“Now I'm going to have a chat with Tiny Tears,” she mutters, before addressing the doll.
“I thank you,” she replies. “And you are?”
“I am the voice of the court.”
Looking closely, Fiona realises she really is talking to a child's toy, obviously made of plastic. Yet its movement is fluid and natural, while the voice is deep and polished.
“I see,” she replies, “and your lord...?”
“Is currently indisposed, attending to other matters.”
“How disappointing.”
There is mumbling in the gallery as she says this, a sense of unrest.
