[Continued from here]
Beranwen
hurried back towards the house in time to see something crash through the front
door and onto the dirt outside. It was a chair. As she got closer, she could
hear a female voice shouting, tantrum-like, and a male voice trying to be heard
over her. Beranwen didn't want to interrupt, especially not after she had been
told to leave, but she couldn't help creeping forwards to find out what had
happened in the few moments since they had walked away.
"...told
you to fix it. I built something to fix it. Why did you just let it go? It's
broken, and I can fix it."
"Will
you stop calling him 'it'..."
"It
shouldn't keep falling apart. I built it wrong first time, but I figured out
how to fix it. Why would you let it go when it's still broken?"
"Derra,
just leave it. It's not important."
"And
what if it says something about..."
"He
can't even remember his own name."
"I'm
talking, Mendel. Let me finish when I'm talking. What if it remembers what
happened to him? You have to bring it back. Then I can fix it, and it won't
tell anyone what happened."
"I
can't bring him back, Derra. We just have to let him go, even if he is broken."
"Then
I'll go and get it back."
That
was Beranwen's cue to leave. Hoping Mendel would hold Derra back long enough
for her to get back out of sight, she lifted her skirts and ran as fast as she
could back to Quinton and Stan.
Another
scream came from behind her as she ran, and a yell from Mendel. Then she heard
running feet following, and turned to see Derra catching up with her and waving
a metal plate.
"Stop.
Get Raif down. It needs these. Mendel won't do it, so I have to. Come on, get
it down."
"Derra,
stop!" Mendel came running up behind. "Mistress Tuple, climb up on
your horse and ride away. I will deal with this."
"Don't
tell her that." Derra grabbed Stan and tried to pull him from the saddle.
"Get it down. I have to fit these."
"Derra..."
Mendel grabbed Derra and tried to pull her away, and the woman screamed once
more. It was an ear-splitting noise that made Beranwen wince, and by the time
she was able to focus again Derra was twisting away from Mendel and swatting at
him with her hands. Since one of her hands was holding the metal plate, Mendel
was keeping back.
"Please,
mistress Tuple!"
"Would
it not be easier to let her fix the plates? If it helps Stan... Raif, whoever
he is, and she's happy to do it? She clearly wants to do it."
"You
do not understand, miss Tuple."
"No,
I don't."
"Let
me fix it!" Derra was almost crying now, although she swiped at her eyes
as though angry with the tears that were forming there. "Do you think I
can't do it? Let me do it!"
"Derra
stop." Mendel had to shout to be heard over the woman's cries. "I
will make you a compromise. You will give me the plates and go back to your
work, and I will fit them."
"You
won't do it right. I have to do it."
"You
wanted me to do it earlier."
"I
don't want you to do it now."
"Then
you have to promise you will only fit
the plates, and do nothing else. Can you promise me that?"
Derra
seemed to change instantly. All anger disappeared, and she was the calm,
serious woman she had seemed when she had first appeared.
"Of
course I can. I will only fit the plates. Now get it back inside so I can
work."
Mendel
sighed, and turned to Beranwen.
"If
you wouldn't mind taking him back inside?"
Quinton,
at a glance from Beranwen, dismounted again and picked Stan back up. By that
point, Derra was already half way back to the house.
"Is
she alright?" Beranwen asked carefully as they retraced their steps down
the track.
"She
is just troubled." Mendel clearly didn't want to talk about it.
"But
she built Stan, didn't she? Why did you say it was you?"
There
was silence for a moment while Mendel decided if he wanted to answer. Then he
said,
"It's
just easier."
"She
must be a genius."
"Hmm."
"And
you take care of her?"
"As
well as I can."
"Surely
work like hers could make her a lot of money. Why would you chose to live here
when you could have a place in the city, or a manor house in the country?"
"She
doesn't do it to make money, she does it because it makes her happy. If anyone
saw what she could make, they'd never leave us alone. They'd think they could
just ask for something and she'd make it for them - she can't work like that.
And when she doesn't do what they want, they'll start threatening her. She
can't even cope with people when they're being nice. The way she was just then,
that wasn't even bad. If someone came in and tried ordering her around..."
"So
you're protecting her."
"She
needs it. She can't even care for herself. She only thinks about machines,
about how things work."
"So
why didn't you want her working on Stan again?"
Mendel
stopped walking. They were in sight of the front door now, but he clearly
didn't want to carry the conversation inside.
"When
she gets an idea in her head, it's almost impossible to get it out again. If
she opens R... Stan up, she'll see
something else that she's not happy with, or that needs adjustment, or could be
replaced with something better. She'll fix the plates, of course, but that
won't be an end to it. Sooner or later, she'll pull the whole lot out and try
to start again. Half the things she builds get taken apart with days and turned
into something else."
"She's
not taking Stan apart." Quinton objected.
"No,
she's not. I'll make sure she doesn't. But once she's fitted the plates, you
should take him and leave. Don't let him come back."
"Why
did he leave in the first place, Mendel?" Beranwen asked.
"I
don't know. But maybe he saw how Derra treats the things she builds. Or maybe
he heard her... I can think of a few reasons he might have gone. It was almost
a relief. But I knew someone would find him and want to know who built him and
how." He gave Quinton a quick glance before turning back to Beranwen.
"I know you understand about protecting someone that can't protect
themselves. Help me protect Derra. Don't tell anyone about her. We just want to
be left alone."
"Is
she..." Beranwen glanced quickly at Quinton as well, and lowered her voice
slightly. "Is she mad?"
"She's
just troubled." Mendel started walking again, and they had no choice but
to follow.
[Part 33]
[Part 33]
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