They never talked about the kiss after it happened, let alone had another one. He probably considered it a lapse in judgment, or a moment of emotion winning out over pure logic. Marina did not know how to bring it up. It would hurt too much to hear him say it was a mistake. So, she said nothing at all.
“Marina!” Lilly called.
She realized she had spaced out for a long time and had not heard what Lilly had said to her. “Sorry,” she murmured. “I was woolgathering for a moment.”
Lilly giggled. “Can I gather wool?”
“In your imagination, you can.” Marina smiled at her. “What did you ask me?”
“I asked if you wanted sugar or milk in your tea?”
“I would love a little of both. Thank you.” She held out the small, pink teacup.
Lilly pretended to spoon sugar into the empty cup. “Wait your turn, Mr. E,” she muttered off to the side.
“Mr. E? Who is he?” Marina had never heard the name before. Then again, this was the first time Lilly had invited her for tea. Her tea parties were exclusive affairs, after all. Even though her nanny supervised, she never participated herself.
“He is normally a kind man. But he is beingveryimpatient at the moment. He is not used to having another guest for tea.” She shot a stern look at the empty chair to her left. “As punishment, he is getting served last.” She turned to her teddy bear, to her right, with a smile. “I know you want a small drop of milk, Mr. Bear. No sugar.”
Something about Mr. E. unsettled Marina. She looked at the empty chair as if expecting some specter to appear. “Where did you meet Mr. E?” she asked.
“He’s always been here,” Lilly said. “Since as long as I can remember.”
“Is he a grown-up?”
Lilly giggled. “Of course, silly. I would not call a child ‘mister’ anything.”
An image of a strange shadow man skulking around the grounds flashed through Marina’s mind, and it left a sour taste in her mouth. “Is this a man who wanders the property? Do others know about him?”
Lilly shrugged. “Sometimes he wanders. Most times, he’s with me. My nanny knows about him because he always comes for tea.”
“And he’s in this room? Right now?”
“Of course, silly.” Lilly pointed to the empty chair. “He’s sitting right there.”
Mr. E must be an imaginary friend.Relaxing slightly, Marina looked at the empty chair. “I beg your pardon, Mr. E. I did not see you there,” she said solemnly.
“Of course you didn’t,” Lilly said. “No one can see him except me. He’s invisall.”
“Invisible?”
Lilly nodded. “Yes! But he’s always here.”
Marina had recalled times during lessons when Lilly would mutter to herself. During walks, she could talk incessantly to Prince William. Maybe some of those remarks were actually addressed to Mr. E.
“What does Mr. E. say during our lessons?”
She pouted. “He tells me to do better. He gets sad when I get something wrong. But he smiles when I get something right.”
“It is not nice of him to get sad when you get something wrong. Making mistakes is part of learning.”
“Mr. E. thinks you’re wrong,” Lilly said matter-of-factly. “But it is all right. He likes you anyway.”
“Does he now?” She arched an eyebrow at “Mr. E”. “I am honored, Mr. E.”
“He nodded at you,” Lilly said. “He’s smiling.” She smiled indulgently at the empty chair. “All right. You can have some tea now that you’re being good.”
“What does Mr. E look like?” Marina asked.
