Ooops. [open]

[floweredknight]

Florence is a little embarrassed. He really ought to have handled Guinevere's questions himself; he ought to have remembered that his father is not, as they say, one hundred percent, and not handed him an awkward situation

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[inglewoodblues]

"Boy?" his mother asks, softly, standing behind him.

[floweredknight]

He raises his head. "Ay."

[inglewoodblues]

"What's thy trouble?"

[floweredknight]

Florence is quiet a minute. "I've done foolishly."

[inglewoodblues]

"How?" directly enough.

[floweredknight]

Looks at his hands a moment. "The Queen is come, and would know what's passed. Only I -- knew not how to answer. So I said she should ask of my father."

[inglewoodblues]

"Handed the task on?"

[floweredknight]

"Ay," very quiet.

[inglewoodblues]

She sits beside him, then, gracefully, at his level now. "True enough it was not the best of all things, but I do not think thou hast done thy father ill."

[floweredknight]

"Nay, but I should have--"

[inglewoodblues]

"Men cannot always think well. Thou hast done no harm."

[floweredknight]

Little smile. "And women?"

[inglewoodblues]

"So too may women think very poorly indeed."

[floweredknight]

"Heaven help us all, then."

[inglewoodblues]

"Mary, it must, else we would not have got so far as we have."

[floweredknight]

Florence leans against her a little. "Ay, that's so."