The supper was as much of a disaster as Lianne expected, and it left her Ladyship with a very poor taste in her mouth. She had hated every second of their obstreperous company, and they had needled her about how special their child was that it caused her to retire early. For Lianne, it meant no treat. For the parents of the Queen's Girl, they earned themselves a quick exit to the nearest inn.
Lianne found herself letting loose a bit with the mouthy maid she was supposed to be drawing information out of. "My mistress has been beset by bad company lately," she said, tetchy and short of temper. "Be quick about your news."
"What, poor dinner conversation?" The maid asked sardonically.
"As a matter of fact it was some of the worst. All they did was brag about their child who had nothing truly to merit them."
"Ahhh, that sounds lovely," said the maid. "Out of towners or relatives?"
"Out of towners. Never you mind. Do you have anything good? My lady is sour of mood and I don't wish to face her wrath."
"Needing a bit of honey for some honey, are you?" The maid looked her up and down. "Alright then. You can embarrass your lady's competition somewhat easily if you battle her wits. She's a bit slow on the uptake I've been discovering. Nice, but...well, nice can only get you so far, can't it?"
Lianne looked the maid up and down, and said, "You've been unusually helpful and I'm unusually grateful."
"You seemed stressed." She shrugged. "And we lower folk stand by who we choose. I get it."
Lianne gave her another long look. "I'm sure in the future we can come to future understandings. Can I count on you?"
"Maybe, if you keep paying well."
"If you weren't so impertinent, I'd take you in that dark hallway over there."
"And if you had better choice in women, I might enjoy it."