Helian and the Baron’s Bastard (3)

Lady Herschel had been true to her word – by the time I arrived at the finance ministry to submit my application, it seemed her friend was expecting me. He rushed out to greet me, quite eager to bring “one of the kingdom’s greatest minds” under his wing. I felt nervous about the high expectations, but it was better than being looked down upon by all the nobles.

The work was mind-numbing. It was a loop of adding up sums, checking results and calculating percentages so that we could issue demands for unpaid tax or refunds in the event of mistakes by a merchant or landowner. I had hoped to at least find an abacus in this kingdom, but the state of the art was times tables paired with paper and pencil. Were this a different story, I could invent the slide rule or abacus and become fabulously wealthy… perhaps after everything ended, I would do just that.

At the end of my first week, I was called upon to prepare a short presentation on revenue trends for the southern part of the barony (which was still recovering from a drought last year). I was pleasantly surprised to discover that scientists in this world had an excellent grasp of optics, so I was able to use a sort of magical photocopier to create enlarged versions of my hand-drawn charts and graphs.

As the meeting began, I entered the room alongside a handful of other clerks and mid-level administrators, and we all lined up along the back wall to wait for our turn to present. The meeting attendees were already seated, and most were facing the large display board where all our prepared documents would be displayed for the audience.

As the meeting progressed it became clear that most attendees were content to sit back and listen, taking brief notes, while a few specific individuals – no doubt nobles of significant rank, or at least significant ego – made a point of quizzing every presenter and trying to identify weaknesses in their analysis or arguments.

After an exhausted man in his thirties finished a proposal for a new progressive beverage tax based on alcohol content, it was my turn to present.

I moved slowly through each page of my presentation, describing key conclusions to the attendees. Once I reached the fourth page, however, I hit a snag. Visible confusion spread across the table as I spoke, and a gentleman wearing a top hat cleared his throat part way through my explanation.

“Excuse me, young lady.”

“Yes, my lord?”

“Could you take a moment to explain this illustration?”

I turned back to look at the current page and considered it. Was there a mistake in the data? “Of course. If you’ll allow me a moment, I’ll verify whether there are any errors in the figures.”

“I believe you misunderstand. The data isn’t the issue.”

An older man wearing a cravat chimed in and explained, “I believe the gentleman shares my predicament and is uncertain how to interpret those horizontal marks that cover the chart.”

I’d made an obvious mistake. I prepared a chart with error bars and didn’t verify whether they were used here. No one present had seen one before.

“Ah… I sincerely apologize for my error, my lord. This is a new style of chart that is used in some academic circles, and I failed to account for a need to explain it. I’ll begin from first principles, if those assembled can spare the time.”

The man in the hat nodded. “Please proceed.”

“As you know, last year’s drought demolished revenue from the southern region, and it is likely to have a knock-on effect on next year’s harvest. At this point it is difficult to predict whether enough rainfall will occur during spring and summer for the area to recover.”

I paused for a moment to allow this to sink in, making sure that the audience seemed to be following along.

“As a result, a single projection for next year would be insufficient – depending on rainfall levels there are multiple outcomes that emerge from our model. This chart is designed for such scenarios, where the likely answer to a question lies within a range of possible answers, instead of in an exact location.”

I pointed to an example near the center of the chart. “In this case, you can see two small horizontal marks above and below the main point that you are familiar with from other charts, and the upper mark is further distant than the lower one. The actual result could be anywhere between the two marks, with a high probability of low returns during that period.”

The gentleman in the cravat nodded. “I’m starting to see the appeal of this approach. I had been concerned about the potential impact of another drought, so it’s reassuring to have the possibilities captured in one chart like this.”

The noble in the top hat added, “Thank you for your detailed explanation, miss. Don’t put too much weight on your mistake – your career is merely getting started.”

I smiled. “I appreciate your understanding, gentlemen. Are there any other questions?”

The young lord sitting in the back of the room cleared his throat and began to speak. “Miss Helian, was it? I have a question.”

While the baron’s son was well known for his poor behavior and even worse attitude, the novel made it clear that he met a high standard with his education, ranking near the top of the class during his time at the academy. It was natural for him to take issue with my error. I considered it lucky that I hadn’t made a larger mistake.

“You said this style of chart is popular in some academic circles. Is it relatively new?”

I nodded. “Yes, my lord. I’ve only seen them a few times, so I believe they are a recent innovation.”

“I’m curious how you would have become so familiar with an obscure technique like this. It’s my understanding that you’re from a small farming village to the south. What circumstances led to you encountering it?”

His grin was akin to a bear trap with its jaws shut around a small animal. In this case, however, I was lucky.

“Due to my circumstances, I had no choice but to supplement my education by any means available. I made extensive use of the university’s academic library for my studies and happened to run across charts like this in a few student papers.”

While said papers did not exist, I could simply feign ignorance to the names of the papers in question, or if pressed, make up a convincing title and apologize for not recalling the author’s name. Women were prone to forgetfulness, as the average educator was happy to remind us.

Raising more objections at this point would try the group’s patience, so he accepted defeat and nodded. I was able to finish my presentation without issue, and after bowing and thanking the group for their time, left the room as calmly as possible.

As the young lord moved to follow me, I headed for the nearest restroom and took a few moments in a stall to collect my thoughts and calm myself. One step at a time.

“Miss Helian.” His voice rang out behind me as I departed the restroom. Wow, I hope you weren’t just standing outside the door this whole time…

“Yes, my lord?”

“This is our third meeting, isn’t it? Please, call me by my name. I’m Arsen.”

“As you wish, Lord Arsen. Thank you for honoring me with your name.”

His eyes narrowed. “That isn’t what I asked you to call me.”

“It would set a bad example if I were to disregard common etiquette in such a manner in public, even if we were close friends. I apologize.”

“I see. Then I suppose we’d have to be more than close friends.” He smiled. “Anyway, I was hoping to invite you to a gathering of intellectuals tomorrow… based on your performance in the exams and your presentation this afternoon, you’ll fit in perfectly. Building connections with the circle members would no doubt advance your career.”

It was only accurate to describe it as a “gathering of intellectuals” in that the other attendees possessed some intellect, but their behavior in the novel suggested that they spent their waking hours driven by base appetites instead of a thirst for knowledge.

Regardless, the plot demanded that I attend, so I agreed. “Thank you for the kind offer. If it’s not an imposition, I will gladly attend. Is there a dress code?”

He nodded. “Yes, but I don’t think that will be a problem. After your work is finished today, I’ll accompany you to a store to ensure you’re properly dressed for the evening.”

Even he wouldn’t dare to barge into a fitting room in public, I hoped.

“You’re too kind, Lord Arsen. I don’t want to take up any more of your valuable time, so why don’t we meet around six? I should be able to finish my work by then without rushing.”

“That sounds perfect. I’ll see you in the square outside the ministry. Have a good afternoon, Helian.” The young lord strode away with a spring in his step.