‘So what should we do?’ Sonya asked, feeling sick with anxiety.
‘Follow my lead.’ Winnie smiled brightly. ‘Let’s clean up the tea table.’
Sonya didn’t know what that would accomplish, but she followed Winnie to the table anyway, her heart pounding as it brought her closer than ever to Dahlia. She was standing right beside them, with a perfectly clear view of Sonya. What was Winnie thinking?
‘Don’t tell me Marcus usedthatline on you?’ Winnie said, voice a little loud. She stacked up the dirty plates. ‘The boys need to get more original!’
‘I—I know,’ Sonya agreed, having no clue what Winnie was talking about, but she started stacking saucers and teacups.
‘You are pretty, but saying you are as beautiful as the Princess of Fairendelle is a bit far-fetched, isn’t it?’ Winnie continued, emptying crumbs from one plate onto another. ‘I’m sure the princess is fairer than you are.’
It was true that Sonya’s skin had tanned since she’d come to the Outskirts and spent more time in the sun.
‘Not to mention myhair,’ Sonya continued, catching on to Winnie’s ruse. She tried to adopt the same petulant tone as her friend. She rolled her eyes. ‘I heard the princess has hair down to her waist. It must be a nightmare for her maids to wash it.’
Dahlia had stepped closer, clearly listening, and at that, she said, ‘Oh, it is.’ Sonya and Winnie looked over at her, as if just noticing her. Dahlia’s cheeks reddened. ‘Sorry to intrude on your conversation. My sister is a maid for the princess, actually. And she does say washing Her Royal Highness’s hair takesforever.’
Sonya had heard Elspeth complaining about it more than a few times and didn’t blame her.
‘It absolutely must,’ Sonya agreed. She understood Winnie’s tactic: be confident. Sonya smiled, as if she had absolutely nothing to hide. ‘What is your name?’
‘Dahlia,’ she replied. ‘And yourself?’
Sonya could not lie about her name, not when everyone else already knew it, so she said the truth. ‘I was named for the princess since I was born a few days after her.’ Her heart pounded. ‘My mother was obsessed with the royal family,’ she said, with a quick roll of her eyes.
‘Another reason boys always try to use that line on you,’ Winnie quickly added. ‘Your mother should have thought of that before naming you after the princess.’
Dahlia laughed. ‘Boys and their lines,’ she said, shaking her head.
‘I feel sorry for your sister,’ Winnie replied. ‘The princess must be a real piece of work.’
Sonya tried not to be offended.
‘No, she isn’t,’ Dahlia replied. ‘My sister, Elspeth, really enjoys working for her. I haven’t seen her in a few weeks, though. She’s been quite busy with the tourney coming up, but I know Elspeth will miss the princess once she’s wed.’
Sonya was relieved; if Elspeth hadn’t visited, she hadn’t had the chance to tell Dahlia that Sonya had run away, or anything like that. And she knew Elspeth wouldn’t jeopardize her job by writing such a thing in a letter.
As the relief flowed through her, she also felt touched Elspeth liked working for her. She missed her dearly.
‘That’s good,’ Winnie said. ‘I don’t know many people who work at the castle.’
They chatted a bit more with Dahlia before Dahlia became a little sheepish. ‘You know, I thought you looked like the princess, too,’ she admitted. ‘For a second, I even thought youwereher. I know that’s silly.’
Sonya forced a laugh, even as her heartbeat turned erratic.
‘Wouldn’t it be nice if she was a princess?’ Winnie asked. ‘I’d love to be best friends with one.’ They all laughed, and Dahlia took her leave.
Sonya felt faint again, the tension coming over her, but she steadied her breathing.
‘You’re okay,’ Winnie said, voice strong. ‘Let’s get these dirty dishes out of here.’ She piled a stack of plates into Sonya’s hands. They were heavy, but Sonya held them up, given no choice. She carried them back to the living room, where it was mercifully much quieter.
‘Phew,’ Sonya breathed, setting the dirty dishes down by the sink. Winnie did the same, close behind her. ‘Thank you, Winnie. You handled that brilliantly.’
Winnie smiled. ‘It was kind of fun! Maybe I should be a spy.’ She thought about it. ‘Hey, is the castle looking for any royal spies? Think you can put in a good word?’
Sonya laughed, a real laugh this time. She started washing the dishes, and Winnie helped dry them, until Winnie’s mother popped in and it was time for them to head out.
Soon, the rest of the guests also began leaving, and everyone had cleared out by around six in the evening.
