Roland did not return to the room that night. When I woke, I dressed quickly and waited for the coachmen to knock on the door to collect our luggage. I went with them outside, and then I asked if one of them would sit with me for breakfast. The older man went back into the inn with me, and I ate quickly.

Few people were up and moving around at this time, but I overheard some quiet conversations about the previous night and the goings-on of people. It chilled me to hear that one man had been found to be out of his head earlier, and they were trying to find anyone who knew him. I shivered.

"Are you well, Miss?"

"I'm fine. May I sit in the carriage and wait with you for his- Roland to arrive?"

"Of course."

"Thank you."

It was nearing noon when Roland stumbled from the inn across the street and toward the inn I had slept at. It was one of the coachman who caught Roland's attention and waved him toward the carriage. When he entered, I put my hand over my mouth and nose. He reeked of drink and perfume and sweat. He sat next to me, but I quickly moved to the other bench.

Roland did not say a word but lay down, and almost immediately began to snore.

The duke's castle finally came into view and I was more relieved than anything. Roland had to be roused and had a bad headache. The coachmen helped me out and I instructed where everything should go. Baileywick hurried out, quite stunned, and I asked him to make sure the coachmen were paid, had a place to sleep and food to eat. Then I left a hungover Roland in Baileywick's care.

On the way to my room I asked for a bath to be prepared, then I hurried to the nursery. Michael was sleeping when I crept in, but it looked like he had grown since I had been gone. I smoothed his fine hair and rubbed my finger against his cheek. He rooted, causing me to smile.

I left and returned to my room, happy that the bath was being prepared. After the bath, feeling so much better, I felt a little guilty for leaving Roland so suddenly. I went to Cedric's laboratory, looking for the potion he kept on hand. Finding it, I hurried to Roland's suite. Baileywick answered a moment after I knocked, and I ignored his glare.

"His Grace is busy," he tried to catch my arm as I slipped past him into the room.

"Who is it?" Roland moaned. He was sitting behind his desk, holding his head in his hands.

"I brought you this, your Grace." I handed the potion to him.

"What is it?" He took it, unstopped the phial, and smelled.

"It's Cedric's cure for...overindulgence."

Roland tossed it back and his coloring improved almost immediately. "Thank goodness. Is Cedric here?"

"No, your Grace." Baileywick moved to stand beside me. "He and Amber are probably on their way home now."

"That's right. Thank you, Sofia. I…I will speak with you later."

I curtsied and turned to go, ignoring the old man that was looking between us.

Servants brought supper to my room that evening, before I could go down to the dining room. They said that his Grace would not be having a formal supper, as he needed to catch up on work. It was a relief to hear that. Although I had wanted Roland to feel better, I also felt like I should have let him suffer for leaving me alone the night before, and, I shuddered, for what could have happened if my amulet had not protected me.

After supper, I found myself in the laboratory again. Behind the odor of the powders and substances Cedric used, there was a trace of his scent. It still was not enough. Quietly moving through the lab, I ended with my hand on the doorknob to Cedric's private room. It was locked, and that upset me more than I thought it would. I wanted nothing more than to smell his pillow, or his clothing.

Turning, I sighed and looked to see if there was anything I could do for him. Finally, I sat in his chair and sorted through his books, looking for an easy one to read. After a few minutes, I decided I was too restless to read, but I did not want to leave. I wanted Cedric to come home immediately.

Eventually, I made my way back to Michael's room. The nurse was there, and she left me alone with him, as if she could not wait to get away. Michael was sitting up on the floor, picking up wooden blocks and waving them around. His smile was adorable when I sat down and began to play with him. "I didn't know you could sit, Michael. You are growing so fast."

I stayed with him until the nurse returned, which was annoyingly late. I was still fatigued from the trip and wanted to go to bed myself. I decided that maybe it would not be a bad idea to talk to Roland about getting Michael new caregivers, but then I thought I might end up with the job, so maybe I should keep my mouth shut.

Finally, I lay in my own bed, and fell asleep almost immediately.

I spent the early morning sitting beside James's monument. I talked aloud to him some, but sat there and pondered everything quietly most of the time. I had brought flowers to both his and Mother's graves and noticed that no one had put anything there for a while. It was comforting to sit with James, even if I knew he was not there to tease me or discuss things.

The day was beautiful, the white puffy clouds floating in the sky helped block the strong sun. I did not want to stay inside the stuffy castle, so I went to the nursery and asked to take Michael for a stroll. I lay him in the pram and the nurse helped me get it down the stairs before she hurried away. As I walked through the gardens I let Michael make little baby noises and had to stop a few times to hide my face and then open my hands and say "Boo!" His giggle was contagious.

Finding a grassy spot among the flowers, I lifted my baby brother out of the pram and we sat in the grass for a bit. I showed him the different types of flowers and named them, and told him the colors. He grasped bits of grass in his fists and pulled. I pulled some too and threw the grass at him. He giggled some more, then made throwing motions toward me.

I heard voices and quieted, wondering if it was the gardeners, but then I distinctly heard Roland say, "I don't think he knows anything substantial, otherwise he would never have let me leave."

"There is still much he could do to you from a distance." It's Baileywick. I peered up over the top of a bush that partially hid Michael and me. He giggled again and I was afraid we would be found and accused of eavesdropping. Or at least I would.

"He can do what he wants. There are enough of us that it would never last."

"I think, your Grace, that you are forgetting how many of them are not happy with you as well."

"Because they know I'm right!"

"It's been nearly a hundred years. Some of them may not feel they need to pursue this avenue any longer. Everyone who was there is dead."

"Because the old king killed them. Or this king."

"Or old age," Baileywick's voice held the understanding of age. "How is the girl to be punished?"

"Sofia? For striking the prince?" Roland laughed boisterously. "She should be rewarded, not punished."

"The king will expect to hear of some punishment."

Their voices were becoming more distant, but I heard Roland say, "I've something in mind for her." Then I could not hear them.

I realized that I had forgotten Michael altogether and that my fists were clenching the skirt of my dress. Punishment? After all I've gone through in the past week? The past year? I took a few deep breaths, peeked around to make sure Roland was gone, and then put Michael back in the pram. I carried him up the stairs to the nursery, leaving the pram at the bottom of the stairs, and then went to my room to wait for lunch, my thoughts wondering where I could run to, and how I could manage without money of my own.