Part 13 (1/2)
”I was afraid you might have grown weary of slave-tales. I fear they are repet.i.tious. 'I was seized by raiders from the next village...traded to the tribe across the river...marched to the edge of the great water, marked with a hot iron, put aboard s.h.i.+p, dragged off of it half dead, now I chop sugar cane.' ”
”All human stories are in some sense repet.i.tious, if you boil them down so far. Yet people fall in love.”
”What?”
”They fall in love, Dappa. With a particular particular man or woman, and no one else. Or a woman will have a baby, and love that baby forever...no matter how similar its tale might seem to those of other babies.” man or woman, and no one else. Or a woman will have a baby, and love that baby forever...no matter how similar its tale might seem to those of other babies.”
”You are saying,” Dappa said, ”that we make connections with other souls, despite the sameness-”
”There is no sameness sameness. If you looked down upon the world from above, like an albatross, you might phant'sy there was some sameness among the people crowding the land below you. But we are not albatrosses, we see the world from ground level, from within our own bodies, through our own eyes, each with our own frame of reference, which changes as we move about, and as others move about us. This sameness sameness is a conceit of yours, an author's hobgoblin, something you fret about in your hammock late at night.” is a conceit of yours, an author's hobgoblin, something you fret about in your hammock late at night.”
”In truth, I have my own cabin, and do my fretting in a bed bed nowadays.” nowadays.”
Eliza did not answer. Quite some time ago she had reached the far end of the room, which Dappa guessed was the front of the house, and during this exchange she had been peering out across Leicester Fields through a tiny round window. If this were a s.h.i.+p, she'd be keeping her eye on the weather. But it wasn't; so what could she be looking at?
”All that is wanted,” she continued distractedly, ”is for a reader to recognize a kindred soul in a single one a single one of your narratives, and that will suffice to prove, for that reader, that Slavery is an abomination.” of your narratives, and that will suffice to prove, for that reader, that Slavery is an abomination.”
”Perhaps we should be printing them up separately, as pamphlets.”
”Broadsheets are cheaper, and may be posted on walls, et cetera et cetera.”
”Ah, you are far ahead of me.”
”Distribution is my concern-Collection is yours.”
”What are you looking out the window for? Afraid you were followed?”
”When a d.u.c.h.ess comes off a foreign s.h.i.+p in the Pool and travels through London in a train of a dozen coaches and waggons, she is is followed,” Eliza said levelly. ”I am taking a census of my followers.” followed,” Eliza said levelly. ”I am taking a census of my followers.”
”See anyone you know?”
”There is an aged Puritan I think I recognize...and some nasty Tories...and too many curtain-twitching neighbors to count.” She turned away from the window and demanded, in a wholly new tone of voice, ”Anything good from Boston?”
”They are mostly Angolans there, and my command of that language is not what it used to be. The Barkers have become so aggressive in Ma.s.sachusetts-handing out pamphlets on street-corners...”
This, which he'd thought she'd find interesting intelligence, bored her right back to gazing out the window. Of course she would know precisely what the Barkers were up to in Ma.s.sachusetts. ”The result,” he continued, ”is that the slave-owners there are more watchful than the ones in, say, Brazil, and when they see their slave having a lengthy conversation with a strange well-dressed Blackamoor-”
”You did not collect anything useful in Boston,” she said shortly.
”Am I too discursive in my responses, your grace?”
”Am I too much the Editor?” She was done peering, and was returning to him.
”This room is the reverse of a Bilge,” Dappa realized. ”That is, if you took Minerva Minerva and capsized her, so that her masts were pointed straight down towards the center of the earth, then her keel would be high and dry, like this ridge-beam above our heads, and the hull-planks would form a pitched roof.” and capsized her, so that her masts were pointed straight down towards the center of the earth, then her keel would be high and dry, like this ridge-beam above our heads, and the hull-planks would form a pitched roof.”
”And it would still be crowded with stored objects, like this garret.”
”Is that what you call it?”
”Starving writers live in them.”
”Is that an offer of lodgings, or a threat of starvation?”
”It depends on whether you bring back some apt Narrations from your next sea-voyage,” she said with a smile. She'd come abreast of him now, and took his arm. ”Where to next?”
”Boston again.”
They could see down those stairs now. Servants were standing anxiously below, coming in earshot. ”And your grace?” Dappa added, distinctly.
”Oh-do you mean, where am I off to next?”
”Yes, my lady. You've just returned from Hanover, I gad?”
”Antwerp,” she whispered. ”I am here now, Dappa, for-what do you call it-the long haul.” she whispered. ”I am here now, Dappa, for-what do you call it-the long haul.”
They descended the stairs-a simple procedure made longer and more complicated than it ought to have been by the helpful strivings of the servants, and of some members of the d.u.c.h.ess's household. Dappa's ear, ever tuned to languages, picked out an exchange in German between two young women. They were dressed as if they were merely Gentle. But Dappa thought they carried themselves n.o.bly.
DAPPA HAD FIRST SEEN E ELIZA some twenty years earlier. He'd been eager to hate her. He, Jack, van Hoek, and Vrej Esphahnian had sailed from Vera Cruz on a s.h.i.+p full of gold, bound for London or Amsterdam, and had diverted to Qwghlm only because of Jack's infatuation with this woman. The letter that had lured them there had turned out to be a trick, a forgery from the hand of the Jesuit father edouard de Gex, and some twenty years earlier. He'd been eager to hate her. He, Jack, van Hoek, and Vrej Esphahnian had sailed from Vera Cruz on a s.h.i.+p full of gold, bound for London or Amsterdam, and had diverted to Qwghlm only because of Jack's infatuation with this woman. The letter that had lured them there had turned out to be a trick, a forgery from the hand of the Jesuit father edouard de Gex, and Minerva Minerva had fallen into a trap laid for them there by the French. A kind of justice had been served on Jack. Dappa, van Hoek, and the crew of had fallen into a trap laid for them there by the French. A kind of justice had been served on Jack. Dappa, van Hoek, and the crew of Minerva Minerva had been allowed to sail away, but only after the gold in had been allowed to sail away, but only after the gold in Minerva Minerva's hold had been seized by the French. They'd been left with nothing more than the thin plates of gold that had been put on on the hull, below the water-line, when the s.h.i.+p had been built on a Hindoostan beach. That, and the s.h.i.+p itself. the hull, below the water-line, when the s.h.i.+p had been built on a Hindoostan beach. That, and the s.h.i.+p itself. Minerva Minerva was a home and an income, but only as long as they continued sailing her to and fro. They had, in other words, been condemned to spend the rest of their lives in dangerous toils and wanderings. This suited van Hoek perfectly. Not so much Dappa. was a home and an income, but only as long as they continued sailing her to and fro. They had, in other words, been condemned to spend the rest of their lives in dangerous toils and wanderings. This suited van Hoek perfectly. Not so much Dappa.
They did not own Minerva Minerva. The owners were, in order of precedence, Queen Kottakkal of Malabar, Electress Sophie of Hanover, van Hoek, Dappa, Jack Shaftoe, and some old comrades of theirs who at last report were dwelling on the isle of Queenah-Kootah, off Borneo. For the most part these investors were far away and had not the faintest idea of how to reach them, which were good investors to have. Even Sophie reigned over a land-locked Electorate. But in time they received a message written in her hand and bearing her seal, letting them know that she was naming Eliza, d.u.c.h.ess of Arcachon and of Qwghlm, as her proxy, and that they should report to her whenever they dropped anchor in the Pool of London, to hand over Sophie's share of the profits, and to be managed.
Dappa had gone to the first such meeting with dim expectations. He and the others had heard so much of this d.u.c.h.ess's beauty from Jack, and, at the same time, had learned to harbor such grave reservations as to Jack's powers of discernment, that he could only expect to be confronted with some one-toothed, poxy hag.
The event was rather different. To begin with, the woman had been all of about thirty-five years old. She had all of her teeth and had come through smallpox with only moderate scarring. So she was, for a start, not loathsome. She had keen blue eyes and yellow hair, which of course looked bizarre to Dappa. But he'd grown used to van Hoek, a red-head, which proved he could adjust to anything. Her small nose and mouth would have been considered beautiful among the Chinese, and in due time he understood that many European men's tastes ran along similar lines. If her nose and cheeks had not been disfigured by freckles, Dappa might have been able to bring himself round to thinking she was attractive. But she was small-waisted and bony. In every way, Eliza was the opposite of voluptuous. Voluptuous was what Dappa liked, and from the looks of the sculptures and frescoes he observed round London and Amsterdam, his tastes seemed to be shared by many a European man.
The topic of their first meeting had been Accounting. And so even if Dappa had felt the slightest attraction for the woman at the beginning of the day, it would long since have vanished when he stumbled out the door of her town-house twelve hours later. Eliza, it turned out, had a vicious head for numbers, and wanted to know where every farthing had gone since Minerva Minerva's keel had been laid. Considering all they'd been through, her questions had been impertinent. Many a man would have back-handed her across the face, most would have stormed out. But Eliza was representing one of the most powerful persons in Christendom, a woman who could destroy Minerva Minerva in so many different ways, that her only difficulty would lay in choice of weapon. Dappa had checked his temper partly because of that, but also partly because he knew in his heart that in so many different ways, that her only difficulty would lay in choice of weapon. Dappa had checked his temper partly because of that, but also partly because he knew in his heart that Minerva Minerva ought to keep her books more carefully. They had lost their two members who knew how to keep accounts: Moseh de la Cruz, who had gone to colonize the country north of the Rio Grande, and Vrej Esphahnian, who had given his life revenging himself on the ones who had ensnared them. Since then, the books had become a mess. He'd known for a long time that a settling of accounts would have to come some day and that it would be ugly and painful. It could have come about in worse ways than over a table with this funny-looking young d.u.c.h.ess. ought to keep her books more carefully. They had lost their two members who knew how to keep accounts: Moseh de la Cruz, who had gone to colonize the country north of the Rio Grande, and Vrej Esphahnian, who had given his life revenging himself on the ones who had ensnared them. Since then, the books had become a mess. He'd known for a long time that a settling of accounts would have to come some day and that it would be ugly and painful. It could have come about in worse ways than over a table with this funny-looking young d.u.c.h.ess.
In the years since, they'd met from time to time to settle accounts. She'd learned of his strange habit of collecting and writing down slave-stories (”Why do you spend so much of our money on paper and ink!? What are you doing, throwing it overboard?”) and she had become his publisher (”We can at least endeavour to make your hobby pay its own way.”). Years had gone by. He had wondered how she would age. Unable to think of her as a woman (for to him Queen Kottakkal, six feet tall and three hundred pounds, was a woman), he had made up his mind, after seeing a performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream A Midsummer Night's Dream in London, that she was a faery. What did an old, or even a middle-aged, faery-queen look like? in London, that she was a faery. What did an old, or even a middle-aged, faery-queen look like?
THEY SAT DOWN now in a little upstairs chamber of Leicester House, less formal than a Withdrawing Room, and she fearlessly took a seat facing a window. Moreover, a west-facing window that was admitting red sunset-light. Dappa studied her. now in a little upstairs chamber of Leicester House, less formal than a Withdrawing Room, and she fearlessly took a seat facing a window. Moreover, a west-facing window that was admitting red sunset-light. Dappa studied her.
”What do you see?” she asked, studying him back.
”I can no longer see you as anything other than my friend, patroness, and Lady, Eliza,” he answered. ”Marks of age, health, experience, and character, which a stranger might phant'sy he perceived in your face, are invisible to me.”
”But what do you really see?”
”I have not looked at enough skinny white women to be an apt judge. But I see that bone structure is a good thing to have, and that you have it; lo, the Creator hung you on an excellent frame.”
She found this curiously amusing. ”Have you ever seen an Arcachon, or an honest rendering of one?”
”Only you, my lady.”
”I mean, an hereditary Arcachon. Suffice it to say that they are not not hung on good frames, and they well know it. And I owe my position in the world today, not to wit or courage or goodness, but to my being hung on a good frame, and being able to propagate it. And what think you of that, Dappa?” hung on good frames, and they well know it. And I owe my position in the world today, not to wit or courage or goodness, but to my being hung on a good frame, and being able to propagate it. And what think you of that, Dappa?”