Living with a talkative herbalist for months had not prepared Irenya for the crushing silence of her own small apartment. The ceilings were too high and the furniture too big. Duikin handed her a large key. ‘The Lady Aeryl is but a staircase away, Miss Irenya. I apologise for my haste but I need to see Princess Aldine comfortably settled.’ He hurried out and closed the heavy passage door.
Irenya arranged her possessions in a few minutes, leaving her with nothing to do except wait for the bed linen to arrive and think about the afternoon. She wandered from the main room to the bedroom and back again, put more wood on the fire, and looked for something—anything—to welcome her. She tried sitting on the over-large furniture. She poked her head into corners, stared at the water chair built int
