‘Glad we don’t need to trek all the way to Castletown for the womenfolk’s shopping,’ another replied.
‘Don’t have to pay Castletown prices, either,’ the first man agreed.
‘And now we won’t have to hear any excuses,’ his wife said to the other woman. ‘Oh,Castletown’s too far.Oh,Castletown’s too expensive,’ she mimicked in a gruff male voice.
The other woman laughed, agreeing.
Sonya moved on, smiling to herself.
‘I miss Bunto dreadfully, but Azam is a worthy successor,’ one old woman was saying to another woman, who looked to be her sister.
‘She would be so proud of her son,’ the sister replied, getting a bit teary-eyed. ‘What a fine young man he’s become.’
‘And we aren’t the only ones to notice,’ the old woman said with a mischievous smile, gesturing to a group of schoolgirls who were glancing Azam’s way and giggling to themselves.
They were just girls, hardly thirteen or fourteen. It was adorable. Sonya continued around the party, listening as two mothers discussed the sample dresses.
‘Such beautiful designs,’ the first mother said, taking a sip of tea.
‘Did you see the one with the pleated bodice? Perfectly neat!’
‘I especially liked the one with the sweetheart neckline, just daring enough, while still being modest.’
‘I’m going to order a dress for my Alaa’s birthday. She’ll be so pleased!’
‘I was going to order a dress for my Narjis for Alaa’s party,’ the other mother said, with a laugh. ‘Mind we don’t order the same one, or our daughters will send us to the butcher’s!’
Sonya smiled, happy for Azam and his success. He was so hardworking, he deserved all the praise he was receiving, and more. She hoped the store took off and did well and he didn’t have to go back to his job in Castletown. It didn’t sound like he enjoyed it, or that they valued him as much as they should. He had been waiting for a promotion for some time, it seemed, based on what Enzo said.
She flitted around the store, listening to snatches of conversation, pleased, until she suddenly felt uneasy. She looked over her shoulder, and saw that a young woman was watching her. She looked familiar, with red hair and freckles. She was looking at Sonya quite closely and carefully, her green eyes never leaving her face.
And then Sonya realized why. The girl was the spitting image of Elspeth.
This must be Elspeth’s sister.
Ohno.
Her heartbeat quickened, but she tried not to show any outward panic as she ambled back over to Winnie.
‘Winnie,’ she asked, keeping her voice low. ‘That girl over there, with the red hair, who is she?’
Winnie glanced over, then back at Sonya. ‘That’s Dahlia,’ she replied.
Sonya stilled. So itwasElspeth’s sister. Sonya had heard enough stories about Dahlia; she was a few years younger than Elspeth, a similar age to Sonya herself.
‘What is it?’ Winnie asked, brow furrowed.
‘My maid,’ Sonya replied. ‘That’s her sister.’
Winnie laughed, as if Sonya had said something funny. ‘Come on, laugh,’ Winnie said, nudging her. ‘Don’t act strange.’
‘Oh—’ Sonya forced a laugh, keeping a smile on her face, though it was tight. ‘What do we do? Elspeth will know I’ve run away. Do you think she’s told her sister?’
‘Aren’t all castle staff trained to never let anything slip about castle affairs?’ Winnie asked.
‘Yes, but, it’s hersister,’ Sonya replied. ‘They’re very close.’
She watched as the gears in Winnie’s mind seemed to be moving. ‘We need to handle this with finesse,’ Winnie said, voice low. ‘If you go and hide, it’ll only be suspicious.’
