Jessamine wasn’t a member of our clan and she wouldn’t be staying beyond winter, so she wouldn’t be expected to take on a role here. If she did, that would give her permanence among the clan. That was why the females laughed, mocking Jessamine for thinking she had a place here. And though she was merely a guest, I wouldn’t have her be ridiculed for wanting to help.
“Yes, Lord Redvyr. You may go.”
I frowned, wondering why I was being dismissed. Then Sorka clarified. “I will need to get her measurements, then she will try on some dresses to see which one fits.”
Heat crawled up my chest and neck as I imagined Jessamine disrobing. I turned and called over my shoulder. “Bes, bring her to my tent when you are done.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Then I was gone, needing some fresh air and to see Bezaliel. We needed to plan to move the camp.
Chapter 8
JESSAMINE
Sorka dismissed all of the beast fae females who had been embroidering and stitching a great many garments when I’d arrived.
“I think some privacy is needed,” she said to me when they left.
“I appreciate that.”
It was obvious the other females didn’t like my presence. And while I understood them mistrusting a stranger, a light fae at that, I wished they didn’t dislike me so much.
“May I stay, Mama?” asked the sweet-faced girl with two horns curling prettily out of her chestnut hair.
“No, my sweet.”
“Oh, please, please—”
“I don’t mind,” I interjected. “Bes will need to get measurements for my hands to make my gloves.”
“Yes, she’s right, Mama,” she said, her orange eyes wide and pleading, brown freckles dappling her nose.
“Alright then.” Sorka gestured for me to follow her to a wooden frame where many garments were hung on pegs. “I mayhave something that fits your height, but I believe we will have to make adjustments to the bodice.”
She wasn’t being impolite. I’d already noted that the beast fae females were built taller and more delicate-boned than the males of the clan. They were slim, while I was a more full-figured female.
“Let’s see. This one may be just the right length. I added a fur trim to the rounded neckline for extra warmth.”
At home in Morodon, I had dressed in fine silks with detailed embroidery of water lilies and sea creatures. The weather was temperate, so we never needed to dress for warmth. By the time I got to the Borderlands, I’d already traded my finer gown for a practical one. I acquired a few more in the same simple, homespun style with a working woman’s bodice, changing my chemise daily and washing my few dresses twice a week
But this was something I never imagined wearing. The entire dress was made of a soft hide dyed a pale green, with the inside wool lining being a deeper shade of green. There was the softest brown and white fur lining the scooped neck all the way around. More fur trim ringed the wrists of the long sleeves. The dress was one piece, but the skirt was sewn in different panels than the top.
“I just finished this one a few days ago. I’m very proud of it.”
“You should be. How did you get the hide this color?”
“The leaves of the elderberry tree are ground into a paste and when added with deer tallow, it not only dyes the fabric, but softens the hide further.” She pointed to the fur. “This here is from a mountain hare. I am able to gather all of my resources in the spring and summer. Then I spend autumn and winter sewing and embroidering, teaching the others in the guild who work here.”
She began to loosen the laces at the back of the gown. I wasn’t shy, so I undressed quickly, untying my apron first then undoing the lacings of my bodice. After setting those on a worktable, Islipped my dress over my head, noting that Bes was staring at me.
“Beska, don’t be rude.”
The pretty girl quickly ducked her head and looked at the floor.
“It’s okay,” I laughed. “I imagine you’ve never seen a skald fae before.”
She lifted her head and shook it. “You don’t have horns. And your skin is so white. Your hair as red as a summer plum. And your hands are weird with the skin in between your fingers.”
