The king’s expression flickered with pain, and guilt tore through her.
‘They met at a duke’s ball in Granger,’ Shahmir answered quietly. He had been nine when the queen died. ‘Baba asked her to dance, and even though her dance card was full, she—’
‘Enough!’ the king snapped, squeezing his eyes shut. Sonya startled. She hardly ever heard her father raise his voice.
Shahmir fell silent, frowning. They ate the rest of dinner in silence, and then she went back to her room, where the maids undressed her. She was just heading to bed when Celeste entered.
‘You will be up early tomorrow for fittings for your gowns forthe tourney,’ Celeste said, peering at her from behind her tiny glasses. ‘After your fittings, you will have dance lessons. The suitors will be arriving throughout the day, then the ball begins at six o’clock sharp. Azam will have to work quickly on your dress, but he’ll have to manage. Of course, you weremeantto be having fittings and dance lessons all month,’ Celeste muttered, but Sonya barely heard.
She went completely still, blood roaring in her ears. ‘Azam?’ she asked. She resisted the urge to add: ‘MyAzam?’
Celeste looked at her like she was tedious. ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘Your new tailor.’
Sonya was shocked. ‘Why him? What about my old tailor?’
Celeste sighed. ‘Azam has been promoted to your dressmaker,’ she said. ‘It is his reward for finding you. Honestly, Your Royal Highness, do try and keep up.’
What had Azam said? He had been waiting for a promotion.
Well, it seemed like he had finally gotten it.
Celeste left, leaving Sonya reeling.
So that was why he did it. She found she couldn’t even be angry with him. She was happy for his achievement, especially because it meant he would have more money to take care of Dania and Kiri. As a royal tailor, he would make quite a pretty penny.
He could even take a vacation, take Dania to Seaview like he dreamed. Her chest tightened, and she held both of her hands over her heart. Tears blurred her eyes, hot as they rolled down her cheeks.
She was happy for him—even if his success came at the cost of her heart.
24
Sonya woke early and waited for the fitting. Her stomach was in knots. She both hoped the hour never came and couldn’t wait for it to arrive.
Elspeth, luckily, was with her. She had told Elspeth everything, as much as she could manage without dissolving into tears. She had even mentioned the encounter with Dahlia, which Elspeth found amusing.
‘You will be strong,’ Elspeth told her last night. ‘Youarestrong. Look at all you managed! You can face him.’
Sonya had fallen asleep believing that, but now, she was worried. She felt faint, and she took deep breaths, remembering Winnie’s tips, though they weren’t working very much at the moment.
‘Drink this,’ Elspeth said, bringing her a goblet of water. Sonyawould go to breakfast after the fitting, but she could use some strong tea, now.
There was still some time before Azam was to arrive, and Sonya went to her desk. The least she could do was write to Winnie, even if her father read the letter beforehand.
She told Winnie everything that had happened: about her return to the castle and the suitors’ imminent arrival. She did not say too much about how she felt, knowing they wouldn’t let her send the letter. The main thing she wanted was for Winnie to know that she was safe.
She wondered what Azam had told everyone back in the Outskirts when he returned home without her. He must have spent the entire day yesterday with Kiri and Dania and Caden. How had he explained it?
They must have been hurt, too, to find out she had deceived them. They would not be too angry with Azam, not when they realized why he’d done what he had. And besides, Azam was theirs first. They would not be angry with him on Sonya’s behalf—not when Sonya herself was having difficulty staying angry with him.
No matter how she tried, she could not hate him. She loved him, and she wished he loved her too, that it was real. But it wasn’t. She still didn’t understand why he’d waited so long to turn her in.
After the letter for Winnie was written, Sonya wrote Kiri a letter, apologizing. She sent all her love, especially to Dania, who she missed terribly. Sonya did not mention Azam; she couldn’t bring herself to speak an ill word against him.
After Sonya sealed the letters, she handed them to a maid by the door to send with the rest of the mail. But just as she did, Celeste entered through the doors and saw. She narrowed her eyes behind her glasses.
‘Letters?’ she asked, snatching them from the maid’s hand. ‘I’ll check these over before sending. Just to ensure there’s no more scheming.’
‘No!’ Sonya cried. She didn’t care if her father read the letters, but she didn’t wish for Celeste to. She would only find something to mock or make an issue out of. Celeste made a tired face.
