“From a memory deep inside her, so faint it only held sounds and slips of color, a tiny, three-year-old Azalea wailed, "Papa.""Papa," said Azalea to the lifeless form of the King. The word was so forgein, it choked her throat. "Papa... you can't leave us, Papa... It would be very...out of order-"Bramble knelt opposite her, grasping the King's bandaged hand."She's-she's right, Papa," Bramble stuttered. "We have...rules..."Clover fell to her knees and pressed her handkerchief to his chest. Blood soaked through. "Papa," she whispered.The girls knelt around the King, their skirts spead out like forlorn blossoms, swallowing , and whispering one word."Papa.""Papa.""Papa.”

“The King smoothed the blanket on Thackeray's back. He opened his mouth, and shut it. Then he opened it again, and after a moment, said, "You used to call me Papa, do you remember that?"The question took Azalea back."No," she said.”

“So suppose Azalea finds the sugar teeth after all," said Bramble, taking Azalea by the shoulders and spinning her. Azalea rolled her eyes but obliged, and let her feet turn beneath her. A lsight push, and Azalea spun to Delphinium."She breaks them," said Delphinium, catching Azalea and pushing her to Hollyhock in a spin, a ball with skirts."Snap!" said Hollyhock.Azalea flinched. Hollyhock fumbled to spin her to Bramble again."And in a burst of fireworks, he emerges from the passage! Burst!”

“His steward his here,too.""Oh,look, the King's gone out to greet him.""With a gun," said Bramble.Everyone leaned forward."Pistols!" cried Clover. She fled the room."Clover-duels aren't-oh,hang," said Bramble. "She's going to do something rash. Well, at least we can see it from here."Two seconds later, Clover streaked out the entrance hall doors, down the marble stairs, her skirts flying behind her.The gentlemen had a split moment to look up before Clover threw herself onto the King in a scatter of gravel, sobbing as she hung about his neck.The window muffled their voices. Everyone leaned even farther forward.Clover fell to her knees and kissed the hem of the King's coat."Oh,now,let's not go overboard," Bramble muttered.Fairweller removed his coat and set it over Clover's shoulders; the King threw it off and put his own coat over her shoulders.”

“Bramble's lips were tight. Her fists still shook."Take it back," she said. She gazed at the floor, but the words whipped. "We don't want the picture. We don't want your charity. Take it back!"Teddie drew himself up to his full, towering taffy height."N-dash it-O!" he said. "It's not charity and I won't take it back! It's a gift! A gift, dash it all! Because I liked your mum! And I like your sisters! And you, Bramble! I love you!"The words echoed. Everyone's hands clasped over their mouths, and they stared at Lord Teddie, who panted but kept a tight chin up. Bramble's lips were still pursed. They were white."Young man," said the King gently. "Your ship leaves soon?"Azalea guessed that, with the fiasco of everything, the King had annulled any arrangements between Bramble and Lord Teddie. Lord Teddie's entire taffylike form slumped. He turned to go, all bounciness dissolved."Do you mean it?"Lord Teddie turned quickly. Bramble's lips remained tight, but her gaze was up, blazing yellow."Gad, yes," said Lord Teddie. "I love you so much, my fingers hurt!""Oh!" Bramble slapped he hand over her mouth and doubled over. "Oh-oh-oh-oh!" She shook. It was hard to tell if she was crying, or coughing, or ill. "Oh!"In a billow of skirts, Bramble leaped. It was a grand jete worthy of the Delchastrian prima ballerina. She landed right on Lord Teddie, who had no choice but to catch her, and threw her arms around his neck. Then, to everyone's shock, she pressed her lips full on his."Oh...my," said Clover.No one seemed more surprised than Lord Teddie who stumbled back under Bramble's assault.”

“He is writing a book," said the King, following them out into the sunny, crisp gardens. "About the gardens here. We have two of his books already. Library, north side, O. What say you, Miss Azalea? Does he pass that list of your sisters'?"Azalea cocked her head. Was the king actually teasing her?"He'll have to shave," she said, deciding to take his lead."And what," said the King, stroking his own close-trimmed beard, "is wrong with whiskers?"Azalea laughed, surprised at the King's uncharacteristic funning.”

“Bramble had taken another pencil from Delphinium, and Azalea's napkin, and wrote something new.You're afraid of the King. Admit it.Azalea grimaced at her untouched food, burning in humiliation as Lord Bradford took the napkin and read it. This time, he looked to be discreetly writing something back beneath the table.Fairweller blinked at the King for a moment, in which Lord Bradford handed Bramble her napkin. She opened it and turned a rosy pink.My lady, it read,who isn't?Bramble pursed her lips and kicked Lord Bradford beneath the table-hard. His face twitched befre regaining its solemn expression.Azalea buried her face in her hands."All we ask is for you to consider it. That is all," said Fairweller."Oh." Lord Bradford's voice was slightly strangled. "Yes. Thank you."Bramble threw the pencil-smudged napkin onto her plate. "I'm done," she said. "May we go to our room now?”