Page 58 of A Slipper in the Smoke
“Why would you do that?”
“Why indeed, hmm?” Susan crossed the room, smoothing down the bedcovers and lowering herself into Pip’s deserted chair. “How are you feeling, Miss Elena?”
“Much better,” she told her. “And it’s just Elena, please. Titles don’t really mean much anymore.”
“Is that so?” said Susan, an eyebrow raised. “How interesting.”
Elena folded her hands in her lap, not really sure what to do or say. Susan’s mouth was smiling, but her eyes were sharp as steel.
“You’re from Navarra, I hear.”
“Yes.”
“A long way from home.”
“It’s not by choice, I assure you.”
“You came here with your family?”
She nodded. “My mother died before we left Navarra, and my father not long after we came here. I live with my stepfamily now.” She paused, wondering what, if anything, Pip might have told her about them.
“And you’re a mechanic, so I hear?”
“An engineer,” said Elena. “Or… I’d like to be. One day.”
“A humble dream.”
“The best ones are.”
Susan smiled.
“Forgive me,” said Elena, “but how much longer must I stay in bed? My family—”
“Can spare you for a little while longer, have no fear. I think you need a few more days to recover fully. We’ll ask the doctors later.”
A few more days. The ball was rapidly approaching. If Elena didn’t find information soon… “I hope the Toulousian prince hasn’t been inconvenienced by my illness.”
Susan frowned. “Why would he be?”
“If Pip was, um, distracted at all. I imagine it must be difficult to be down a servant.”
Susan looked down at her lap. “Rest assured, the Prince did not notice the absence of Pip.”
Elena sighed. “That’s a relief. I wouldn’t want him in trouble because of me.”
“You really like him, don’t you?”
Elena sunk into the bed, turning over to hide her blush. “I know I shouldn’t,” she said, “but I have not been doing a very good job of stopping myself.”
“And why should you stop yourself?”
“Because he will be going back to Toulouse after the ball, and I need to go home to Navarra.”
“Back to what remains of your family?”
“To what remains ofme,” Elena whispered, ashamed of the tears darting under her eyelids. She took a careful breath, trying to hide them. “I know that might be hard to understand—”
“Oh, I don’t know,” said Susan, “when you get to my age, most things are understandable, if you’re paying enough attention.” She got up from her seat, patting Elena’s leg. “Let’s see if we can find you some breakfast, dear. I daresay you’re hungry.”
