Rosamund shook her head. “Don’t. I mean, stop cutting it, unless it actually gets so long it gets in your way.”
“Oh?” That was interesting. Mother had always insisted she keep her hair as long as possible. “Why?”
“Two reasons. The first is showmanship. A pretty lady sharpshooter with long golden hair is just too perfect. The second is . . . I think the sylphs might be using your hair as a place to store Air Magic.” Rosamund held up a cautionary hand. “It’s just a theory! I have nothing to base that theory on!”
“My hair . . . as a place to store Air Magic.” Giselle giggled. “That’s a very silly theory. But I do think your notion of showmanship is a good one.”
There was a tap on the doorframe, on the other side of the curtains. “It is Leading Fox, who wishes to speak with Miss Schwarzwald.”
“It is Rosamund, and it will be a little crowded but you are welcome to join us,” Rosamund called back.
Fox held the curtain aside to mount the steps and enter the wagon. This time the bird on his shoulder was a magpie. “Kellermann said that you wished to speak with me?” the Indian said gravely. His very presence made the vardo feel much smaller.
“Since I’m to be part of your tribe, I wondered if you would mind teaching me Pawnee?” Rosamund asked, with an ingratiating smile. “You know, the usual way we do it.”
“I do indeed, and it was in anticipation of that that I brought my friend.” The magpie lofted from Fox’s shoulder at his nod and somehow passed through the bed-curtains hiding Rosamund’s bed from the room. “If you could play the Pawnee woman during the tours of the camp as well, it would free Rosalita, which would be agreeable to both herself and Pablo.”
Rosamund laughed. “I think I can do that. It seems only fair.”
Fox smiled slightly. “Thank you. Now that you have the teacher, I shall depart.” And with no further words, he pulled aside the curtain again and left.
“And I shall, as well,” Giselle said. “The morning begins extremely early with this show.”
“Oh do trust me on this: it begins even earlier with the Brotherhood,” Rosamund laughed. “I shall find sleeping until dawn to be an unexpected luxury!”
The only reason that the show left three days later was because there was another date to be met, and they would never have managed to get to Reichenbach on time if they stayed any longer. People were still paying to see the show. More people than ever before were paying the extra to take the “tour of the camps.” To say that the changes were successful would have been grossly understating matters.
And despite some initial reservations, it seemed that adding Rosamund to the group had been an excellent idea. She was outstanding with the horses and the cattle and buffalo; no surprise to Giselle, who knew how easy it had been for Mother to handle any animal of any sort, but quite the shock to the original trainers of the hairy beasts. She was able to lead all four of them in the Grand Procession all by herself, which she did in her Pawnee costume. She suggested that, given a little more time, she might be able to get them to do a controlled stampede as well, and that, all by itself, won her Captain Cody’s heart. Giselle no longer had to half-kill herself getting out of her Quadrille costume and into the war dance piece. Rosamund pleased the other Pawnee by not only drumming correctly, but joining in their song correctly. It appeared that the magpie had given her much more than the Pawnee tongue.
Giselle was a little jealous of that, but only a little. She had never had a female friend of her own age before, and she found herself enjoying Rosamund’s company quite out of all expectation.
When they set off down the road to their next destination, the town of Reichenbach, Giselle was looking forward to the trip. She would have much more free time in the evenings with Fox and Rosamund, and Rosamund had promised to do what she could to enhance Giselle’s Mastery of Air Magic.
“I cannot do much,” Rosamund had cautioned. “But I know from what Gunter and Joachim told me that there are certain things Annaliese had not gotten around to coaching you through, and what she had planned is something I can do. We just need to