Sherwood Smith Quote

When Mora came in with my hot chocolate, she also brought me a gift: a book. I took it eagerly.The book was a memoir from almost three hundred years before, written by the Duchess Nirth Masharlias, who married the heir to a principality. Though she never ruled, three of her children married into royalty. I had known of her, but not much beyond that.There was no letter, but slipped in the pages was a single petal of starliss. The text it marked was written in old-fashioned language, but even so, I liked the voice of the writer at once:I skipped down a ways, then started to laugh when I read: The next page went on about other matters. I laid the book down, staring at the starliss as I thought this over. The incident on this page was a response--the flower made that clear enough--but what did it mean?And why the mystery? Since my correspondent had taken the trouble to answer, why not write a plain letter?Again I took up my pen, and I wrote carefully:The last line I lingered over the longest. I almost crossed it out, but instead folded the letter, sealed it, and when Mora came in, I gave it to her to deliver right away. Then I dressed and went out to walk.