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“No!” I lunged for them and the little girl quailed, puppy eyes enormous in her panicked face.
“Tsk, Lady Gwynn,” Brunette clucked, “no one is taking your things. We’ll get them clean. We’ve a bit of laundry magic, too.”
I felt abruptly foolish. Ridiculous. Everything seemed to be spinning away from me. Had my life seemed lifeless and empty? I no longer recognized that person I’d been. Or who I was now.
The sparrow girl edged away from me and set the bundle by the door. I dropped myself into the hot water, exhaling in relief. This, at least, felt normal. Comforting. Brunette was hustling the girls into warming the towels by the fire, which snapped and crackled in a merry counterpoint to the cool fog out the windows.
“Thank you for your help, Lady…”
“I’m Blackbird, Lady Gwynn. You can leave off the title with me—always seems silly, to keep reminding everyone, don’t you think?”
“I wouldn’t know, since I’ve never been nobility of any sort.”
“Lord Rogue says you are, dear, so that makes it so.Histitle I am always careful to use—” she winked at me, “—or my granny would tan my behind. Now dunk your head, pet, and give your hair a good soaking, so we can get you clean.”
The water muddied immediately with ugly reddish-browns and Blackbird set the sparrow girls to bailing water to dump out the window, while the other brought freshly warmed water from the fireplace. I listened for how far the water fell, but couldn’t hear it actually hit the ground. Good thing I hadn’t jumped.
“What scents do you prefer, love?” Blackbird settled herself before a tray of bottles.
“Umm, hazelnut?” At least, that was my favorite body butter. Damn, I’d miss that stuff. “Vanilla, cinnamon, mace.”
“The dark sweet scents,” Blackbird agreed, a wink in her voice. Like an alchemist, she combined drops from various glass bottles. Then scooted a stool behind my head and poured some warm liquid into my hair. She carefully worked her fingers through the snarls, massaging my scalp. It comforted me and I soaked it up. Except I might still be behaving badly.
“Should you be washing my hair? Seems like a noble lady ought to, well, supervise or something.”
“Tush.” Blackbird poured more liquid into the congealed mass at the nape of my neck. “’Tis a privilege, dear. I volunteered, or was about to when Lord Rogue asked me.”
“He asked you to wash my hair?”
She chuckled. “Well, not in so many words, but rather to help you dress for the reception.”
“Reception?” I sat up too abruptly, sloshing the water, and she tsked at me.
“Yes, reception and banquet. Your debut. Now close your eyes.”
She called Mina over with a bucket and doused my hair, sluicing away the suds. Blackbird poured more goop into my hair and settled in for a second wash. I waited for her to resume our conversation. She changed the subject instead.
“I’m going to add some oil and comb it through to get the tangles out. Then we’ll wash once more lightly and we should be done.” She handed me a cloth with more of the scented soap in it, so I could scrub myself while she worked. Hopefully it wouldn’t be hard on my complexion. Least of my worries, I guessed. My mind was probably grasping at inconsequentials because I couldn’t yet grapple with this vastly changed reality. Still, I needed to focus on next steps.
“So when is this reception?”
“Oh, in a little while,” Blackbird returned so breezily that I knew she was ducking the subject.
“Will you be there?” I winced as she tugged a wooden comb through the snarls. The comb smelled of sandalwood.
“Only in the background, dear. I’m not so important, thank Titania.”
“Is Titania your queen?”
“A ruler?” Blackbird sounded confused as she launched into another shampooing. “No, Titania watches over us. Okay, Bhrta, rinse.”
I sat still while the water sluiced over me. “I don’t suppose you have some kind of razor?”
“A sharp blade?”
“To shave my legs?” I lifted one leg out of the water and laid it on the rim. The silver ring circling my ankle winked in the light, the same color as the fog. I’d forgotten about it. How quickly one becomes accustomed to shackles.
Rubbing my fingers over the sharp stubble on my leg I could believe it was at least two days’ growth. Bhrta and Mina came over, politely curious. Blackbird bent closer, eyes wide.
