‘I do hope not. Is your mother ill?’
‘Oh, no. Fit as a flea, but she’s not one for dressing up, if you see what I mean. Especially me. She thinks I’m too young.’
‘Too young? You must be — what, fifteen?’
‘And a quarter.’
‘You are not married?’
‘Of course not.’
‘Betrothed, then?’
Rosie laughed. ‘Don’t be daft,’ she said. ‘Oh, I do beg your pardon. It’s just a saying. No. I am not. People don’t get married until they are in their twenties at least. Normally, I mean.’ She decided not to go into the example of Amy, who had had to leave school suddenly last year.
‘You come from a long way away, don’t you?’ came the suddenly serious question.
Rosie nodded. ‘I think I must.’
‘Do you know anything of Anterwold?’
Rosie looked at her, open-mouthed. ‘Did you say Anterwold?’ she asked incredulously. ‘Anterwold?’
‘Yes. That is what this land is called. Did you not know that?’
‘Oh. No,’ the girl replied, properly flustered for the first time. ‘I know nothing. I don’t know where I am or how I got here. I don’t know how I’m going to get home. I’m going to be in real trouble when I do. I mean, not perpetual slavery. But a lot of detentions. Anterwold? Are you serious?’
‘Hush, my dear, don’t worry. We wish to help you. It may be you will be able to help us as well. We shall see. I must tell you that at the moment there is nothing we can do. We don’t know how you got here either. But Henary...’
‘Yes. Him. He seems terribly nice.’
‘He is the wisest and most learned man in the land. If anyone can help you, he can. You must trust him, for he means only well. Can you do so?’
‘I will ask Jay.’
Lady Catherine raised an eyebrow. ‘You trust the opinion of a student over mine?’
‘Certainly,’ Rosie said. She smiled apologetically for her cheek.
‘In that case, you must ask him. He will be your escort for the Festivity. I hope that does not offend you.’
‘Oh no! Why should it? Who is he, anyway?’
‘Henary says he is one of the most gifted students he has ever had, although apparently he is quite unaware of that, so please do not tell him. Pride gets in the way of learning. One day — if he learns to obey rules and follow orders, which at the moment seems unlikely — he may be a very great Storyteller.’
‘Is that good?’
Catherine looked at the girl, who was evidently serious.
‘Yes,’ she said. ‘There is no higher achievement or honour in the world.’
‘In that case, it must be a very different world from mine,’ Rosie replied.
In contrast to Rosie, Jay received no special treatment, for which he was deeply grateful. Any attention he might have received would certainly have been unpleasant, and he still could not believe his good fortune in escaping unscathed, at least temporarily.
Moreover, he had questions of his own to ask. For example, when he left Henary, he was met by a servant, carrying his best robes. By the elevated standards of Willdon, they were poor enough, what he had to wear on high days at college, but they were a great deal better than his normal clothes. Henary had brought them with him, but how had he known in advance that Jay would disobey his orders to stay outside the domain? Had he been determined to overlook the fault even before it had been committed?
An imponderable question, with no answer that he could see. Oddly, mysterious though it was, it was not the thought that filled his mind as he found his way to the bathhouse (the communal one — no one was going to celebrate his presence) and began to prepare himself for the night.
No; his mind was full to bursting with the strange girl who had reappeared before him. So many questions floated in his head, he could not fix on any one long enough to make sense of it. Who was she? Where was she from? Why the unusual name, appearance, clothes, words, behaviour? Why was he given the job of being her guide for the evening? (Henary’s explanation made no sense.) Why such a welcome for her? Who (he repeated for the tenth time) was she?
When he met her once more, just as dusk was beginning to fall, he did not recognise her. He was standing in the first courtyard, wondering how the evening would unfold, when he saw two figures approaching him. Both were of unmatched beauty and elegance, one tall and fair, the other shorter, and with long golden hair. Both wore the finest clothes he had ever seen in his life; over their faces they already wore the glittering, elaborately painted masks which gave both an air of mystery. They were, he thought, nothing to do with him; his role was merely to stand in the corner, watch them go by and admire from a distance.
But they walked towards him and the shorter woman smiled. It was the smile that jolted him into realising who she was, and also that the creature next to her must be the Lady Catherine. He went down onto one knee with a deep reverence.
‘Stand up, Master Jay,’ said Lady Catherine. ‘I do not intend to eat you this evening. Breakfast tomorrow, perhaps?’
Jay returned to his feet but could not look into her eyes, so shy and abashed was he.
‘Or perhaps I should leave that to your master. What do you think?’ she added.
‘Shall I do the introductions?’ Rosie asked. ‘Now, let me see; I’d like to get it right. It seems so important here. “It is my very great pleasure, and an honour to me and my family...”’
‘Only a pleasure,’ Jay corrected. ‘Only a master should be introduced with very great pleasure. In fact, in my case, you should probably say “It is my duty”.’
‘For this evening, we grant you very great pleasure,’ Catherine said. ‘In fact, we might dispense with it altogether, as the Festivity starts so soon. You are Jaramal, son of Antus and Antusa, and are known as Jay.’
He nodded.
‘Then that is what I will call you also. I welcome you to my home, Jay Antusson; may you be happy here, as if it were your own.’
Jay was speechless, which was, for once, not good. He was expected to say something in return. Luckily Rosie did not realise this and interrupted.
‘Jay!’ she said. ‘Isn’t this just fantastic? There’s going to be a party, and you are to be my escort. Lady Catherine says it will last all night. I’ve never been up all night. Except once on New Year’s, but that was only because I sneaked out of bed when everyone was downstairs.’
‘It will be my very great honour...’
‘Oh, do stop all that, please, or you’ll be no fun. As I’m stuck here, I have decided to enjoy myself, and I can’t do that if you keep on bowing at me and looking as though you’ve just swallowed the soap.’
Lady Catherine laughed. ‘Well said, Lady Rosalind. Jay, I command you to obey her wishes, and those of your master.’
With that she withdrew, leaving them alone.
Jay scarcely noticed her going; instead he was gazing at Rosalind.
‘What? What is it? What’s wrong? What have I done now?’
‘Nothing. I just think you look beautiful.’
She blushed mightily at the compliment. No one had ever said anything like that to her before. The closest she had ever come was when Colin in year two had said she was quite pretty, he supposed. This was a great improvement and she didn’t know how to reply. So she just said, ‘Do you mean it? Or is that just what you’re meant to say?’
‘I mean it. Every word.’ Then he held out his arm and she linked hers in it. He adjusted it so that her hand was gently resting on his forearm, and said, ‘Would you care to walk around the Festivity?’
The guests had been arriving in the far courtyard for some time and were spreading out around the gardens. All were in their finest clothes, all talked softly. Only the occasional sound of laughter rose above the gentle murmur of voices. Then a loud trumpet sounded from an open window on the second floor of the house and a great cheer rose up, with applause and cries of ‘Well sounded, trumpeter! Sleep well! May you sleep through dawn!’