“So this is where you are! Anella is looking for you.” “She’s been looking for a Lady Nalka, and there is no one by that name in the Hold.” Campen snorted with disgust. “You know perfectly well she means you.” “Then she should summon me by name. I’ll not go otherwise.” “In the meantime, she’s making life very difficult for our sisters, and they miss our mother enough without having to put up with her carpings.” I was instantly repentant. In my own misery and guilt, I had forgotten that Lilla and Nia needed my presence and support. “She must have new gowns, suitable to her position. Your needlework is the best.” “Kista was the best needlewoman among us,” I told him angrily. “And Merin sewed the straightest seam. But I’ll go.” It was not a pleasant interview, and I knew that my behavior could be faulted on several counts. To add insult to injury, Anella was younger than I by several Turns, and keenly aware of that and of my greater height. But, knowing that I had deliberately disregarded her summonses, I took the tongue-lashing in silence, and took some consolation in the fact that she had to crane her neck at an awkward angle to berate me.
