She sighed. “That’s probably wise. But in this case, I think he really does intend to help. He paid me handsomely enough for it.”
“Mieka …” I hesitated. “Did you invite me to Plaguenight so that Patrick could talk to me there? Or to get me away from the Book Man’s while the fire was being lit? I have to know.”
“What?” Mieka’s brown eyes grew wide and indignant. “Why in Plague’s name would you think that?”
“You invited me out that one night, and I ran into Patrick while we were dancing, and got back to find the bookshop in flames. It just seemed such a coincidence.”
“What do you take me for?” she cried. “Of course not. I was so sorry to hear about the Book Man. Honestly. No, I didn’t know anything like that was going to happen. Do you have any idea who did it?”
She seemed sincere, but of course I was no real judge of that. “No, I don’t. I found fingernails on the floor …”
“So a mage, then? Could be some spellbook deal gone wrong …”
“You didn’t answer my question about Patrick at Plaguenight.”
“I swear, I didn’t know he would be there.” She traced a cross over her heart with her finger. “But he obviously has an interest in you, for whatever reason. He has ways of … keeping track of people. When you vanished, he found out where you had gone and sent me after you. And the woman was looking for a maid, anyway.” She snorted. “The kind of woman whothinks a fine lady shouldn’t wipe her own bottom without a servant to help her. I’m here to help you get away—although I’m not sure how, yet.”
“With him, I suppose.”
“Well, yes.”
I stared at her.
“Don’t look at me like that. I wouldn’t have agreed to come if I didn’t care about what happened to you.”
“And what does Zlata think about all this?”
“Oh, she hates it,” said Mieka breezily. “But she let me go.”
“And you’re really here to help me get away?”
“If I can. Or at least keep you safe until we figure out how.”
I bit my lip. “I still have to find my mother. Or her book, at least. The Book Man told me he might know … have known where it was. In Spire, at a monastery. But Milady has a whole library full of spellbooks here, as well—and a secret room hidden in it. Doesn’t that seem odd to you? She said she has been looking for Mother for years—maybe she found the book somehow, or …” I huffed a frustrated breath. “Although why would the Temple be involved, then? Unless she was working with them as well? I just don’t know. But I have to at leastlookin that room. I can’t just sit doing nothing.”
“No harm in looking,” Mieka agreed.
“They guard my room at night, but now that you’re here, if you can get me out after dark, we can have a look, and you can read them—at least enough to know what they are.”
Mieka chewed at a fingernail. “All right. I’ll see what I can do.”
There was a knock at the door. We sprang apart, and Mieka strode to the door. Another maidservant stood there, twisting her apron in her hands.
“Milady wants to see you,” she said.
I dressed quickly and scraped a brush through my Hair, Mieka helping me as best she could. As I walked to Milady’s chambers, I felt the floor beneath me slope uphill, the carpetruck itself into creases and hillocks below my feet, and the glims flutter and dim as I passed. All in my head, I knew, but my Hair was tense and stiff as wire, and my empty stomach churned.
Milady was seated at the little table in her room, picking at a honeycake of her own. “My dear,” Milady said. “Please sit. Tea?”
“Yes, please.” It would give me something to do with my hands. I sat, trying to look relaxed, but feeling my body clenched tight as a fist.
“You did very well last night,” Milady said, pouring a cup. Despite myself, I felt a glow of pride—a holdover from my days with Mother, when I had fought so hard for her notice and approval. Milady did resemble her, after all.
“You were quite the talking point.”
My face grew hot. I buried it in my tea.
“Sip, Netta. Sip. No need to gulp it down.” Milady put down her own cup and steepled her fingers. “Yes, quite the talking point. There was a lot of interest in you. From several quarters.”
