I saw the room. Smelled the scent. All she had was a chamber pot and a candle, and little more than a ragged blanket. The pure evil of that man transcends my understanding. If he weren’t dead already, he might have been once the constable found him.
I am not a murderous man. That has never crossed my mind until now, until meeting Selene and seeing for myself what one human being was capable of doing to another—not to mention his own daughter.
Perhaps the evil rotted his heart until it gave out.
Now I spend my time home from work attending to Selene, cooking nutritious meals for her that I hope put fat on her bones again. I convince her we ought to go into town on Sadie and purchase her some clothes, because mine are much too big. She can put some weight on her feet without wincing, so the time is as good as any. But her reluctance to spend my money on something for herself is powerful.
“I can’t accept this,” she keeps saying as we ride into town.
“It’s my pleasure to do it.” I smooth a hand down her shoulder to assure her. “Besides, those clothes are beyond repair. Even after washing, they…”
I trail off, not wanting to say aloud how foul they smell despite the soap and water. But she understands with a defeated sigh.
“I won’t be responsible for stinking up your home. But only the bare minimum.”
“The constable is obtaining the deed to your father’s house,” I remind her. “Once you have that, you will own it. Though there is the lien with the bank.”
She winces. “I don’t want it. I desire nothing to do with that place.”
“Then you can sell what parts belong to you, and if you really wish it, you can repay me.”
Selene sits up straight, nearly bonking me in the nose. “Oh, I could! That’s good, then. Please add the clothes to my tally.”
When she tilts her head to grin back at me over her shoulder, I almost fall off the horse. She has been mostly meek until now, as if afraid of offending, of crossing a line. This playfulness is new, and the mischief in her smile makes my knees go slack.
We reach the tailor and tie up Sadie at the post outside. I open the door for Selene and she peeks inside, as cautious as she still is. Patiently, I wait until she steps through, and I follow her.
“I’ll be out in a moment,” calls the tailor from the back. The shop is well lit by the big window, showing off pre-made garments in varying styles and colors. Selene is drawn to the first rack, where a lemon-colored dress hangs, covered in a cheerful pattern. She plays with the hem, then the neckline.
Stepping in, I lift it off the rack for her and hold it out. “Would you like to try it?”
“I couldn’t wear that,” she says, though it’s easy to hear in her voice how much she would like to.
“What’s stopping you?” I ask just as the tailor emerges. She’s a wrinkled woman with silver hair pulled back in a tight bun, who stands up straighter when she sees Selene.
“And who might this be?” she asks, going right past me.
Selene bends her head. “Selene Mayfield.”
“I knew it!” The tailor snaps her fingers. “The Mayfield girl. Goodness, I haven’t seen you in a long time. Not since you came in as a girl for new clothes.”
Selene squints, like she’s trying to remember but coming up blank.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know your name like you know mine.”
But the tailor doesn’t appear perturbed. “You were much younger. Here, you want to see if this fits? I can always adjust it for you.” She takes Selene by the arm and guides her into the back, chattering the whole way. I decide to sit in one of the two chairs and wait.
Not a few minutes later, Selene emerges in the dress. My breath sticks in my throat at the sight of her, her hair straight and black, her pale skin like ivory against the yellow dress. It brings out the gold flecks in her eyes.
“Lovely,” I say without thinking. Selene covers her cheeks.
“Thank you.” She turns to the tailor. “How much?”
The older woman glances at me from the corner of her eye, and I nod in response.
“I think you should pick out what you want first,” she says to Selene, “and we’ll figure out the rest later.”
Then the tailor whisks her off again, and I am treated to an entire parade of outfits—skirts, dresses, and warm leggings to go underneath them. Selene also settles on two shirts and a jacket, though she fights the jacket.
