FOUR
Three days Rosamond waited for the queen's gift, while watching the crowds at court dwindle as other guests returned to their homes. When Rosamond hinted at her plans to depart, too, Queen Margareta insisted that the princess's gift would be ready within the hour, but hours came and went with no sign of any cloth.
Finally, Rosamond lost patience and sent Monika to find the weaver. The maid returned with a puzzled look on her face.
"Did you say the weaver was a woman named Penelope?" Monika asked.
Rosamond nodded. "That's what the queen called her. Yes."
"I found a Penelope. She is the queen's own dressmaker, not just a weaver, and a noblewoman in her own right. Lady Penelope is a knight's widow and the queen's companion. She has not been at court because her daughter is ill."
