“Fine. I’ll go,” I told her. “But if he’s not there, I will be thoroughly disappointed, especially if I must wear the hat.”
She nodded. “Aye. You must wear the hat. Hats are required of ladies, I’m afraid.” She pulled it from the box and handed it to me.
“But it’s silly,” I said.
“Oh, yes,” she agreed. “But it’s also green.”
It was broadly rimmed and patterned.
“What if heisthere and he sees this and he hates it? He’s a well-dressed man. What if?—”
“I’m sure it’s not the first thing you’ve worn that man has hated,” she replied.” You’ll have something to talk about.”
Josie pawed it, admiring its shape and its feather.
“Miss Svana…Before I defy the Lord Commander and help you speak to Mr. Evergreen…Did something happen with him? Not…I mean something bad. Did he hurt you at the cottage?”
“What?”
Her eyes traveled lower.
“What? No! No, nothing of the sort, Josie,” I said. “Mr. Evergreen has been nothing but… He didn’t…”
“I believe you. It’s only that Ser Elías was very concerned, and the last thing I want to do is encourage your exposure to harm.”
“There was no harm, I assure you, nothing happened. I… Mr. Evergreen was the portrait of respect. Well, aside from getting me drunk in the wilderness—” Her eyes were big. “But that was an accident!”
“Did he… Did you….?”
“Absolutely not,” I said.
There was an awkward silence.
“Though I did, um…” I watched her face and touched the tip of my fingers to my bottom lip.
“Did you kiss him?” she asked.
My cheeks lit with the thought. “No! No, I was going to say I did enjoy the time.”
“Ah.”
“And I wish it didn’t end,” I said.
“You miss him?” she asked.
“Is that pathetic?”
Josie moved to braid my hair. “No.”
“I feel pathetic,” I said. “I know I shouldn’t miss him, but I do.”
Josie’s mouth parted for a moment, with naught but air. Then, “I’m sure he feels the same concern,” she said.
“No. No, don’t do that,” I asked.
“Do what?”
“C-Convince me that a man like him might…missme back.”
