The group was led into one such room, a large central chamber two stories in height and encircled by a balcony on the second floor. The ceiling high overhead was vaulted, and near the very center, a small cupola rose even higher, with arched windows set on each side to let in light. A pair of channels were set into the floor of the room, running in a weaving path from one side to the opposite, and water flowed into them from a stone-walled pond, making them small, slow-moving streams. The pond itself was fed from a miniature waterfall, tumbling down one wall of the room with a pleasant splashing sound. The indoor streams flowed to either side of an island in the center of the room, joining together again on the far side and disappearing beneath a wall. A pair of foot bridges passed over the natural barriers, and the whole length of the streams had more planters lining each bank, so that palm fronds and miniature willow trees leaned out over the sides and grew up to further divide the whole place.
"Please," Anista was saying as the procession followed her to the middle of the room, onto the island, where a large table and a set of chairs had been placed, "Find yourselves a seat. First, we will have tea and biscuit for a bit, and later, we can move to the dining room for a proper midday meal. Oh, I can't wait to catch up with you and find out what sorts of interesting things you Matrells are involved with."
Emriana found a seat at one end of the table, off by herself, and sat. A serving woman dressed in a crisp outfit appeared beside her, placing a delicate Calishite porcelain cup and saucer before her and filling it with rich, aromatic Amnian tea. A second dish containing thin wafers made of sweetened bread topped with whipped honey was set beside the tea, and the servant was gone, leaving Emriana to her own devices.
The girl spent a few moments just taking in the room, which, though it was no more opulent than the Matrell residence, was nonetheless impressive in its luxuriousness. Sitting where she was, Emriana could see down into the waterway that encircled the sitting area, and she spotted a school of brightly colored fish, red and blue and all feathery fins, swimming lazily about. On impulse, she broke off a bit of the sweetened bread and tossed it into the water. In the blink of an eye, the fish swarmed toward the bits of food, darting toward the surface and slipping away with the crumbs. Several of the creatures began to fight over the unexpected meal, and Emriana watched as they darted and ran, making ripples in the surface of the water.
"Oh, Em, you are a vision today," Anista said, her high-pitched voice drawing the girl back to the conversation. "Denrick will be very impressed," the woman added, a knowing grin on her face. "I'll bet you'd much prefer to go visit with him than to sit around here with all of us stuffy old crones, now wouldn't you?"
Emriana opened her mouth to deny the notion that she would like to spend any time at all with the woman's boorish son, then snapped it shut again helplessly as she spied her mother boring a hole into her daughter with her gaze. It was clear to the girl that her mother wished her to be as endearing and cooperative as possible.
Emriana finally nodded and managed to croak, "Yes, ma'am."
"Well then, dear, I think he's out on the back porch, though you'd better hurry. I think I remember him saying he planned to go riding today. Patimi here can show the way, if you've forgotten."
Emriana silently groaned but got up and curtsied before hurrying along, following the attendant Anista had indicated. The woman led Emriana through the house and out onto a tiled and covered porch with awning-covered arched windows looking out over a broad field that sloped down the hill toward a rather massive barn.
"Master Denrick, the Lady Emriana Matrell," Patimi intoned, bowing toward a man perhaps four years older than Emriana.
He was tall and somewhat lanky, but with a carefully coifed head of hair and matching goatee that was thick and black. He looked up as the two women approached, and his smile was predatory when he spotted Emriana. Sure enough, he was dressed for riding, and a stable boy was standing at the bottom of a set of steps that ran down from the porch with a fine-looking horse in his care.
"Hello, Em," Denrick said affably, belying the hungry look in his eyes. "You're looking wonderful today."
Emriana forced herself to smile back at the young man. "And you look like you're getting ready to go riding," she replied, hoping he'd ask her so she could decline.
"Why, yes I am. In fact, I was hoping you'd find your way out here, so you could go with me. A picnic with you under the shade of a tree sounds like a perfect day to me. What do you say?"
Emriana had to work to keep the delight out of her voice as she apologized.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Denrick, but as you can see, I'm not dressed for riding today, and I'm afraid I didn't bring along any other clothes on this trip."
Den rick looked crestfallen, but for only a moment before he brightened again.
"You can wear some of my sister's!" he said. "She has scads of things still in her old rooms, and I'm sure some of them will fit you."
Emriana swallowed, feeling backed into a corner.
"Oh, well, I…" she stammered, trying to think of an out. "My personal maid, Jaleene, was indisposed today and could not come, so there's really no way I could change without help, and-"
"I'm sure Patimi can help you," Denrick said, his smile fading as he looked at Emriana expectantly. "Surely it's not that difficult to change your clothes."
Emriana sighed quietly and succumbed. "Well, then, I'd be delighted," she lied.
"Wonderful! I'll have Turcan prepare a horse for you while you change."
With that, the young man stood up and began instructing the stable boy to fetch Emriana a gentle horse and put a suitable saddle on it.
Patimi, meanwhile, led the girl back into the house and into the chambers of Denrick's older sister, Lobra Pharaboldi, who had gotten married and moved into her husband's estate a couple of years previous. Emriana remembered meeting the woman but once, a long time ago. Patimi showed the girl where the wardrobes were and helped her choose a suitable outfit for riding and assisted while Emriana changed clothes. The girl thought the servant seemed a bit subdued, for Patimi spoke very little, other than to offer a word of instruction, but Emriana was too preoccupied with her impending afternoon with Denrick to think to ask the woman what was wrong.
At last, the girl was dressed in a set of breeches and a shirt with a loose-fitting vest over it, accompanied by a wide-brimmed hat and durable gloves, perfect for riding. She had to admit that she was more comfortable than she had been in the stiff, sumptuous dress. She followed the servant back outside, where Denrick was waiting, already mounted on his own horse, a bay named Shert. Emriana's mount, held still by Turcan for her as she climbed into the saddle, was a slightly smaller palomino named Goldy. Once she was situated, she took the reigns from Turcan and nodded to Denrick. Emriana had ridden often enough to feel confident, if not completely at ease, atop the mount Goldy proved to be a gentle creature, though, willing to follow Denrick as he turned Shert and headed around the side of the porch.
"First, well ride over to the back door of the kitchens and have the staff prepare a picnic basket for us," the boy called over his shoulder. "Then we can head over to a spot I like out toward the south wall."
"Lead the way," Emriana replied, determined to make the best of the trip and not give her mother any reason to frown at her.