“Today I will be your pupil as well, my lady,” he said, once the duchess had set her books aside. “We are adjusting HerGrace’s education somewhat. I believe a more strategic approach will be beneficial.”
“Is that so?” Mionet asked politely, though she did not expect any useful reply. Nothing beyond the barest essentials had been provided to her, though she had managed to deduce a great deal, between Duchess Andelin’s shamefaced confession and her many nervous habits.
It was an incident with the maids that had really told Mionet everything she needed to know. A single moment months before when Peri had dropped a hairpin, reached quickly to catch it, and Duchess Andelin had…well, frankly, she hadcowered.Fortunately, Peri had not noticed.
But Mionet had.
That was a weakness. That was a potent weapon, for a subtle woman. But it was best to minimize such incidents, at present; it was bad for the servants to know such a thing about their mistress, and Duchess Andelin would never be amenable to Mionet’s overtures if she was constantly anxious and fearful. All it had taken was Mionet instructing the maids to look less like maids, and the duchess had relaxed as if by magic.
There was a great deal of information to be gleaned from that.
“…that’s the sort of thing I would like to know,” Sir Justenin was saying, bringing her back to the present with a jolt. Mionet had been listening with half an ear, absorbing information and making appropriate responses, calculating all the while. “A focus on the tactics of a Rose of Segoile. I expect you will be able to assist us most ably, Lady Verr.”
“I am not entirely sure what you mean,” she said, stalling.
“The business of the great ladies of society. Identifying key players, approaching them, and negotiating with them,” he replied, with cool amusement. “I am told you were a formidable player of the game, my lady.”
Were.
He knew. He absolutely knew.
Mionet had wondered, when she first arrived, whether Duke or Duchess Ereguil might have divulged her secrets. It had taken very little time to ascertain they had not, for Duke and Duchess Andelin were the most unsubtle creatures alive. But Sir Justenin knew, and was letting herknowthat he knew.
She lifted her chin.
“The first part will be difficult, from four hundred miles away,” she observed. “It takes many years to learn who is who in society, and we have noGazetteorSociety Annualhere.”
“But you know them.”
“Of course.”
“Then I would like you to tell Her Grace about them, in as great detail as possible,” he instructed, which was so ludicrous that Mionet’s jaw almost dropped.
“What good would that do, to hear stories of people she has never met? I beg your pardon, my lady,” she added, turning to Duchess Andelin, who was listening with quiet interest. “I am perfectly willing, of course. But I get rather lost among the names myself sometimes, and I have met them.”
“Her Grace will remember, I assure you.” Sir Justenin gave a very small smile. “Please take care to discuss key figures daily. For now, it is the second and third steps of the process that must concern us.”
Mionet’s pleasant expression betrayed nothing. But inside, she was seething. This was thelastthing she wanted to confide to Duchess Andelin, who was the target of exactly this process. Sir Justenin was making her confess itandexplain in detail exactly how Mionet meant to do it.
“My, you put a rather cold cast upon it,” she said, laughing lightly. “In Segoile, we would say that we were courting. Wooing friends is not so different from wooing a lover. Youmust discover the other party’s interests and then share them together, to become better friends. There was one lady I knew, Lady Mailleur, who greatly enjoyed arranging flowers. When I sought her acquaintance, I invited her to a certain greenhouse I knew with many rare and beautiful flowers. It was quite a pleasant afternoon.”
Pausing, Mionet looked at Sir Justenin apologetically, an intentional flourish of her beauty and innocent gray eyes.
“I am afraid it is no great strategy,” she said, with a self-deprecating smile. “I imagine men find companions in much the same fashion.”
Sir Justenin smiled back gently and uncorked the inkpot at his elbow.
“How did you discover Lady Mailleur’s interest in gardening?” he asked, dipping his quill into the inkpot.
“We spoke about it at a banquet,” she replied, watching uneasily as he began to write.
“Did she offer the information, or did you solicit it?” His spectacles flashed as he looked up at her.
“I believe…I confided several interests of my own first,” she said.
“Often, if you give a little information, people will offer information in return,” Sir Justenin explained to Duchess Andelin, and Mionet started. She had almost forgotten the lady was there. Duchess Andelin nodded solemnly and turned her large golden eyes back to Mionet.
It was a very uncomfortable conversation. Sir Justenin walked her through a dozen such courtships, taking notes all the way, and though Mionet was careful to discuss the most blameless of her relationships, it still felt like she was providing evidence that would be presented at her trial. And throughout the whole unsettling interview, Duchess Andelin was silently listening, thinking who knew what.
