‘That’s so kind,’ Sonya said, though she didn’t entirely understand.
Kiri gave her a gentle look. ‘That’s what you do when you love someone. You make sacrifices and stretch yourself thin. And, besides, I don’t mind. I love them both as if they were my own.’
‘Do you have children of your own?’ Sonya asked, then cringed. Her curiosity was something she was often scolded for by the king’s advisor.
But Kiri didn’t seem to mind. ‘I don’t,’ she said. ‘I was married, and my husband and I shared a beautiful life together until he passed away about a decade ago now. Though we weren’t blessed with children, I am grateful to be blessed with these two.’
‘And we appreciate you so deeply,’ Azam said. He turned to Sonya. ‘Honestly, I don’t think we’d have survived without her.’
‘That’s so wonderful.’ Sonya could tell how much they cared for one another. The relationship she had with her father and brothers was much more distant.
‘What about you?’ Kiri asked. ‘Where is your family?’
Sonya nibbled on her lower lip. She did not wish to lie, but she could not tell the truth, either. ‘I have no one,’ she said, and in a way that was true, too. Her father and brothers had forsaken her the moment they had begun discussing suitors. ‘My mother died during childbirth, and now my father and brothers would prefer to have me married off.’ She swallowed, looking down at her hands on her lap. It was so strange to say those words out loud. ‘I ran away from home, hoping to start a new life.’
Kiri frowned. ‘You’re not from the Outskirts, are you, dear?’
Sonya shook her head. ‘I needed a disguise, and so I paid a stranger for this uniform.’ She glanced over at Azam, who was looking at her carefully, an intense expression on his face.
He looked aggrieved for her. ‘I’m sorry,’ he finally said.
‘Thank you,’ she replied, voice quiet. She took a deep breath, lifting her chin. They were nearly done with breakfast, now. Sonya forced a smile. ‘Thank you again for your kindness. If it is not too much trouble, might I ask for one last thing?’
‘Anything,’ Azam said, without hesitating.
‘Can you direct me to where I might find lodgings?’ She thought about it further. ‘And a job?’ She would be in need of both if she hoped to start a new life away from the castle.
Azam frowned, and guilt needled through her. She had already asked for far too much from him. Sonya stood. ‘I’m sorry to ask,’ she said. ‘If it’s too much, I’m sure I’ll find my own way.’ As she walked out, entering the hall in front of the stairs, she heard Azam and Kiri talking in hushed tones behind her.
She reached for the front door’s handle.
‘Wait!’ Azam called. She turned and saw him rushing after her. ‘You could stay here. We could do with a housekeeper,’ he said, swallowing. ‘I can’t pay you, but you can have the room you slept in last night, and of course, eat whatever we eat.’ He looked a bit embarrassed, rubbing the back of his neck. ‘I know it isn’t much…but just until you get on your feet.’
‘Oh!’ She was surprised. Sonya thought about it, and Azam met her gaze, brown eyes warm.
‘So…will you?’ he asked, tone hopeful. ‘Stay, I mean?’
There really wasn’t much to think about. She was safe here, and she liked all of them. This was a home—the type of home she had only read about, never experienced. And it wasn’t as though she had any other options, though even if she did, she had a sneaky suspicion she might choose to stay there anyway.
Sonya smiled. ‘Yes, I’ll stay.’
5
Azam popped his head into the living room. ‘She’s staying!’ Sonya heard him call.
‘Good!’ Kiri called back and Dania screeched in excitement.
Sonya smiled to herself, and Azam turned back to her. ‘Well, that’s settled,’ he said. He seemed relaxed now. ‘Unfortunately, I must get to work. They’ll be expecting me and I’m already running very,verylate.’
‘Oh.’ She didn’t want him to go, and he must have sensed it. He gave her a soft smile.
‘I’ll be back by the evening,’ he said. ‘I’ll try and slip out early, if they let me.’
‘You work in Castletown, you said?’ she asked. ‘As a tailor?’
‘Mhm. I’m an apprentice. It’s the same tailor my mother usedto work for before she opened up her own shop.’ He gestured to the closed door on Sonya’s left. ‘That used to be her shop.’
He sighed, then, a little sad. Before Sonya could think of something comforting to say, he shook his head. Then he dashed up the stairs, returning a few minutes later.
