Can We Not Be Friends | Robert & Isabella
Clamping her jaw shut, Isabella did her best to suppress the sneer she felt inclined to express as Robert outlined the dangers of independent thought, her sarcasm utterly ignored. Her brows arched in disbelief as he told her not to trust herself and she shook her head, slowly. “You astonish me, Mr. Persimmons,” she said, narrowly avoiding the showcase of the venom she felt.
She tried to think of what Rebecca might say, and ground her fingertips angrily into the arm of the nearby sofa. Ironically, it was best in this instance to do just as he counselled and refrain from direct consultation of her own instincts which were far more incendiary than would do anyone any good. Still, she could not entirely abandon her true opinions and, raising her chin, stepped forward.
“I am a dragonrider. It is rarely possible for me or my sisters to hang back and wait for someone to tell us what or how to do. If we hesitated and betrayed our instincts, lives would be lost. Or perhaps,” she added. “You and Captain Mallerton are of different opinions on this count? How would you, sir, see us employed?”
Exhaling slowly, Isabella once again found herself putting more thought into her words than she generally did, attempting to channel Rebecca’s wisdom, Cecily’s kindness, Lucy’s equanimity, and Eleanor’s resourcefulness. She knew her sisters needed her to defeat her impulses, just this once. “I have little confidence in the ability of myself or my sisters to make ordinary wives, sir. Indeed, I not only doubt it, I deem it quite impossible. There is little enough traditional in our unique position and duties. Any gentleman daring enough to wed any of us must resign himself to the forging a new kind of marriage, for we are not that which is ordinary or expected or, I fear, in that respect what many men would deem entirely proper. Few wives are called upon as we are.”
She bit the inside of her cheek as he spoke of obeying. “Indeed, sir, I do not claim that any of us would be able to uphold these…simple requirements: our duties require that we obey first king and country. Where, then, is there space to concern with the commands of any other?”
An honorary membership! Isabella nearly spluttered hearing this and, despite herself, she nearly burst into laughter, remembering how he’d cowered only that morning hearing one of the dragons utter a roar in play. This was no serious conversation, she thought, and internally chided herself for allowing herself to become so pulled in. She bit the inside of her cheek, now, to repress the laughter that hung about her mind like a thick fog.
“Oh, indeed,” she intoned with mock gravity, and nodded solemnly. “Saving the absolute lack of dragon, sir, you are the very next thing to being bonded to one. Do you not daily gaze upon drakes? Do you not converse with dragonriders? Why, indeed, what other requirements could there be to call oneself such?” She turned away from him for a moment, recovering her expression from mirth, and whirled about again to face him. But then he said, out and out, that a match between himself and her family would be welcome. Mirth died on the spot.
“Is that what you think?” she demanded, all attempts at reigning in her impulses momentarily forgotten. “That we are some…buffet spread out for your inspection, that you might weigh us each in turn, take your pick, and, when you have done, we shall stand about and give thanks?” She shook her head, baffled by the way in which his mind must work. “Mr. Persimmons, you cannot be serious. How is it anyone could thank another for such treatment?”
Her comment caught him a bit off guard, as he often did forget that these girls were all dragon riders. It was, of course, near impossible to forget that, the Admiral at least, was one as there was often at least one dragon always flying nearby up in the sky. But the thought of women dragon riders, was so incomprehensible to Robert, that he did not fully consider them to be ones. They were, in his mind, simply the daughters of one and therefore had more knowledge and comfortability around dragons than they otherwise would have. He liked to think of them as simple, easily led maidens - as that is what he wished them to be. He often ignored the fact that they would, each of them, hold their own in battle far better than he could ever hope for himself.
He never really stopped to consider what their role would be as a dragon rider. Certainly not as so important to the cause as, say, Captain Mallerton – or any man for that matter. Truth be told, Robert had assumed that there were more dragon riders just in name, rather than anything else. What real benefit could they provide the rest of their company?
Still, even Robert knew when he had truly offended and he did not mean to ruffle any feathers when he was here, as they would be less likely to give up any potential useful information if they disliked him. (If only he had realized that they disliked him from nearly the moment they had all met). He would humor her now, if only to diffuse the situation.
“Of course,” He replied, “I did not mean to imply that you could not effectively perform the duties of your occupation. You and others would all be dead, if you did not. I only meant that even you must acknowledge that while you have your strengths and areas of expertise, husband’s also have their’s.”
There! He had handled it all very well, had he not?
Robert had to repress a laugh at her next comments. He could not imagine that they would allow a married woman to continue to be a dragon rider. She was right, of course, in that her duty would always been to the King and Crown as long as she was one of his brigade. However, who would allow a woman to continue her work there, as long as she was married and owed everything to her husband?
No, as soon as the Turners were married, they would be asked to retire, so that they might perform their wifely duties properly. There would be no way they would be able to keep up with both to the extent that it would be satisfactory to all involved. Even if Isabella was silly enough to believe that they would allow a married woman to remain a dragon rider, what was to happen when she were to have children? The entire thought was ridiculous! But Robert was not about to argue with her now: he had rattled her enough, it seemed, and he would not make her angry even if he was only trying to enlighten her about the truth of her future.
“My dear lady, I do not mean to offend,” He began, carefully, when she voiced her frustrations with the prospect of him being able to choose whomever he cared for amongst them. “Only, you yourself, have admitted that, being a dragon rider, there may not be many prospects open to you when it comes to marriage. What sort of man would want to have a dragon rider as a wife?” A stupid one, Robert thought, as the two occupations would never be able to coincide, “You and your sisters may not have many prospects, and you should be grateful for any that come your way.”
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