I rubbed one against my arm. Sniffed again. And then I dunked my head into the bath and scrubbed everything I could reach.
I was wrinkled and relaxed when I emerged from the water. I brushed tangles from my hair with a pretty wooden comb and pulled on the tunic and trousers left for me. The fabric was slick and soft and felt invisible against my skin. It almost made me miss my worn linens’ nubby texture. The clothes fit surprisingly well, and I wondered how many sets of clothing were tucked into cabinets in case a bond servant was recovering in the palace.
“Hello?” I said, half hoping Talia would emerge to complain about my cleanliness so I could spend the rest of the day in the water.
“Hello,” Talia said, carrying another bundle of fabric. “I have a dress for you.”
“Why do I need a dress? You already left me clothes.” I looked down. “Although the pants are a bit short.”
Talia bit back a grin. “Those are undergarments. Do you want to parade through the palace in those?”
“I don’t want to parade through the palace at all.” Undergarments or not, they were still nicer than anything I’d ever worn.
“Don’t worry. This isn’t too formal.” She unfolded it, revealing a long dress of deep forest green. The bodice was rounded, the sleeves long and fitted. The skirt came to midcalf and swung when I moved. There were no embellishments, no braiding, no trinkets or embroidery. Just simple lines and fabric that was soft to the touch.
“Do you know how to fasten it?” Talia asked without a hint of judgment.
I just looked at her. “Do I look like a person who knows how to fasten a fancy dress?”
“You look like a person smart enough to figure it out. Turn around.”
I did, and at her direction I stepped into the dress and pulled up the bodice, then held back my still-damp hair as she plucked and adjusted it.
“Turn,” she said, and then gave her attention to the ribbons that crisscrossed the bodice. “Ingenious little design. You tighten these here to adjust the fit. That way, you can do up the dress alone and don’t need a servant to button you.”
It was a good idea. I pulled the ribbons where she pointed, then tied a bow to keep them from moving.
“Do you have a lot of dresses around?” I wondered. Even thesleeves and hem fell to the correct spot—or what seemed like it, anyway.
“No,” she said. “Turn around again.”
I did, and she began to braid my hair into a long queue, with a few loose waves at the temples.
“Now I feel like a show pony.”
“And you’re almost as pretty as one.”
“Ha.”
She spun me back, looked me over. “You’ll do.”
“For what?”
“For living in a palace.”
Famous last words for a thief, I thought.
“Shoes,” she said, shoving a pair of soft leather slippers at me. They’d be useless on the run, but the fit was good.
“Now,” she said, looking me up and down. “You’re clean.”
Seventeen
Iwas escorted by a soldier back to my room. The prince surely had better things to do, and I didn’t argue, as I didn’t yet know my way around the palace. I was also still a little shaky from my encounter with the practitioner, so I didn’t mind having, at least temporarily, my own bodyguard.
The soldier opened the door and waited until I was inside. “The prince has business, but food will be brought to you.”
“Thank you,” I said with a nod. He closed it again, and I listened for thesnickof a lock, but there was only the sound of his footsteps receding down the hallway.
