near the tiled warming stove.
'This is ready,' her mother said, bringing a bowl of steaming water to the low table.
Seela handed the bloodied bodice to the queen and dipped a cloth in the warm, scented water. She began to sponge Piro's arm and shoulder. 'There, you don't want his nasty blood on you. You're lucky it didn't go through to your chemise.'
Piro bit back the urge to giggle, then struggled to sit up. Valens still lay in a puddle of blood on the floor and... 'Springdawn?'
'Dead. She underestimated him.' The queen held up Piro's bodice. 'Do you think we can save this, Seela?'
'Burn it,' the old nurse advised. 'Burn anything touched by his blood.'
'Of course. What was I thinking?'
'You've had a shock, dear. Send for Autumnwind. He'll have to settle the Affinity released by their deaths and ensure their bodies are properly disposed of.'
'Springdawn's death will have to be reported to the abbess,' the queen said, as she tossed Piro's bodice into the brazier and stirred it until the material caught. 'As for Valens, I don't -'
'Now we can banish Cobalt.' Piro made the connection.
'We can't confront him.' Seela put aside the wet cloth and dried Piro's shoulder. 'He's grown too powerful. Your father has named him Protector of the Castle.'
'But Valens was Cobalt's servant.'
'Cobalt will say he did not know,' the queen pointed out. 'He'll be horrified and terribly sorry.'
Her mother was right, Piro could just imagine Cobalt's reaction. 'But Valens is dead. How do we explain that?'
'I'll remove his belongings. We can say he ran away, back to Ostron Isle because he feared the Merofynians.' Seela winked at Piro. 'You know what cowards, Ostronites are. They never fight, not if they can wheedle their way out of trouble.'
'Cobalt will suspect, but what can he do?' The queen took off her woolen over-wrap and passed it to Piro. 'You'll have to run down to your chamber and put on another bodice.'
Piro tied the wrap. It smelt of her mother's favourite perfume and made her feel warm to the core. She came to her feet. 'Very well. Is there anything I can do to help?'
Seela and her mother exchanged looks.
'Wait down by the stables,' Seela said. 'Rolen still trusts you. If he comes back too soon, distract him until we can get rid of Valens.'
Piro nodded. She didn't ask what they were going to do with the renegade's remains. He would have to be burnt and the ashes sprinkled over water.
'Go by the servants' stairs,' Seela suggested.
Piro stepped over Springdawn's body and through the tapestry.
Back in the solarium she heard someone tap on the door and enter without waiting for a reply. 'Queen Myrella, I -'
Old Lord Steadfast? What did he want?
Piro peered through the chink in the tapestry.
Steadfast had stopped in the doorway, his path blocked by Valens' body. He raised stunned eyes to the queen.
'What's going on, Myrella?' Cobalt asked, his ashen face peering over the old warrior lord's shoulder.
'Thank Halcyon you've come. I was just about to send for help.' Piro's mother did not miss a beat. She crossed the room, having to avoid Springdawn's body to reach them.
'What happened?' Steadfast asked, stepping around Valens' body so that Cobalt could enter the room.
'It's terrible.' The queen wrung her hands. 'I sent for Springdawn because I'd discovered she'd taken a lover. She denied it but Valens admitted it. She took poison and he cut his throat.'
'Who would have thought?' Steadfast muttered.
Cobalt stared at the two bodies, one without a mark, the other lying in a pool of blood. Piro was impressed with her mother's ability to think on her feet.
'I...' The queen reached for Cobalt. 'I don't feel...'
He had to catch her as she fainted.
'The shock,' Steadfast explained knowledgeably, shaking his head in sympathy.
'That's right, poor dear,' Seela agreed. 'It happened so quickly there was nothing we could do. Bring the queen over here, Cobalt.'
As she indicated the day bed, Piro noticed that the bowl which had been used to wash the blood from her shoulder and arm had been returned to the stove. Would Cobalt or Steadfast notice the pink water?
'On second thoughts, Myrella won't want to be near the bodies when she wakes,' Seela muttered. 'Better bring her through to the far chamber.'
And she herded both men out the door into the larger solarium.
Piro leant against the wall, weak-kneed.
Why had Cobalt and Steadfast arrived just when they did? Cobalt's spies must have reported that the queen had sent for his manservant. Whatever Cobalt might suspect, he