Feud by Lady Grace Cavendish

Author:Lady Grace Cavendish [Cavendish, Lady Grace]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-53651-8
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2006-10-26T04:00:00+00:00

Later

Jove blast it! That was disappointing. And I must scribble quickly, for I am in my chamber, supposed to be changing my raiment again—this time for supper.

I went to find Masou and Ellie to enquire whether they had learned anything of the ratcatcher as they circulated about the kitchens. They were in the den in the coppice again, and Masou was looking a little less sulky this time.

“We are to help the players with their comedy,” he explained. “So we will not have to sit and watch those idiots prancing around thinking that they are Princes and Pashas.”

Ellie snickered. “I never heard the like,” she said. “You're just jealous, isn't he, Grace?”

“Yes, but I don't know why,” I said. “You're not in love with any of the Maids of Honour, Masou, so you needn't mind if they make idiots of themselves over a player. Unless you're really after Mrs. Champernowne …”

That made Ellie giggle, but Masou looked extremely haughty. “When the time comes for me to wed,” he told us with great dignity, “I shall take a ship painted in red and gold with silken sails. It shall be full of great warriors and, together, we shall sail southwards to the land of the Barbary Corsairs, where we will cannonade and raid them until their Bey surrenders to me. And then I shall marry his daughters.”

“His daughters!” hooted Ellie. “You have to choose, you know. You can't have all of them.”

“I can,” said Masou. “I am a Mussulman and I may have four wives if I am rich enough.” He was juggling twigs and stones. “Which I shall be,” he added.

“Cor,” said Ellie very dubiously. “The way Cook Parsons talks, he reckons one wife is too many— seeing she's always on at him to feed every one of her greedy relations from the kitchen stores.”

That finally reminded me of why I was there. “Did you hear anything in the kitchens?” I asked.

“Well,” said Ellie, “I went to all four of them—the Hall Kitchen, the Great Kitchen, the Lesser Kitchen, and the Queen's Privy Kitchen—and they've none of them got new staff or new purveyors. And nobody that works there has took sick from any of the Court's food—which they would have if it was poisoned because most of 'em are eating the Court's food all the time, along with their families, cousins, friends, and neighbours! It's a scandal—worse than what happens with the laundry soap—but there's nobody suspicious nor nothing!”

I nodded, not too disappointed because I hadn't really expected anything else. If you wanted to poison just one person, you could not do it through the kitchens, because we all share the dishes out among us and we would all get sick and die.

“You know,” I said, “the Queen has certainly ordered special food for Carmina now. Do you think you could find out who's preparing it?”

“Course!” Ellie grinned mischievously. “If they'll let me in again.” And she pulled a big lump of bacon and egg pie out of her pocket and offered me some.

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