A question

As Bettina left, Kopa returned and took her place by the fire.

“Did you have a good day?” he asked her.

“Yes, Bettina has been verry kind and patient with me” Mary answered, smiling at him.

“She likes you Marry, as I knew that she would. Do you like it here? I know it has only been a day, but if you feel uncomfortable, I want you to tell either me or Bettina”

“I really, really, like it here. It feels like a home” she told him.

“I’m happy to hear that, and I hope that you will consider it your home. Now, what was it you wanted to ask me?”

Mary got nervous and turned to look at her fiddling hands in her lap.

“I was just wondering if it was possible to send a letter to Dermes from here and if it was possible, how much does it cost?” she asked and gave Kopa a sideway glance before returning to look at her hands.

“It’s possible, there are traders that go that way regularly that can bring letters. You don’t need to think about the cost, I would pay for it. Is there someone you would like to send a letter to?” he asked and sounded apprehensive.

“Yes, I would like to send a letter to Mrs. Bore, the castellans wife. She has always been kind to me, and I would like her to know that I made it home safely” Mary said.

“That can be arranged, it’s no problem Mary” Kopa said, looking relieved.

“Really?” Mary sounded exited and looked up at him.

“Really, I have brought writing supplies as you asked. So all you need to do is write a letter and I will se to it that it will be sent” Kopa said and couldn’t help smiling at how happy the news had made Mary. “Was there anything else you wanted to ask?”

“No, that is all. I have spent the day asking Bettina all kind of things, I need to ration it a bit.” Mary told him and made him laugh.

“Mary, you don’t have to ration your questions. Just ask us anything that pops into your head. I have never known you to ask unnecessary questions.” he said, still chuckling and Mary nodded.

Bettina announced that dinner was ready and all three of them sat down to eat. Mary loved the feeling of belonging to a family. She still wondered if there wasn’t something that they expected from her. But for now, she decided to relax and enjoy life.

Wasn’t that a part of why she agreed to come here? To try and find peace and happiness? She felt she was making progress already on those things. And it was only her first day here.

After dinner, Mary and Kopa washed the dishes so that Bettina could relax. As both of them joined her in front of the fireplace in the living room Mary remained standing.

“I think I will go to my room to unpack and maybe write that letter” she said, shifting from one foot to the other. “If that is okay with you?”

“Of course dear, you go ahead. If there is anything you need, you let us know.” Bettina said, looking up from her embroidery.

“I will go and get your writing equipment.” Kopa said, going into the kitchen. When he came back, he had a stack of paper with him and a little wood box.

“Here is your paper and inside the box you will find quills and ink. If you run out of anything, just let me know. You don’t need think about making it last. Use as much as you need.” He said handing it to her.

“Thank you Kopa, I appreciate it” Mary said and then she went upstairs into her room.

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Bettina put down her work and looked up at Kopa. He was sitting looking into the fire, he looked content and happy she thought, and she smiled at him.

“She is an amazing person” Bettina said in a low voice, not wanting Mary to overhear the conversation. Kopa turned to her and gave her one of his fleeting smiles, a rarity even for her to see.

“She is, isn’t she” he agreed.

“I’m just worried that she sometimes gets this look in her eyes, like she is overcome with sadness or insecurity.”

“I know what you are talking about, and it pains me to se that look. But she is already a lot better than she was when we first found her in the kitchen. She is smiling now, and she has started asking questions. I think that it will get better. As long as we show her that she is safe” Kopa said, becoming more serious.

“I hope so, I hope that she will feel at home here. It has been a day and I already feel like she belongs here.”

“She asked me about sending back a letter to Domne and my first reaction was to say no. I was afraid that she would want to contact that boy” when he said the word ‘boy’ his face had a look of anger and disgust.

“Did you tell her she couldn’t send it?” Bettina asked in an accusing tone.

“No, I said that it could be done and then asked who see wanted to send it to. It turns out it was for one of her friends.”

“Good, even if she wanted to send it to that boy, we can’t stop her my love” Bettina told him in a calm voice. He didn’t answer, he just looked like he wanted to kill someone and huffed.

“We have to let her live her life and make her own choices, even when it’s the wrong one. We can guide her, but we can’t force her.” she continued, looking strictly at him. He shrugged.

“Did you ever find out what the boy did? Why she is so upset?” she then asked.

“No, Tariana knows the whole story, at least most of it. She didn’t tell me anything other than that he broke her heart by acting inconsiderate. I think Tariana didn’t tell me because she thought I would do something to him.” he said grumpily, and after a pause to think he added. “She might be right”

It was Bettina’s turn to huff, not as an objection to what he had said, but as an agreement that she would join him. Kopa smiled at her protectives.

“I meet him once” Kopa told her. “Before we ran in to him she seemed happy and she smiled. After she talked to him, it was just a couple of sentences with me standing next to them, she looked so sad, like all the joy had been sucked out of her.” Kopa told Bettina and she could hear the frustration in his voice.

“Now she is here, and we can help her to heal” she told him, placing a gentle hand on his arm.

“I don’t know how to thank you enough for letting her stay with us” Kopa said to her, looking into her eyes.

“No thank you is needed. She belongs here” Bettina stated and Kopa nodded in agreement. “I will make some hot milk with honey for her in a while. You can bring it to her” she said.

Bettina looked at Kopa as he settled into his chair again, looking into the fire. He had always talked about the little girl he had gotten to know. From the first time he had talked about Mary, Bettina had known that one of his biggest regrets in life was to leave her behind.

She also understood the pain that he felt when he discovered that she hadn’t been kept safe. If it was one thing that Kopa believed in, it was to keep the people he loved safe. When he had come barging in three days ago, looking as nervous as the day that he proposed to her. She had known that if she had said no to his request, it would have drove him insane.

That knowledge, in combination with her own nurturing nature, had made the decision to accept the young woman easy. Know she found that she was almost as dedicated to Mary as Kopa was. She wondered what the future had in store for Mary.

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