In which Petrella yos’Galan is surprised by her guest.
A reward for the detail-oriented, here: the golden hair ribbon that Anne remembers losing in this chapter is surely the same golden ribbon that was among Er Thom’s treasures, way back in the first chapter, threaded with a scrap of silk the color of the silk they used as a ground cover. Which suggests that Er Thom remembers that night at least as affectionately as Anne, if there were still any doubt on that point.
Liadens clearly take hospitality seriously: even knowing that his mother does not in the least want Anne as a guest, Er Thom sees nothing remarkable in the lengths she’s gone to to ensure the guest’s comfort. (It is surely, as Anne hints, sometimes an expensive standard to live up to; Korval can afford it, but how do less wealthy Liaden houses manage?)
PA: sometimes an expensive standard to live up to…how do less wealthy Liaden houses manage? Some no doubt go into debt so as to show themselves keeping up the standard. Others may actively discourage guests so as to avoid the expensive standard, or being exposed as not able to uphold it. Those of Korval, of course, have no need to even think twice about the expense.