Boring. Not half as good as the rest. No adventure. No threat. And frankly, I could have done without the cross dressing. Added nothing to the story.

Immediate sequel to the prior Penric and Desdemona story, taking up the story pretty much the next day. Much running around, a bit of Shakespeare side-brush, and an interesting bit about the possibility of being an unwitting answer to *someone else's* prayer. ...actually, there are at least a couple homages to Shakespearian tropes in this, I think. I am entertained. Less combat than the prior story -- I see why Bujold split these into two different novellas, as the change in tone would've not been a satisfying thing to try to bind between two virtual "covers." It is not impossible that one might be able to enjoy this as a standalone, but it would not be my first recommendation. Spoilers for the prior story, obviously, abound. Still, if the sample intrigues and you want to read in reverse order, go for it!