wasting your time making huge great canvases when you can draw a picture of someone what could be breathing, it's so good.”
I couldn't have put it better myself. Nick blinked at her for a moment.
“I mean,” continued Ellie, waving a skinny arm at the Sack of Troy, “who'd want that on their chamber wall? It'd give 'em nightmares for sure. But if I had any money—which I don't, mind—I'd give you all of it just for one of these here limnings of Richard to keep after 'e's gone away.” And she sighed a bit.
“But with my gift, I … I should be painting important subjects,” stammered Nick.
“Why?” demanded Ellie. “And what's moreimportant than people? I'd do anything to have a limning of myself as good as that one of Richard, so my children could know what I looked like when I was young.” And she wiped her nose on the back of her hand and crossed her arms.
Nick looked at me, confused. “What do you think, Lady Grace?”
“I think Ellie's right,” I said frankly. “Everybody wants a picture of their love—or their mother, father, or child—for themselves and to show to their friends. If you can do these little paintings so beautifully, why not?”
Nick was staring at us thoughtfully, and I didn't really want to interrupt his musings, but I had to ask. “You don't seem to be using a lot of yellow, so why did you steal more orpiment today?” I demanded.
He looked confused. “But I didn't.”
“Yes, you did. Masou saw you sneak it into your belt pouch. It's why we followed you.”
Nick laughed. “It wasn't orpiment I stole,” he said. “I don't need orpiment yellow for what I'm painting. Look!”
And he felt in his belt pouch, pulled out a bit of paper, and unscrewed it to reveal a lovely bright lump of …
Blue lapis lazuli.
“Oh!” I exclaimed, starting to feel annoyed with Masou for bringing us on a wild goose chase. But then I hadn't told him what colour orpiment is, and when he saw Nick stealing, he must have assumed that Nick was taking orpiment.
“Lapis lazuli is terribly expensive,” Nick was saying. “And I need a lot of it for the sky above Troy. I just can't afford to buy enough paint. Please don't tell Mrs. Teerlinc. She might have me dismissed.”
“Hmm,” I murmured.
Ellie was wandering about the room, being careful not to step in the wet paint spots, and looking at the smaller studies Nick had done of other people from Court. There were some studies of the Queen—one of her laughing, which was very undignified and not like her usual portraits, but so real you could practically hear the roar of it.
“All right,” I said finally. “But only if you promise not to steal any more paint. Couldn't you paint some more of those little portraits for a while, and sell them and get money that way?”
He smiled. “Perhaps I could,” he said eagerly. “Mrs. Teerlinc thinks so. I will certainly think again about struggling to finish my masterpiece of Troy after your friend's comments.” He looked across atEllie, who was gazing soulfully at the study of Richard again. “You can have that,” he said, “in thanks for your wise advice.”
Ellie turned to him with her eyes shining. “Can I?” she breathed. “Can I really? I never had anything so beautiful before.”
“You can,” he told her, and took down the piece of paper very carefully, pinned it to a small piece of wood, and then wrapped it around with another piece of paper to protect it.
Ellie put it reverently into her petticoat pocket and curtseyed her thanks and then we clattered back down the stairs.
Masou sprinted away to his tumbling as soon as we'd told him everything. Ellie and I went a little more slowly back to the garden, where she then disappeared to the laundry, and I went to find the other Maids of Honour.
I found them all whispering outside Carmina's bedchamber. Even Lady Jane was looking worried. There was an awful sound of somebody groaning and being sick within, and then we heard my Uncle
I couldn't have put it better myself. Nick blinked at her for a moment.
“I mean,” continued Ellie, waving a skinny arm at the Sack of Troy, “who'd want that on their chamber wall? It'd give 'em nightmares for sure. But if I had any money—which I don't, mind—I'd give you all of it just for one of these here limnings of Richard to keep after 'e's gone away.” And she sighed a bit.
“But with my gift, I … I should be painting important subjects,” stammered Nick.
“Why?” demanded Ellie. “And what's moreimportant than people? I'd do anything to have a limning of myself as good as that one of Richard, so my children could know what I looked like when I was young.” And she wiped her nose on the back of her hand and crossed her arms.
Nick looked at me, confused. “What do you think, Lady Grace?”
“I think Ellie's right,” I said frankly. “Everybody wants a picture of their love—or their mother, father, or child—for themselves and to show to their friends. If you can do these little paintings so beautifully, why not?”
Nick was staring at us thoughtfully, and I didn't really want to interrupt his musings, but I had to ask. “You don't seem to be using a lot of yellow, so why did you steal more orpiment today?” I demanded.
He looked confused. “But I didn't.”
“Yes, you did. Masou saw you sneak it into your belt pouch. It's why we followed you.”
Nick laughed. “It wasn't orpiment I stole,” he said. “I don't need orpiment yellow for what I'm painting. Look!”
And he felt in his belt pouch, pulled out a bit of paper, and unscrewed it to reveal a lovely bright lump of …
Blue lapis lazuli.
“Oh!” I exclaimed, starting to feel annoyed with Masou for bringing us on a wild goose chase. But then I hadn't told him what colour orpiment is, and when he saw Nick stealing, he must have assumed that Nick was taking orpiment.
“Lapis lazuli is terribly expensive,” Nick was saying. “And I need a lot of it for the sky above Troy. I just can't afford to buy enough paint. Please don't tell Mrs. Teerlinc. She might have me dismissed.”
“Hmm,” I murmured.
Ellie was wandering about the room, being careful not to step in the wet paint spots, and looking at the smaller studies Nick had done of other people from Court. There were some studies of the Queen—one of her laughing, which was very undignified and not like her usual portraits, but so real you could practically hear the roar of it.
“All right,” I said finally. “But only if you promise not to steal any more paint. Couldn't you paint some more of those little portraits for a while, and sell them and get money that way?”
He smiled. “Perhaps I could,” he said eagerly. “Mrs. Teerlinc thinks so. I will certainly think again about struggling to finish my masterpiece of Troy after your friend's comments.” He looked across atEllie, who was gazing soulfully at the study of Richard again. “You can have that,” he said, “in thanks for your wise advice.”
Ellie turned to him with her eyes shining. “Can I?” she breathed. “Can I really? I never had anything so beautiful before.”
“You can,” he told her, and took down the piece of paper very carefully, pinned it to a small piece of wood, and then wrapped it around with another piece of paper to protect it.
Ellie put it reverently into her petticoat pocket and curtseyed her thanks and then we clattered back down the stairs.
Masou sprinted away to his tumbling as soon as we'd told him everything. Ellie and I went a little more slowly back to the garden, where she then disappeared to the laundry, and I went to find the other Maids of Honour.
I found them all whispering outside Carmina's bedchamber. Even Lady Jane was looking worried. There was an awful sound of somebody groaning and being sick within, and then we heard my Uncle
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