Jorgan. Not even Lord Jorgan.'
Arkady frowned at the seamstress. 'I'm not sure how things were run here in the past, Linnie, but I've no wish to hear you repeating gossip.' Even as she said it, she knew she was probably making a mistake. Gossip was the lifeblood of this place. 'Unless you're certain there's some truth in it,' she amended, thinking she must sound like a flanking fool. 'Can you tell me anything useful about the consort?'
'She's very beautiful.'
'Has anybody actually seen her, or is that just another rumour?'
'Lady Jorgan told us as much after she first met her,' Natalay said, no doubt trying to appear more reliable than her companion. 'She also said she was foreign.'
'What nationality is she?'
'Lady Jorgan didn't say,' Natalay replied. 'Just that she was foreign.'
Arkady glanced at Linnie for confirmation but the seamstress just shrugged. 'Lady Jorgan wasn't the type to share her observations with the help, your grace.'
Get to know the servants. They'll be your greatest source of intelligence, Declan had advised her before they left Glaeba.
What did he know?
Taking one last look in the tall polished mirror in her dressing room, Arkady decided she'd probably do. She swept up her layered skirts and turned to Natalay. 'Would you let the guards know I'm ready to leave, please?'
'Of course, your grace.'
The wardrobe mistress hurried away to do as Arkady ordered, leaving her alone with Linnie. 'Did Lady Jorgan tell you anything useful, Linnie?'
The seamstress pursed her lips for a moment and then nodded. 'The only other thing I remember her saying was that the Lady Chintara seemed bored.'
'Bored? By Lady Jorgan?'
'By everything,' Linnie corrected. 'Lady Jorgan was quite put out by her, I gather. They only met a couple of times, and after that she wasn't invited back to the palace. Before she could get too upset about it, though, Lord Jorgan and the Imperator had that awful row over the Chelae Islands and they were ordered out of Ramahn.' She shrugged apologetically. 'There's not much more than that I can tell you, your grace.'
'You know the reason our ambassador was expelled?' Arkady asked, a little concerned to think something like that was common knowledge among the servants.
Linnie smiled, leaning forward to brush a speck from the shoulder of Arkady's exquisite golden gown. 'Everybody in Ramahn knows the reason, your grace. There aren't a lot of secrets in this city.' With that warning issued, the seamstress gathered up the ubiquitous shroud to help Arkady into it.
Til have to remember that,' Arkady replied, thinking of how many dangerous secrets she was already privy to as she helped Linnie lift the shroud over her head. Careful not to catch it in the pins holding her hair in place, the two women managed to get it on without doing any damage to their hours of hard work.
'Well, if you forget, your grace,' Linnie assured her, as she smoothed down the folds, 'someone will remind you soon enough. I can promise you that.'
Lady Chintara sent a carriage to collect Arkady. It was an exquisitely lacquered closed-in phaeton, drawn by two matched greys and perforated across the front of the cabin for ventilation and to allow the occupants to see out. It did neither job very well and the shroud just made it worse. Although it was still quite early in the day, encased in a full-length mantle and crammed into a closed box, Arkady was feeling quite faint by the time the carriage pulled up inside the entrance to the royal seraglium.
The door opened to a welcome gust of cooler air. By the time a step had been placed at the door of the phaeton for her to alight safely, the male coach driver had been hurried from the enclosed entrance so only the palace's female staff were on hand to greet the Glaeban ambassador's wife. Much to Arkady's delight, not one of the women was covered and as soon as the phaeton was
led away, the women swarmed around her and lifted her shroud away. Then a tall, thin woman with greying
Arkady frowned at the seamstress. 'I'm not sure how things were run here in the past, Linnie, but I've no wish to hear you repeating gossip.' Even as she said it, she knew she was probably making a mistake. Gossip was the lifeblood of this place. 'Unless you're certain there's some truth in it,' she amended, thinking she must sound like a flanking fool. 'Can you tell me anything useful about the consort?'
'She's very beautiful.'
'Has anybody actually seen her, or is that just another rumour?'
'Lady Jorgan told us as much after she first met her,' Natalay said, no doubt trying to appear more reliable than her companion. 'She also said she was foreign.'
'What nationality is she?'
'Lady Jorgan didn't say,' Natalay replied. 'Just that she was foreign.'
Arkady glanced at Linnie for confirmation but the seamstress just shrugged. 'Lady Jorgan wasn't the type to share her observations with the help, your grace.'
Get to know the servants. They'll be your greatest source of intelligence, Declan had advised her before they left Glaeba.
What did he know?
Taking one last look in the tall polished mirror in her dressing room, Arkady decided she'd probably do. She swept up her layered skirts and turned to Natalay. 'Would you let the guards know I'm ready to leave, please?'
'Of course, your grace.'
The wardrobe mistress hurried away to do as Arkady ordered, leaving her alone with Linnie. 'Did Lady Jorgan tell you anything useful, Linnie?'
The seamstress pursed her lips for a moment and then nodded. 'The only other thing I remember her saying was that the Lady Chintara seemed bored.'
'Bored? By Lady Jorgan?'
'By everything,' Linnie corrected. 'Lady Jorgan was quite put out by her, I gather. They only met a couple of times, and after that she wasn't invited back to the palace. Before she could get too upset about it, though, Lord Jorgan and the Imperator had that awful row over the Chelae Islands and they were ordered out of Ramahn.' She shrugged apologetically. 'There's not much more than that I can tell you, your grace.'
'You know the reason our ambassador was expelled?' Arkady asked, a little concerned to think something like that was common knowledge among the servants.
Linnie smiled, leaning forward to brush a speck from the shoulder of Arkady's exquisite golden gown. 'Everybody in Ramahn knows the reason, your grace. There aren't a lot of secrets in this city.' With that warning issued, the seamstress gathered up the ubiquitous shroud to help Arkady into it.
Til have to remember that,' Arkady replied, thinking of how many dangerous secrets she was already privy to as she helped Linnie lift the shroud over her head. Careful not to catch it in the pins holding her hair in place, the two women managed to get it on without doing any damage to their hours of hard work.
'Well, if you forget, your grace,' Linnie assured her, as she smoothed down the folds, 'someone will remind you soon enough. I can promise you that.'
Lady Chintara sent a carriage to collect Arkady. It was an exquisitely lacquered closed-in phaeton, drawn by two matched greys and perforated across the front of the cabin for ventilation and to allow the occupants to see out. It did neither job very well and the shroud just made it worse. Although it was still quite early in the day, encased in a full-length mantle and crammed into a closed box, Arkady was feeling quite faint by the time the carriage pulled up inside the entrance to the royal seraglium.
The door opened to a welcome gust of cooler air. By the time a step had been placed at the door of the phaeton for her to alight safely, the male coach driver had been hurried from the enclosed entrance so only the palace's female staff were on hand to greet the Glaeban ambassador's wife. Much to Arkady's delight, not one of the women was covered and as soon as the phaeton was
led away, the women swarmed around her and lifted her shroud away. Then a tall, thin woman with greying
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