Shaking her head to stop the flood of images, Thana marchedbehind a tree. She hurriedly washed her face and neck, then donned the clothes.The trousers were too long, so she stuffed them in her boots, and the poofyshirt nearly reached her knees, so she tucked it far into the trousers. Everythingbagged a bit, even after she fastened her belt.
She was certain she looked as stupid as she felt, though the silkshirt seemed to caress her skin, and the trousers were so soft they felt like ablanket.
Stupid nobles.
She tied the shirt’s cuff strings around her wrists and steppedout from behind the tree, her old clothes under one arm. “She’s still going towonder about the coat. And I can’t wear one of yours because…” She was about tosay that the coat would be too large because Sylph’s breasts were bigger, butany mention of Sylph’s anatomy had more blush-inducing visions dancing in herhead. She stuffed her old clothes in one of the saddlebags, and when sheturned, Sylph began assaulting her with ribbons, tying them around the sleeveshere and there so that the shirt bloused between them. She then tied one aroundThana’s middle, tucking the shirt around it until it clung to Thana’s breasts.
Spirits above, her cheeks were going to melt.
She sputtered and tried to ignore the many touches, not evenarguing when Sylph combed her hair back and plonked a hat on her head.
When Sylph stood back to survey her work, Thana fought the urgeto shuffle her feet as she frowned. When Sylph’s gaze reached her face, shesnorted a little laugh, then flashed a dazzling smile. “Like this,” she saidthrough her teeth, gesturing at her own mouth.
Thana kept frowning. “I won’t smile about the fact that I’mheaded into a viper’s nest wearing silly clothes and ribbons. And it’s stillnot a coat.”
“You’re my fashion-forward companion.”
Thana’s eyebrows shot up. “Not your servant?”
Sylph tsked.“A companion is a son or daughter of noble birth whose family has fallen onhard times. They rent out their…friendship, for lack of a better word, so theirfamily will have some income.” She went around Thana again, tucking andfluffing. “The families are usually tied by some past marriage.”
It sounded stupid enough to make Thana want to tear the hat fromher head, but when Sylph held up a mirror, Thana had to admit that the greenhat looked all right on her. “Why don’t they just borrow money from theserelatives?”
Sylph blinked at her.
Thana sighed from her toes. “That must just be for peasants,right. Okay, who am I?”
“Miss Justine Theroue, a poor cousin from a tiny holding north ofmine. As the daughter of a lady, you have no title of your own, and you are notthe heir to the handful of farms your family owns.”
“Great, nobility and farming, two things I know very littleabout.”
“Just smile,” Sylph said, again demonstrating, and there was a bitof real twinkle behind the fake show of teeth. “And let me do all the talking.”She gave Thana a stern look as they remounted. “And no grumbling.”
Thana bit back a groan and tried to smile, but she knew it eitherlooked fake or insane. Maybe the countess would think her family was poorbecause they were all mad. That would have to do.
They walked into a clearing, and the manor house sat in themiddle, but it didn’t have the cleaner lines of the newer buildings inMarienne. It looked like a pile of stone blocks, more of a fortress than ahouse. She counted three stories, but the far side was in crumbling disrepair.A few wooden additions stuck out from the other side, and a turret in the fronthad crenellations for archers, though none stood there now.
The sound of voices came from the rear of the manor. Thana cranedher neck as someone came around the side, starting when he saw them before hejogged away and returned with another man, both in leather and homespun. Theytugged on their caps almost absently before reaching for the reins of thehorses and holding the stirrups so Sylph and Thana could dismount.
Thana opened her mouth to say thanks, but Sylph swept by themwithout a word. Right. Nobles only had manners for the right sort of people.She suppressed an eye roll and came to a halt behind Sylph as the large woodendoor of the manor swung open. A pale woman with iron-gray hair peered out atthem, hands folded in front of her dark shirt and trousers. The belt around herwaist had a ring of large keys dangling from it: a housekeeper.
“Lady Sylph Montague and Miss Justine Theroue to see CountessCarisse Van Umberholme,” Sylph said, her tone bored and her gaze wandering asif the housekeeper was no more than a piece of paper to write messages on.
The housekeeper nodded as if that was indeed her only function.“This way, my lady.” She didn’t lose her stern, suspicious look as they troopedpast. Thana tried to look imperious but guessed she was somewhere betweenawkward and apologetic. A cold stone hallway greeted them with a bare stairwayto the right and an open room to the left. They followed the housekeeper into aheavily carpeted room with tapestries hiding the walls. A cold fireplacedominated one wall, and the chandelier did little to dispel the dimness. Theentire place could have used more windows.
The housekeeper beckoned to a wooden bench and chair that satbefore a low table. She then swept from the room without a word.
Sylph took the chair. Thana took the bench, wincing at the creakof ancient wood. At least it was clean. She peered at the hall, but after thehousekeeper ascended the stairs, she saw nothing and heard only silence.
“She doesn’t seem to like company,” Thana whispered. “I wonder ifit’s because of what you said about the countess fearing attack.”
Sylph frowned slightly. “Why would the servants care about that?”
“Some servants actually like their bosses, you know. It’s evenpossible that they’re friends.” She thought of herself and Gunnar and winced.But he’d never treated her like a servant.
Sylph frowned at nothing as if working out a complicatedarithmetic problem.
“What?” Thana asked. “Never
