In some way, there was little difference between this Quintana and the indignant Reginita. They both had the habit of not recognising when to refrain from speaking.
Grijio snorted with laughter at the idea. A young woman hurried into the room, her blonde curls bouncing around her face, her eyes wide with curiosity.
‘What happened?’ she asked. ‘I heard shouting and …’ She saw the glass on the ground and looked at De Lancey for an explanation. Froi noticed that in contrast to the richness of De Lancey’s complexion, his children were fair and blue-eyed.
‘Arjuro accused Father of taking me as a lover and Father took great offence and leapt across the table to strangle Arjuro.’
The girl was as stunned as Grijio.
‘You mean the Priestling’s here and nobody told me.’
She looked around, searching the table. Grijio pointed to Arjuro.
The girl shuddered. ‘All these years I’ve been expecting a demigod. A less decrepit version of Gargarin.’
‘My daughter, Tippideaux,’ De Lancey said dryly. She noticed Gargarin.
‘Welcome back, Sir.’
‘Thank you, Tippideaux,’ Gargarin managed politely, looking somewhat insulted by her image of Arjuro.
Tippideaux eyed Lirah next with a question hanging in the air.
‘Lirah of Serker,’ her brother said, blushing the moment he looked at Lirah.
‘The King’s Serker whore?’ Tippideaux asked, her curls bouncing as she turned to De Lancey for confirmation, as if it could not possibly be true. ‘What a strange night this is, Father.’
‘Lirah of Serker,’ her father corrected, looking wary as Tippideaux’s eyes found Quintana.
Everyone in the room except for the two girls seemed to wince at the thought of what would take place next.
‘Quintana of Charyn,’ Grijio introduced, sending his sister a warning look.
Tippideaux was aghast and held up a hand as if to shield herself from the sight of Quintana. If she wasn’t so awful in her honesty, Froi would have laughed.
‘What a ridiculous way to wear one’s hair,’ she said, horrified. She cast a look down Quintana’s form. ‘And that dress does not suit your figure, Your Highness.’
Grijio cleared his voice. ‘She’s …’ He leaned over and whispered in his sister’s ear.
Finally they had a moment’s reprieve.
Tippideaux of Paladozza fainted.
Later, Froi sat with Gargarin and De Lancey in a large reading room. The walls were stacked high with books and the floor was covered by a thick rug that enabled them to lounge on cushions for comfort.
‘This could cause hysteria,’ De Lancey said. ‘We could have women fainting all over Charyn.’
‘But Tippideaux –’
‘Doesn’t faint,’ De Lancey interrupted. ‘Tippideaux causes people to faint.’
‘What are your thoughts?’ Gargarin asked.
‘The Princess can’t stay here, Gargarin. I have no way of protecting her.’
‘You have no way of protecting your people, you mean,’ Froi snapped. ‘Like you had no intention of bargaining for her life in the Citavita.’
‘No,’ De Lancey said, anger lacing his words. ‘I have no way of protecting her. My people know what to do in an invasion. We go to ground and believe me when I say we can live underground for as long as it takes. But if they come in the dead of the night to take her, there will be nothing I can do.’
Froi looked away in disgust, but he felt De Lancey’s stare piercing into him.
‘Your boy needs to learn manners,’ the Provincaro said. ‘He has little respect.’
‘Only for those who deserve it,’ Froi said.
‘Wonderful. An Arjuro in the making,’ De Lancey muttered.
One of his people came in to serve sweet wine and dried apricots. Gargarin waited for the man to go.
‘Where would you suggest then?’
‘Sebastabol,’ the Provincaro replied. ‘They have the ocean on one side and a wall on the other. It’s impossible to invade. And apart from the fact that the Provincaro is still furious about the kidnapping of Olivier, I think we can convince him to offer the Princess sanctuary.’
‘How discreet are your Guard and servants?’ Froi asked.
‘They’ve been with me a long time. My Guard are the sons of my father’s Guard, and my servants raised me and my children.’
‘Then speak to them tonight and tell them they must not reveal who your guests are,’ Froi said.
De Lancey nodded. ‘But Gargarin and Arjuro could be recognised in the city. Bestiano’s men will certainly know they’re travelling with the Princess.’
‘We’ll stay indoors.’ Gargarin looked up at the books, a ghost of a smile on his face. ‘There’s enough here to keep me happy.’
Froi found Quintana, Grijio, Tippideaux and Arjuro in one of the hallways, leaning on a massive window ledge looking outside. He squeezed in beside Quintana and she stiffened. It seemed a long time since the discussion of the ruby ring and he knew he would have to work hard for her trust.
Down below was Paladozza in all its night-time splendour. It was a province of flickering torches and there was a beauty in the way they danced that soothed him.
Arjuro pointed down to one of the rooftops where an altar was lit by a single flame.
‘I lived at the godshouse school there,’ he said quietly. ‘And every night Gargarin and De Lancey would be at this window and we’d wave good night to each other. I couldn’t bear the idea of going to bed without doing that.’
There was silence for a moment.
‘I wish you’d forgive my father, Priestling,’ Tippideaux said. ‘I think then he’d forgive himself and get on with his life.’
Arjuro grunted.
‘We forgave him,’ Grijio said quietly. ‘Why can’t you?’
‘And what did he do to you?’ Arjuro asked bitterly, turning to them both. ‘Betray you? Make you feel ashamed of him.’
‘When my mother was carrying me in her belly and Tippideaux was two years old, De Lancey paid my father two silver pieces to run a message for him. A message he was frightened to send in person.’
The lastborn studied Arjuro. ‘And I think you know the rest.’
Arjuro closed his eyes as the truth registered. ‘You’re the farrier’s children?’
Tippideaux nodded. ‘Our mother died giving birth to Grij,’ she explained. ‘Father always tells us that what began for him in guilt has become the joy in his life.’
Arjuro looked pained. He turned and walked away. Froi wanted to follow. He suspected that the days to come would break the Priestling.
‘Princess,’ De Lancey suddenly called out from the other room.
‘Yes,’ Quintana and Tippideaux called back in unison, before staring at each other with horror.
After an awkward silence, Tippideaux linked her arm with Quintana’s.
‘We’re going to have to do something about the way you dress, Your Highness. And your hair. I can’t be seen walking around my father’s province with someone looking so strange. I’m well known for my good taste.’
She led Quintana away.
‘And an important rule for you to remember,’ Froi heard her say. ‘In my father’s house there’s room for only one Princess.’
Grijio felt it best that they gave Quintana and Tippideaux time on their own, so Froi sat with him on the roof of Grijio’s chamber and swapped stories of their journey from the Citavita. They both agreed that Froi’s had been the most incident-filled. Later, they joined the girls in Quintana’s chamber and Froi chose an adjoining servant’s quarter to sleep.
‘We can accommodate you in a bigger room of your own,’ Grijio said, looking distastefully around the small space where a cot lay on the ground against the wall.
Froi shook his head. ‘It’s best that I stay close to her.’
They both looked back into the chamber where Tippideaux was attempting to remove snags from Quintana’s hair. Quintana, in turn, had her nails dug deep into Tippideaux’s arm and Froi could see she had already drawn blood. There was a look of great satisfaction on her face.