“Two weeks, if all goes as planned,” she answered. Roo studied the plump girl. She kept her hands quietly in her lap, and her posture was upright but not stiff or rigid. Her downcast eyes gave him a moment to study her face again. He had been looking for something in that face to arouse him since the day he had met her. He had a coldly calculated plan here, to woo and win this girl and use her father’s good offices to rise as a merchant, but each time he found himself with any opportunity to press his suit to her, he could think of nothing to say. He had at last come to the realization that he found nothing remotely attractive in her.
He had coupled with whores far uglier than Karli, with the taste of sour wine and bad teeth on their breath, but that had been on the trail, during war, and the prospect of looming death made each encounter urgent. This was different.
This was a commitment of a lifetime and carried with it great responsibilities. He was contemplating marriage and having children with this girl, yet he knew almost nothing about her.
Luis had said woo her, and de Loungville had said to stop talking about himself. Finally Roo said, “Karli?”
“Yes?” she glanced up at him.
“Ah . . .” he began, then, in a rush, “What do you think of this new contract with the palace?”
Roo cursed himself for an idiot before the words had finished echoing in the air. Here he was trying to convince this girl he would be a fit lover and husband, and the first question he asked was about business!
But instead of looking put out, she smiled slightly. “You want to know what I think?” she asked shyly.
“Well, you know your father,” he quickly said. “You’ve been around his work . . . all your life, I guess.” He found himself feeling more like an idiot each passing second. “I mean, you must have come to a conclusion or two on your own. What do you think?”
The girl’s smile broadened a little more. “I think having a steady flow of income, even a modest one, is far less risky than continuing to depend on luxuries.”
Roo nodded. “That’s what I thought” He decided she didn’t need to understand that be was the only freight hauler in the city the Prince would trust to bring in those critical supplies.
“Father always talks of maximizing profits, but when he does he also takes great risks. He’s had setbacks that have made it very difficult at times.” Her voice lowered as she realized she seemed to be criticizing her father. “He tends to remember the good times and forget the bad.”
Roo shook his head. “I’m the opposite, I think, if anything, I remember the bad all too easily.” Then he realized something about himself. “Truth to tell, there haven’t been all that many good times.” She was silent, and he shifted the topic of conversation. “So you think this contract with the palace a good one?”
“Yes,” she said, and then fell silent again.
Trying to think of the best way to draw her out, Roo at last said, “What about the contract is good?”
She smiled; for the first time since he had met her, Roo saw genuine amusement in her expression. And he was surprised to discover that she had dimples. For a brief instant he discovered that when she smiled she wasn’t anything close to being as plain as he had thought.
Suddenly finding himself flushing, he said, “Did I say something funny?”
“Yes.” She lowered her eyes again. “You didn’t tell me anything about the contract, so how would I know what about it could be good?”
Roo laughed. Obviously she just knew the basics of the contract, and given how little he had been able to share with Helmut, he realized she knew even less. “Well, it’s like this,” he began.
They talked, and Roo was astonished to find that Karli knew a great deal more about her father’s business than he ever would have suspected. More, she had a good mind for business; she asked questions at key moments and discovered weaknesses that Roo hadn’t anticipated.
Somewhere during the course of the night, Roo had opened a bottle of wine and they sipped at it. He had never noticed Karli drinking before, and he recalled with some self-condemnation that he had never really paid attention to the girl. Over the weeks he had been coming to pay court to her, he had really been trying to impress her, not to get to know her.
At one point he noticed she had risen to trim the wick in a lamp, then before he realized it, he heard a cock crow. Glancing at the window, he saw the sky beginning to lighten, and said, “Gods! I’ve been talking to you all night”
Karl laughed and blushed. “I’ve enjoyed it.”
“By Sung”—Roo invoked the Goddess of Truth—“so have I. It’s been a long time since I’ve had anyone to talk to . . . . “ He halted. She was now staring at him—and smiling.
On an impulse he leaned over and kissed her. He had never tried before and almost drew back, fearful that he had overstepped his bounds.
She didn’t resist, and it was a tender, soft kiss. Roo slowly pulled away, now completely confused. “Ah . . .” he said, “I’ll call for you tomorrow—tonight, if you don’t mind. We can visit the evening market. If you like!” The last came out in a rush.
She lowered her eyes, again now embarrassed. “I would like that.”
He moved toward the door but kept facing her, as if he were fearful of turning his back. “And we can talk,” he said.