Chapter Two
‘You have grown paler, Ambrose,’ said Maud Redthorn, with a sharp, narrow-eyed look into his face. She was preparing a glass of rosehip cordial for him, mixing glossy crimson syrup with honey and clear water. She forgot this endeavour for a moment, so intent was she upon her scrutiny of his looks.
‘Am I?’ said he in surprise. ‘I feel very well, I assure you.’ But he could not deny the truth of her words, for a glance at his own hands proved the point: so pale was he that his veins stood out starkly, shockingly blue.
‘Oh, you look it,’ said Maud, frowning down at the goblet she held. She stirred its contents with a silver spoon and then handed it to him, her frown deepening.
‘That must be considered an advantage, must it not?’ said Ambrose with a smile. He lifted the goblet
