Page 4 of Tsumiko and the Enslaved Fox
“That’s certainly why I’m behind the wheel,” he said lightly. “But in a household as small as ours, having more than one skill set is essential. My wife Sansa served as Mrs. Eimi’s cook as well as her nurse.”
“It will be the three of us, then?”
“If you’ll pardon my asking, Miss Hajime, did you readallthe information from your solicitor?”
“I didn’t make it very far through the legal documents. The wording is difficult.” Extracting the blue envelope from Lady Eimi, he held it up for Michael to see. “This one was simpler, but just as confusing.”
“Oh? Maybe I can help. Which part gave you difficulty?”
“The part about flowers.” She shook her head. “I don’t know anything about gardening.”
Michael’s brows drew together. “The grounds are extensive, but you needn’t worry. We employ a gardener.”
“Is that so?”
“Perhaps if you were to read the pertinent passage aloud …?”
Tsumiko unfolded the letter she’d read so often she could have recited it from memory. Running her finger along delicate rows in blue ink, she found the section that puzzled her most. “Tending to our Amaranthine—my most precious bequest—falls to you.”
Expression clearing, Michael said, “I understand. Mrs. Eimi isn’t referring to flowers, miss. She means Argent, your butler.”
A gardener and a butler—bringing the household tally to five. “Is he a foreigner? I’ve never heard of a country called Amaranth.”
Michael slowed, turning off onto a road that was barely wide enough for the sedan. “You know about the Emergence of the new species?” At her quick nod, he continued, “They’re not actuallynewof course, but every nation has been working for the last six months to raise awareness about the so-called Rivven races.”
“Yes. Mr. West explained that much.”
“For starters, Rivven is a name coined by an American reporter, and it stuck. It’s a play on words, I suppose, since we are reavers.”
Tsumiko leaned forward. “You’re a reaver?”
“That’s right, miss. A fifteenth-generation reaver, ward class, originally from England.” He met her gaze in the rearview mirror. “I’ve lived at Stately House most of my life.”
“Are you a relative of Aunt Eimi’s husband, then?”
“No, miss. In a way, I was also chosen to ‘tend to our Amaranthine.’ You see, while they’re not offended by the Rivven label, these ancient people refer to themselves as the Amaranthine.”
“My butler isn’t human?”
“He is not.”
“And my aunt is giving him to me.”
“She has.”
“Because I’m a reaver.”
Michael laughed. “You most certainly are.”
Tsumiko shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “I thought one of the reasons the inhuman races came forward was so that they could be recognized as citizens of our planet, with the same inherent rights as humans.”
“Yes.” Michael’s smile faded. “The leaders of the Five Clans are doing everything they can to establish a place for the Amaranthine. Peace treaties, alliances, registries, amendments, and bills of rights are being negotiated at the international level.”
“Because the Amaranthine are people.”
“They are.”
“I don’t understand.”
