The proprietress beamed at her. “Indeed I do. You will never find more kind and generous souls. Which you must already know, if they are helping you.”
Kuni did not want anyone’s help, no matter how kind and generous their souls. Yes, Mr. Wynchester had come to Kuni’s aid. But she hadn’t asked him to, and did not like the idea of being beholden to him.
The lack of liberty to choose her own hiding place also rankled.
“What if I want that room instead?” She pointed at a random door.
“You could have it if you insist, but you still couldn’t pay for it. All the rooms on thisfloor are on lease to the Wynchesters.”
“Is there any bed in this inn I could pay for myself?” The words came out sharper than intended.
“The second floor is already full of guests,” the proprietress said doubtfully, “but I suppose…there might be a spare cot in the basement.”
Kuni gritted her teeth. A servant’s cot in a damp cellar? If she took it, she’d be doing so to spite herself, which was the exact behavior her family accused her of—wanting to be independent at all costs.
But proving them wrong about her character meant accepting meddling Mr. Wynchester’s arrangements and help—thereby proving her brothersrightthat Kuni was unable to manage on her own. She rubbed her face with her hand.
“Please continue,” she said quietly. “I shall take the room you meant to give me.”
The proprietress beamed at her and hurried up the stairs…to the very top.
It was an attic. Kuni had declined being relegated to a dank basement in exchange for being tossed into a hot, stuffy attic instead.Hoera.
She was a long way from her castle. This cramped, odd-shaped room was even smaller than her private water closet on the royal ship.
A cot with no pillow and a threadbare blanket listed unevenly against one wall of the narrow room. On the other was a shallow, flimsy wardrobe that looked like a strong sneeze would send it flying to pieces.
No space was left over for anything else. No dressing table. No thick carpet leading to a wide marble balcony with an unbroken view of bucolic pastures and fields of flowers. She couldn’t even stand upright without her bonnet scraping the low, pitched ceiling.
“Uh.” Kuni masked her reluctance. “Thank you.”
The proprietress was not paying attention. She walked past the cot to the rickety wardrobe. Rather than open one of its badly hung doors, she reached around it and gave a great tug.
The wardrobe swung inward to reveal a hidden room.
5
With an expansive gesture, the proprietress beckoned her inside. “Here you are, love.”
Kuni ducked through the opening and took three steps down into a large, bright chamber with sunny windows dotted along its slanted roof. Now this really broke her wooden shoe!
The bed was not as grand as her four-poster at home, but more than respectable and covered with soft, clean blankets. A trio of plush armchairs encircled a handsome round table. Spanning the wall behind it was a long sideboard, filled with plates and glassware of all types, and half a dozen bottles of wine.
Opposite the bed was a huge dressing table with three mirrors. It overflowed with creams and cosmetic pots, and items whose use Kuni couldn’t begin to guess.
“What on earth…” She turned back toward the proprietress.
The wall to the other room had closed. The old woman was gone.
In alarm, Kuni dashed to where the opening had been and shoved.
The secret door swung open easily. She wasn’t locked inside.
Relieved, she resealed the access point and turned back to the room. It was far more spacious than the garret on the other side of the wall, and considerably warmer. Kuni pushed open a few windows to allow in fresh air and gazed about the well-stocked room in awe.
To the left of the dressing table was an absolutely enormous wardrobe of sturdy oak. She strode forward and pulled open its doors to see if it was another hidden compartment. Inside was a plethora of clothing for both men and women.
Once again, Mr. Wynchester was full of wonderful surprises. If only she didn’t resent him for it!
