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I needed my own interpreter: someone who would speak for my interests, with more loyalty to me than my lord, and not sworn to him by an oath of honor. Someone who had the strength to stand up to him. Elise was the obvious choice.
But how was I to teach her the words for the hand signs? I could not speak, and she could not read. I would need Sharp’s help.
I went to him with my slate and chalk in hand, and wrote out my request. He paused in his wooing of the castle maids, and agreed. We summoned Elise and, as it was a fine day, went to the bailey. They shared a bench outside the smithy, and I sat on an upturned barrel.
"Food," I wrote on the slate, and turned it around. Sharp read the word out loud while I made the sign, and they both practiced it. Then I wrote "Eat," and "Food," followed by the sentence, "We eat Food."
Elise traced the signs deftly with her supple fingers.
"Not quite," Sharp said softly, as if he were an expert. He took my lady’s fingers in his own and adjusted her fingers. "That’s much better."
"It seems the same to me," she said, and pulled her hand free. She scooted several inches away from him.
We went to the next sentence. "I drink wine and water."
Again Sharp reached over to touch my lady’s hand, and this time she jerked it free.
Once could be a misunderstanding, but not twice. I growled at Sharp and bared my teeth.
He smirked in return. "Do you know that it is the gift of speech that separates man and beast?"
He placed his hand on my lady’s knee.
Had not Geldswan still been locked in my room, he might have lost his hand. Still, I was reaching for him when a hand caught my shoulder.
"Trouble?" Charles asked. His hand was on his sword hilt.
"Sir Charles!" Elise cried out. "We’re learning to speak with our hands, as Gerard does. Will you join us? You can sit by me." With that, she shoved Sharp into the dirt.
"And then I can say prayers with the monks!" His sat down, sprawling in a manner that took up all of the bench save Elise’s portion. Sharp was forced to sit on the ground. "But I warn you, I’m not a quick learner."
I was starting to doubt that.
