Page 205 - The Grotesque Children's Book

attempt at flattery....”Such sophisticated wit you have, my Lady, and such complete control over
your physical body to imitate the peasant girl model and her lower caste posture, but you, my
Lady, can never fully disguise the dignity and composure which courses through your veins that
I am actually honored and flattered that you” and blither blather blither blather, he doesn't mean
a word of it. How the fools think we love flattery. Pfagh! So she had roused her ladies at an
unkindly early hour, subjected herself to the Putting on of the Gown and was just on the verge of
reaching for the jewels when --

In burst a flushed, buxom girl, shouting apologies for something or other. Bianca held up
her hand. “Stop!” Bianca shouted in amazement. “You -- you look just like me. You must be
the girl who sits for my portrait. Remarkable! Turn around,” she said, making a spinning
gesture with her hand. “Go on, girl, spin, spin!”

As we have noted before, Carola was a sharp woman, observant and quick, and she
immediately realized that the waiting ladies had been busy with Her Majesty this morning, and
had not yet -- oh my God! -- not yet started to put jewelry onto the Duchess. Could it be that she
had not yet noticed the locket was missing? Carola began to spin for the Duchess. The waiting
ladies must have noticed it the night before, as they were putting away the jewelry, they must
have! Perhaps Lady Bianca had not been told the locket was missing. There was a chance, a
slim chance that she could, while spinning for her Majesty, get the locket to the armoire and drop
it in there. Perhaps the ladies would see her do it, however. Perhaps they --

At the half-spin, Carola heard herself saying two things, completely contradictory. One
was internal: My God, she does look so much like me! My hair's darker and fuller, and she
looks a little thin and pale, but in that dress, the dress I've been wearing for so many sessions, I
can see why Alessandro chose me of all the women in Italy to pose for her. Though the brutes at
the Wheat and Chaff are right: I’m not very pretty, am I? That portrait is a lie to pretend I am!
The other thought Carola heard ringing in her emotional, churning mind needed to be spoken out
loud, as a feeling of trust, honor and fealty washed over Carola. Before she had completed her
first turn, before she had had a chance to question the wisdom of speaking, Carola was on the
very verge of blurting out, “Oh, your Majesty, please forgive me. I took one of your pieces of
jewelry last night. But her it is, I've brought it back. I wanted to look at it; it's so beautiful, but
your ladies always take it from me before I get a chance to see it. But it's so beautiful!” at which
point she would have handed Her Majesty the locket. But, as the half turn was ending, she heard
a stronger voice fighting for survival urging her to drop the locket, drop the locket!

She dropped the locket in the armoire. It landed right next to the rest of of the jewelry,
all laid out. Carola finished her spin. It's done. Surely the waiting ladies knew it was missing,
and now my life is in their hands. They could accuse me right now, or, or, it suddenly occurred
to Carola that if the waiting ladies told Her Majesty the locket had been missing that they, the
ladies, all of them, would be just as liable as the thief, if not more so, for not having kept it safe,
and perhaps, if they had half-a-wit between them, they would realize that now the locket is
returned and safe, that they all would do best to remain silent about the whole th --

205