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his back and his eyes are dark, unreadable orbs.
    We take our places around the table. Mistress and I sit next to each other. She fills our goblets and nods in my direction. It’s a slight, almost imperceptible incline of her head, and like an apprentice taking orders from his master, I  understand. It’s time to begin.
    “How are things in Allegria?” I ask Mister Blackwell. I force myself to take a small, controlled bite of stew, not letting on how hungry I am.
    “Well,” Mister Blackwell replies. “The city is preoccupied with preparations for the princess’s masquerade ball.”
    “Yes, I admit I have been thinking of nothing else myself,” I say, affecting a breathless voice that sounds nothing like my own.
    “Oh yes, the ball is coming up isn’t it?” Mistress Ogden says, as though the thought has only just occurred to her. “Do you know that when she was little, Elara used to pretend she was the Masked Princess? She cut up one of her dresses—a really nice one, mind you—and tied it like a silk mask to her face.”
    “You did?” At this, Mister Blackwell looks at me. For once, his grim manner has vanished and he seems amused.
    “Yes, sir,” I lie. And for good measure I add, “I also used to stand at the top of the stairs and wave, like it was a balcony.” I mimic a grand wave with a smile. Serena rolls her eyes but says nothing.
    “I used to live in Allegria very briefly.” Mistress gets a wistful look on her face. “I performed with the Royal Theatre Company. Once upon a time, I was quite the actress.”
    “That doesn’t surprise me.” Mister Blackwell casts an unreadable look at Mistress Ogden. And for a moment, I wonder if he knows we’re all just a bunch of pathetic liars.
    “I tell the girls all the time that Allegria’s the most beautiful city in the world. Though it is difficult to describe to someone who has never been there.” Mistress Ogden sighs. “I have so wanted to show the girls the Royal Opera House and Eleanor Square, and take them to see the Opal Palace.”
    “Do you intend to visit Allegria soon, then?” Mister Black-well asks.
    Mistress Ogden shakes her head. “We’ve had a tough few months. And a trip to Allegria costs money. Though it would be a good lesson for the girls, a bit of living history, don’t you think? Something a schoolteacher just can’t explain.” Mis-tress leans back in her chair, looking utterly defeated. Her gaze finds Mister Blackwell, and I know she is gearing up for her grand finale. “I don’t suppose—”
    “As it happens, Elara and I saw the girls’ teacher today.” Mister Ogden, who, up until now has seemed content to silently drain his goblet, suddenly rouses himself.
    “What?” Mistress Ogden frowns, caught off guard and clearly not happy he has changed the subject. But she doesn’t let it phase her. “You mean Mister Travers?” she asks, feigning interest. “However is he?”
    “Well, it was quite strange,” Mister Ogden begins, and relates what happened at the Draughts of Life.
    “Where do you suppose they were taking him?” Serena asks once he’s finished.
    “Perhaps he was a convict,” Mister Blackwell speaks up. “Many criminals flee Allegria, hoping that the farther they get from the Crown, the surer they will be able to evade the justice that is due to them.”
    “A criminal?” Serena says. “I wouldn’t have taken Mister Travers for a criminal. But then he didn’t grow up in Tulan. I wonder why he chose to settle here?”
    Outwardly I give no sign that the conversation troubles me. But inwardly I feel faint and my stomach churns. A possibility I hadn’t considered earlier enters my mind. Why would an outsider choose to settle in Tulan, a small, insignificant village, unless he had a very good reason for doing so? To what lengths would a hunted man go to protect his family? If he’d had a daughter, would he hide her? Would he have gone so far to deliver her to an orphanage, only to find her later