Nurse May was taking tea with Nurse Melia in her private parlour.

"I have been simply run off my feet, Melia," declared Nurse May (quite falsely), "for Miss Lucy is so hard on her clothes here that they need washing and mending all the time."

"Well, that's a shame, May," said Melia sympathetically. "But there's no need for you do all that sort of work. You just hand that over to Cait the scullery maid, the lazy chit will otherwise be doing nothing but making eyes at every young man she sees."

The nurses shook her their heads sadly over their cups of tea at the shocking behaviour of Cait.

"Your Miss Lucy has the loveliest hair," said Nurse Melia. "I do like to see a nice head of curls."

"It's so fine though, you wouldn't believe how tangled it gets, and there's nothing you can do with it if it's too hot or too wet or too muggy," fretted Nurse May. "Now, your Miss Eden has hair so smooth it looks polished."

"Aye, it's not her hair but what's under it that causes the trouble," said Nurse Melia darkly, "for her brain is always cooking up one plot or another, and I can barely keep up with the little rascal."

"Well, she's keeping Miss Lucy cheerful and occupied, so I think her brain must really be quite alright," said Nurse May.

"I shouldn't say this, but although she's such a scapegrace, Miss Eden is really a good-hearted creature," Nurse Melia admitted.

"I know the king was very worried about Miss Lucy not making friends here, so I couldn't be more pleased that she and Miss Eden have hit it off," said Nurse May.

"Now King Bernard, he must be Miss Lucy's father?" guessed Nurse Melia.

"Bless you, no! King Bernard is her eldest brother. They are both the children of the old king, Peter Ironfoot," explained Nurse May. "Although there's a generation between them, Miss Lucy being the third child and only girl from King Peter's second marriage to a Russian princess."

"Goodness me, the old king!" said Nurse Melia in surprise. "He must have remarried at a fine age."

"Yes, remarried, and had another lady he had two more children with," said Nurse May, dropping her voice by several decibels. "I know you won't repeat that to another soul, Melia."

"No, indeed!" said Nurse Melia in virtuous tones, privately vowing to spread it all over the castle the second their guests left. "Well, goodness gracious. What an old rogue!"

"Oh, there's more I could say, Melia, but I won't," said Nurse May, discreetly sipping her tea.

"I don't think King Meriadoc will ever remarry now," said Nurse Melia, hoping to get more juicy Lindensea gossip out of Nurse May later. "He was that happy with Queen Thanea, and after she died, all he could say for months was, Oh my poor Thaney! How can I go on without you?"

Nurse May clucked her tongue sympathetically. "He had to go on, for Miss Eden's sake," she said.

"The queen was a tiny little lady, and sweet as clover on a summer noonday," went on Nurse Melia. "I often think Miss Eden has missed a mother's influence, losing her so young."

"She has that in common with Miss Lucy, who lost her father when she was only three," said Nurse May with a sigh. "The king does his best to be both brother and father to her, but just between us, he fusses over her like a hen with only one chicken."

"And he must be thinking of getting Miss Lucy married one day," prodded Nurse Melia.

"I don't know about that," said Nurse May with circumspection. "She is yet younger than Miss Eden, and she is not betrothed, is she?"

"Well, May. I don't know they will ever marry Miss Eden off," said Nurse Melia. "She thinks only of fishing and sailing, and I have never seen her take any interest in the other sex. Indeed, she declares she will never marry a man."

"Young girls are often like that," said Nurse May comfortably. "They sit up and take notice right enough when someone they fancy comes along."

"Ordinarily, I'd agree with you," said Nurse Melia. "But Miss Eden is very set in her ways, and there's no chopping and changing of her mind. If she says she will never marry any man, I tend to believe she really means it.".

"There are other options," said Nurse May carelessly, giving a sly glance over at Nurse Melia.

"So I have heard," said Nurse Melia, exchanging a nod and a wink with Nurse May.

Both nurses believed they understood each other perfectly, and imagined that they were planning the future of kingdoms as easily as moving chess pieces on a board. Not that either nurse knew how to play chess, and would have been most indignant if anyone had suggested they learn.

Notes

Cait, the Common Brittonic word for "forest". Not sure if it was used as a personal name, but it's another favourite in fantasy fiction.

Thanea, a Brittonic name used among royalty. It comes from the word tenu, meaning "thin, slender", and Thaney was used as the nickname.  

See Raven and Rue for more about Lucy's complicated family situation.