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“You realize you probably just completely overturned the entire chain of command in this place, right?” Athena looked more amused by this possibility than anything.
“That’s Lady Gwynn’s right. After all, Lord Rogue made it clear that she carries equal authority. She may do as she sees fit. And, with her new station, you should call her Lady Gwynn all the time now.” Starling finished the reprimand with a little sniff.
He did? I supposed he had. He’d been saying as much to me, though I hadn’t quite assimilated the import of that. “No, you should both call me Gwynn or I’ll have to kick you. Besides, we’re not married yet.”
“How about that royal wedding, huh?” Athena needled me, her lovely lavender eyes sharp with sarcastic humor. “Gonna have a big fancy dress with a crippling train?”
“No,” I said.
“Yes,” Starling said more loudly, at the same moment, then sent me a firm look.
Athena burst out laughing and pointed her dagger at me. “You are so in for it, Gwynn. Can I be the flower girl?”
“Absolutely. If I can dress you in cotton-candy-pink ruffles.”
She snorted at that, very much the same sound of derision I made when amused. “You’ll note thatIdid not ask if I could stay, because I plan to stick around. Plus I’ve never seen the famous Castle of the Dark Gods. Darling Hercules, care to give me the tour?”
The cat, with a fondness for the fairy girl he showed few others, waved his tail and they wandered off.
“She’s gotten an enormous attitude,” Starling complained. “You really need to take her in hand.”
“Athena is fine.” In truth, I felt more than a little guilt for the spell I’d worked on her. She was like the small-town girl who’d gone off for an Ivy League education and now had no one to talk to at home. I couldn’t imagine where she’d go, if she didn’t stay with us. Besides, I liked her. “She’s just figuring out who she is. Come on, I’ll show you our bedchamber.” At least, I thought I could find it again.
Maybe I should have gone on the tour with Athena and Darling Hercules.
“That’s not appropriate. It’s her place to be told who she is—and yours to tell her.”
I looked sidelong at Starling. “Are you just cranky from the journey or is something else eating you?”
She tipped up her pert nose. “It’s part of my job to be aware of your social status and manage your staff accordingly.”
“First of all, I don’t have a staff, and second, Athena wouldn’t be part of it anyway.”
“Are you sure this is the correct direction?”
I frowned at the great winding staircase. It looked just like the one on the opposite side of the elephant-sized hall. And like the one at the shadowed end. All no doubt led to different towers. The whole complex was like a giant puzzle-box. “Well…I’m not sure,” I confessed. “I haven’t been wandering around all that much.”
“No?” She drew out the word with impish delight, seeming much more her familiar playful self. “Whathaveyou been doing, hmmm?”
“None of your business,” I muttered, more than a little chagrined.
“Here, you.” Starling snapped her fingers, startling me and grabbing the attention of a passing purple sprite. “Show us to the Lady Gwynn’s chambers and be quick about it.”
The sprite bowed, literally scraping its bulbous head on the stone floor, then scampered toward a fourth staircase entirely.
“One of your staff,” Starling said, with a little simper.
“Gee, it’s so nice to have you back, Starling.”
“I know.” She giggled at herself. “It’s lovely to see that you need me. Tell me I get to plan the wedding.”
What had seemed like a fine idea when I flippantly suggested it to Rogue kind of scared me now.
“No trains.”
“Youhaveto have one. It’s expected. You wouldn’t want to bring shame on Lord Rogue, would you?”
“No, no—heaven forbid I should do that.”
