Senera grimaced. “Come on, Janel. We’re leaving, anyway. Wyrga, clean this up.”

“I’m not your maid,” the old woman said. “Clean it up yourself.” She turned her attention back to me as I stood. “I know you. I knew your mother too, back in the day. She was a whore. Are you a whore too?”

“By the Eight, what could’ve happened to turn you into such a nasty piece of work?” Even as I said the words, I remembered how I knew her. She’d tended the fire at the banquet, the woman who’d stared hate at me like a spear’s throw.

She cackled. “Ha! Ha ha! Oh, now that’s a story! Best question anyone’s asked me around here in years.” She pointed a bony finger at me. “You come around sometime and I’ll show you, just see if I don’t.”

“Wyrga, don’t you dare,” Senera snapped. She tugged again on my chemise. “Come on. Let’s leave before I do something I’ll regret. Wyrga’s one of the duke’s favorites, for reasons that escape me.”

The old crone grinned toothily. She wasn’t missing any. On the contrary, she seemed to have too many, all sharp. “He likes what I can do with my mouth.”

“Oh, I doubt that very much. Also, you’re disgusting.”

I didn’t hesitate to go, even though technically speaking I hadn’t dressed. I didn’t care about leaving behind clothing that wasn’t mine, for a start.

“Where are we going?” I asked when we were out of earshot.

“I’m going back to work, which I doubt you’ll want to have anything to do with. And since I don’t dare leave you here alone, I’m putting you with the duke’s wives. It’s the most guarded area in the entire palace. You’ll be safe there.”

“Wait, what? I don’t want to be—”

Senera stopped and turned back to me. “Two minutes. You got into trouble less than two minutes after being left alone with the men here. I have no reason to think it would be any different this time. And neither I, Brother Qown, nor Lord Var will be around to heal your hand when you break it on someone’s face again. So I’d prefer to put you someplace secure.”

“Fine.”

“You might like it. A few wives are under the laughable impression the duke will impregnate them, but most women are just enjoying not being forced to have anything to do with the men. They even have books.”

“Sounds fantastic. I don’t suppose they have a stable…?”

“In this climate? No. Honestly, I shudder to think where Wyrga found a horse. She might have lied. The closest thing you’ll find to a mount around here are the snow hyenas that pull the sleighs, and the occasional mammoth.”