In the gardens of Taymer Palace, the afternoon sun streamed through the gaps in a wisteria-covered trellis, scattering small, trembling flecks of light onto the flagstone path.
The fragrance of roses and damp earth drifted through the air, and the faint sound of a distant fountain could be heard.
Beside a white stone table under the trellis, a young lady was leaning over, teasing Eleanor, who sat across from her, with a crystalline piece of candy held between her fingertips.
The young lady looked to be no more than fifteen or sixteen, with a slender and delicate figure.
She wore an exquisitely tailored, sea-blue silk court dress. Its collar and cuffs were trimmed with fine, silver-threaded lace, and the layered skirt was embroidered with intricate, subtle patterns of interwoven gears and stars in a deeper blue thread, which shimmered faintly in the sun as she moved.
