"Oh, I can imagine," Elia said with a sympathetic smile. "It's difficult to manage, especially when the child is so young. And the queen hardly allows anyone else to help, too."
"I am well, thank you... and do just call me Elia. It's so tiring always using titles this and titles that." She laughed and gave Hester an understanding look. "You are not going on at all. I am curious to hear more of your impressions- this is a hard time to be enduring by onesself... It might be terrible of me, but it's nice to hear that I wasn't the only one feeling a bit crushed. And now here we all are, perhaps we can all endure together."