Ontogeny

Chapter 6a

Matron Darniss was well known and well liked in the city. Whenever she walked the streets of Marboll she would be seen by people who knew that she worked in the palace, and she would be asked, with a tentative hand on her sleeve, for the latest news on the condition of the Princess. She always gave the same response when this happened, that she was holding up well and deeply touched by the vast upwelling of love that was rising from her people. She would say that the Princess was buoyed up and encouraged by the thoughts and prayers of the people of the city, and that the whole royal family was deeply moved by their concern. The concerned citizen, usually a woman, would nod gratefully and reaffirm her love and devotion for the Princess, and then go on her way to share the good news with everyone she knew.

Darniss's progress along Victory Street, one of the city's busiest thoroughfares, was greatly hindered by these people, and it took her twice as long as it normally would to traverse its length. She didn't mind, though. This kind of attention was a mere foretaste of the fame and celebrity she would enjoy when her title as Duchess had been restored. She basked in it, delighting in each call upon her attention and imagining the time, not so far in the future now, when she would hear her name being called through the windows of a stately carriage. A tall, golden carriage driven by a man in a splendid uniform and pulled by white horses to some great state occasion. She would be dressed in fine silks instead of the dowdy work clothes she was currently wearing, and would be bedecked with pearls on every part of her body. Pearl earrings. A pearl necklace. A pearl brooch and more pearls anywhere else she could think of putting them. She loved pearls, and would probably measure her success in life solely by the number of pearls she could afford to buy.

The downside of all this attention, though, was that it made it much harder to meet with her handler for her monthly debriefing. They absolutely could not be seen to be meeting regularly, and so she had gotten into the habit of going to the opera, where she liked to watch from a box seat. Officially so that she could enjoy the performance without being pestered with more enquiries regarding the health of the Princess. Boxes were expensive, though, and so she would share it, and the cost, with someone else also wanting some measure of privacy.

Her handler always tried to change his appearance for each occasion. A month was easily long enough to grow some real facial hair, sometimes a neatly trimmed beard, sometimes a small moustache, then shave it off for their next meeting. In addition he would wear something on his face. A monacle for example, or a flamboyant hat, the purpose of which was to attract attention away from his facial features so that nobody would realise that she was sitting with the same person every time. The one thing that never changed, though, was the thick pink powder that he always wore on his face and hands. She assumed it was because he had blemishes or birthmarks that were distinctive enough to stick in people's memory.

Today's performance was "Valiant Freedom". A drama featuring elaborate costumes, rousing songs and long dance routines, loosely based on the conflict between King Maylorth of Carrow and one of his most important and powerful Lords. A conflict that had led to the eastern provinces breaking away to become an independent kingdom. Both Darniss and her handler, whose real identity she didn't know, frowned as the actor playing the King ranted and raved about how he would destroy his enemies in true megalomaniac fashion while the crowd booed and threw things at the stage.

"When we rule here again, we will commission a new play depicting the truth of what happened," said the handler, whom she only knew as Mandeville.

"I've been here so long now that I can barely remember the truth," replied Darniss. "Even their history books tell only the Helberion version. I have to parrot their version of events whenever the subject comes up in conversation. It takes all my self control to prevent myself from using words like thieves and traitors."