Читать книгу Princess In A Strange New Land - Linda Skye - Страница 8

Chapter Two

The hall was swathed in warm candlelight, and the golden light sparkled and danced in the prisms of the hundreds of jewels and crystals that swung from towering candelabras. The king had ordered an impressive display of pomp: a royal dinner party. The servants had decked the hall with the richest decorations, and the cooks had prepared the most decadent displays of food. Only the most important aristocrats had been invited to the special dinner, and they were seated along a line of rich mahogany tables adorned with innumerable platters of richly presented delicacies. A few places down from the king and his most important retainers sat the Inuit delegation. The elders, along with Akna, sat stiffly in their regal seats, their eyes roving disbelievingly over the mountains of exotic dishes. Sir John Frederick sat at Akna’s right, his eyes carefully gauging her reaction to the lavish celebration.

The nobles began to heap food onto their gilded plates, and the Inuit elders politely picked at a few dishes and began to nibble—but Akna remained stiff and unmoving, her eyes still wide. There was just so much. And so oddly prepared, as well. Her eyes darted from a silver pedestal so filled with fruit that it cascaded down like a waterfall to a platter filled with fowl that had been roasted and arranged into a sculpture of some mythical creature. Her stomach gurgled in response to the tantalising smells, but her eyes told her that food should not be treated in such a way.

“My lady,” John said, interrupting her thoughts, “are you not hungry?”

“To be sure,” she answered, blinking slowly. “But I cannot discern what is to be eaten and what is to be looked at.”

“Do you not have feasts in your village?”

“Indeed,” Akna said, turning to meet his eyes. “We celebrate with food—but we do not eat to such excess. And I have never seen such…amazing arrangements.”

John pulled a dish of roasted chicken pie closer to them. He broke into the flaky crust with his heavy silver spoon and lifted out a small portion, depositing it on her plate. He gestured to the creamy chicken filling and the beautifully browned pastry that topped it.

“And what, may I ask, dear lady,” he said, “displeases you about this beautiful dish?”

Akna delicately speared a chunk of chicken with her fork and placed it in her mouth, her lips caressing the tines of the silver utensil as she savoured the delectable morsel. Then she carefully set her fork down and once again met John’s eyes.

“Well, my lady?” John asked.

“Sir Frederick,” Akna replied, her melodic voice unwavering. “I find the taste very pleasing, indeed. However, it is not the ingredients that I find unnatural. It is the presentation.” She gestured to the strange meat sculptures. “Why is it important to make ducks look like dragons?”

“It is interesting to the eye, and it shows the skill of the cooks who made it,” John said, shrugging.

“Perhaps,” Akna said. “But can you honestly tell me that all this food is necessary?

“The king wants to show his generosity.”

“But,” Akna said, wrinkling her nose at the sight of nobles pushing mouthful after mouthful of juicy meat past their lips, “will we be able to consume all this food?”

“Well,” John said, slightly taken aback, “no.”

“Exactly, Sir Frederick,” Akna said with a nod. “In our village, we frown upon such waste.”

Despite his misgivings about the Inuit delegation, John could not deny the sense in her speech. It was true that he also viewed the excesses of court with disdain after he had lived a life of meagre rations in the navy. It was no doubt wasteful and perhaps foolish, but still, it showed off creativity and talent.

“True, the waste is a shameful practice,” John conceded. “But can you not appreciate the skill involved?”

“Perhaps other outlets for creativity would be more appropriate?” Akna quipped, taking another bite. “We frown upon the wasting of precious resources.”

“Such harsh criticism!” John exclaimed, bending as if wounded, but with a wry smile on his face. “However, you cannot deny the skill of the English! Waste has made us experiment. We have built castles and great ships and armies. We have explored the world and brought technology across the oceans. What has your tribe accomplished that can compare?”