"I don't know," she says. "I truly don't know anymore. Perhaps she would've attacked them as I feared. Or maybe she's just a dying woman who somehow did something impossible with a meat puppet and means us no harm."

"Everyone else seems to trust her. Even when the Eighth stole her keys, he did it in the guise of protecting her from being harassed over them."

It's not as if she even has anything to stand on in mistrusting her puppet--she's been dancing her parents around Drearburh for years. Dulcinea Septimus is just better at it--mysteriously, suspiciously better at it, but that's all.