Aurelia Read Online Free PDF Page A

surface of the peel.
    "I'm sure you'll manage," daria said, plucking the onion from her friend's hand and returning it to the produce cart. The vendor's face fell as the lady's maid tugged the princess away.
    sounds of life and death permeated the marketplace: the shouts of men in heavy aprons tossing thick trout and slapping them on scales; the pounding of butchers' knives cleaving through bone, muscle, and tissue; the complaints of animals tied up on the outskirts, baying and barking, squawking and squealing.
    And through the sounds, the smells: climbing into every corner, every cart, every cloak. The rich scents of ground cinnamon and chili powder, the sickening sweetness of bricked molasses, the dusty aroma of carved oak and pressed cedar. sage and garlic, petals and powder, feathers and fur. daria pulled Aurelia past the food toward the dry goods. "I'm sure I won't manage," Aurelia said, picking up the conversation where it had left off. "How would I be able to go shopping today without your help? everyone in the city would recognize my Carnival mask if I couldn't send you to purchase it for me." daria dropped her voice, glancing back at the guards behind them. "We both know how you would get around that." she raised her voice. "The truth is you could have had the mask made in the palace if you had bothered to plan ahead."
    "Not if I want it to remain a secret. some of the servants try, but not one of them can resist a good conversation. They would start hinting about the materials, and within half an hour the entire disguise would be common knowledge."
    "still, you needn't have left it until the day I leave."
    "Why not? I needed a chance to say good-bye. besides, I hadn't decided to participate in Carnival until last night."
    daria winked, sliding two fingers along the loose end of her sash. "Convenient of robert to show up just as I'm leaving, isn't it?"
    Aurelia shoved her friend good-naturedly. "It's not the same. He's just visiting."
    "Well, I can think of worse classmates to have visit. He's been gone for four years. you ought to have plenty to say to each other. Imagine if your mother hadn't insisted on a school and a quality education for all the palace children. None of us might have become friends."
    Aurelia did not want to talk about her mother. If her mother had really cared about children, she would not have left. she would have stayed at the palace long enough to see her daughter grow up.
    "I wish your husband didn't work for Lord Lester," Aurelia told her friend. "His estate is halfway to the frontier. The man doesn't even come to court."
    "Lucky for me," daria said as she stepped around a crate. "Lord Lester is notorious for refusing to attend palace events. He's certain to send another scrawled message excusing himself from the next state function. my husband will have to deliver it, and I won't be shy about joining him."
    "How often can that happen?" Aurelia ducked under a basket of herbs hanging from a stall canopy.
    "Already enough for Thomas and me to meet, fall in love, and marry."
    "What if Thomas is promoted from courier?" Aurelia sighed. "besides, you'll have a new life, new friends, and eventually children. The last thing you'll want is to spend weeks traveling to come visit me."
    "Nonsense." daria brushed away the commonsense statement. "Who wouldn't want to traverse muddy roads, fog-ridden forests, and washed-out crossings for the honor of attending a royal function?"
    "Lord Lester."
    "Well, perhaps Lord Lester."
    Aurelia squeezed her friend in a fierce hug. "I'm not sure I can survive without you."
    As they broke apart, Aurelia ran her eyes over the nearby stalls. This section of the market hummed as busily as the one the girls had just left. Vendors shook out woven blankets to display brilliant patterns. Artisans spread out cloth dolls, glass carafes, and embroidered lace. Aurelia's gaze skimmed over fine wood carvings and glazed clay.
    A vendor's cart piled high with Carnival items drew her