“So don’t you agree, Wizard,” she said, looking at me with serious eyes that should have been bright and laughing, “that the best thing for him to do would be to marry the little princess? She’s certainly of a suitable station for him”-with only the slightest catch in her breath-“and I’m sure will be well trained to become a gracious queen of Yurt and mother of Paul’s children.”
She turned away abruptly at that, making the gesture into rinsing off her knife with more than necessary energy.
The thought flashed through my mind that if Paul was going to wait until someone grew up, then even Antonia might some day be old enough for him. But the illegitimate daughter of a witch and a wizard would never be of suitable station for a king-even less than the daughter of a cook and castle constable.
III
The twins and Antonia came back from their riding lesson in the early afternoon. When they left they had been on two rangy geldings and a shaggy little pony, but they returned with Antonia sitting in front of Hildegarde, half asleep, and the pony led behind. A wilted chain of daisies was around the girl’s neck.
“I want to tell Mother I can ride now,” she roused herself to tell me. “Can we go see her?”
“Not right now, but you can tell me,” I suggested, carrying her into the castle.
“I can make the pony stop and go forward and even gallop,” she murmured into my neck. “Hildegarde didn’t want me to gallop but I did anyway. I only fell off once.”
“She falls very well for a child,” said Celia, which I did not find nearly as reassuring as it was doubtless meant to be. I held Antonia close and stroked her fine hair.
Having left her asleep with the duchess’s daughters I returned to my chambers, feeling on edge and unable to concentrate on the spells I was trying to perfect for entertainment over dessert tonight. Instead I wrote Theodora a brief message to be sent on the carrier pigeons, telling her that Antonia’s first day in Yurt had gone well, leaving out all mention of cheating at cards or falls from ponies, and saying I sent love from both of us.