Keish- April 29, 2004

April 29, 2004
Dear Arri,

I know, you’re just getting my last letter, but it’s been an interesting day.
I was heading back to the tower for a late lunch, not long after sending off Clotho and Hermes, when I heard Imato and Jace ahead of me.
“I still think Keish would have been more helpful.  Not that you seemed to need any help; all I ended up doing was picking up the ring you’d picked up after you left,” Jace was saying.
“I just thought you might like an excuse to visit the jeweler,” Imato responded.
“Oh?”
Their footsteps stopped and without thinking I stopped as well.
“I may not always know what you see in  my cousin, but I’m not an idiot.  You can’t possibly mean to drag this out forever.”
I could almost hear Jace’s shrug.
“Are you daft?  Just ask her!”
Jace chuckled.  “This coming from the man who had to be bullied into proposing by his little sister?”
“Taty’s not here to yell at you,” Imato quipped.
Jace snorted, then fell silent.  After a moment he said, “I just don’t want her to feel ambivalent about it.”
“Of all the camel-minded… I thought you were smart, Jace!  She loves you!  A blind man could see that!”
“And I her,” Jace replied.
“Then what’s the problem?”  Imato sounded like he might explode from frustration.
Jace sighed.  “Keish’s been drowning in wedding planning-- your wedding, I might add.  Does it honestly seem like a good time to ask her to plan her own?”
Imato was silent.
Jace sighed again.  “I’m sorry, that… came out wrong.  I’m not blaming you or Gretel.  For all her complaining you know Keish likes being involved.  I just… we just need to find the right time for us.”
After a moment footsteps started again, but Jace said, “You go ahead.  I just remembered I was supposed to get some papers from Master Byra.”
His footsteps started toward me.  I realized I was holding my breath and let it out slowly as I started to turn away.
“Just wait, please, Keisha,” Jace said, sounding… almost amused.
I froze, feeling guilty.  As he came up beside me I said, “I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to… How did you know I was here?”
“You’re wearing the perfume Gretel gave you for your birthday.”
I blinked.
He gave a short laugh.  Then he said seriously, “Now then…” He stopped short and sighed.  “Well we can’t exactly pretend you didn’t hear that.”
I bit my lip.  “Are you afraid I’ll do what my mother did?”
That made him laugh.  “No.  No, I’m not.”
I nodded slowly, glad that he didn’t think I would toy with him.
We walked silently for a few minutes.
Suddenly Jace said, “Do you want to marry me?”  His voice was so soft I almost missed it.
I couldn’t help it, I giggled.  “Is that a proposal or a survey?”
We stopped walking and he gave me an exasperated look.
“Sorry,” I said, still laughing a little.
He rolled his eyes.
I regained my composure quickly.  “Of course I want to marry you,” I said softly.
He smiled and took my hand.  “Then will you?”
Suddenly I was crying.  All I could get out was a whisper.  “Yes.”
He pulled me close, then raised my chin and kissed me gently.
Once I’d stopped crying, we decided to walk outside for a while.
“So…” I said eventually.  “Now what?”
He gave me a crooked grin.  “We could elope.”
I laughed.  “If you believe last week’s Gazette, we already have.”
He clicked his tongue.  “Shame on us.”
I rolled my eyes.  “Seriously, though…”
“There’s the double wedding option, I suppose,” Jace said, sounding decidedly less than enthusiastic.  “July.  In Rousha.”
“Lady Aoweir would love that.”
He gave me a small smile.
I sighed.  “I know it’s your home, Jace, but… I don’t want to be married in Rousha.”
His smile grew.  “And I don’t want a double wedding,” he said, relieved.  “Gretel and Imato’s wedding is going to be…”
“I know.  My sitting room currently has more flowers than a florist shop.”
“So…” he said.
I nodded.  “So.”
We walked quietly for a little while longer.  “Maybe we should decide when first,” Jace suggested.
“I’m free tomorrow,” I replied slyly.
“No you aren’t.  You have a meeting with Tish and Master Byra,” he retorted.  “What season?”
“Summer,” I replied firmly.
“Next June would be nice,” Jace said.
I punched his shoulder.
He laughed, taking my hand.  “I know, I know.  I don’t want to wait that long either.  August?”
“Why August?”
“Well planning takes time…” he trailed off when I glared at him.
“What have I been doing for the last two months?”
“Helping Gretel with her planning, I know,” he sighed.
“And?”
He looked entirely confused.
“I may not be a typical young lady, Jace, but I am not a fool.”
Slowly understanding dawned.  “You’ve been taking notes.”
I laughed merrily.  “Of course I have!  You didn’t think I’d want to start from scratch, did you?”
He laughed with me.  “Alright then, Mistress Wedding Planner, how long do you need?”
“Five weeks.”
To his credit, Jace didn’t even blink.  “Well, why have a conventional engagement?  You sure you only need five weeks?”
“Unless you hate all of my ideas.  Too soon for you?”
“There’s not a date that would be too soon for me.  You want my opinions on everything?”
“Well it is your wedding too.”
“What day do the cards say?” he teased.
“I haven’t asked.”  His look was one of disbelief.  “I didn’t say I wasn’t tempted…”
“Do you want to consult the cards before deciding?”
“I don’t care what the cards say.  Besides, you can never be accurate if you’re trying to concentrate on multiple people.”
“Really?” he asked dryly.
I nodded.  “Little known fact.  The only way to accurately divine a match is to read for each person separately.  Easy way to spot a fraud.”
Jace chuckled.  “Good to know.”
“You pick a day.”
“Technically I should be asking your father first, shouldn’t I?”
“Hmm,” I said soberly, “maybe we should elope.  Better to ask forgiveness, you know.”
Jace gave me a stern look.
Laughing, I said, “The first thing he’s going to ask is when.”
He gave a short nod of assent.  “Okay then… five weeks.  First week of June.  Full moon is the third.”
“That it is.”
We had walked all over the grounds and ended up at my garden.  Jace stood facing me, holding both of my hands.  “I should go talk to your father..”
I nodded.  “Gretel and Imato are probably wondering where we are.  I’ll wait for you, though.  We can tell them together.”
He looked around slyly, then kissed me quickly and went inside.
Papa, of course, had no objections.  In fact, I believe his immediate reaction was something along the lines of “it’s about time”.
Gretel teasingly said she couldn’t believe I had the audacity to become engaged after her but get married first.
I told her I’ve known Jace longer than she’s known Imato, so it’s all fair.
Imato shook Jace’s hand and muttered something about not being sure if he should give his congratulations or condolences.
I glared at him, but he gave me a hug and said gruffly in my ear, “Congratulations, Keish.  I’ve never seen you so happy.”
Sometimes it’s good to have a confirmation that your dear brother likes me.

I’m getting married, Arri!

I know you were just here, (you aren’t even home yet!), but you’ll come again in June, right?

Jace and I spent the rest of the afternoon looking over my notes.
“How many dress sketches does he have to look at?” Gretel teased.
“Not nearly as many as you put me through,” I responded, pulling out a single sketch and handing it to Jace.
He nodded appreciatively.  “That is lovely.  What color are you thinking for the sash?”
“I hadn’t decided yet,” I answered, passing the sketch to Gretel.
“This was one of my two possibilities!”
“Both of which you rejected,” I pointed out dryly.
“You’ll be beautiful,” she said.  “It suits you better than it would me.”
“Aren’t you meeting with the Beader today?” I realized.
She jumped up.  “I am, you’re right.  I’ll be late.”
After she left, Jace asked in mock resignation, “How many sketches do I have to look at for bridesmaid dresses?”
I laughed at his tone, then replied seriously, “Actually… I was thinking we should keep in very simple.  No bridesmaids, no groomsmen…”
He raised an eyebrow.
I bit my lip.  “Is that okay with you?”
He shrugged.  “I don’t mind.  I doubt Imato or Tulson will feel deprived.  Will Gretel or Arri mind?”
“Gretel’s already been a bridesmaid once this year; I can’t imagine she’ll be bothered.  Arri will be a bridesmaid twice in a week in July.  I think relief may be a more likely response.”
Jace chuckled.  “You may be right.”
“That just leaves Taty.”
Jace laughed.  “She’ll be so pleased to be getting a sister I doubt she’ll care either way.”
By dinner we had discussed flowers (it’s between white primroses and large daisies, color to be determined) and the guest list (very short).
Tomorrow we’ll have a quiet celebratory dinner.
After I spend half the day meeting with Tish and Master Byra, of course.
How I am ever going to concentrate on that, I don’t know.

If I send this by express messenger first thing in the morning you should get it in about a day and a half.  Sooner if you’ve stopped in Odsreq.

Love Always,

Keish

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