~~~Warning for discussion of potentially upsetting subjects~~~

Eden groaned softly as she opened her eyes. It was the morning after Yule Day, and she had a headache and a sore tummy.

"Are you alright?" Lucy asked softly, rolling over in bed to look at her friend in concern.

"I ate too much yesterday," Eden said. "We had a huge feast for lunch, then went to tea at Blythe Green, and supper when we got back! If we hadn't gone to bed early there probably would have been more food to get through."

"Well it gets pretty boozy late at night," Lucy said. "I don't think Mummy would like us staying up."

"Let's not go down to breakfast," Eden said. "Nalini will bring us tea and toast in a minute, and that's enough food after yesterday."

"But it's Bagging Day!" Lucy objected, sitting up in bed. "Nobody would avoid going down to the dining room on Bagging Day."

"What's that?" Eden asked in surprise, hoping it didn't mean a lot more food.

"The day after Yule, servants carry around bags for their annual tips," Lucy explained. "Every time you see a servant, you put coins in their bag as a way of saying thank you for working hard all year. If you stay in your room it means you're only giving a tip to the person who serves you, and it would be such a mean thing to do."

"Oh alright," Eden said. "We'll go down to breakfast and give everyone coins, but I'm not having very much. I feel like I've been eating tons."

"It's traditional to eat a ton of food at Yuletide," Lucy laughed.

"That's what Father told me," Eden nodded. "But if we're going to breakfast, I won't have tea and toast now."

"As long as we still tip Nalini, she won't mind," Lucy assured her.

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Eden and Lucy made sure they had a good supply of coins in their pockets when they went down to breakfast, and it didn't take long to find someone to offer them to. The guards at the bottom of the stairs had a leather bag worn on a belt around their waist, and the two princesses were careful to drop the exact same amount into each bag so as to be fair. Giving tips to guards on Bagging Day did not seem to count as a gift or cause one to be compromised.

It was a long walk to the Great Hall down more and more stairs, and they passed many servants on their way. Eden thought a few of them just seemed to be hanging about as it waiting for someone to come along. Each time they would drop coins into their leather bag, and Lucy would smile and say, "Thank you so much for everything you've done this year, we all appreciate it very much."

Eden only smiled and said, "Thank you," because she didn't know them or what they'd done all year.

The Great Hall was packed at breakfast for a change, because nobody wanted to be thought stingy on Bagging Day. There was plenty of food to choose from, but Eden just had coffee and an orange. She noticed that most people were eating only a small amount while being liberal with their tips.

After she'd thanked yet another servant for offering her a plate she didn't want and given them some coins, Eden looked around and said quietly, "You know Lucy, it doesn't seem quite fair. Only the upper servants are getting tips, because they're the only ones we ever see. What about the lower servants?"

"Bernard gives them all a gold coin in an envelope stamped with the royal seal," Lucy said.

"And how much does he give the upper servants?"

"Three gold coins," Lucy admitted. "The head servants get even more."

"And they're getting so many tips on top of it," Eden whispered. "The lower ones don't get that chance."

"We'll go down to the kitchens after breakfast if you want," Lucy whispered back. "Then we can give tips to all the staff there."

As soon as they'd finished, Lucy and Eden pushed through the green baize door at the back of the Great Hall. Eden thought how much easier it seemed to walk down the windowless corridor with Lucy there, chatting normally and pointing out features that Eden may not have observed  before.

It was strange how the corridor seemed to soak up noise. Their shoes made no sound on the smooth cork flooring, and their soft voices seemed to go nowhere between the two walls. No doubt it was designed that way so that people were not disturbed while they were eating.

"A pantry door's been left open," Lucy said when they were very near to the kitchens, gesturing up ahead. "I think I'd better close it."

"Someone might be inside?" Eden suggested.

"Of course I will check first," Lucy replied. "I'll call out without going in, as they may not like us interfering."

But when they got there, there was no need for Lucy to call out. Monsieur Leroux was in there with Nurse Melia, and he was kissing her hand. Not once only, but many times, with both delicacy and passion. And Nurse Melia was blushing and smiling as if she liked it.

Eden's mouth fell into an O shape, and she fled back up the corridor after emitting a horrified gasp. Lucy ran after her, catching up when they were almost back at the Great Hall.

"That ... that man," Eden stammered. "He was ... to Nurse Melia! In the pantry, against shelves of pickles."

Lucy took her hand and pressed it comfortingly.

"I know, how terribly embarrassing for them," she said in commiseration. "I feel like such a fool for barging in there like that. This will teach me not to meddle."

"He has ... he has insulted my old nurse," Eden said, starting to shake. "This cannot be borne. Nurse Melia is not to be treated so, like some common .... woman."

"She didn't seem to mind it," Lucy said gently. "Is it really such a terrible insult to kiss a lady's hand?"

"She's not a lady, she's my old nurse!" Eden said piteously. "Old nurses don't get kissed."

There was a long pause before Lucy said carefully, "Don't you think ... well, that quite a few men might like Nurse Melia? She's got smooth brown skin with hardly any wrinkles and a nice plump figure and curly black hair that hasn't turned very grey yet. And she's quite pretty, and on top of that she's a lovely kind person."

Eden's face was a study as she was presented with this outlandish view of Nurse Melia. "But ...but ... she's old!" she cried.

"Not to someone the same age," Lucy said wisely. "They don't know that they're old, not for ages. They think that they're quite young still."

"Let's just go back to the Great Hall," Eden said. "I think I need another coffee."

"We can't do that, we need to give out the coins," Lucy said. "And they'll feel much worse if we sneak away like we saw something terrible."

Eden thought they had seen something terrible, but she had to admit it would be both cowardly and selfish to refuse. She took a deep breath and tidied her hair from its disarray before giving Lucy a weak smile. "Alright. I'm ready now."

"Let's walk back the way we came, and make as much noise as we can so they can hear us coming," Lucy said. "We'll pretend this is the first time we've been down here to spare their feelings."

There was no way to make noise with their shoes, the flooring forced them to walk silently, but they raised their voices and talked as loudly as possible the whole way.

"Not much further now," Lucy shouted heartily, once she could see the open pantry door.

Nurse Melia and Monsieur Leroux came out of the pantry, Monsieur Leroux gallantly holding onto her arm, and Nurse Melia saying, "Thank you for the tour. You certainly have a good store of pickles."

Her cheeks blushed bright pink as she turned and said, "Why Miss Eden and Miss Lucy! What are you doing here?"

Monsieur Leroux looked up and said, "Ah! It is the little princesses, come to see me in my kitchens. Have you come for another ride on the service lift, Miss Eden?" His eyes twinkled at her.

"No thank you, monsieur," Eden said, looking at the floor. "We came to give tips to the kitchen staff as it is Bagging Day, Nurse Melia."

"You must be like good spirits of the air to think on it so," Monsieur Leroux said to them. "What kind hearts you own."

"It was Eden's idea," Lucy said quickly.

"Miss Eden has always been good-hearted and generous," Nurse Melia said proudly.

"How could she not be, having such a guardian?" Monsieur Leroux said, with a gallant bow that made Nurse Melia blush again.

"May I please offer you a tip, Monsieur Leroux?" Eden asked, finally taking her attention away from the floor.

"Ah, you are so good Miss Eden," he said warmly. "But no, no! Mister Bernard has already given me a very generous Yuletide bonus. However, you have my permission to give as many coins as you wish to the staff, and they will welcome them with great delight."

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It was fun giving tips the kitchen staff. They hadn't been expecting them, and it was a pleasant distraction from cleaning up the kitchen. Eden and Lucy gave a gold coin apiece to Marco, who could hardly believe that his tip from the palace had just been tripled in an instant. He stammered his thanks, saying that they would all go to his ma, who would weep for joy when she saw them.

"What shall we do now?" Eden asked as they were washing their hands.

Lucy looked hesitant, then said, "Remember when you said we could spend some time in the library together so it would feel normal again? You know, after that awful story we heard on the first night of Yule."

"Oh. Yes, I remember," Eden said, drying her hands on a white linen towel. "Of course we can do that now, if you show me the way."

The library was back up all the stairs, and right at the top of the palace. It was on the same floor as the royal private living quarters, but in a separate wing, accessed by a different staircase. It had a heavy oak door with a brass plate reading The Queen Leonora Library.

Lucy put her hand on the door knob, then paused.

"You can do it, Lucy," Eden encouraged her. "I'll be right here with you."

There was a resolute set to Lucy's shoulders as she turned the knob and pulled the door open. Eden took her hand as they stood in the doorway, and stared in amazement.

She had never seen so many books – the shelves covered every inch of the walls, from floor to ceiling. Light flooded in from large windows and through the domed skylight, so that even on a winter's day it was possible to read without a lamp. The library was large enough that there was room for cosy little nooks where one could curl up and get lost in a book all day.

"How on earth do people reach the top shelves to get a book?" Eden asked, her voice unconsciously taking on a hushed quality.

"There's a librarian, Sir George Barrett," Lucy replied. "He has an assistant named Mr Chapman, and it's his job to climb up the high steps and bring books down with a long stick."

"Where are they?"

"On holidays, because it's Yuletide."

They had wandered nearly halfway into the library when they saw her in one of the dim corners, a figure lost in the shadows. A dark-haired girl in a white dress with a scarlet ribbon around her neck, looking at a large globe of the world. She turned her face to them, and Eden thought there was something familiar in the way she moved. She did not feel like a stranger, although Eden could not say why that was.

"Oh. Hello," Lucy said. "We didn't know you were here."

"I've been here nearly every day since it's the holidays," the girl said.

"Eden, this is Lady Hypatia Ponsonby," Lucy said, gesturing to the girl. "Aubrey's sister."

"Call me Patty," the girl said, coming over with a smile.

"Pleased to meet you, Patty," Eden said, holding out her hand to shake.

"This is my friend, Princess Eden of Westmoreland," Lucy said. "I stayed with her in the summer holidays."

"Of course, Aubrey's spoken of you often," Patty said. "I expect he's been a complete nuisance to you."

"He's great fun," Eden said. "He and Roddy were a huge help at the children's party."

"If you two came here to tell secrets, I promise I'll leave you alone," Patty said, giving them a rather grown up smile.

Eden glanced at Lucy, who looked doubtful then said, "No, we're not here for that. Actually, I heard a rather horrible story about the library. It was about ... my father's equerry."

Patty nodded understandingly. "Sir Octavian Henbane. And you wanted to do some ghost-hunting."

"No, I just don't want to be frightened," Lucy said. "I ... we thought ... that is, Eden suggested it ... that if we spent some time in here reading and chatting, eventually the library would feel normal again."

"That's a very intelligent idea," Patty said with approval. "I suppose you heard all the rumours, like the bloodstain on the carpet that can never be washed out."

"Nobody told us about that," Lucy said, her eyes huge. 

"Is it true?" Eden asked.

Patty shook her head. "After it happened, King Peter had all the carpets in here replaced, and the furniture as well. Even the maps and pictures. Apart from the books and shelving, everything in this library is less than forty years old."

Lucy looked relieved. "Oh I didn't know. We were told some people can feel a chill in the air where ... it happened."

"Would you like me to show you where he did it?" Patty asked. On being met with expressions of revulsion from the two princesses, she added, "If you're frightened I think it's better to face your fear, don't you?"

Lucy gave an unhappy nod and Eden held her hand. "We're ready," Lucy said.

Patty led them right down the back of the library, her long white dress making a soft swishing sound with each step. In the far corner next to a marble fireplace, she pulled a brass lever and the book shelf swung open like a door.

"What's inside?" Eden asked curiously, craning her neck to see.

Patty ushered them in, leaving the book shelf open. They found themselves in a small room, empty except for a desk with a lamp on it, and a chair to sit on. There was a window that allowed natural light. Eden edged her way closer to the entrance – the room was too enclosed for her comfort.

"I didn't know this was here," a wide-eyed Lucy said.

"It's a room for private study," Patty said. "Scholars may like to keep their research from others' eyes, or the librarian may prefer they keep their materials in here. Sir Octavian shut himself in here with his books and cut his throat with a letter opener, after leaving a note accusing his wife Lady Eveline of being untrue to him."

"Can you feel a chill, Lucy?" Eden asked. 

"No, nothing," Lucy said, sounding oddly disappointed. "If anything it's a little stuffy in here, because we're so close to the fireplace."

Patty reached up and pulled on a long cord near the window. "Now can you feel a chill, Lucy?"

Lucy's voice quivered as she said, "Yes. Yes I can."

"So can I," Eden said. "Is it something to do with the cord you pulled?"

"This castle was built almost a thousand years ago, and has slits in the wall that were originally for archers to fire through while defending it," Patty explained. "They are covered by slats now, but can be uncovered to provide ventilation. I just did so, and that's the chill that people sometimes say they can feel. It's more noticeable here because it's generally very warm."

"I knew there'd be a rational explanation," Eden said, pleased. "See Lucy? It's all nonsense. There's no such thing as ghosts. There's no White Lady hiding in the tower."

"Oh no, the White Lady is quite real," Patty said coolly. "I saw her myself when I was a little girl."

Lucy and Eden exclaimed and clamoured to hear more, so Patty said, "I was about nine or ten, and one night I wandered up the tower stairs on my own – of course you and Clarissa were in the royal nursery then, Lucy. It was just an empty tower.

"I turned the corner of the stairs and there she was. A beautiful lady all in white who looked into my eyes and gave me a smile that had such feeling in it. And then she held out her hands to me and disappeared."

"Somebody told us she looks sad," Lucy said.

Patty thought for a moment before saying, "Perhaps, but behind the sadness is a deep and dazzling joy. Oh I can't describe it. But she only appears to young girls to warn them they must never marry, and when I saw her I knew my destiny."

"And what's that?" Eden asked.

"I knew that I was called to be a priestess of the goddess Vesta," Patty said. "A Vestal Virgin. I've been kept away from men who aren't family members since I was eleven and been sent to the Queen Eleanor School for Girls in Brentshaw while I learn to become a priestess. 

"Next year I'm going to Queen's College at Grantbridge University to study Geography. And when I am twenty-one I shall take my vows and withdraw completely from the world to tend the sacred flame in the temple of my home village."

"Goodness. Just watching a fire for the rest of your life?" Eden wondered.

Patty smiled and said, "Not alone, but with a sisterhood of fellow Vestal Virgins. And we are also the librarians for the village and run the bakery. It will be a quiet life but a busy and fulfilling one. I will be free to retire from my vows after thirty years if I wish."

"I wonder if I will ever see the White Lady," Lucy said.

"I don't believe that will be your fate," said Patty with a glance at Eden.

Lucy coloured slightly and said, "I do feel better about coming to the library, Patty. Thank you. I'm glad there is no ghost here, but I still feel upset about what happened. Poor Sir Octavian, the anguish of knowing what his wife did."

"I don't believe it," Patty said in a definite manner. "Mother told me there was never any real evidence to suggest Lady Eveline had done anything wrong, and Queen Ellen always supported her. Although people blamed Eveline at first, after a while opinion swung around in her favour. It started to be said that Sir Octavian was very unwell, and imagined it all. That happens sometimes, you know."

"What happened to Lady Eveline?" Eden asked.

"She retired to their country house at the town of Goldenflower, further down the river," Patty said. "She never remarried or went out into society again, and died a few years ago."

"Well it's an awfully sad story, no matter which way it happened," Lucy said, wiping a tear away.

"It's a tragedy," Patty agreed. "But it was a long time ago now, and it does no good to dwell on it. Would you like me to say a prayer? I've got a bit of experience now."

When Lucy said she might, Patty took both their hands. She bowed her head and said, "Our Lady Vesta, please cleanse this library of its sad memories so it remains a place of light and learning for generations to come. May the souls of Sir Octavian and Lady Eveline be at peace now. So may it be done."

"So may it be," Lucy and Eden repeated.

"And now I shall leave you to have free rein of the library," Patty smiled. "Read and talk together until the library feels just as it did before. May your souls commune and bring each other comfort for all your days to come."