“I should get back to work,” I say, reaching for the tincture bottles.
“You don’t work here,” Julie says without looking up. “Go have a drink with the girls. It sounds like you have stories to share.”
My face goes warm. I put the bottles down and come out from behind the counter.
“Thank you, Julie.”
“Bring me back something sweet,” she calls after me.
Xenia takes my left arm and Hannah takes my right, and we’re walking through the Narrowhalls toward the Pickaxe before I’ve decided if I’m even on board with this.
“It’s time for lunch anyway,” Hannah says. “A few of us meet at the Pickaxe sometimes to eat and talk. You should come meet the others.”
“The others,” I say, keeping my voice steady. “Korr’s women?”
They both laugh.
“We’re not his women,” Hannah says. “That’s silly. Don’t listen to the gossip down here. It’s vile.”
“Did you hear the one about the harem?” Xenia asks.
I don’t answer, which is answer enough. Xenia pats my arm.
“It’s not true,” she says. “None of it. Korr would never.”
The Pickaxe is half full at midday. I haven’t been back since that first night. I usually skip breakfast and have lunch with Julie and Danielle, and for dinner, I buy something at the market and eat it in my room. The tavern looks different, brighter and busier.
Hannah leads us to a table where two women are already sitting. One has short dark hair and intense brown eyes, and the other is older, maybe in her mid-thirties, with thin lines aroundher mouth. Her lips are pursed, as if something has displeased her.
“Prim,” the dark-haired one says, reaching across to shake my hand.
“Becca,” the other one says, barely touching the tips of her fingers to mine.
They already know who I am. We order bread, smoked meat, cheese, bowls of soup, and a bottle of wine that Hannah pours for everyone without asking.
“So,” Prim says, tearing a slice of bread in half. “What did Hannah and Xenia tell you?”
“That they lived with Korr and nothing happened.”
Becca takes a sip of wine. “That’s the short version.”
“He’s looking for his soulmate,” Xenia says. “That’s the whole thing. He goes to the bride market, brings someone home, and hopes she’s the one. If she isn’t, he lets her go.” She picks up a piece of smoked meat. “It’s pretty romantic, honestly.”
“He was always respectful,” Hannah says. “Never raised his voice, never came to my door at night, and never asked me for anything.”
“Same,” Prim says with her mouth full.
Becca nods.
“And when he knew it wasn’t a match?” I ask.
“He sat me down and told me,” Hannah says. “Said I could stay in Steinheim if I wanted, or I could leave. It was my choice. He set me up with a room in the Narrowhalls, and I had enough money to start a life here from what he’d paid for me at the market.”
“Same,” Xenia says.
“Yes,” Becca says. “He had the same conversation with us all, almost word for word.”
I frown. “I don’t understand how none of you are angry with him.”
