“And I’m sure if you look behind the house,” I added, “there will be somewhere to keep her.”
The castle was not one for oversights. It learned such thoughtful attention to detail from its master.
Sure enough, it wasn’t quite a stable, but there was a horse shed already filled with hay, just the size for Honey.
Rob led the mare into the single stall, stroking her neck in wonder.
“Enchantments.” He seemed unsure if it was a question or a comment.
I only shrugged.
“The castle is ... incredible,” I said. “Tea pours itself. Food appears. My wardrobe offers me dresses whether I want them or not.”
“I noticed you’re still plain for all this extravagance.”
“You know me.” I shook my head. “I never cared for ribbons.” And more than ever, I hated the heavy skirts. Better to be plain and familiar.
“You used to care a little.” His voice had lowered, and his gaze was piercing. “But something changed—before the beast, the bankruptcy. Something happened.”
I hadn’t expected to be cornered so soon.
But I’d come here for truth, thorns and all.
I looked away, nodding. And I held my breath in the wait.
“But you look happy now,” he said.
I glanced up in surprise. He smiled, and my shoulders eased.
“I am,” I admitted.
And for a girl who didn’t believe in miracles, such a thing came suspiciously close to being one.
“Then that’s what matters.”
Rob unsaddled and brushed Honey, her nosing him all the while, throwing off his balance whenever he found it. They were a good pair, and she would be a huge benefit for his work collecting debt payments around the city. The castle had provided the perfect gifts for my family while I was still too self-absorbed to think clearly.
“I missed you.” My voice cracked.
Rob turned and gave me another hug, resting his head on mine. Then we went back inside to rejoin the family.
It was difficult to transition back to a straw mattress after sleeping on what could have passed for a cloud, but I made do. When I woke in the morning, I finally felt the cold, shivering as soon as I left the blankets. Before I remembered where I was, I looked for the breakfast tray, and I was already thinking of Beast.
Then I stopped, bare feet cold against the wooden floor, as I realized I wouldn’t see Beast today at all. There would be no afternoon in the library, no rumbling sound of his voice.
I shivered, rubbing the gold ring on my thumb.
Then I forced myself to dress. Astra was still asleep, so I crept from the room and found Callista in the kitchen. Without a word, she put me to work helping with breakfast, though my hands were clumsy. My calluses had disappeared at the castle.
“Well, if I had any doubt you were being treated well”—Callista rolled her eyes—“it’s gone now.”
My ears burned.
She ordered me to knead dough, and only as I reached for it did I remember my ring. I hesitated, then worked it free and set it on the table. As I kneaded, I cast frequent glances at it, my heart thumping with each glance, until I finally finished and could return it to my hand. I clenched my fist around the metal, taking a deep breath like a diver surfacing after starting to drown.
I wasn’t stranded. I was with my family.
But I clutched the ring all the more.
