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Each afternoon, Jayhan and Sasha ventured further and further afield in their exploration of the gardens, although always within the walls of the palace. Teresa had spent most of her life indoors, painting or embroidering or playing her flute, but after a couple of days of intense cajoling, she tentatively joined them.
Teresa clearly felt out of her element and while they pushed through the reeds to see the swan’s nest, she would hang back standing uncertainly on the lawn, waiting for them to return and tell her what they had found. Jayhan and Sasha didn’t mind. In fact they liked telling her all their adventures and discoveries. Twice they had slipped into the muddy mire at the edge of the lake while they were trying to sneak closer through the reeds to spy on the swans. Teresa delig
