“Are you all right?” I whispered.
I don’t like this place, he said.It feels like the Tower.
“It’s probably the wards,” I murmured. I could feel them thrumming in the air about me—more powerful than Mother’s, I thought. I reached up to scratch around his beak, soothed by its familiar feel and the nudge of his head against my hand. We followed Milady to a sweep of shallow steps before a large door, and she stopped.
“Your little pet will have to stay outside, my dear,” she said.
My hand went to him instinctively. “Can he not come in? He …”
“I’m afraid not,” she said implacably.
“But …”
“We can discuss it further in the morning.”
Baldbeak and I exchanged glances.
I will be all right, he said.I do not want to go in there.
“I know, but I would rather stay together,” I whispered.
“Netta. Come along.”
I will be nearby, Baldbeak promised. He pushed off from my shoulder and dissolved into the night. Milady smiled and took my arm as we mounted the steps to where what I supposed was the staff waited in a line to greet her, all impeccably turned out and completely silent. The housekeeper stood just inside the door, ramrod straight. Milady gave her some orders while I looked about me.
I had never seen such wealth. The wood paneling, the gigantic curlicued staircase, the paintings, the elaborate knotted rugs … It all shone with money and a certain cool awareness, as if the place itself accepted all this finery as its due.
“This is where your mother and I grew up,” said Milady, watching my reaction. “Can you believe that she chose to leave all this?”
Actually, I could believe it. It was so difficult to imagine Mother here. The austerity of the Tower suited her, and it was difficult to imagine her set face and gray eyes amongst all this splendor. Milady, on the other hand, fit as perfectly into the lavish surroundings as a precious stone in a gold setting.
“She wasn’t always happy here,” continued Milady, leaning forward and speaking to me in a lowered voice, as if confiding in me. Her movement released another heady gust of her perfume, making me almost dizzy for a moment. “She was a … difficult girl, in many ways. Very headstrong.” She patted my hand and gave a laugh as pure and high as a bell. “I certainly hope you haven’t inherited that!”
I didn’t know what to say, so I gave an approximation of a smile and hoped that would be enough.
“Let me show you to your room.” She took my hand and tucked it under her arm, pulling me close to her. “It is the very nicest one. Besides my own, of course.” Another tinkling laugh.
“Was it my mother’s room?”
“I’m afraid your mother’s room has been closed up for some time. My poor father …” She sighed. “He couldn’t bear to look at it, once she left us. He locked the door and hid the key—I was never able to find it. He died without ever opening it again.”
“Can you tell me about what happened—when Mother left, I mean?”
“She was pregnant,” said Milady, briefly and disapprovingly.Pregnant with me.I wondered if I could ask Milady about my father—but her expression was forbidding. Perhaps later.
“She knew Father would be furious,” Milady went on. “They used to be close, but had a falling-out when he refused to recognize her as his heir. She left in the middle of the night, having switched garb with her lady’s maid to get past Father’s guard.”
She said these last words as she unlocked the door to what would be my room. A four-poster bed piled high with pillows; painted furniture with gilded trim; and that elusive floral scent permeating everything. It was thickly carpeted, the nap so soft underfoot that it muffled all sound. I felt like I could drop to my knees and bury my hands in it as if I were scratching the fluff of a dog’s belly.
“I will see about getting you a lady’s maid of your own,” said Milady.
“Oh, I don’t need—”
“Nonsense,” she said briskly. “Perhaps one of the under-maids is deserving of a promotion … Although really, if we are to bring you into society, we need someone on the very edge of fashion. I will ask my housekeeper to place an advertisement.”
“Society?”
She looked at me, wide-eyed. “But of course, my dear. You are my niece. You will need to take your proper place as a member of the family.” She patted my hand. “It is nothing to worry about. We will make sure you look the part, of course, and that you meet the right people … And as befits a daughter of the house of Edevane, I will prepare you for an advantageous marriage.”
