Theodore (13 page)

“Caught you working hard, did we?”

“Well he did seem to always favor the girls to an honest
days’ work...”

“Girls indeed!  Is that two he's all snuggled up with?”

“Two girls indeed!  And they seem to be dressed well for
the heat.”

“Or not dressed as the case may be...”

Theodore looked up from the hammock he was sharing with
Anna and Meagan and looked at the pair of interlopers.  “Maurice, Marcel?”  he
laughed.  “What in the world are you doing here?”

The d'Evelston twins grinned as they walked up to the
hammock.

“Having a bit of a holiday out...”

“Seems the parents were encouraging us to explore a
bit...”

“They got tired of you and kicked you out of the house?”
laughed Theodore.  “And, oh, by the way, since when do you two know a bloody
thing about an honest days’ work?”

“We've been here all of two minutes and flinging insults,
he is!”

“After everything we've done for you; shipping you books
'n all!”

“And I was
very
thankful for those three books!”
replied Theodore with an honest smile.

Anna grinned, “So, these are the evil twins you talked so
much about?”

“Evil?  He called us evil?”

Anna laughed, “Letches, too, I do believe.  But from what
I gather you two wear that label like a badge of honor!  I don't suppose either
of you two speak a word of the Highland Old Tongue do you?  Meagan here doesn't
speak the trade tongue.”

Meagan for her part had propped her head on Theodore's
chest and was just watching the exchange with amusement.

Marcel cleared his voice and stated in a muddled version
of the Old Tongue, “Beer, please!”

They all had a good laugh at that.  Too good of a laugh as
Anna fell out of the hammock setting off a chain reaction that sent Meagan and
Theodore to the ground in short order.

Theodore laughed as he helped the two girls up and did his
best at introductions spanning two languages.  “These are some of my friends
from the university: Marcel and Maurice d'Elevston.  And these two lovely
ladies are my fiancées, Anna Westmore and Meagan Rose.”

“Fiancées.  Plural, did you catch that, Maurice?”

“Plural, indeed!  What a lovely pair... of ladies indeed!”

“Two of them... I think the lad must be a Highlander of
Afon.”

“How is it he came to
our
university was it then?”

“By scoring higher on the entrance exams than either of
you two,” grinned Theodore.

The twins grinned and nodded, “That might have had
something to do with it.”

Theodore just laughed, “Okay, so how long are you two
going to be around?”

“We've just gotten here and he's already trying to get rid
of us.”

“Maybe it is your reputation that has preceded you,”
grinned Anna.

“Oh, hurt, I am!  Stabbed me in the heart proper.  Only a
kiss will save me now!” mused Marcel.

“Okay,” grinned Anna.  “But I'm warning you, Theodore
likes to use tongue.”

Marcel broke out laughing, “Then maybe I'll give it a
miss, ma'am!  Nothing against you, Theodore.”

Theodore just grinned, “Want me to see if we can squeeze
you two in for dinner?  Meagan is visiting for the week so the table is already
crowded, but I'm sure we can work something out.”

“We could eat outside,” offered Anna with a grin.

Maurice just tutted, “Better idea: we take you and your
family into town and we pay!”

“If nothing else,”grinned Marcel, “than to see how well we
do ordering beer!”

Theodore suddenly caught sight of the Chief Constable Sean
retreating into the distance.  Apparently the twins had been given an escort. 
“Come on, let me introduce you to the rest of the family.  Second Mother and
little Rose can both speak a smattering of the trade tongue.  The rest of my
family, not so much.”

“Well, if little Rose is half as enchanting as these two
ladies, maybe that will serve us well enough.”

“She's adorable!” grinned Anna.  “But she is only six, by
the way.”

Maurice and Marcel both broke out laughing at that. 
“Oops!”

“So, it seems you two are taken by our choice of attire,”
teased Anna as she jiggled playfully.

“Hard to go wrong with knee high skirts and bikini tops,”
leered Marcel.

“Not quite as modest as I would have expected. 
Honestly...” added Maurice.

“Try wearing a fur coat in the middle of summer heat and
see how you fare,” grinned Anna.

“But you seem short the fur coat, miss.”

“Yeah, but I have to make sure I keep Theodore's
attention.”

“Okay,” interjected Theodore has his fur flared.  “That's
enough of that!  Inside!  All of you!”

Aidden, Fiona and Charlotte were happy to greet the new
guests and were tickled at the idea of going into town to dine with the young
men.  But it was ultimately up to Theodore and laughing Emily to sort out the
whole exchange through the mix of languages.

“Brought something you might like to see,” grinned Marcel
as he produced a folder of papers.  “Printouts from the news last week.”

“Figured you didn't have a gate-synced computer at your
house,” grinned Maurice.

“No.  No computer at all,” grinned Theodore as he started
to pour over the printouts with glee.

“What's it all about?” asked Emily Second mother as she
stared over his shoulder.

“That!” grinned Theodore as he held up a picture of a man
bound in shackles, “That is the man who threatened me there in the student
union!”

“They caught a right big lot of them!” grinned Marcel.

“Caught a few and then the door blew wide open.  Fifty
arrests on our planet alone.”

“More on three others.”

“So, does this mean you can safely go back to the
university?” asked bright eyed Emily.

“It looks that way!  Still going to wait for official word,
of course!”  Theodore was tickled pink!  Finally!  “Hey Dad,” he asked shifting
languages.  “When is the last time there was word on the planet of someone
looking for me?”

“Two weeks, maybe three.  I take it from your grin that
they caught the ruffians behind it all!”

“Not sure about all, but it’s a darn good start!”

There were grins and hugs all around as Theodore read the
highlights of the various news reports to his parents.  The relief on their
faces was obvious; they had all held themselves bravely for the children and a
sign, any sign, that it was starting to come to an end was well received.

“Does that mean you are going to go away?” asked Rose with
pain in her eyes.

Theodore all but melted as he scooped up his little
sister, “Yes, but not for several weeks yet.  Don't you worry.”

“I'm not worried.  I just like having the pretty girls
around,” smiled Rose.

Theodore laughed, “Me, too!”  He grinned as he looked at
his family and friends.  Yep, midterm and interterms were going to be back
home, even if it was a hassle...

“Enough of the giddy blubbering or you’re gonna' make my
brother and I go all teary eyed,” lamented Maurice mirthfully.

“Into town!  Food!” finished Marcel.  “I need a beer,” he
got out roughly in the Old Tongue to the amusement of all.

Theodore grinned broadly as they sat and ate in the posh
dining room attached to the Ashwood's pub.  He'd eaten in the pub before, many
times.  But the last time he'd been in the private dining room was when Emily
had married in, fourteen years ago!  It was a decorative and elegant affair. 
With no small amount of pride, he pointed out to the twins that the two murals
at each end of the room had been painted by his mothers.  They had been paid
well for those two paintings.  Now days their skill would have commanded an
even greater price.  The marketing of Fiona’s and Charlotte's talents had been
one of Emily's first pet projects.  That and teaching Theodore the common trade
tongue!  He smiled as he watched and
listened
to Rose talking with the
twins in the trade languages; she was quite good for her age and upbringing. 
It's not like they traveled!

“Are you two going to marry into one family?” asked Rose
to the twins.

Theodore laughed as for the first time ever, the
d'Elevston twins seemed without a witty reply.   “Well?” grinned Theodore.

“Her grammar and vocabulary are spot on,” began Maurice.

“But we're not sure what she means,” finished Marcel.

Rose laughed, “They are alternating like real twins!”

“As opposed to
fake
twins?” asked Anna, confused as
well.

Emily grinned, “It is not uncommon for twin girls to speak
as a block, alternating back and forth who is talking or talking in near
unison.”  She laughed, “Twin girls... First off you have to understand male
twins are unheard of in the Highlands.  And almost all twins are identical, or
mirrored identical.  But to address what little Rose was asking, we'll need a
quick lecture on Highland culture.”

“We're all ears, ma'am,” grinned the twins in unison.

“As you have no doubt heard from Theodore, and now
witnessed firsthand, a household is made up of several mothers and one father.”

“Four to one,”

“Girls to boys,”

“That is what Theodore said,” the twins replied.

“Correct!” grinned Emily.  “Thus three to five mothers in
a house is normal.  The order at which they enter has some social precedence. 
First Mothers are head of the house and run the family business while Third and
later mothers support the business.  Second Mothers primary concern is raising
and educating the children.  Twins are often viewed as good luck, and one of
the humorous side effects of that is twins quite often marry into a family at
the same time and take the same number.  Thus, one might have two First
Mothers, if they are twins.”

“Ah,” observed Marcel.  “So, Rose was curious if we would
both marry the same woman.”

The twins glanced at each other and quickly answered,
“No!”

Rose just giggled at the reply and how it was delivered.

“If you don't mind my curiosity, ma'am, how did you come
to speak so many languages?” asked Maurice.

Emily grinned, “My family ran a full service book shop. 
We arranged for printing down in the Lowlands, repaired books and sold books
both wholesale and retail.  Between having books of all languages around and my
Third Mother coordinating purchases and printings in the lowlands, I picked up
a few languages pretty quickly.  Theodore learned Gamehra just by proxy from
me, but we had to work right quick on the human trade tongue for his trip to
the university.”

“And quite well you did!” remarked Marcel with honest
admiration.

“Though some classes are actually in Gamehra as well,”
replied Theodore.  “If you want impressive, you should ask how long Anna had
being studying the Old Tongue before she arrived here.”

“Six weeks,” blushed Anna to the question hanging in the
air.  “It helped that my mother knew it pretty well and she worked with me a
lot!”

“Pretty well?  No, your mother speaks the language
flawlessly,” corrected Emily with a grin.  “She lacks the flair of the local
dialect, but so did you... for all of
three days!
”  She laughed and
smiled at Anna, “You have a very sharp ear!”

Anna blushed a little harder only to have Theodore lean
over and kiss her sending her into a laughing fit.  He grinned at Meagan and
shifted languages, “Sorry if we've been leaving you out of the conversation, so
how would you like one, too?”  He didn't wait for her response; he reached over
and kissed Meagan as well leaving both of them giddy as school girls.

Rose's eyes went wide with realization as she shifted to
the Old Tongue, “Sorry, First Momma!  I forgot...”

Fiona just laughed as she reached across the table and
beeped Rose on the nose.  “It's okay dear!  We're just tickled pink watching
you practice your language skills!”

“And the food is excellent!” grinned Charlotte.

“And I don't have to help clean!” added Aidden.

“Get a new letter from your parents?” asked Emily as she
watched Anna intently reading on the living room couch.

Anna flashed Emily and Theodore both a grin as she looked
up, “Well, my mother at least.  Apparently Dad is still
mad!
” Anna giggled,
“But at least he's back in the house.  Just being all mopey.”

“Ah!  Teenagers' revenge,” grinned Theodore.

“Yeah, but when
I
was all mopey around the house, I
didn't have an audience.”

“I'm just glad your mother and father are back together
again,” replied Emily honestly.

Anna blew a raspberry.  “He ought to be glad that my mom
let him back home!”  She laughed hard.

Theodore smiled; it was good that Anna was rolling so well
with an obviously tense situation.

“Mom wants to know what is normal and appropriate for
wedding gifts: dishes, housewares, furniture or what.”

“We're going to need a new roof almost immediately,”
observed Theodore.

Ah, Emily's turn with the raspberry!  “Oh heavens, you
want something nice around the house from your parents, not something as
impersonal as a new roof!  Furniture, dishes, rugs or carpets, any of those
things!  She does know that Meagan is marrying in at the same time, yes?”

Anna smiled and nodded, “Yes!  The trick with my mother is
not
having her come up with two sets of things for each of us gals, but
rather make sure she doesn't come up with a
dozen
things!”

“You're her only child, let her splurge!” grinned Emily.

Anna grinned, “It won't make the Rose family uncomfortable
if my mom gets silly?”

“Quite honestly,
we
won't be able to do as much as
we'd like, so by all means, if you can fill the house, do so!  The Roses are
fairly well to do also; I think that Meagan is their first daughter to be
married.  Their boy, Ross, married, oh! three years ago I believe.  Now if you
want something painted...” grinned Emily.

Anna's eyes went wide, “Oh, would I!  The attic is
fantastic!”

“Something in frames this time, that way you can take it
with you if you move to a larger house later,” smiled Emily happy that the
ladies talents were so well appreciated.  “Hopefully, we'll be able to provide
a little better when it is little Rose and Abby's turn,” she offered
apologetically.

“Mom, you are doing wonderfully for us!  Don't worry!”
offered Theodore.  Emily seemed unconsoled so he moved over and kissed her on
the cheek.  That did better!

“Speaking of the little ones, is Charlotte's morning
sickness doing better?” asked Anna.

Emily grinned as she thought of the new child coming into
the house, “One moves out just as the next comes in...” she laughed before
replying.  “Actually she has not really had morning sickness, more of just very
early morning munchies... a lot!”

“Weird question,” asked Anna suddenly.  “Are the Roses
originally from a different region?  Their family name is different in
structure compared to most.”

“Yes, well I guess Rosefield or Silverrose would be more
common around here.  Actually the family line is from offworld.  Their First
Mother married into the Highlands.”

“Her name had been Sylva, she was adopted into a new family
right before she married,” added Theodore.  “First
and
Second Mother
both are from offworld.”

Emily just grinned at him, “I did not know that!”

They were interrupted by a knock at the door.  They turned
to find Chief Constable Sean Coldwell at the door.

“Is there a problem?” asked Emily suddenly concerned.

“Not at all,” he grinned.  “May I?”

“Oh yes!  Please come in!”

Sean smiled as he entered and turned to Theodore, “Two
pieces of business for you.  The Trakvell government sent this by courier and I
was supposed to hand deliver it to you.”  He handed Theodore a official looking
envelope before continuing, “And, by way of the Altshea government, I'm
supposed to give you this!”  He grinned broadly as he handed Theodore a heavy
satchel that jingled brightly as he passed it over.

Theodore looked in the satchel first and his eyes went
wide, “I don't think I've ever seen that much money in one place before...”

“Would have been a wee bit more if you hadn't put an arrow
through that guy’s pistol.  But
I
am not complaining!” laughed Sean.

“And
that
is how you pay for your new roof,”
grinned Anna.  “But what of the letter?”

Theodore nodded as he opened the letter with some
trepidation.  “It's from Agent Telmark!” he grinned.  “On behalf of the
Provincial and Federal Police as well as the President of the Phillips-Grauer
University, I am encouraged to return for the next academic term!”

“Finally!” beamed Anna.

“Finally, indeed!” grinned Emily.

 Theodore's eyes went wide as he sat with Anna and counted
the money from the satchel on the kitchen table.  “Wow!  With the first bag
added to this we have almost thirteen thousand.  Um... and that is
after
taking two thousand out for old lady Deidre's place.”

Anna smiled but there was something odd in her expression.

“What's wrong Anna?”

“Um...  This money came to us under desperate
situations...”

“At
my
expense!  So much the more reason to make
good of it.”  Her face still seemed pained.  “Okay girl, what is it?”

Anna frowned, “I don't know what to say.  I'm kinda
embarrassed...”

“Usually when you are embarrassed you blush.  What is it?”

“Um, I have money at home.  Savings for a car and other
things...”

“Very practical of you.  What's the problem then?”

“After the exchange rate it boils down to almost
twelve-thousand.”

Theodore laughed, “What's wrong with that?”

“Well.  It just doesn't seem right.  I mean you were
worried about getting two thousand together and I could have covered it no
problem but I didn't say anything.  It's just that... well... I mean, I just
didn't want to embarrass you...”

“You wouldn't have embarrassed me,” laughed Theodore.  “I
think I see your problem.  If I understand the 'world view' that you grew up
with, the traditional role model for the male is 'the provider.'  Is that
correct?”

Anna laughed, “Yeah.  And hey, you used my two least
favorite words without making me flinch.”

“'World view?'” grinned Theodore.

“That's the two!” laughed Anna.

“What planet are we on?”

“Um, Afon...”

“Where on Afon?”

“The Highlands!” laughed Anna slightly confused.

“And who is head of the household?”

“Um, Fiona.”

Theodore laughed, “No, in general terms.”

“The First Mother,” grinned Anna.

“Last time we talked about it, Meagan was coming in as
Second Mother.  That means you are coming in...”

“As First Mother!” laughed Anna.  “Okay, I get your
point.  Rather than be embarrassed
for
you I should be proud for what I
can bring to the family.”

“Exactly!” grinned Theodore as he reached across the table
and kissed  Anna.

Anna savored the mood before launching into a giggling
fit.  “I'm not used to being the responsible one...”

“I think the phrase is, 'welcome to adulthood.'”

Anna grinned, “Something like that.  Okay, after paying
Deidre, we,
we
, will have around twenty-five thousand.  We know we'll
need to reroof, replace windows and things.  What else will need to be done?”

“I don't know.  How about we go over and visit her and
check out the place?”

Anna laughed, “There you go being practical!  Is it okay?”

“Why wouldn't it be?”

“She's deaf... Is that going to be a problem with visiting
her?”

“She can lip read so-so, and when she goes to market she
carries a slate and chalk.  She's fairly practical about her situation”

“Then let's!”

Anna's eyes went wide as they threaded through the woods
and finally came to the clearing that was Deidre's abode: it was gorgeous!  A
proud and stately house with timberframe upper floors and elegant stonework for
the ground floor.  The path to the house was pea sized
river gravel with
larger stone edging which was then flanked by long rows of flowers.  The proud
old lady was visible as they approached as she worked diligently in her herb
garden on the side of the house.

“It's darling!” grinned Anna.  “And... it's huge!”

“Nah, my parent's place is just tiny.  My dad estimated
it's about four thousand square feet.”

“What's that in square meters,” asked Anna somewhat
embarrassed.

“About 370 or so.”

“My
parent's
place is 250 square meters...” she
laughed.

“Yeah, but they had all sorts of amenities.”

“Heat and running water--that's all we need!  Glad to lose
the phone and computers and it's not like we need a car!” beamed Anna.

“Remember, we are
starting
off with three people in
the house.  Average is four mothers and six kids.  That is eleven people under
one roof.  Ten years from now you may find the place a little small...”

“But in the meantime it is palatial!” laughed Anna.

Deidre caught sight of the couple approaching and waved as
she set down her herb basket and tools.  She grinned broadly and was soon on
top of them.  She moved pretty fast for her age!  Her ears may not serve her
well, but her knees were good!  “Hello, dears!” she beamed as she hugged them
both.  “Come to see the house, I take it!”

“If it is not an imposition, ma'am,” grinned Anna.

“Only caught part of that, deary,” Deidre laughed.  “Let's
just try a 'yes' or 'no.'”

“Yes!  Please!”

Deidre grinned broadly, “That's better.  Just help
yourselves and go on in.  Look anywhere you want; I'm going to try and finish
my gardening.  Oh, the door in front of the stairs is stiff, you may have to
put your shoulder into it.  You'll want to open some windows upstairs, it's all
closed up and stuffy.  I've just been living on the ground floor.  Go on!  Go! 
Have a good look-see!”

Anna laughed and hugged Deidre.  That was well received
and the friendly old lady just laughed, “Oh, you two are so precious.  Next
time you come, you bring darling Meagan, too!”

“Yes, ma'am!” beamed Anna.

“Shoo!  Go explore!  I've got plants calling to me.”

 The pair both giggled as they explored the ground floor;
it was an elegant house but showing some minor signs of its age.  A few
windowsills showed a bit of water damage and the walls could use fresh paint,
but it was a solid house that had, like its present owner, aged gracefully. 

“Very large kitchen.  Um, no dining room?”

“There is a dining room,” grinned Theodore.  “It's just
that the lady of the house is currently using it for a bedroom.”

Anna laughed at the realization.  “Well, practical if
living alone.  Whoa!  The pantry is almost big enough for a bedroom!”

“Root cellar,” observed Theodore as he pointed to a trap
door in the floor.  They quickly looked down into the space below and Anna
broke out laughing.

“Um, no.  It isn't a root cellar.  It's a
wine
cellar!”

“I hear you complaining, too!” grinned Theodore.

They quickly started to explore the upstairs as well.  The
door that the kind lady had warned them about, was stiff, not quite stuck. 
Nothing three drops of oil couldn't fix.  The air upstairs was stale, as she
had warned, so they quickly opened a series of windows to air the place out. 

“Master bedroom and bath, library, sitting room and what
I'm guessing is the nursery.  Furniture goes with her, of course,” observed
Theodore.  “You know what Meagan's first question is going to be?” he grinned.

Anna just grinned as she shook her head.

“'Where are we going to put a piano?'” he grinned.

Anna laughed, “Not upstairs!  Oh, their whole family oozes
music.”

“Heck, their cousins and in-laws do, too!” grinned
Theodore.

“Did you see the rugs in the master bedroom?  Oh, wow! 
Umm... Your father wasn't kidding when he said we'd want to replace them even
if they stay.”

“Hideous, weren't they?” grinned Theodore.  “I'm sure we
can find a home for them somewhere.  Or have them shredded and turned into
felt.”

The third floor provided four more bedrooms and two more
baths.  A few more windows with minor damage but ultimately a very stout house
indeed!

“How much is this house actually worth?” whispered Anna as
the realization of
what
a wedding gift they were being given for only
few thousand talirs.  “I mean, there are like five windows that need repairs
and it needs a new roof.  Honestly I was expecting a little cottage in the
woods.  This is massive!”

Theodore swished his whiskers and thought a bit, “I'd have
guessed over a hundred thousand, even with the repairs.  Oops,  going to have
to replace a few faucets!” he observed as he played with the sink.  It gurgled
a bit and took a moment for the water to run clean, but the pressure was good
and the hot water ran just the same.  If only they didn't leak...

“Five bedrooms plus nursery, three baths...” began Anna.

“Four and a half baths: there was one and a half baths on
the ground floor,” corrected Theodore.

Anna suddenly seemed distant, “You'll be nineteen, Meagan
and I will be eighteen.  I'll still be training with the Firemeadows and we are
being given a five bedroom,
gorgeous
house to start our new lives off
with.” Anna sat on the stairs and started crying.

Theodore was horribly confused and sat next to her trying
to console her.  “Hey!  What's wrong?”Anna continued bawling as she hugged
Theodore.  He quickly, firmly and warmly returned the embrace.  Worried more
than before.