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hrjWhen Margerit had first come to Rotenek, years before, she had found in Antuniet not a friend, but perhaps an ally. So much had come between them since then. Now everything Margerit tried to offer was met with prickly resentment--even the rescue of Antuniet's precious alchemy text.
* * *
“The copyists did their work well,” Antuniet said when the cups had been poured and the silence hadn't had time to become awkward yet. “Making two copies as a check was a good idea. I've only found a few common errors, though the diagrams were clearly more difficult. They did an excellent job on the ciphers and the Greek is accurate but I suspect they had little knowledge of Hebrew. I may need to have Anna come to help me sort things out some time.”
“I'd like that,” Margerit said eagerly. “I've hoped for a chance to see her again.”
“You could have come down to the workshop.”
“I didn’t know if…I didn’t want to intrude too much into your life.”
Antuniet gave a bitter laugh. “You’ve already intruded into every part of my life, why stop there?”
How to answer that?
Antuniet set her cup down and leaned forward. “Manners are like ice on the river: a smooth and polished surface, but brittle and treacherous if it needs to bear weight. I accept that you never meant to destroy my family; you only meant to survive. And yet, here I am. And there you are. I won’t set a price on that guilt but I’m willing to acknowledge that you are paying it.”
* * *
“The copyists did their work well,” Antuniet said when the cups had been poured and the silence hadn't had time to become awkward yet. “Making two copies as a check was a good idea. I've only found a few common errors, though the diagrams were clearly more difficult. They did an excellent job on the ciphers and the Greek is accurate but I suspect they had little knowledge of Hebrew. I may need to have Anna come to help me sort things out some time.”
“I'd like that,” Margerit said eagerly. “I've hoped for a chance to see her again.”
“You could have come down to the workshop.”
“I didn’t know if…I didn’t want to intrude too much into your life.”
Antuniet gave a bitter laugh. “You’ve already intruded into every part of my life, why stop there?”
How to answer that?
Antuniet set her cup down and leaned forward. “Manners are like ice on the river: a smooth and polished surface, but brittle and treacherous if it needs to bear weight. I accept that you never meant to destroy my family; you only meant to survive. And yet, here I am. And there you are. I won’t set a price on that guilt but I’m willing to acknowledge that you are paying it.”
