CHAPTER 13
Princess Teresa and Miss Penny were sitting on a bench in the Palace garden. Sitting quietly, staring ahead. They loved their garden, enjoyed each flower and shrub and the daily ritual of strolling from bed to bed, looking for new blooms, new shoots; seeing what the gardeners had done that day and filling their baskets as they walked its paths. Usually, but not today. Hardly a word. Serena broke the silence: ‘Has your father said anything more about the necklace?’
‘Not to me he hasn’t, but then he’s not saying much to anyone about anything at the moment.’
‘Except to bite people’s heads off.’
‘Yes, I think we can safely say he is doing that; he’s pretty annoyed.’
‘And you are too, I think? Annoyed with me that is.
‘Yes, I am. Very.’
‘It’s not a good time to ask a favour then?’
‘No it certainly is not, but knowing you, Serena, you will anyway. So ask away’
‘It’s a big favour, bigger than I’ve ever asked before and I’ll love you for ever if you say yes.’
‘Oh dear, that big a favour is it?’
‘It’s just that I want to go to the trial.’
‘What!’
‘One of the girls from the kitchen says the girl who was found with the necklace is due to appear in court tomorrow. First thing, tomorrow morning.’
‘Oh no you don’t young lady! Don’t you dare even think about it. Absolutely and definitely not. My heavens, think of the fuss there’d be if you were to turn up at the court door, the commotion! People would be dashing about all over the place, crowding about you, making things impossible for the court officials and everyone else concerned - and why you would want to go there in the first place is completely beyond me. You would think that anyone born with a lick of sense would realise without being told that we are in enough trouble as it is without wanting to ferret out more? No Serena, forget it! Not another word you hear?’
‘Yes, I hear well enough, but it is just that I happened to notice that the girl in the kitchen who told me about the trial is more or less my size and I feel certain sure that if we went to the kitchen and happened to borrow two of those head-to-toe aprons they wear and two of their enormous head scarves, no one would ever notice us being there. Would never know who we were. Ever.
‘Serena, I said no and I mean no.’
‘Oh, all right, no need to shout. Anyway, I’m tired of sitting here and would like to go to my room. That’s if you don’t mind, Miss Pennington.’
‘Oh, so it’s back to Miss Pennington is it. Well no, I don’t mind at all. No, not one bit, Serena, especially as I can see that there’s another bout of the Silly Sulks coming our way. Thought they were something of the past, a silliness we had left behind.’
‘I’m not sulking. I just want to go to my room.’
‘Good. I’ll see you later.’
Later turned out to be twenty minutes later with a knock on Miss Penny’s door. Penny tried not to giggle as she went to answer it, but as soon as she opened the door, she began to laugh as she could never remember laughing before. It was a helpless, shoulder-shaking laugh that had her slumping in the nearest chair, a laugh that lasted until her sides were aching and each breath a struggle to find. Once, twice she came close to recovering, but each time she lifted her head and looked again at Serena she collapsed into another fit of laughter.
‘Oh, Serena, what am I ever to do with you,’ she finally managed. ‘How did you manage to get a hold of them.’
‘Easy! Sneaked them out of the kitchen cloakroom. Penny, you should see it down there! There’s rows and rows of the things: all shapes, sizes, mostly black with just a few blue ones for the head cooks. Least I suppose that’s who they were for as they were on separate hooks, but anyway I thought black would be best for the two of us. Not so noticeable, I decided. Make us look like a mother and daughter.’
‘Oh Serena, you are impossible’ Penny said as she finished wiping at her eyes. ‘Absolutely incorrigible.’
‘Is that the same as being annoyed?’
‘It means there are times when you drive me to despair It means you are exactly like your mother. I can’t begin tell you how many scrapes and wild schemes I let her talk me into and still wonder how I managed to survive them all and what’s more, Serena, I’m not going to let it happen again. All right, I loved her, and maybe I love you just as much, but I’m older now and there is no way I’m going to let myself be talked into doing something as silly as you are now wanting me to do. Not only that, Serena, but have you thought what would happen if it all went wrong? You’d have a new governess for a start – your father is already looking t me as it is.’
‘Dismiss you? Oh, he wouldn’t do that, Penny. Couldn’t. I’d be so sick he’d have to change his mind. I’d be ill in bed for days and days. Anyway, he likes you a lot really. Well he wouldn’t bother himself arguing with you all the time if he didn’t. would he?. Would have got rid of you ages ago.’
Penny reached for Serena’s hand, drew her down beside her: ‘Look at me, Serena. You r father has told you how important it is to have your name kept out of this whole affair - the Royal name- and yet here you are insisting on being seen at the justice court. Why, I have no idea, but I trust you must have a very good reason.
‘I have and it means I simply have to be there. Have to be.’
‘Despite all your father has said to you? Despite the risk and the upset you could cause him?’
‘Yes.’
Serena was still wearing her kitchen hood and Penny reached to push it away from her face. She said: ‘I can see no point in asking you what it is, you would have told me by now, but I think you have done something silly – something very silly - and this is all part of it. Am I right?
‘Yes.’
‘And am I right in saying you are not just thinking of yourself in wanting to be there?’
‘Oh it’s a bit a about myself I suppose, but mostly it is about someone else and I can’t sleep for worrying, about what I have done.’
‘Very well I really can’t believe I’m being such a complete and utter fool again, but where have you put my apron?’
‘It’s in my room.’
‘All right, let’s go see what it looks like. I must admit that when I first opened the door to you, I thought it was a bundle of old rags lying out there in the corridor and all I can hope is that mine is a better fit than yours. By the way, have you thought they may not let children in - least not one looking like a ragamuffin?’
‘Don’t worry I’ll find a way to get in.’
‘Serena, of that I have no doubt. No doubt whatsoever.!’