Chapter 47

“The Lady’s horse,” I said. “What is it?”

Nana Odette didn’t answer at once. She had come along the rail to stand beside me, and she was holding her crooked hat on her head with one hand, though there was no wind.

“An old custom,” she said at last. “Older than the King. At the end of the Fair, the Alpha leads a lady round the green on a white horse, on foot, at her bridle, to bless the harvest. It used to be the Luna. Always the Luna.” She paused. “In the long years without one, it went to the Chancellor’s house. Odile, mostly. Then Vivienne, these last ten summers. Nobody liked it, but there wasn’t anyone else.”

“And this year?”

Nana’s mouth went thin. “Valerian raised it in council on Thursday. He said that with the Luna indisposed—that was his word, dear, indisposed—the custom should stay with his house as it had for five hundred years. So as not to cause talk.”

“And Caspian said yes.”

“Caspian said yes.” She let go of her hat and