Angharad huffed, crossing her arms. “Perhaps around men like yourself. Our lady is an adept conversationalist.”
Lord Quinn raised a brow, and I sneered. It was as good an excuse as any not to speak with him; even if I could, I wouldn’t.
“Gracious me,” Angharad muttered, then took my arm into her own. “Come, my lady. Gods be with you, Quinn Navarro; perhaps you ought to work on reconciliation. She’s to be our queen one day.”
It didn’t take long for the fighting to pick back up, once we made our distance. Angharad looked over her shoulder at the cluster of guards.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Nothing, just…” Angharad trailed off, then returned her attention to me. She trembled, as though whatever secret she kept might combust at any minute. Then she took a deep breath and exploded. “He’shuge!”
The blood left my face. “Gods!”
I covered my eyes. How common was it for ladies of the court to have such experiences with the men? It all sounded rather scandalous.
Peeking from between my fingers, I managed a sheepish glance at my acquaintance. She’d introduced me to nearly every penis in the castle, except for the only one that I’d inevitably be faced with,should the queen decide not to evict me from the premises. I battled my thoughts until my sanity forfeited.
“What… What of the prince?” I asked quietly.
Angharad whistled, clapping slowly, and I immediately regretted my decision to speak. “There we go. You’re blossoming.”
“Lady Angharad!”
“No, no, let me think… Honestly, not many could speak to it, and the whores know to keep their secrets. I will say, the mistress I saw leaving his bedchambers certainly appeared satisfied.”
Uncertainty and interest swirled within me. It was enough to keep me silent for the remainder of our walk.
We returned to the Lady’s Chambers in due time, arriving as one of the servant girls concluded her performance on a harp. The other ladies clapped in approval while I took my seat; Angharad reclaimed her spot, then poured herself a drink.
“Oh! Lady Winnie should perform for us next,” Angharad suggested, turning her attention to the lady-in-waiting as she made her way back to the alcove. Winnie froze in place.
“I wouldn’t know what to do,” she said, turning toward the building audience. “I’m ungifted with any instruments, and I can hardly sing.”
“Come now!” Lady Diamond belted out, her next words slurred and somewhat unclear. “Y-belch-you’re a lady-in-waiting! You must have some entertainment value!”
“What’s this about?” I asked.
“All ladies-in-waiting are trained in some manner of music, poetry, or art,” explained Lady Maeve, her voice light as a feather. She hiccupped.
Winnie’s apparent discomfort dampened my spirits. “Actually, my new friends, I grow faint with hunger. It is my own fault for coming straight here and skipping breakfast.”
Relief visibly washed over Winnie. “Oh, my lady, I should have noticed! Come, I shall arrange for a meal straightaway.”
She hurried to my side, bidding farewell before retreating into the safety of the corridor. Winnie was pensive on our return, hardly uttering a word until we’d descended to the lower floor.
“My lady.” She squared her shoulders. “I shall begin lessons in my spare time. Perhaps the violin would please you?”
“Oh, please, don’t trouble yourself with such things,” I replied, taking Winnie’s hand. “You do more than enough for me as a mentor.”
Winnie looked at our hands with surprise. “Then I shall do better as a mentor to account for my worthlessness as a musician. By the gods, I almost sang today! What an embarrassment that would have been! You do not want to hear me sing, my lady. It’s like the shrieking of a rusted hinge.”
Just as she said it, the chamber door creaked audibly beneath the weight of her palm. She grimaced, no doubt making a mental note to come back and oil it.
“I rather like singing,” I mused. After all, I’d sung my whole life, for no audience beyond my mother. There was something freeing in the act. It felt like speaking another language, communicating feelings through pitch and harmonics. “Perhaps I could sing for them sometime? Would that be appropriate?”
Winnie’s lips twitched into a grin. “Just about anything goes in the Lady’s Chamber.”
Chapter 6
