Elaine's expression was tight for a moment, but she nodded. "It's all right," she said. "Look, is there something we can do? I mean, right now? Even just to make things easier on Meg?"

Niabheara let out a laugh that sounded like someone had broken most of its bones. "Find her someone to be angry at?" she suggested. "Really, I don't know. I think Brammie's with her now. Not for her to be angry with, obviously, but . . . " Her back was starting to feel blistered. She stood up to rejoin the table, but paused and gave Elaine's arm a little squish in passing. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

Elaine squished Niabheara's arm in return. "It's all right. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I meant...should we clean the room up, that sort of thing?"

Niabheara laughed. This one sounded mostly normal. "We can, if you like. The gods know Meg's made enough beds for other people. We could. Um. I think it might be wise to maybe . . . just put all Acorn's things somewhere out of sight. Temporarily."

"Right," Elaine agreed, scanning the room. "I guess that's all the paper animals?" she asked, and she got on her hands and knees under the table and began picking them up.

"Aye, and I can get her clothes. I'll take them down to be washed. That'll get them out of the way for a few days, at least." Morgana being Morgana had already been trying to wash clothes in their room, without bothering with the house laundry; there were a couple of little shifts hanging to dry on the backs of chairs. She gathered them up. "And there's more little creatures beside the bed there. My groom went a little batty," she said, amused.

"Oh, are these his?" Elaine asked, as she presented a skirt full of paper animals. "Does he do this often? Should we be concerned?"

"Well, they're Acorn's through him," Niabheara said with amusement. "I gave him a stack of paper for his birthday and at this rate I'll have to order more come spring. He's going to cost me a fortune." But she smiled with as much delight and anticipation as if she had just said that Marcello was going to make her a fortune.

"Oh, you sound exciting about him paper-folding you out of house and home," Elaine teased. "Just make your mother bring you paper from the Mainland. They probably have faster mills there. Where should I put 'em?" she asked. "Is there a trunk or something? Or a box I can shove under the bed?"

"There's a secret drawer under the bed," she said. "It's not so very secret; it's just a little hook near the corner." She suddenly spied the letter sitting out, and snapped it up between her first two fingers. "And that is Marcello's. I'll give it back to him." She looked at it thoughtfully first, though, and pressed her lips together for a moment.