All is Fair in Love and War

5

There was no end to Rato–Connor's curiosity that evening, and as the sun made its descent into the mountains and the sky turned from a dull grey to a clouded periwinkle, his dark eyes never ceased to sparkle in the pale light of the snow. Almost every person we passed gave him a strange look as he walked by, agape with wonder.

"Hey." I poked his cheek. "I would not recommend making that particular face in the future. People might think you a halfwit."

"Sorry." He shrugged. "I just find everything here so. . ."

I knew what he meant. "Yes," I said, "I do, too."

The snow was falling heavier now as twilight began to close in, and I was ever grateful for the thick linen of my skirts. Achilles had not yet managed to accustom Rat–Connor! to the appropriate attire of those of the colonies, as he still wore the hide clothing of his people. It must have been of sturdy stuff, for I did not see him shiver even once. I did, however, see that he wore the bracelet I had sent him. I had scarcely seen him since Christmas, as I had spent the holidays with my family, and then the snow had been so bad that I could not leave the house to get to Achilles's manor.

"You're wearing the bracelet!" I said, taking him by the wrist so I could further examine this revelation. It was only a simple leather thing that I had picked up from the market just before the snows hit.

"Excellent observation," he said. "Thank you for it. Though, I must ask, pray tell why I received it?"

"I really need to teach you about Christmas." I rolled my eyes, though there was no mal-intent behind the action.

A town crier was standing on the corner of the street as we passed, and a crowd had gathered around him to listen to him spitting out, "I grow tired of this. It seems that each day a new tax is levied, a new rule enforced, all without our consent. The Revenue Act. The Indemnity Act. The Commissioners of Customs Act. Oh, Chancellor Townshend must have thought himself so clever when he papered these thefts and made them law. But the Constitution says we have a right to refuse! That there will be no taxation without representation. Tell me - who represented us in parliament? Spoke on our behalf? Signed in our stead? Give me a name! Only, you can't! And do you know why? You can't tell me who represented us because nobody did."

When we at last came to a halt outside a corner shop named, very simply, General Store, I said, "I do hope that this is the shop that Achilles referred us to."

"If it is not, the old man will just have to deal with it," he said. "Would you care to join me indoors?"

I gestured to the door. "Ladies first."

He blinked. "Precisely."

I grinned. "You don't get it. I just called you a lady."

"Oh." He shrugged. "You first."

"Age before beauty," I said.

"Still you first."

"No pain, no gain," I countered back.

Now he was genuinely confused. "What pain?"

I punched his arm hard enough to make him stumble back in shock, and I laughed. "Come along, darling. In we go."

He made a particularly obscene gesture to me as he pulled the door open, and a blast of warm air hit us as we stepped inside. A fire blazed in the hearth at the opposite wall, colouring the wood plank walls and the stock that lined the shelves an aeneous orange colour.

"You lost?" a gruff voice asked from behind us. We both turned so see a rather large man at the desk. His navy jacket, though of a fine make, was stained along the sleeves and down the front, and he scratched at his dark beard, eyeing us thoughtfully.