Traditionally all the animals were named after herbs and spices, but referring to the boar as a pig annoyed both Harlan and Astin, so the sisters had all agreed to bend the rules for the sake of maximising the joke.
Blake picked up the duck so it would not chase the wagon down the road.
‘Off you go,’ Candace said, eyes shiny.
Lyndal pressed a hand to her churning stomach as she walked away. The driver was waiting to take her hand as she stepped up into the wagon. It was surreal given a year earlier she had been eating insects while imagining her death. Now she was on her way to Eldon Castle.
‘Is that what you are wearing?’ Kendra asked as Lyndal settled herself on the seat opposite.
Lyndal looked at her. ‘No. This one is a ruse. Just when Queen Fayre expresses her disappointment in my choice of dress, I shall whip it off, revealing a much nicer one beneath it.’
Her cousin squinted her disapproval. ‘Very funny. This is my future, you know.’
Lyndal leaned over and squeezed her cousin’s hand. ‘No one’s going to be looking at me.’
‘But theywilljudge the company I keep. If I fail to win over the king, my father will remind me of the fact long after I have married someone who isnotof royal blood.’ She looked out as the wagon pulled away, head shaking. ‘Sorry. That was unkind. Perhaps I am more nervous than I realised.’
Lyndal knew the kind of pressure Kendra was under. ‘You’re not a failure if you’re not queen by the end of the spring. You do know that, right?’
‘In my father’s eyes I will be. He is still recovering from the disappointment of me being born a girl.’ Kendra smoothed down the skirt of her gown, which fell perfectly around her legs. ‘I once witnessed your father sing your praises about the way you hung laundry. I was eight at the time, and rather jealous.’
‘And yet you never thought to try it for yourself.’
Kendra bit back a smile. ‘I can safely say my father would have had a very different reaction to me hanging laundry.’ Her expression turned serious. ‘Listen to me complaining. At least my father is still alive. And you would look stunning wearing a wheat bag, by the way. Pay me no mind.’
Lyndal’s eyes shone with mischief. ‘Perhaps I’ll test that theory.’
‘Ah, no. Peasant clothing I will allow. Wheat bag I will not.’
Lyndal’s mouth fell open. ‘Peasant clothing? My dear cousin, if you think this is what people are wearing in the merchant borough, then it’s been too long between visits.’ She looked down at her cotton dress with its pleated bodice and lace along the sleeve.
‘You really do straddle two worlds,’ Kendra said on a sigh.
‘The Suttone women have invented a new class—peasant gentry.’
Kendra smiled as she turned to watch the passing scenery. The wagon swayed gently, the horse moving at a slow trot.
As they neared the gate, Lyndal pressed a hand to her stomach. The separation from her family was going to be the most challenging part. She had never been away from them overnight, let alone divided by a wall for weeks on end.
A horse cantered up beside the wagon, causing both girls to jump in their seats. It was Eda.
‘Please stop the wagon,’ Lyndal said to the driver.
The driver pulled up, and Lyndal’s feet landed on the ground at the same time Eda’s did. The girls wrapped their arms around each other, holding tightly for a few moments.
Eda was first to let go.They better treat you well or I’m scaling that wall and coming for them.
‘What did she say?’ Kendra called from the wagon.
Lyndal glanced over her shoulder. ‘She’s just wishing us a pleasant stay.’
‘Right,’ Kendra said, sounding sceptical.
The sisters exchanged a small smile.
‘I’ll see you at the Solar Festival,’ Lyndal said, smoothing down her sister’s hair. ‘If not before.’
Across a rope?Eda signed.
