“Plenty. The sergeant gave me another bag of copper.”
“He did?”
“Yes, do not read into it. I cannot stop him from giving me coin. I told him I did not need it and he insisted and said I should buy myself anything Maureen and I needed.”
“You protest so heartily, Helena.”
She looked across the basket of cinnabar at me. “I cannot think of marrying him just yet. I have moons before their sharks’ mating season.”
I stared down the street at the flocks of people preparing to celebrate. “Are you upset by it? Are you set against it? Marrying him?”
She was contemplative for a second and then said, “I am not entirely opposed. But I have not… I have not been with a man since Cyrus.”
The man called Nash was not mentioned. I thought of his blood drying on Alric’s face.
I did not want to pry, but she had not been this open with me in weeks. “Are you nervous of the marriage bed?”
“I am. It has been winters and winters since— And helooks at me, Edie.”
“Yes, I have witnessed it. Why does that concern you?”
She stopped and set her side of the basket down. “Think me not conceited.”
I rolled my eyes and set my side down.
“It is like you said before your wedding. Sometimes, Alric looks at you. But the sergeant— Thatcher looks at me all of the time. At my face and my body and that man is always smiling and he is always telling me that I look very fine today or that my eyes remind him of dark honey… I do not know what to do with words like that. I just sort of thank him.” She put her face in her hands. “I cannot think of it yet.”
I stepped around the basket and took her hands in mine. “Then we will not speak of it again, but may I say one last thing to you of the man?”
“Say it.”
“I heard him tell Alric and Perch that he thinks he is in love with you.”
“He was in jest.”
“He is always in jest. That is his nature, but…” I shrugged.
Helena’s eyes widened. “Edie, I have never told anyone this.”
I drew close to her. “You can say anything to me. We are kin.”
There was a tension in her cheeks and her lips pursed. “Cyrus said it feltdifferentafter Maureen. That it— That it was not as good. And that hurt more than him leaving.”
Disgust filled me. I had never met Maureen’s father. All I knew was that he was a tin miner and he had deserted two of my people.
“Well, then. I hope a shaft caved in on him.”
She shook her head, eyes shut. “I have never spoken that out loud. It is so shameful. Please never repeat it. Not to Mischa or to—”
“I would never!” I pulled her into my arms, my mouth at her ear. “We will never speak his vile name again. He did one good thing with his life and that was give you the loveliest child in the known world. And if you let the sergeant into your bed or even your heart, I do believe that man will kiss the ground you walk on. But until you want to speak of your betrothal, we will not. I will not tease you about it. I will not wink at you. We will buy our flowers and enjoy the day. We both look as good as any maiden of twenty in these summer clothes and most of all, we are alive. And I love you.” I pulled away from her and smiled.
She sniffed. “I do like their square necklines. And you look nice in green.”
“Rose was made for you.”
45. Steps
We picked up the cinnabar basket and continued to walk, stopping at a flower stall. We bought several dozen roses, lilies and a handful of blue flax blooms that had caught my eye. We stacked them atop the cinnabar rock, wondering aloud which woman would pick what and carried on. Before we reached the bluffs, we passed a large many-windowed building with a sign outside that said ‘Angler.’ I wondered if Alric was already inside with his family.
