History Literature / ThePerilousGard

** "Mad or blind." Kate first uses the phrase in when pointing out the holes in the story of Cecily's disappearance, saying that they're obvious to anyone with the use of their senses. [[spoiler: The full significance is that "mad or blind" is what the Fairy Folk make mortals blind by keeping their captives in darkness, and mad by giving the maids and pilgrims a drug to keep them happy, or take away their wits like Randal. Later, Christopher tells Kate that she seems as much a part of him as his mind or eyes, and being separated would be like madness or blindness.]]

* PoisonRing: The Lady's bracelet has a hidden compartment in which she keeps the drug given to new maidservants.

[[caption-width-right:264: Or "the dangerous castle", if you were wondering]]

[[caption-width-right:264: Or "the dangerous castle," if you were wondering]]

* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen: Queen Mary, jealous of Elizabeth, has sent her to live in exile at Hatfield. And that's only a start. She keeps the household short of firewood, blankets, and other essentials. ''Then'' she accuses Kate, without any proof, of having given Alicia the idea to write the letter and sends Kate to live in exile at Elvenwood Hall.

* FromBadToWorse: Kate is reminded of a joke about a man whose dog died... when his house burned down... during his wife's funeral... [[spoiler:when Alicia tells her that she just adores Christopher, and he's rich now, and he's got an engagement ring... She means it's for Kate and that she, Alicia, loves Christopher like a brother.]]

''Summary'': Kate and Alicia Sutton are young maids of honor to the Lady Elizabeth Tudor, who is confined to her house at Hatfield under the extreme displeasure of her jealous half-sister, Queen Mary.

''Summary'': Kate and Alicia Sutton are young maids of honor to the Lady Elizabeth Tudor, who is confined to her house at Hatfield under the extreme displeasure of her jealous sister, Queen Mary.

* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen: Queen Mary, jealous of her younger sister, Elizabeth, has sent her to live in exile at Hatfield. And that's only a start. She keeps the household short of firewood, blankets, and other essentials. ''Then'' she accuses Kate, without any proof, of having given Alicia the idea to write the letter and sends Kate to live in exile at Elvenwood Hall.

* TheHighQueen: [[spoiler: Upon the death of her elder sister, Mary, Elizabeth ascends the throne of England and sends Kate's father to bring her back from Elvenwood Hall.]]

* ArcWords: "Mad or blind." Kate first uses the phrase in when pointing out the holes in the story of Cecily's disappearance, saying that they're obvious to anyone with the use of their senses. [[spoiler: The full significance is that "mad or blind" is what the Fairy Folk make mortals blind by keeping their captives in darkness, and mad by giving the maids and pilgrims a drug to keep them happy, or take away their wits like Randal. Later, Christopher tells Kate that she seems as much a part of him as his mind or eyes, and being separated would be like madness or blindness.]]

* TheUnfavourite: Kate's mother, who resembles and favours Alicia, appears to be at the root of her sense of inadequacy. Fortunately, she's clearly her father's favourite, though he doesn't neglect Alicia.

* YoungestChildWins: Alicia has always gotten everything.
** [[spoiler: Kate fears that Christopher has fallen in love with Alicia after meeting her, but this trope is averted as he is in love with Kate instead.]]

* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen: Queen Mary, jealous of her younger sister, Elizabeth, has sent her to live in exile at Hatfield. And that's only a start. She keeps the household short of firewood, blankets, and other essentials. ''Then'' she accuses Kate, without any proof, of having written Alicia's letter and sends Kate to live in exile at Elvenwood Hall.

* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen: Queen Mary, jealous of her younger sister, Elizabeth, has sent her to live in exile at Hatfield. And that's only a start. She keeps the household short of firewood, blankets, and other essentials.

* TooHungryToBePolite: Defied with Kate. When she's served her first meal in the Hill, she eats it slowly and with attention to her manners, despite how ravenous she is after having been kidnapped. The other maids, by contrast, toss away the spoons and tear the meat with their fingers, stuffing big chunks of it into their mouths.

* TooHungryToBePolite: Inverted with Kate. When she's served her first meal in the Hill, she eats it slowly and with attention to her manners, despite how ravenous she is after having been kidnapped. The other maids, by contrast, toss away the spoons and tear the meat with their fingers, stuffing big chunks of it into their mouths.

* TooHungryToBePolite: Inverted. Kate, when served her first meal in the Hill, eats it slowly and with attention to her manners, despite how ravenous she is after having been kidnapped. The other maids, by contrast, toss away the spoons and tear the meat with their fingers, stuffing big chunks of it into their mouths.

* TooHungryToBePolite: Inverted. Kate, when served her first meal in the Hill, eats it slowly and with attention to her manners, despite how ravenous she is after having been kidnapped. The other maids, on the other hand, toss away the spoons and tear the meat with their fingers, stuffing big chunks of it into their mouths.

* BringHelpBack: Kate's last-ditch attempt to summon help before disappearing into the Hill is to send Randal the idiot to fetch Sir Geoffrey from Norfolk by Hallowe'en. Unfortunately, Randal fixates on ExactWords and she realises right away that she's confused him about the timing.

* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: Kate doesn't believe for a second that the Fairy Folk aren't entirely human. The only thing she can't explain is [[spoiler: who the Guardian of the Well is, and why a mass of raggedy gray cloth with a few old bones wrapped in it washes up after the flooding of the Hill.]]

* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen: Queen Mary, jealous of her younger sister, Elizabeth, has sent her to live in exile at Hatfield. And that's only a start. She keeps the household short of firewood, blankets, and other essentails.

* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen: Queen Mary, jealous of her younger sister, Elizabeth, has sent her to live in exile at Hatfield. And that's only a start. She keeps the household short of firewood and blankets—during a miserably cold, wet summer.

''Summary'': Kate and Alicia Sutton are young maids of honor to the Lady Elizabeth Tudor, who is confined to her house at Hatfield under the extreme displeasure of her sister, Queen Mary.