This was her fifth descent within the hour, all in the noble pursuits of fetching a plate of fruit from the kitchen, a book from the library, and, most bewildering of all, discovering whether it was snowing. The Archduchess insisted that such a matter could only be determined by standing outside and smelling the air, not by the lazy habit of looking out the windows.
So Pippa had stood outside in the courtyard, shivering, her hand stretched out like a weather vane, peering at the cloudy sky and confirming that no, there was not a single flake.
At night, the errands grew no less peculiar.She fetched pomades and teas and pillows, and just when she was about to sink gratefully into her own little bed in the adjoining room, the bell gave a delicate but tyrannical ting.
“I require another pillow beneath my back,” the Archduchess would announce. So Pippa darted off in search of a pillow, wondering whether companions could expire from exhaustion.
By the time she finally retired, she fell into a restless, abbreviated sleep, only to rise what seemed mere moments later to prepare the Archduchess’ breakfast. She lived at her mistress’s beck and call, with not a single minute left to catch her breath or reflect on the madness of the past few weeks.
She had been doing her very best to avoid Klemens. He had visited several times, ostensibly to take tea with his sister, and each time Pippa had melted away at the last possible moment, murmuring something about duties below stairs or inventing a plausible excuse involving misplaced accounts or linen inventories. The Archduchess had cast her a few suspicious glances, although, mercifully, she had let the matter pass.
The bell tinkled again.
The Archduchess lay in bed and looked at Pippa with a pale face, dry lips, and feverish eyes. “I do not feel like rising today. My limbs ache and my head pounds something ferocious.” She pushed away the breakfast tray.
“Oh dear, would you like me to call the doctor?” Pippa picked up the tray, noticing she had not touched the chocolate or theKipferl.
The Archduchess shuddered. “No. I just want some sleep and no disturbances.”
“Yes, that is a good idea.”
“Oh, and Pippa. If visitors come today, you must not send them away but receive them in my stead. You must represent me today. Serve them some tea and keep them company. I do not want them to leave without having had some refreshment, having come so far. You must put on something pretty, not this dreary blue dress that you always wear. Go to my wardrobe and ask Susi for the dresses that I have set aside because they are too small. The green silk day dress. It should suit you admirably.”
Pippa repressed a groan.
This was bound to be heading for disaster, Pippa feared. What on earth was she to do in terms of small talk if Hardenberg from the German delegation appeared? Or Talleyrand, heaven forbid.
Susi helped Pippa put on the dress and brushed her hair up.
Pippa stared at her appearance in the mirror and found a stranger looking back.
Her face was narrower than it used to be, her eyes huge, but perhaps that was because of the dark rings underneath. The green fabric suited her and made her feel pretty.
She stroked the soft fabric of the shawl that Susi had draped over her shoulders. Thus dressed, she stepped into the drawing room.
And promptly came to a full stop when she saw the gentleman leaning against the mantelpiece. He was still wearing a greatcoat and boots and was taking offhis hat as if he had just stepped off the coach. His cheeks were red from the cold air, and his blue eyes sparkled as he turned around. “Surprise, dear sister. I thought today would be an excellent day for a vis—” He came to a full stop.
Pippa dropped into a curtsy.
“Pippa!” There was a joyful note in his voice, and he stepped towards her, taking her hands in his. “It has been so long. Let me look at you.” He pulled her toward him and frowned. “You look pale and haggard.”
“I am quite well. But your sister is not. I fear she has come down with the same illness I had previously.”
“Mimi? She normally has the constitution of a horse. I shall drop by later, but first, we must talk.” He sat down in a chair and attempted to draw her onto his lap, but Pippa resisted, sitting down across from him instead, with a straight back, and spreading the skirt over her knees.
“Thank you for getting me this position with your sister,” she began. “I appreciate your help. But I shall not be able to stay here.”
“Why not? Is there anything you dislike here? Is she not treating you well? Are you missing something?”
She shook her head. “You know I cannot stay here forever and that I must return home.”
He raised an eyebrow. “To do what, exactly?”
That, of course, was the question. Not to mention that her home had been confiscated, but that was something she staunchly refused to think about.
“Pippa.” He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, staring at her. “Stay here. As Mimi’s companion. You cannot get a better position than that. It is well paid, andsuitable to your genteel background, and on top of it all, Mimi has been craving proper company. I daresay you and she get along well.”
“Yes, we do.” It was the truth. She did like the Archduchess, and they did get along well. And there was much truth in what he was saying as well.
