Section 3/B/B

    Kestrel shook her head. What was she doing? Now was not a good time to annoy Boron, and he was very particular about everything in its place. Besides, she didn't know where Boron was, and the best place to find someone to help her out was through the back door. She tucked the note that the driver had given her into her sleeve with the handkerchief.



    "Why Kestrel, it's nice to see you here," said Mrs. Plover, the cook. "It's been a while and no mistake. Would you care for something to eat? I haven't quite finished the lunch by now, but I have plenty of bread and fresh milk."
    "Thank you, Mrs. Plover," Kestrel said, "but I don't have time at the moment. The Domini Son sent for me."
    Mrs. Plover pinched her lips. "What about?"
    "I expect it's more lessons," Kestrel said simply, trying her best not to blush. "What else could it be?"
    Mrs. Plover looked like she wasn't very happy about what else it could be. "Now you're a good girl," she said, "and you just watch that you stay one."
    "Mrs. Plover," Kestrel said, suddenly red with embarrassment in spite of her efforts to tell her cheeks to cool themselves off. "I certainly have no intention of any misbehavior. Thanks to my mother, I speak a language that the young Domini wants to learn. I am grateful for the work. That's all." As soon as she said it, Kestrel wished that she hadn't added the last line. It sounded so guilty, as though she knew exactly what Mrs. Plover was getting at--which was true--and was guilty but professing her innocence--which was not true. The problem was that it was close enough to true to make her cheeks burn red, make her awkward at speaking, and make her look generally like a girl caught in a haystack with a boy.
    "My girl," Mrs. Plover said seriously. "You just watch yourself. I won't say a word against the Domini Son, but young men don't see life in the same light as young ladies. Just you make sure that you know what you're about."
    Kestrel nodded and scuttled for the door. It occurred to her that she should have asked Mrs. Plover for directions, but she couldn't bring herself to, not after all that had happened.