She closed her eyes and pictured the cityscape in her head trying to map out a route from the palace to the city wall.
She woke to the sound of Generosity opening the wardrobe door. The slant of the sun told her it was late afternoon. She'd fallen asleep on the floor, trying to memorize the map on her wall.
She quickly slipped her parchment book into her pocket. "I was lying in a patch of sunshine, and I fell asleep."
"Yes, my Lady."
For the first time since Repentance had come to the palace, the maid was silent as she worked. She bathed Repentance, and dressed her with hardly a word. By the time Generosity got to her hair, Repentance had had enough of her sulking.
They had been talking and laughing about her behind her back. She was the one who should be mad.
"What is it, Generosity?" Repentance asked. "Do you intend to never speak to me again? Are you thinking to punish me for refusing to button your handsome farmer?"
"No, my Lady. Not that. It's never my place to punish you."
"But you'd like to."
"Not at all. I don't have an opinion on the matter. I'm sure you had your reasons for turning Sober down and taking him away from his family."
"If you have no opinion, why do you refuse to speak to me?" And why did she feel a need to mention that Repentance had deprived Sober of his family?
"I thought you might be angry with me."
"I am and I should be. You all laughed about my thinking the king was so old."
Generosity hung her head. "I am sorry, my Lady. I didn't mean anything by what I said. We didn't know you were there. We weren't trying to hurt you. None of us."
"Lady Arrogance is a nickname given to one you like, then?"
"Biased fancies herself to have a sharp, wit," Generosity whispered. "I'm sorry, you heard that. None of them really think you're arrogant."
"Like it or not, we have to see each other every day. We might as well speak to one another. I forgive you for laughing at me. And ... thank you for sticking up for me with Biased."
"Oh, my Lady, I'm that happy that you have forgiven. I was thinking about how hard it would be if you were the kind to hold a grudge, but I was sure that you weren't. The others said there would be no living with you, but Sober said—"
"I forgive you. But I never said I forgave Sober. I don't ever want you to speak the name of Sober Marsh to me again. Please. I don't care to think any more about your handsome farmer."
Generosity blushed. "If you were to ask my opinion, I'd say he's not my handsome farmer. I do believe the reason he was so shocked and upset to find out you are the king's concubine is that he is still, in his own heart, anyway, very much your handsome farmer, my Lady."
Repentance scoffed. "But then, I didn't ask your opinion on the matter. A good thing, too, for you are not seeing clearly. You've gotten used to seeing Merit and Favor eyes-only for one another, and now you think you're seeing the same devotion everywhere."
"Time may bear me out, my Lady. I'm content to wait and see."
Sunday, after lunch, she was walking to the schoolroom, looking at her feet, lost in thought. Sober would be delivering his potatoes and Cook would slip him a mug of soup, but he wouldn't be eating lunch at the palace, anyway. He'd not be eating with Generosity. Not that Repentance cared who he ate with.
"She doesn't look to be stupid." A man's voice sounded in front of her.
She looked up.
Lord Malficc stood in the hallway by the schoolroom door. He ran his gaze down and back up her body.
She shuddered. "I'm sorry?"
"I said you don't look like you are stupid." He stepped closer to her. "But my uncle is in an uproar over your schooling. I've not seen him so energetic in a long time. You must be good medicine, Repentance Atwater. You've taken twenty years off that old man's life. But I warned you about this."
Her skin turned clammy. "I'm not sure what you mean."
"Oh, I think you know exactly what I mean." He smiled. "You complained to my uncle about my sons."
"I didn't complain. It was Provocation. She found out that you'd taken the boys out of school. I asked her not to tell."
He gave her a long look. "You're using up my patience, Lady Atwater." He turned and walked off.
Skoch looked up and saw her in the doorway. "Ah, good. We're all here, then."
And they were all there. All four of the young princes.
The king, once alerted by Provocation to the situation, had apparently demanded the boys return.
She wished he hadn't. She hated the sight of their faces. And ... the prince was that much closer to deciding that he needed to kill the king.
Skoch launched into the day's lesson. "Now the war between Harthill and Lavalley took place in the twelfth year of King Fawlin the Dragon Slayer. There were dragons then. Lavalley had domesticated the beasts and used them to hold off our attack."
"Where have all the dragons gone?" Rrow asked.
"They're extinct," Skoch said, "That means they all died."
Rrow looked stricken.
"That's a good thing," Skoch added quickly. "When they died so did the last threat to Harthill. Dragons' fiery breath was the only thing that could melt Harthill's towers."
Repentance, cold dread knotted in her stomach, used her char-stick to draw a picture of a scaly
