Chapter ElevenThere was no time to lose. I walked to the rotunda for a little modesty, half-heartedly calling the names of the children in the sing-song manner my own nursemaid once called me. The guards glanced at my stencilled back and glanced away again. It was all they saw of me. So much for my famous blue eyes.
I reminded myself that I had absolutely no desire to be recognised. My life was different now. I tried to breathe normally, but my heart vented steam in both directions. The back of my bodice dripped with condensing water, making me hotter than ever.
‘Don’t notice me,’ I murmured. ‘Don’t look twice.’
The copper-coloured grass was so dry it crunched underfoot, ruining the illusion that I was back in London. This park was newer, too. Some of the earth was still loose, yet to b
