Chapter 33

• "It was a lovely night, Mother," Angelica said, then leaned forward and lightly kissed her mother's cheek. The queen's eyes traveled to me and I felt my face redden. "We thank you for it," Angelica added. The queen brightened.
• "We shall do it again, then" the queen decided, "just no berries next time." I could see the image of another grandchild in her eyes. The king passed close by me on the way to the table.
• "'Tis that early grave I spoke about," the king whispered in good humor. I laughed and both women gave us a look. The king smiled, and I decided to keep my mind private. I, too, needed schemes to pretend to be equal. It was not much, but I could see Angelica wished to know. It gave me a small pleasure to hold the useless secret. It was a petty thing.