Page 67 of The Dragon Queen

It was a grand building,I knew that already. All white walls and gilt decorative features marking each wall panel, each light fitting. Our footsteps echoed off the black and white marble tiles as we walked down portrait galleries and through grand dining rooms. I made suitably impressed noises, because it was indeed grand, and yet… To call this place home, to build a life here? I didn’t feel like a pig herder anymore, but still. This place was so very different to my own estate I may as well have been a farm hand.

“Well, I’m parched,” Lady Brimsley said. “How about you ladies? A spot of tea would be just the thing. Perhaps we could take in the sunroom?”

Her hopeful tone made clear I was supposed to agree or disagree with that plan.

“The sunroom sounds delightful,” I replied, right before I walked over to the velvet rope hanging in the corner of this room. One pull and a footman appeared beside me moments later, ready to take my order.

It was delightful. The sunroom was an apt name for it because the front wall was all floor-to-ceiling windows. This allowed us a panoramic view of the capital and the sea beyond. Tea was brought in, along with platters of sandwiches and tiny cakes, reminding me I hadn’t bothered to have breakfast yet. But as my stomach growled disgracefully, I sat down with my cup and saucer and regarded the ladies.

“So what other secrets of the palace did you intend to show me?” I asked.

“Secrets?” Lady Oxford looked around the room. “Well, I think the tour is complete.”

“Unless you wish to see His Majesty’s dungeons.”

Lady Flora shared a conspiratorial smile, and while I knew she was just joking, I couldn’t help but shudder.

“No, thank you,” I replied, then took a sip of my tea.

“Then I thought we might spend the afternoon knitting.”

This was obviously something the ladies did often as bags were fished out from underneath pillows and from beside couches.

“Knitting…?” I asked.

“We all need to do something to help the men about to march out to war, and my maid tells me that boots, socks, and other sundries are becoming harder and harder to find.” Lady Oxford’s needles clacked as she knitted another neat row.

“It’s terrible,” Lady Brimsley said with a dismissive shake of herhead. “Our boys are signing up to become soldiers and we can’t even send them off with a fresh pair of socks.”

But it wasn’t socks that would win the war. The infantry was important. They would come behind the dragons and take the territory we claimed, holding it until the Duke of Harlston surrendered, but they wouldn’t get a chance, not unless we won the day from the air.

“Can you knit, Majesty?”

“Yes,” I replied and then smiled at each one of the ladies, “but if you truly wish to help with the war effort, there is something else that you could be doing.”

“Dear gods…”the ladies gasped as we straggled down the road in Cheapside. Beautifully embroidered handkerchiefs were produced and pressed against their noses, but I knew myself that it wouldn’t be enough. There was no lavender water strong enough to drown out this stench.

Or to keep calm heads.

“You think you’re so smart,” Maggie snapped, her hands going to her hips, “pumping out those cogs, but they’re a mess, every single one of them. They need doing again.”

“Now, ladies—” Roland started to say.

“And yours might be perfect,” Nancy said, “but you’ve barely made three all day! At this rate, the dragons will have one bomb to drop. They’ll have to make sure that counts.”

“Alright—” Roland spluttered.

“We’re doing the best we can—” someone said.

“And we need to be faster!”

“Goodness me.” Lady Oxford’s hand went to her bosom as her eyes went everywhere at once, no doubt catching the way the women’s voices got shriller and shriller. “Where have you brought us, Majesty?”

“To the most important workshop in all of Nevermere.” I strode right into the midst of things, meeting every woman’s eyes as they fell back. I saw fear, anger, passion beating hot and true in each oftheir eyes. “Ladies.” Roland shot me a frantic look. “What seems to be the problem here?”

“She said?—”

“She keeps?—”

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