CHAPTER TWENTY-NINEThe Slumber of Bee-Smoke
Time stretched into an eternity of waking and working. At the end of each shift, the women accompanied me to my bedchamber and followed the same procedure of my first night. Despite their extreme tiredness, they seemed compelled to run me a bath infused with pleasant herbs. Then they waited on me until I ate and fell asleep. Following Hosta’s warning, Lily remained absent from the washing room and our paths didn’t connect. I missed her lightness of spirit and the last of the sunshine faded from my life.
I spent my working hours planning an elaborate escape yet fell asleep each night to the murmuring of soft, female voices. The room evoked memories of Sonora’s chamber with its smoky, soporific atmosphere. My concerns disappeared as I descended i
