Raven and Rue // Lindensea 1

Chapter 20: An Unexpected Visitor

"You know this boy?" the head of the guards demanded, shoving Pip forward.

"Why, yes. This is Pip Lenoir, who's been missing all night after an accident," replied Mr Smedley in surprise. "Pip, what happened to you?"

Pip hung his head, and looked ashamed.

"I'll take things from here. Thank you for bringing Pip back safely," Mr Smedley said with a note of finality. "Pip, go and wait for me outside my office, please."

Mr Smedley let Pip have a good ten minutes sitting alone and fearful before he unlocked his office door, and ushered Pip through, gesturing for him to take the chair opposite.

"Now, Pip. You were sent out of the kitchen with an injury, so what happened when you reached the sanitorium?" Mr Smedley asked, sounding businesslike but not cross.

"I never got there," Pip mumbled. "I ... I ran into a strange man, and he healed me." He held up his finger to show there was no wound or scar on it.

"Really? How did he heal you?" asked Mr Smedley sceptically.

"I think it was by magic," Pip said. "I don't know what he did – my finger was just better."

"Really, that sounds like a cock and bull story, Pip," said Mr Smedley. "But let's leave that for now. After you'd supposedly been healed, why didn't you return to the kitchen?"

"I ... I ... wanted to see the grand people at the banquet," said Pip, "and I wanted ... wanted to hear the music and see the dancing at the ball."

"So on one of the busiest nights of the year, you abandoned your post simply to go skylarking about, peeping and prying upon your betters?" said Mr Smedley angrily.

"I'm very sorry, Mr Smedley. I knew it was wrong," Pip said.

"Pip, if you were a very young boy, just arrived at the palace and eager to see royalty, I could forgive this," said Mr Smedley. "If you were ten years old, I would have given you a little scolding, and explained why what you did was wrong. But you're a grown man, you're nearly eighteen. You've been working at the palace for years, and you did this deliberately, apparently on a whim."

"I promise I'll never do it again, Mr Smedley," Pip said.

"You shan't be given the opportunity," said Mr Smedley severely. "I can't possibly have people I don't trust in the kitchen, especially ones who shirk their tasks and use deception to get out of work. I'm giving you one week's notice, and then I want you gone. And for the week that you remain here, I hope that you'll apologise to the rest of the staff for your actions, and do what you can to make it up to them."

"Thank you for giving me one week to get myself sorted, Mr Smedley," said Pip in a tired, dead voice, and then he went up to bed.

 It was already dark in the dormitory, and nobody spoke to him, pretending they were asleep. Pip lay awake for a long time, wondering if this was the start of going to a bad end, because he'd kissed Bernard without being sure he was his true love.

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Pip's fellow servants made the decision to completely ignore him for the week. They were furious and disgusted with him for sneaking out on a night when there was so much work, and for such a stupid, childish reason. Innogen was only twelve, and she would never dream of trying to peek at royal guests in the palace, she knew that was very wrong. And pretending to have cut his finger to get out of the kitchen was a low act.

The only person who stuck up for him was Viviane. She insisted she had actually seen the blood pouring out of his finger, and he hadn't made that part up. She said that perhaps he had been healed by some weird fellow roaming about, and she wouldn't be a bit surprised if he'd done something to Pip's mind as well, made him act in a completely mad and moonstruck way. She said Pip had always been a good friend to them all, and they had no reason not to believe him now.