m sure you will agree that things are progressing. (I’m sure Jace does not want her to learn he approached me from anyone else, so don’t tell Arri or Imato if you think they’ll let it slip.)

Adlen

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