Nora the Maid

I heard it three times today and pretended not to hear it twice. I still haven't decided where to put the last one.

• Madame RosetteBring that last one to me. I'll pay for it.
  Nora the MaidMadame, you always pay me in dresses...
• Edgar the ArchivistSomething heard is not a record. The moment it's repeated, it becomes one.
  Nora the MaidThat's exactly why it's frightening, Archivist.

When kitchen smoke soaks into your clothes, everyone upstairs holds their nose. That's why rumors always ripen down here first.

• Sir LeonDoes my cloak smell of it too?
  Nora the MaidYou smell of iron, Sir Knight. That one never washes out.
• Empress MatildeDownstairs talk is best left downstairs, for everyone's sake.
  Nora the MaidYes, Your Majesty.

His Highness stopped first, all the way down the hall. I'd never once seen him change direction without a reason.

• Theodore de ReichtI had a reason.
  Nora the Maid...May I ask what it was?
• Madame RosetteThat hallway's marble is slick. His feet probably just turned on their own.
  Sir LeonMadame, I've walked that hall for ten years and never once slipped.