A RED-ROSE CHAIN open thread!

That was my thought too. Once Arden took the throne there was no need to maintain such a ruse, and every reason to drop it. Knowing that her beloved nanny was alive, well and there by her side would have done wonders for her self-confidence. No, I think whatever is up with Marcia -- if indeed there is something up with her, and we're not just 'reading' too much into her behavior -- is something else.

Honestly I'm leaning more towards it being nothing. Lily's court wasn't like any other, and she wasn't like any other noble. She treated the people of her demesne like her children, not her subjects, so Marcia being off balance around Arden could have been a natural reaction. Other than Tybalt, I doubt she'd had much contact with other nobles, and Tybalt certainly isn't typical either.

The one thing that keeps me wondering is your last point. Why wasn't Marcia knocked out? There's only one explanation I can come up with. Toby was able to beat Evening because she resisted her attempts to control her, and because Evening couldn't harm her. At the time I read The Winter Long, I assumed this applied only to Amandine and her children, because the Luidaeg said she couldn't hurt Amy either, and the implication I got from the rest was that Oberon imposed this restriction to protect the dochas sidhe, but maybe I was wrong, maybe it goes further. If that's the case, then the reason for leaving Marcia standing becomes clear; she had to be certain Toby had some help so she could get everyone out of the water before they drowned.