After leaving Diorwyn’s room, Averyll and Eleniel headed back up the stairs and out of the servants’ quarters. Averyll felt better for having talked to Betuli and the seamstress, and was truly relieved that they finally had a plan of action in mind.
“I guess we should find Vieana,” Averyll said to Eleniel.
Eleniel nodded. “She should be in on this with us.”
Averyll agreed. “But we do still have to be careful that Finduilas and Tessa hear nothing of it.”
“Right!” Eleniel smiled. “Not even a hint.”
To seal the deal, the two ladies linked pinkies. Averyll, then, turned and ran down the wide hallway toward the dining room. Laughing, Eleniel followed. By the time they arrived back at the entrance to the dining room, both ladies were breathless and giggling. Averyll threw the door open to find the other three ladies, Finduilas, Tessa, and Vieana still lingering over coffee. The three of them looked up in surprise at Averyll’s and Elen’s boisterous entrance.
Finduilas smiled up at them, and raised her fine eyebrows, curious to be let in on the joke.
Averyll bent over to catch her breath, shaking her head at Finduilas. “I was trying to find the kitchen and ended up in the servants’ quarters,” she panted.
Eleniel laughed. “I did the same thing and I found her.”
“Ah!” Finduilas smiled. “We were just having coffee.” She gestured to the silver coffee service. “Join us?”
“That would be splendid!” Averyll took the seat she had vacated earlier. “You know I never did find the kitchen. I gave the wine pitcher to a maid. Did she ever bring more wine?”
“Yes, she did!” answered Tessa. “And an absolutely scrumptious fruit tart… which you missed.” She grinned mischievously.
Averyll threw up her hands. “I always leave at the wrong moment.”
They all laughed. Vieana poured coffee into cups for Averyll and Eleniel and handed them to the two ladies. “We were just talking about flowers for the wedding,” said Vieana. “I was thinking orchids and white roses.”
“Orchids!” exclaimed Eleniel. From there, the conversation evolved into a lively discussion of the relative merits of one type of flower over another, color, meanings of the individual blooms, and so on until finally Finduilas shook her head, waving one elegant hand in front of her face.
“I’m glad you’re not choosing my dress!” she laughed. “You would never agree on anything and I would have to be married in my dressing gown!”
“And, speaking of dresses,” Tessa said, looking at the clock. “Don’t you have a fitting with Diorwyn in about ten minutes?”
“Oh, my goodness!” Finduilas looked first at the clock, then at the other ladies. “She’s right. We must fly. You’ll excuse us?”
Vieana, Averyll, and Eleniel all nodded and made agreeable noises. They watched as Finduilas and Tessa swept out of the room on the way to the fitting. Once they had gone, Averyll and Elen brought Vieana in on the conversation they had had with Betuli and Diorwyn. Vieana listened with a grave look on her face.
“So, it’s already spread through the servants’ quarters?” she asked. “And we know the guards have heard something.”
Elen and Averyll nodded.
“Betuli is going to speak with some of the servants, see if she can find out where their information is coming from,” Averyll told her. “Diorwyn says she has some friends here as well.”
“So, I guess we should go visit some of the fine ladies of Minas Tirith.”
Averyll nodded again. “That’s the plan.”
[ August 02, 2003: Message edited by: Ealasaid ]
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