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Pasqua slept on a bed – a luxury – in a small room in the rear of the Aldermaston’s manor house, but it was scarcely two dozen steps away from the kitchen where she arrived, before dawn, ready to stoke the sirls around for the rest of the day until weak erand ovens

As Pasqua butted the kitchen door open, gray hair-ends dripping fro alone at a grainvery sleepy

"Sowe! Get down here, lazy child There is work to be done and I don’t fancy having to…" She stopped, for she noticed at once that things rong Lia could see the perplexed look on her face as she tried to interpret the changes as Jon Hunter would a new set of ani on the floor by the door was fresh, not stamped and askew She tapped the rushes with her shoe A sour s to the air – a smell of sickness She s in the air felt…wrong Pasqua looked around quickly, gazing from the cauldrons, to the spitted meat, to Lia

"Sowe is ill," Lia said and then yawned She turned back to the grain ht to tell , only she retched over us both I changed the rushes already"

"Has she a fever?"

"No," Lia said, carrying the seeds to a s her hands She pinched soet help today from the other kitchen? I did not sleep well My dress smells terrible and I should like to clean it so it can dry today"

Lia observed her discreetly Pasqua still felt so in the air It was obvious in her confused stance, her wary attitude She shut the kitchen door, listening to the sounds Lia ht cas, and from the lamp next to Lia Shadoreathed the loft where Sowe slept

Then she noticed the table Lia knew that she would sooner or later

"Did she eat the cherry tarts, is that why she is ill?" Anger booh her voice "Sick are e? So sick we cannot help with our chores? A teht yourself worthy to eat the Alder orry "I did not see her eat them," she whispered

"I have half aup her h in reality she was corateful wretcheds, both of you As if you do not eat well enough Pasqua sees the snitches Pasqua sees the pinches of dough Ought to pinch your skinny bottoht to"

Lia tried to interrupt her tirade "Ailsa Cook ca to season a soup for the learners’ secondanswers my own question And there you let her cut it herself, did you now? She took a good portion of the ed

"No doubt you were hopeful she would let a helper come and aid your chores That is the truth of the matter Well, Lia, you can both suffer for the misdeeds"

"I did not eat any of the tarts"

"But you knew they were gone Cheeky girl You could have toldit for her Shame on you both You wipe that sleep fro a double share today Soill get her ohen she feels better, I promise you that"

There was a heavy creak from the loft For a moment, Pasqua clutched her heart and looked with panicked eyes Lia could see her h spasms of fear, a fear that she could not exactly fathoh to rabbed a bowl and ain"

Pasqua stared up into the shadows, her face a ht would come and dispel the darkness "Boil some nettle," she directed "That can cure an upset stomach Or mint Some mint in a tea That would help settle her If she has trouble sleeping, ill give her some valerianum"

Lia cliot ready to scold her friend forsurprisingly well

"I hate this," Sohimpered "Now it is my fault? I did not eat those tarts Why did you blame me?"