TENET: 107
Encourage the children to try new things.
- Dr. H.VynFleet, 132 Tenets of Childcare & Maintenance
YASMINE
After dinner,Yasmine left the kids to wash up while she explored the palace for a good place to give them a Tai Chi lesson.
Jax had stuck with his sister all afternoon, even agreeing to play hide and seek with them if he could be the permanent seeker.
Yasmine was glad to see him enjoy his time with Pia and escape his school woes a little. When they got a little bored, she offered to teach them some Tai Chi after dinner.
Both kids were intrigued, so she was committed to making sure the class kept them interested. She hoped the art might give the two of them some of the calm and comfort it gave her. And there were a few stretching forms that were easy enough to learn in only a few days so that they could keep practicing after she had moved on.
The thought of leaving gave her another pang, so she walked a little faster down the corridor, as if she could escape her feelings by speeding up.
The palace was massive, but it seemed like every single space was filled with very beautiful, very breakable artwork and items. There was no way to use any of the regular rooms as a workout space. She swore one of the kitchen staff had mentioned something about a gym. But she certainly hadn’t seen anything like that in her travels.
Though she had been warned against the west wing, which was under construction, she wondered if maybe some of the unfurnished spaces were complete enough for them to use.
Determined to find them a space, she slipped past the velvet ropes that separated the west wing from the great hall. Pushing open the door, she smelled sawdust but didn’t hear any sounds of active construction. It seemed safe enough to look around a little.
She let the door close behind her and took a few steps down the hallway.
She was struck by the sensation of being on a porch rather than indoors. What was clearly going to be a wall of glass along the back of the wing was open to the outside. The plastic sheet that had been laid over the opening flapped loosely, allowing the fresh scent of the garden after an early evening rain to waft in.
She headed a little further in, but it was obvious that none of the rooms were finished, and some were still being framed out. It would be a long time until the gym was ready.
She had just turned around and was on her way back to the great hall when a man darted out of one of the rooms.
“What are you doing here?” the man demanded.
He eyed her suspiciously from under the brim of a cap. He had golden skin and was wearing a gardener’s apron.
“I’m Yasmine, the children’s nanny,” she said quickly. “I heard that a gym was being built here, but I can see it’s not ready yet.”
“Nothing in this wing is ready,” he said. “You’re not supposed to be here.”
“Understood,” she said. “You work in the gardens, right? Can you tell me if there’s a place outdoors where we can do Tai Chi without being underfoot? We just need a level, grassy area.”
“I’ll show you,” he said, his expression softening slightly.
It hit her that maybe he’d seen the feeds of her in Mrs. Kreed’s head piece. No wonder he didn’t want her poking around all over the palace and grounds.
She followed him meekly to the main hall and then out the doors to the garden.
He took her past the patios and big fountain where she had eaten ice cream with the children. Just beyond was a nice, level field.
“Nothing is going on here tonight,” he said helpfully. “I can leave the fountain lights on. It should be enough for you to see.”
“Thanks very much,” she told him sincerely.
This time his eyes met hers and she could see they were a rich hazel color.
“There’s also a running trail that leads through the trees,” he offered, gesturing beyond the field. “If you need a place to run before the gym is done.”
“That sounds lovely,” she told him honestly. “Thank you.”