I moved my hand from his shoulder to drag my fingers through his hair. “Pen, you’re the bravest person I know. If there’s anyone between the two of us who’s a coward, it’s me.”
He jerked back to look up at me, nearly losing his balance until I caught him around the waist to pull him in. The warm light of the lanterns flecked his green eyes with gold and made the tears swimming there shine. His brow crinkled.
“Don’t say that,” he insisted. “You’re not a coward.”
“Then you have nothing to worry about, because you’re far braver than me.”
That seemed to placate him, and he sighed, stifling a cough as he returned his head to my shoulder.
“As for Merrick and his horrible wife, at least you can take some comfort in the fact that she probably makes him miserable.” The thought was certainly enough to makemesmile.
Merrick craved control, and he had none over Violette. She had all the power in their relationship, even though he held the official title, and the fact that she’d kept her family name made it clear she knew that. It wasn’t like Penny had guessed, that she was offended by not being introduced tohisfamily; it was simply that her name carried more weight than Merrick’s ever would.
“What do you mean?” Penny asked, then added bitterly, “They’reperfectfor each other.”
“I doubt there’s any love between them,” I said. “It’s a business arrangement. Even if Merrickdidlove her, I don’t think Vi’s capable of reciprocating. She saw that he was gaining power and, considering that he served as Shroud Warden under my father, too, she probably figured it was a good way to position herself adjacent to such a high office. And, according to Levitt anyway, she spends her free time sleeping with one of the Sentinels.”
He peeked up at me again. “Really?”
“Klaus,” I confirmed. “Whom she brags is more well-endowed than Merrick.” I couldn’t help but snicker. “Figured you’d appreciate that.”
Penny scoffed, but the barest hint of a smile crossed his lips. “Maybe she’ll leave him then. So they don’t make each other feel rotten for the rest of their lives.”
I doubted Violette would leave him. She’d carry on with both Merrick and Klaus until she either got caught or Klaus became the more powerful of the two when I took Merrick’s position.
But I let the subject lie, and Penny didn’t pursue it any further as we made our way back to the house, where I got him safely inside and eased him down on the couch. He sprawled against the arm and remained quiet while I built a fire before I tugged his cloak off and removed his boots.
“Did you eat when you got home from the forge today?” I asked as I deposited both pairs of boots on the mat by the door and hung up our cloaks.
“No.” Penny groaned miserably before dropping his arm over his face. His next words came out muffled. “I was too mad.”
He’d also refused to eat what I’d brought him from the tavern earlier and hadn’t taken more than a bite or two of dinner, which meant he hadn’t eaten a full meal since breakfast. Food would help cut the alcohol in his system, and water would stave off a hangover. Lucky for Penny, I could provide both.
I left him on the couch while I sliced up some day-old bread and a generous portion of cheese. I piled both onto a plate with a handful of pecans from the pantry, then ferried them and a mug of water to the living room.
Penny had propped himself in the corner of the couch with his knees drawn up to his chest. He was sniffling again, and the wet tracks of tears on his cheeks glistened in the light of the fire.
I set everything on the coffee table and settled beside him, near enough that he could lean against me. Then I tucked him in close and used my sleeve to dry his face.
“Cait and Edgar are dead,” he said, so quietly I wasn’tsure he was talking to me so much as to himself. “They were only married for four months. They didn’t even get a chance to have a life together.”
The news of the couple’s execution had hit me harder than I expected it to. For as baffling as I’d found their relationship, they’d been decent folk. I was even looking forward to spending some time with them when they got back to Ashpoint since Penny seemed to like them so much. And maybe because I envied how easy love was for them and hoped to learn how to be equally sure of it myself.
“How could they execute them without a trial? They deserved one.” Penny swiped his arm over his face to clear more tears. “They were good people. They didn’t deserve to die.”
“Merrick was right about that at least.” I rubbed a hand over his arm and leaned my head against his. “Grave robbing is a capital offense. Even if they’d gotten a trial, they would have been found guilty and executed anyway. The militia gets called in, and most ward commanders don’t see the point to wasting the time in cases when people are caught in the act.”
“It’s not fair,” Penny protested. “They may have been Bone Men, but they weren’t the bad ones. They were just young and looking for someplace to belong.” He sniffled and pressed closer. “I know what that’s like. Does that mean people out there think I deserve to die too?”
I tilted his head back so I could meet his eyes. His bottom lip trembled. “They wouldn’t lay a hand on you, Pen,” I assured him. “I would never let that happen.”
He nodded and closed his eyes through a deep, calming breath.
“Violette didn’t even know their names,” he said. “Sheacted like life is going to go on as usual. Like no one cares that they’re gone.”
“Wecare,” I said. “That counts for something.”
Penny was quiet for a moment before speaking again, barely above a whisper. “You’d care if I was gone, right?”
