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Message: <blockquote data-quote="BoldItalic" data-source="post: 6811333" data-attributes="member: 6777052">The new maid, whose name was Rosebud, was a butcher's daughter from Overbridge. That very same butcher, indeed, as he to whom Fingers had sold the meat of the land-lobster when the king and his party had first entered the town. This was not entirely a coincidence - as part of a complex negotiation, Fingers had subsequently agreed to find out-of-town employment for the girl, who was a flighty wench and involved with a quite unsuitable young rat catcher's assistant from the lower part of town, in exchange for discounted prices on meat supplies to the castle. The butcher believed that if she were away from Overbridge and distracted by the spendour of a king's household, she would soon forget her involvement with her rat boy and, possibly, form an attachment to a better class of person. He was right.She dutifully followed the king, but with a handkerchief to her nose because the mud of the abyss still clung to his armour. She glanced back and caught Clotbert's eye, raising an eyebrow as if to say "Phew, His Majesty stinks!" Clotbert winked conspiratorially and she smiled, smoothed her hair and walked off saucily, thinking she might perhaps pretend to take an interest in religion.</blockquote>