It was. The clothing was better by far than what he’d brought from home, but in a subtle fashion. There were no signs of wear, and it was obviously new. His own clothing, if you looked at it closely enough and knew what you were looking for, showed that it had been taken apart and “turned”—the inside turned to become the outside—so that the original wear and tear was disguised. The fabrics these pieces were made from were much finer. He didn’t know enough about fabric to understand how, but the difference was definitely there; the coats and waistcoats were slightly heavier and softer; the shirts were of a whiteness he’d never seen in linen before and of so fine a weave he could scarcely make out the threads, and the lace on the sleeves and ruffs was less coarse than the lace on the shirts he’d brought from Valdemar, which was made by a lovely lady in the manor-village. The gray-colored knee-breeches (not trews, he noted with regret) were exceptionally close-fitting and had a velvety texture like glove leather. They might have been glove leather. The colors were muted and harmonious. The two pairs of knee-length boots, one black, one blue-gray, fit his calves like a second skin without being uncomfortable, and were so polished he fancied he could see his own reflection.

He still couldn’t imagine how the Dolls had managed to produce three coats, six waistcoats, a dozen shirts and as many sets of underclothing, and two pairs of boots in less than an afternoon.

Unless—maybe—they had things like this cut out to a general size and pattern, and could tailor them up quickly.

Still.

That means these Dolls have creative intelligence. They can judge styles, sizes, and who knows what else?

“Are you truly pleased?” Star whispered. He thought he caught an edge of anxiety in her tone.

Her? Am I thinking of this Doll as a female because it is being subservient? Is the Empire’s poison in me again so quickly? Or is it that—yes, the Dolls all move like little girls are trained to move. That must be why I thought “her.”

“I am more than pleased. I am completely astonished. Now that I see this work, I realize I would have looked like—” He fumbled for a comparison the Doll might understand. He rather doubted Star would know what a “scarecrow” was. “—like I’d been dressed in cast-offs. And that would not do, would it? Not even for a country bumpkin from the furthest reaches of the Empire.”

Star bowed its head slightly. “No, milord Duke. Not if you wished to have any amount of respect.” It paused. “This one is aware that milord Duke wishes to appear unsophisticated and free to be dismissed in the Great Game, but this is a fine line to walk. Milord Duke must have some respect.”