The two maids didn't wait to see whether Pam followed. They were already hurrying back through the corridor, moving fast enough that the younger one was breathing hard before they reached the corner.
Pam kept pace easily. They passed the storeroom stairs, then entered the colder hallway leading toward the administrative wing, where the princess's rooms sat only a few doors from Heinrich's office.
Pam heard the voice before she reached the door.
"...and I would ask you to consider, before you hand me another garment fit only for a beggar's back, whether such carelessness would have been permitted for one single day in my father's house."
The door stood half open.
Inside, Mira twisted her apron between both hands. She looked as though she'd already exhausted every explanation she could think of, and none of them had made a difference.
"Your Highness, I only found the tear this morning."
