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Fenella digested this as Trudy brushed and dressed her hair. She deftly braided her thick brown hair and then twisted and pinned the tresses into place before adding the coif last of all, so it sat very high on her head. Fen turned her head to the looking-glass. Her reflection was a surprise to her every time these days. “Thank you Trudy, it looks very well.” She had never worn a coif before, but to her own eyes she looked very sophisticated indeed.

Trudy turned back to the drawers with a satisfied smile on her face and selected dark green hose and yellow garters for her mistress. “Which shoes, milady?” she asked.

“The round toed ones I think with the green leather.”

“And jewels?”

Fen paused, reaching for her turquoise ring.

“Might I make a suggestion, milady?” asked Trudy. Fen looked up. “I think…the pearls, don’t you?”

Fen gave a startled laugh. “Yes,” she said, thinking it over a moment. “I believe you are right. The pearls.” The two women smiled at each other.

**

“How well you look!” exclaimed Hester Schaeffer when they met in the long gallery. “Is that a new gown? How I admire the matching coif!”

“It is,” said Fen gratefully. She touched her headwear lightly, checking it was secure. “I have a new maid that dressed my hair.”

“How wonderful,” enthused her new friend looping arms with her as they carried on their way. “You must hold on to her. It is so hard to find anyone decent these days. I pay mine a small fortune, but you see I had to double what Lady Reed paid her to entice her away.” She sighed. “Andrew would say it served me right for poaching her from another’s service. Husbands can be so tiresome, can they not?”

Fenella smiled. “I suppose they can.”

“We’re going down the next two staircases to the lower salon,” Hester instructed as they descended a flight of steps.

“Will there be many ladies attending this morning?”

“About fifteen or thereabouts,” Hester replied airily.

“And will I meet Lady Eden Montmayne?”

“Of a surety, my dear. Of a surety. She will in all likelihood be deputizing for the Queen, who usually only attends when there is a special performance.”

Fen was glad to hear it. She was in no hurry to see Queen Armenal again anytime soon. They soon reached the lower salon where small groups of ladies were standing around in conversation although there seemed no discernible organization.

Hester tutted. “We are early, what a bore! She drew Fen over to a quiet corner where they could chat without interruption. “There is no-one senior here to take charge,” she said with irritation as her eyes swept the inhabitants of the room.

“What about you, Hester?” asked Fen, as her friend was surely senior.

“Lord no!”

“Are you not one of the Queen’s ladies in waiting?”

Hester grimaced. “Dear me, no! I’m far too frivolous. Armenal only wants women who are useful to her, and I refuse to be useful to anyone. Sadly for her, she has still to shed a good number of ninnies the King engaged for her before their marriage.”

“Yes, she did mention something of that,” Fen remembered the Queen’s words from their meeting.

“Did she really?” said Hester with surprise. She eyed Fenella oddly. “That sounds ominous.”

“How so?”

“Like she might have intentions of asking you to join their ranks.”

“Oh no, she was very disappointed in me. She said so.”

“That’s even worse,” said Hester dryly. “It meant she felt she could be frank with you. The Queen only feels that way with people she likes.”

Fen eyed her friend doubtfully. “I’m sure I made a very bad impression. I was tongue-tied and miserable.”