“One becomes so aware of the agricultural cycle out here,” the lady at my right was saying. I dragged my attention back to her from a pretty servant girl at the next table who had given me a saucy look over her shoulder, while chewing enthusiastically on a drumstick. Wizards, like priests, never marry, but unlike priests we’re allowed to look at girls.

“All our food, or almost all, is produced right on the castle estates. At this time of year they’re winnowing the cockerels out of the young fowl, so we’ll have chicken very regularly. I hope you don’t miss the greater choice of the City.”

“Well, this is delicious,” I answered, wiping my lips and wondering if I could reach the platter or if I would have to interrupt Dominic in his conversation with the lady on his far side to get him to pass it.

“I spent three seasons in the City myself when I was younger, much younger.”

“Then you must have been an infant,” I said gallantly. I slid my hand nonchalantly to the left along the table, calculating the distance. I guessed her as perhaps half again my age, in spite of the big pink ribbons with which her braids were looped and the myriad flowers and flourishes of lace on her gown.

“On, no,” she said with a tinkling laugh. “I’m so much older and wiser than you might think. I may have kept my youthful looks, but they conceal a wealth of experience. You may not realize it, but it can be a serious disadvantage to still have golden curls when one has passed twenty summers. It’s so hard to be taken seriously!”

Although my curls were not golden, I actually realized it quite well, having the same problem-except that I didn’t have the wealth of experience either. Dominic’s wine glass was unfortunately placed; I was afraid I’d catch it with my elbow. I wondered if I dared use a lifting spell on the platter.

“Go ahead, see if you can guess my age,” she continued. I was tired of this topic, but she was just warming to it. “Come on, everybody, guess!”