“Though,” Cook remarked thoughtfully, “I do remember that there was a wing in the palace that was sealed off and no one was allowed inside. Unsafe, we were told. Bits of the ceiling fell down on people’s heads or something like that.”

“That’s no help,” said Evelina with a sigh.

“I did hear that His Highness asked about you,” said Cook.

“Did he?” Evelina was vastly pleased.

“He heard that you came to see him, and he asked the Lady Izabelle to send for you and bring you in to him.”

“He did?” Evelina’s heart beat fast. “His Highness sent for me? When was that? This morning?”

“Oh, no. A few days ago,” said Cook.

“But ... no one came to fetch me!” Evelina cried.

“The Lady Izabelle never told you,” said Cook with a wink. “She promised His Highness she would, but she never did.”

Cook liked to gossip and she liked to embellish her stories. She liked being made to feel important, and she liked Evelina. There was some truth to this story, but not much. Marcus had asked after Evelina, but it was his mother he had asked, not the Lady Izabelle. She knew nothing of Evelina—Queen Ermintrude had seen to that.

Evelina believed the tale because she wanted to believe it and also because, if she’d been the Lady Izabelle, she would have done exactly the same thing herself.

She concluded it was time for drastic measures.

It was time to go shopping.

Being Ramone’s daughter, Evelina had, from her first days in the palace, kept a watchful eye out for small and easily transportable valuables that could be tucked into a sleeve or dropped down one’s bosom or secreted in one’s purse. The hasty departure of the ladies-in-waiting provided a treasure trove for Evelina, who slipped into their abandoned rooms and helped herself to everything they had left behind. Since the women had packed in a state of panic, Evelina made a considerable haul, finding scattered pearls, bejeweled hair combs, silver hairbrushes, dropped rings, and a fine pair of small silver candlesticks.

Evelina put her cloak around her and cast her veil over her head and, acting in the guise of a servant, she ventured out of the palace and walked down the hill into the city. She went first to the pawnshop, and from there she went to another part of the city, a darker, seamier part. Although Evelina had never been in or even heard of Ramsgate-upon-the-Aston before now, she knew where to look for what she sought and found it quite easily.

She was, after all, Ramone’s daughter.

Evelina returned to the palace with the object safely in her possession.

It was well that she went on her shopping expedition when she did. From that night on, life would change drastically.