In the Glorious Who-ish Empire of the Realm of Ardusk, there was no town more humble nor as hidden as Tolemac. It was a town so humble and hidden that, in order to preserve her lawful pride and standard of living, Cornelia insisted that they travel there. And, to her credit, she was rather wise in that choice. Not only were they cut off from the mockery of their former fellowships but the littlest box of a house in Karlington was then valued equal to a comfortable living in Tolemac, and the Gibbses were still far above that little box. Truth be told, they could have lived off whatever they had for the rest of their lives without working a day. However, James insisted on a job. So it was that he became a tourney coach at the local school with Darius, his son, also joining its population as a student.

And Darius was a very bright student, excelling in all matters alethurgic (sciences and histories and economics). He was only average in all matters artistic (lyrics and literature and athletics), managing to keep his head above water most of the time, but Cornelia didn't very much care about such things. With utter passion and diligence, she saw to it that not one of his masks hid his magnificent colours and she made sure that not one of her peers failed to notice her managing to raise the "better son". To be clear, as a matter of course, she never said such a thing blatantly. She only ever implied it, most commonly with the wooded horse of false modesty.

Though her husband was working and her son was studying, Cornelia found the notion of cleaning and cooking uncomfortable and so she busied herself with what she believed to be a more important task: farming reputation.

Surely, anywhere there is civilisation, there is aristocracy. There are always the greater and the lesser. And our family shall never be the latter; not on my watch.

Local celebrities were the first targets. These were the politicians; otherwise the ones who delivered news- local and imported -to the laity. Their faces were instantly recognisable wherever they went and their favourite restaurants always made a point of announcing "I am [this person]'s favourite restaurant" as loudly as possible with pictures and signs and the like. The less pressing targets were the ones who were celebrities of a more subtle kind. They were the "kindly-neighbourhood-Whos". These were the owners of reliable establishments. Autocar shops, restaurants and farmer's markets passed down from parent to child where the owner, at any given time, was known personally by all the laity on a first-fate basis on account of them having visited said shops since the days of their grandparents. Then there were those who were not popular but terribly resourceful and no less well-known: the landlords- the Whos whose ancestors first settled Tolemac. There was nothing done in the town for which they were not paid. Among all these, there was not one who knew, by experience, the charm of the Lords and Ladies of the heartlands and so many soon fell under the spell of Madame Cornelia Gibbs.

To be clear, it was, almost exclusively, the grown-ups who were fell'd. Most of the local children still believed in the existence of witches and so they were perfectly capable of spotting one weaving charms in their own house- and they were very careful to keep her out of their rooms. Of course, there were some grown-ups who had not yet forgotten and who knew to keep the former Lady from their houses entire, but they were a rarity. Also, for better or worse, neither the majority of children nor the minority grown-ups blamed James or Darius for their wicked Who of a relative.

All that said, there remained the issue of the house which needed keeping. And since Cornelia wanted nothing to do with it, and the Gibbses' finances had become settled in the three years since their arrival in Tolemac, the former Lady insisted at her husband that they hire a servant. When the request first came to James, he reacted with ambivalence saying...

Hire if you will. What business is that of mine?

Despite such a mediocre reply, it was only a little over a week later when he burst into their bedroom with eagerness and terror saying...

My dear! My dear! Didn't you say you needed a housekeeper? Well, I have found one!

Cornelia, who was under the impression that James had no intention of helping her find a housekeeper, was elated. She had made no progress in that area and so to hear that the work had been done was nothing short of delightful. By that delight, she leapt off the bed and embraced Master James saying...

A good sir, you are! A good sir, you have always been!

A day or so later, the new servant appeared before the house and it was Darius himself who met her. He led her in and brought her to his mother, and when the Madame Cornelia saw that the girl was voiceless, and that she was wearing a darkly lensed mask, and that she had a crown of gold beneath her scarf, her mood fell at once and she stepped out of the drawing room just as quickly. With a slam on James' office door, she yelled out for her husband and when he finally let her in, she hurled insults and accusations at him until, at last, he understood the issue and calmed her down saying...

Is there only one mute girl in the Realm? Is there only one girl of golden hair? I see people walking about town with dark lenses everyday! Besides these, what other coincidences have you found?

And Cornelia had no reply since she had no detail enough memory of her own child's appearance to compare with the details of their new servant- who, by her figure, seemed to be anywhere from twelve to sixteen. So, without a clinching argument, she kept silent and James put forth his final say on the matter:

My darling Cornelia, this girl is the daughter of a dear fellow. Her father, with whom I learned to hunt, has died. And even before then, their stock had fallen farther than even ours. She has no one left. Think clearly and see for yourself. Being voiceless and young and fatherless, where can we find a better price for a live-in servant?

At that, Cornelia's ears perked up and she became, for a time, content. She soon apologised to her husband and went out of the office to lead the girl up to her new room: the attic of the house which was full of bric-a-brac and which had precious little room for personals. Yet the girl reacted with a smile and embraced Cornelia with a warm embrace.

Certainly, a touch from Kiara would feel far fouler.

With a little peace, Cornelia stepped away to begin her descent back into the house. But when her descent was still scarcely underway, she stopped and turned to the girl saying...

Rest well for today dear. Feel free to sleep, if you like, or perhaps explore the house. We'll begin your work tomorrow. And welcome to the house Madame... I'm sorry I don't think I caught your fate.

Eagerly, the girl pulled out a little notepad- which Cornelia could not help but recognise -and quickly wrote "I am called Cindy, miss." with a deeply familiar penmanship. Deeply disturbed, Cornelia left the girl's presence with nought but a smile and returned to her husband's office. Without the bother of knocking, she burst inside and began hurling even harsher insults at him. On and on she went until, in order to earn her silence, James let out a most fearsome rant:

Enough! How dare you speak this way to the father of your son? Are you so pathetic that the ghost of a baby girl haunts you still? My dear, my darling dear, Ellie Gibbs is dead. And I've sent her corpse away as you have asked! Have I not paid the price for your silence on this matter? Was the price not my broken heart? Am I not allowed to put it behind me even at so high a cost? Or are you a robber and a thief who would take my payment and refuse my terms.

Upon hearing these things, Cornelia fell to tears and wept at her husband's knees until she saw him smile at her and felt him kiss her all to say that all was well. Feigning relief, and still burning with suspicion, Cornelia went back to her daily routine and shortly afterwards, James went out of the house.

When asked, he said that he was going for a walk. And indeed he did walk. He walked all the way to the edge of town and beyond to the surrounding forest. And when he was deep in the woods so that not even the lamps at the town line could be seen, he took, out of his coat, an envelope containing two things of note. The first was a letter and this was what it said:

My Good Sir,

Eleven years ago, you entrusted to my care, a child with your own eyes and I gave you my word that I would care for her until my dying day. Now that day is upon me and my oath is near its end. Four years ago, I challenged you to set me free; to take the child as your own and call her by her true fate. Now, without alternative, I beg you to do what you didn't have the strength to do before.

I have heard it said that you and your stock have found a comfortable living and I am nothing if not happy to hear it. Yet, would it be selfish for a Mama to wish such a place upon her little girl? Until now I have been Papa and Mama to her- and I pray the Fates see that I have done my best -but now it is your turn. I have less than no hope for that witch you call your wife. Yet, if she is willing to be a good Mama, then I take it all back. And if she isn't, I invoke the words of every Who, high or lowborn, who has ever spoken well of the decency of the House of Gibbs, that they may bear witness to this quest I lay at your feet. Your mother's land, her servants, her wealth, her prestige and all of her trade, you have squandered and put to waste. Yet none of these were her true treasure.

If you ever had any respect for those eyes you've inherited, you will uphold the righteousness of your lineage. For thief and raider may rob and plunder your house, and thunder and lightning may sink your ships, but your goodness- either you give it up or it is yours forever. I have loved you since I was a girl, James. It is, perhaps, a perverted joke that my wish to mother your child became fulfilled in such a way. In any case, I go now, proudly, to reunite with your mother and father. And I pray that when you join our company, you will not be ashamed.

Sincerely,

Anna Nurse

Up in the attic where Cornelia had left her, Cindy let down her smile and her upright posture and took in a deep sigh before collapsing on the mattress which had been laid out for her. As she laid there, she undid her scarf and ran her fingers through her golden strands- cut even shorter than most boys' -and thought back to a time when they were let to grow and she was still Kiara Nurse and her mother was lying on another, nicer bed.

Seeing that her eyes were closed, Kiara walked into her room in a sort of tip-toe with a tray of breakfast- recipes she picked up from Madame Vicky, among others. Since servant children didn't attend schools, their education was mostly helping about the estate and although Kiara favoured the lyrical and Master John, she often served with the others as well- and it was jolly good fun when there were many of them learning together. She was only having fun then. It never occurred to her how much she would need to know all those things in only a few short years.

You needn't bother tip-toeing. I'm already awake.

At once, Kiara went up towards the bed and, as Anna sat up, they moved the tray so that she could eat breakfast in bed with relative ease. By then, the stone skin had already come over the nanny's breast and was close to coming over her chin. It was not so bad on her arms; it had scarcely even reached her elbows. Even so, it was clear that she did not have very much time.

Delicious as always. I doubt even Vicky could compete.

Being a nanny, Anna always knew when and how to lie and she was very quick to catch her daughter's brief but pained glances at the parts of her body already lost. In response to the lie, Kiara shot back with a brief but soft smile before getting up to return to her chores. Ever since Anna took ill with Cooties- which the nobles called the Medusa Plague -the burdens of the house had fallen to her. In some sense, watching the house was a kind of prayer to Kiara. It was a plea that they might live together there for a little longer. Every day she would pray, saying...

A little longer. Let this house stand a little longer.

After all, it seemed all for nought. And the time soon came for the house to be abandoned. So it was that when Kiara brought her mother a tray for dinner, Anna asked her daughter to stay with her until the meal was done. And when the food was all finished, the nanny- who was now more stone than flesh -removed her daughter's mask, revealing the ruby and emerald beneath and began to speak.

Be not afraid. Your mask can do nothing to protect me now. I am caught, my daughter, and I am bound for death and life everlasting afterwards. Weep if you must, but do not lose yourself to grief. For I go now to see your grandmother and grandfather and in their company I will not be ashamed. Look at me, my dear. I know you are afraid, but I cannot help that you will be. All I can offer you is the courage to stand whilst afraid. So look at me. I have made arrangements for where you will go. I have sent a letter to your Papa, for your Papa he is, and have received one in return. And so I have left for you, in writing, the town and house where he is now settled so that you might discuss with him the manner of your joining his side. And join his side, you must. Have no doubt about that. You cannot stay by mine any longer. Stone cannot raise flesh and blood, my sweet. And you are more than mere flesh and blood. You are a noble Who. Not just by birth but by character. You have in you a beauty that demands adoration. And that beauty, that goodness in your eyes, either you give it up or it is yours forever. I love you, my daughter. Be good.

When she finished, her daughter wept and wailed in silence before her, scratching at the stone in a vague and delirious hope that she might peel it off and find flesh underneath. But it was not to be. It was not long afterwards that Kiara walked into that room for the last time to find a statue where her mother had been. And it was an even shorter time after that when Master James- as he had become -received the companion to Anna's letter. This was what it said:

Since your daughter is dead...

- Invite me to your house as a servant.

- I will travel myself with what remains from your purse.

- Say nothing about me to Madame Gibbs save my appointment.

- If she asks, call me Cindy.

- If she does not recognise me, do not bring it up.

- If she does, act surprised- as though she is absurd to compare.

- Tell her that there are many mutes and blondes in the Realm.

- Pay me an allowance and I will tend to your house.

- As a student of servers, I will cook and clean for you with your wife.

- When I am old enough, I will find employment elsewhere.

- Then you and I and Cornelia will never meet again.

In the privacy of the wilderness, James Gibbs set the envelope- the letter and its companion piece -ablaze and watched as paper turned to dust. When it had, he stomped upon the ashes and kicked them every which way before turning around teary-eyed and beginning his journey home.

What a coward you are Lord Gibbs. You ought to have rejected your daughter's offer. You ought to have said "You are not my servant, you are my daughter!" and yet you have depended on the mercy of a child and have fed your wife with lies. So great a Who were you, I am ashamed to call myself an ape. So noble a person were you, I consider myself common. Rest in peace, Lady Anna the Good.