MISTRESS EVANS

Anna searched the west wing for Mistress Evans, who oversaw the royal household and its servants, and though she did not directly supervise the general castle servants, she had the highest status among them and reported directly to the queen. Anna found her folding sheets in a chamber devoted to the royal linens. She stepped into the palatial room that boasted its own shiny brass and crystal chandelier, marble statuary of maidens and knights, and grand paintings of landscapes. It was filled with shelves and racks and tables for folding and storing the linens of generations of royalty, some exquisitely stitched by the nimble hands of queens and princesses. The pleasant scent of cedar suffused the entire room, for the walls were lined with it to repel moths.

“Anna, what a surprise,” the older woman said. She claimed she’d no royal blood, but her bearing was regal and Anna had to fight an impulse to curtsy.

“I am sorry to disturb you,” Anna said, “but I was wondering if I might have a word.”

“You may, but your hands need not be idle while we talk.”

Anna smiled and took the corners of one end of a sheet featuring the embroidery of Hillander terriers frolicking among flowers, and inhaled deeply. It smelled of a spring day. She spoke of Nell Lotts’ situation while she helped fold.

“Does she know who the father is?” the housekeeper asked as she placed the folded sheet onto a shelf.

Anna nodded, then hesitated.

“Well, child?” Mistress Evans pressed.

“Master Scrum,” she said at last. “He refuses to accept responsibility and will dismiss Nell if she makes an issue of it.”

“Do you believe the girl?”

“Yes’m, I do. You don’t go around telling tales about Master Scrum. He has ways of finding out, and when he does, he makes sure you pay.”

“Which means the girl must be removed from servants quarters immediately.” Mistress Evans sighed. “Between you and me, Anna, I have never cared much for Master Scrum’s manner and have been suspicious of certain of his records for some time. Nothing I could ever prove, of course, and it is not my place to interfere with the management of his domain, just as it is not his to interfere in mine. It is Castellan Javien who oversees him, but this crosses a line.”

“What will you do?”

“I daresay, it would be best to bring this Nell Lotts into the royal household for the time being. Escort her over, if you would, Anna, and put her into the care of Sharri. Sharri will see her settled.”

“Yes’m.” Anna was relieved that Mistress Evans had come to the decision to take in Nell herself.

“I will broach the matter with the queen and castellan,” Mistress Evans continued, “as much as I dislike the thought of disturbing them from more pressing problems.” She shook her head, then drew another sheet out of a basket to begin folding. Anna once more caught the other end to help. “It sounds as if the unwed individuals in servants quarters need to be reminded of the measures they can take to avoid finding themselves in such a predicament. No doubt it is time to instill a dose of proper discipline there, too, which I’ll also recommend to the castellan.”

To Anna’s mind, such a reckoning was well past due. Master Scrum was a terrible person, and she thought Mistress Evans’ suspicions about him, whatever they were, were undoubtedly true.

She continued to help with the folding and found herself missing working for the even-handed head housekeeper. She never raised her voice, not even in rebuke. Her stately and composed manner was enough to put a situation to rights. In fact, might it not be good to work in the royal household again? Surely, with Queen Estora so busy with the war and twin babies, she’d need all the help she could get. And it would be safer than riding down to the lower city.

“Anna?” Mistress Evans said. “There is more on your mind, yes? What is it?”

To Anna’s dismay, tears started to roll down her cheeks. Mistress Evans offered her a neatly folded handkerchief off of one of the shelves. Anna blew her nose and proceeded to tell her about the archer impaled with an arrow in his throat, and ended with, “Then Sir Karigan yelled at me because I left my grooming kit in the middle of the floor.”

“Oh, my dear.” Mistress Evans folded her into her arms. “You are a gentle child, and seeing a man killed right in front of you like that was not easy.” She held Anna and patted her back until the sobs abated.

When they parted, Anna said, “Can I have my old job back, please? I’ll clean hearths, scrub floors, anything.”

Mistress Evans stood very erect and appraised her with an unswerving gaze. “That is the last thing I expected to hear from you.” When Anna tried to interject, Mistress Evans hushed her with a curt shake of her head. “You’ve worked very hard to become a Green Rider, and if I’m not mistaken, you were well aware of the dangers. But yes, I know what you saw today is different than just hearing about such things.”

Anna shuddered. “Yes’m, it is.”

“I am afraid, before all is said and done,” Mistress Evans continued, “we’ll all see frightening and tragic things as people commit violent acts upon one another. In war, it is never just the warriors who are affected. Do you think you could stand being cooped up in the royal wing while your friends ride to battle, never knowing what is happening at any given moment?”

Anna smoothed a pillowcase she had just folded. She would worry a lot about her friends. It would be hard, she had to admit, not being right there to make sure they were all right.

“Could you stand wondering if the enemy will make their way through the city’s defenses and assault us in even our most fortified place?” Mistress Evans asked. “If that should happen, none of us will be safe. In a way, I envy our warriors because they do not have to wait. They can actively work to stop the aggression of the enemy.”

Keeping busy, Anna thought, and involved, was often useful, and she could see how being stuck in her old duties would cut her off from what was going on, from what was important. Still, the arrow in the man’s throat . . .

“I do believe Colonel Mapstone and Queen Estora put a good deal of faith in you by, shall we say, breaking convention to allow you into the ranks of the Green Riders. The colonel, in particular, stood up for you, and I suspect she, were she here, would be most disappointed to learn that you wished to leave the messenger service so soon.”

Anna stared at the floor worn by the footsteps of generations of servants who had come into the linens chamber over the centuries. Nothing could have made Anna feel more guilty than the invocation of Colonel Mapstone’s name. Mistress Evans was certainly correct that the colonel had taken a chance by supporting her entry into the Green Riders. Anna’s leaving would reflect poorly not just on herself, but the colonel, as well.

“As for Sir Karigan,” Mistress Evans continued, “if she is not commonly given to shouting at you, you must question yourself as to why she did so today. The answer may prove illuminating. Ultimately, it is likely to have less to do with you than you may imagine.”

“I know she has been short of sleep,” Anna replied, “but even so, it’s unusual.”

“That should tell you something right there.” Mistress Evans then collected a pile of folded linens into her arms. “I’ve my duties to return to. The needs of the royal household do not abate for anything, not even war. If it is truly your wish to return to work in the queen’s household, I would gladly have you back. You were a good and earnest worker. However, think carefully about it before making a final decision. Think about how you would feel if you turned your back on the messenger service, and if you could live with the decision.”

Anna bowed her head. The neat handkerchief she’d been lent was now all crumpled. “Thank you, Mistress Evans.”

“I am glad I could help. You take care of yourself, Anna, and do bring Nell Lotts to Sharri.”

“Yes’m.”

Mistress Evans’ skirts swished as she walked from the chamber bearing her burden. Anna stood where she was in the quiet among the linens. The war felt very remote from here. Even the activity of the castle seemed far off. She thought about all the head housekeeper had told her. If she had expected an easy answer, she had not been given one.

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•   •   •

Anna carried a sack of Nell’s scant belongings down the corridor away from servants quarters.

“What do you think Mistress Evans plans to say to Master Scrum?” Nell asked anxiously as she strode beside her.

“I haven’t the faintest,” Anna replied. She wasn’t even sure if Mistress Evans would confront him directly.

They continued on in silence for a while. Nell shifted her basket in her arms. It contained a few more belongings—sewing supplies, a rag doll, a comb, and some ribbons. “Why are you doing this for me? I’ve never been, well, very nice to you.”

“It isn’t just for you,” Anna replied. “You’ve got that baby coming, and while it’s nice and quiet up here at the castle, it’s not so good in the city with Second Empire trying to break through our walls.” It was, she thought, no time to get kicked out onto the street. “People gave me a chance to get out from under Master Scrum’s thumb, so maybe it’s my turn to help someone.”

Nell’s gaze was downcast. “He threatened to throw me out if I didn’t allow him between my legs anytime he wanted,” she said.

Anna grimaced. If she had stayed among the general castle servants, would she have found herself in a similar situation?

“I didn’t care for it,” Nell continued, “but he did favors for me in return, like giving me little gifts and treats, and he let me get away with cutting out of work, so long as I kept my mouth shut. If I refused him when he wanted a poke, he slapped me around. You can imagine how he was when I told him I was missing my monthly and started getting morning sick.”

Anna nodded. “No one will hit you or ask for a poke in the royal household,” she said softly. “Mistress Evans keeps her lot in good order.”

Nell released a long breath.

“She will not be lenient if you cut work,” Anna added. “She’s strict, but fair so long as you do a good job.”

“I don’t know how to thank you.”

“Just do good.”

“I will. I promise.”

Anna left Nell with Sharri in the west wing, and then headed for the Rider wing, thinking that at least one thing had gone well this day, but the cloud of indecision once more hung over her head. She had questioned her ability to be a Green Rider often enough, but it was easy to say she’d been fine about it when her daily life had revolved around classes and training, and not actual experience, and then there was today. How did the others handle it? She guessed the Rider call gave them no choice in the matter and they faced whatever they had to face. Even after all that Lieutenant Mara and Sir Karigan had been through, they kept going because they had to. It only made her feel more ashamed.

When she arrived in the Rider wing, Lieutenant Mara stepped out of her chamber. “Ah, Anna, there you are. Do you have a minute?”

“Yes’m.” She felt another tinge of guilt for avoiding the Riders and her duty.

Lieutenant Mara ushered her into her chamber. It was a comfortable place with colorful art on the walls and a patchwork quilt on the bed, upon which Ghost Kitty napped. Her desk, however, was worse than even Colonel Mapstone’s ever was, with an old apple core, a pair of socks in need of darning, and what appeared to be a stack of a week’s worth of dirty dishes on it.

Anna expected to be berated for her absence, but instead, Lieutenant Mara asked, “As Karigan’s friend, I was wondering if you had noticed her being a little surly of late?”

“Yes’m.” Anna explained the incident with her grooming kit.

“Hmm. She snapped at me this morning, too. It’s out of character, but the gods only know what’s normal for her these days.”

It was a validation to hear that Lieutenant Mara did not think Sir Karigan was herself either. “She seemed fine when she arrived, but the past few days, not so much.”

“I agree,” the lieutenant replied. “I’ve tried to get her to visit the menders, but there is never time, and Ben is occupied down by the wall. I was on the verge of ordering her to report directly to Vanlynn, but she slipped out to take a message herself to the east wall because no one else was available to take it.”

Anna gazed at her boots, ready to confess her digression and unworthiness, to pour out all that had happened this day and that she was thinking of leaving the Green Riders.

The lieutenant, however, sighed and said, “I guess that’s all, Anna. Thank you. You are dismissed.”

Anna hesitated before leaving, again wishing to unburden her heart, but Lieutenant Mara was already digging into a pile of paperwork, a frown of concentration on her face. Maybe later, she thought, when the lieutenant wasn’t so busy, though she had no idea when that would be. She returned to her chamber, feeling all sorts of turmoil, and not just for what she hadn’t told the lieutenant. If anything happened to Sir Karigan, it would be all her fault because she should have been the one to take that message, and as she had learned today, dangerous things were bound to happen when you went near the battle zone. She did not deserve to be a Green Rider.