‘Thanks for walking me,’ Sonya said.
‘Of course!’ Winnie did a mock-bow, then walked away.
Sonya watched her disappear before heading inside. She felt much lighter for having told someone the truth. As she took off her shoes and entered the living room, she thought of Azam and how badly she wanted to tell him, too. And Kiri and Dania, of course.
But what if they cast her out?
It was too risky, too scary. She didn’t want to lose them.
She knew Winnie had handled the revelation well, but it wasn’t the same. Winnie wasn’t the one who had taken Sonya in.
Azam would feel betrayed, and she couldn’t do that to him. She couldn’t hurt him.
With a sigh, Sonya set the meat down in the kitchen, kissing Kiri hello as Dania called her over to play dolls with her.
Sonya went, though her thoughts strayed to the family she had run away from. She knew they had left her with no choice, but guilt needled through her. It had only been two weeks since she left home but she felt as if she had lived more in these weeks than she had in all her years at the castle. She washappy.
She didn’t miss the castle, but she missed the people who populated it. Even her overbearing father and overprotective brothers. She thought of Shahmir’s plants, and Irfan’s puppies, and Mustafa’s scribblings. Her father’s big belly laughs and his all-encompassing hugs.
She thought of an April day from a few years ago. There had been a butterfly exhibit at the Castletown Gardens, but Sonya hadn’t been allowed to go, for it was too far from the castle, and there would surely be too many people there. She had pouted about it, until the king brought the exhibit to her.
The butterflies had been in their ballroom, fluttering around, their wings bright blue and orange and red.
‘Baba!’ She had laughed, mouth wide open. ‘It’s wonderful!’
Irfan, being a shepherd-witch, was able to herd the butterflies so they were calm, but Mustafa kept yelping and hiding. She had danced with Shahmir, spinning in the air, and everyone had been so happy. They had even had dinner there, beneath the butterflies, sitting on cushions on the floor with a delicious meal Arabella had made.
Sonya missed Arabella, as well. How she’d always made Sonya feel as though she was welcome in the kitchens. And she missed Elspeth, with all her questions and opinions. Elspeth was always chattering on and on; as such, Sonya knew everything about every single one of Elspeth’s family members and all the gossip about the other maids, and who fancied which soldier, and who was sending love letters to whom.
When Sonya had made plans to run away, she hadn’t accounted for all thismissing.
12
While Azam prepared the final touches for the grand reopening, Sonya and Dania were tasked with spreading the word. They had five days until the big day.
Sonya had been working on her accent, as Winnie advised, and she thought she was doing a decent job. She sounded more like Kiri and Azam. Of course, it helped that she was constantly around them, hearing their accents, and she had already picked up a few things back at the castle from her maids.
Today, Azam had given them money to head to the art store, and Sonya went with Dania, who knew the way, despite being so little. She tried skipping ahead, but Sonya ran after her.
‘Dania, wait for me!’ Sonya cried, catching up. It was a cloudyday. Sonya wore a shawl around her shoulders, and Dania was wearing a sweater Kiri had knit for her over her dress.
‘You’re so slow!’ Dania pouted.
Sonya didn’t wish for Dania to get lost or hurt, especially not while she was with her. ‘Will you hold my hand?’ Sonya asked.
Dania dragged her feet. ‘No, I don’t want to.’
‘Please?’ Sonya pleaded. ‘Otherwise, I’m going to get lost.’ To be fair, that was a real possibility.
Dania released a very long and dramatic breath. She trudged over to Sonya, taking her hand. Sonya tried not to smile.
They made it to the market, where they headed for the art store beside the bookshop. The art store was lovely and they watched as the owner painted on a canvas set up by the counter. She wore a smock and held a palette of various colors in her left hand, her right hand masterfully working a paintbrush across the rough surface.
Sonya and Dania went to take a closer peek; the owner was painting the forest, sunlight filtering in through the gaps between leaves. It reminded Sonya of her walk with Azam on their way to the lake, and she smiled to herself, warmed by the memory.
‘That’s lovely,’ Sonya said, and the owner smiled, taking a break from her painting.
‘Thank you,’ she replied. ‘It’s a commission, but I have many more paintings, if you’d like to take a look.’
