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Fen shook her head.

“Not at all,” said the Queen. “They would scorn to look upon her. All they respect is youth and beauty. They think this is the only path to power. They are all just fools.”

Fen nodded, impressed.

“You see that one up there?” she said nodding to the top of the corridor where every so often her lady in waiting drifted into view. “She was one such, very briefly.”

Fen sucked in a breath. “But, why do you have her for a lady-in-waiting?”

The Queen arched a sardonic eyebrow at her. “Not by choice, I can assure you, but eventually I will prune these cankered roses out of my retinue. Of that you can be assured. Even now, I have, how would you say, an inner circle? My trusted ladies. They occupy the better positions. I would not expect them to trot after me and to wait in cold corridors while I chat,” she added contemptuously. “Like the watchdog.”

“Would Lady Doverdale be considered one of your inner circle?” suggested Fenella.

“Yes, and your sister-in-law, the Duchess of Cadwallader,” agreed the Queen.

“I see,” said Fen.

“Which brings me to my next point,” said Queen Armenal easily. “How would you like to attend an afternoon of entertainments tomorrow in the Yellow Chamber? It will be presided over by myself, and our mutual friend Lady Eden will be leading the dance.”

Fen gulped. It did not escape her notice, that she was being given a royal invitation to the event. Perhaps she had somehow won the Queen over, despite her awkwardness and the fact she had nearly put her foot in it at least twice! “It would not involve my actually dancing would it?” she asked nervously. Sadly, Fenella knew herself to possess two left feet.

The Queen shook her head. “It is only those poor unmarried creatures who are required to dance for the entertainment of others,” she said sagely.

“Then I would be delighted,” she said for she had not made plans other than another wretched sitting for signor Arnotti in the morning. It would be good to catch up with Eden also, for she could find out if her letter had been successfully forwarded to the playwright.

“Good,” said the Queen rising up from her seat. “I shall look for you there, Lady Vawdrey.”

Fenella hastily stood and sank into a deep curtsey. Bors sat up on his haunches and yawned. The Queen smiled at them both and drifted back up the corridor. She watched her for a moment until signor Arnotti cleared his throat quite violently.

“Your pardon,” said Fen with dignity and returned to her seat.

**

“Is it true that the King wanted you to marry Helen Cecil?” Fen asked her husband at supper. Everyone had seemed to be in the midst of their own conversations until she spoke, but now suddenly all eyes were on them.

Oswald put his knife down carefully and looked her straight in the eye. “Where did you hear that?” he asked.

Fen didn’t see any point in beating around the bush. “From Queen Armenal,” she answered.

He paused a moment. “The King never asked me at any time to marry Lady Helen Cecil.” He said it with an air of finality, but Fen could immediately see the weakness of the answer.

“But did he want you to?” she persisted.

Oswald frowned. “I’m not a mind reader Fenella,” he said. “And I can assure you, I have never had any private conversation, or even met with Helen Cecil in public, to my knowledge. I wouldn’t even recognize her if I did.”

That was rather more reassuring, and she relaxed back against the back of her seat.

“Politician’s answer, if I ever I heard one,” scoffed Roland. “What you should have asked him was, ‘to your knowledge did the King ever want you to marry Helen Cecil?’”

Oswald directed a look at him that silenced him, and the rest of the table.

Mason cleared his throat, “I hear the Mayburys will be returning to court ere long,” he began, and Linnet backed him up by exclaiming an interest in this piece of news.

Fen leaned forward in her seat so there was less space between herself and her husband. “Did you, um – ever think that Lady Sumner might make you a very good sort of wife?” she asked in a rush.

Once again, the rest of the table went into profound silence and all the heads turned their way. Fen turned scarlet.

“Need I remind you that Lady Sumner is a married woman?” said Oswald cuttingly. “And has been for several years now.”