Page 88 of The Witch in the Dead of Night

“You would do the same.”

I smiled halfheartedly. “Perhaps, but I don’t have any family left. Except for you and Adele, that is. So if it’s alright with you, I’d like to help.”

Niamh straightened, eyeing my warily. “What do you mean?”

“Let me be clear,” I said, holding up a hand. “I know that you can take care of yourself, and I have no doubt that I’ll see your name on an extravagant storefront in the Garment District in no time. This has nothing to do with you.”

“Er, okay,” she said.

“I just mean,” I continued, “that Adele is practically my second mother, and it kills me to see her suffer. So I’m offering to get her a spot on Dr. Murrows’s patient list and to cover the costs of any and all treatment.”

“The Court Physician?”

“The one and only. We spent quite a lot of time together after the, er, biting incident.”

She shuddered. “Maxence told me.”

I nearly laughed. “I assumed he would. Anyway, that’s when the idea came to me. I already asked the doctor, and he agreed.”

She tapped a finger against her chin. “If I didn’t have to pay for her treatments, not that any of them have ever worked, I could put more money into my savings for the shop. Maybe even rent a room.”

The embers crackled in the fireplace as she mulled it over. Outside I could hear a chorus of songbirds, signaling that a new day was beginning. A breeze wafted in through the cracked window, rustling the tight curls that framed her round face.

“You’re a good friend,” she said, breaking the silence.

I beamed at her. “Is that a yes?”

She scurried across the room, squeezing onto the arm of my chair where she wrapped her arms around me in a suffocating hug. “That’s a yes.”

I didn’t budge, inhaling the scent of the sandalwood oil that glossed her curls. It reminded me of the room I had called home for so many years. I squeezed her back.

“I can’t believe you’re going all the way to Hollybrook,” she said. “You’ll miss the King terribly, won’t you? It’s so difficult to spend time apart from the people we love.”

Love.

My stomach twisted. Of course I should miss him. I would. So why hadn’t I been able to say I love you back? And why did I feel ill at the idea of admitting it to Niamh?

“I suppose I have to go pack,” I said abruptly, standing.

“Of course,” she conceded. “Do you need any help?”

I shook my head. “That’s kind of you, but no.”

I glanced toward the door. We were alone, but still, I dropped my voice to a whisper. “Listen,” I said. “There’s something happening in Valnar. Something I don’t quite understand.”

Her eyes rounded. “What do you mean?”

I took her hand. “I just mean, stay close to Maxence, alright? Especially if you go into the city.”

“But Ewan is dead.”

I recalled the image of the monster I had conjured in my nightmares. “I know,” I replied. “I’m just not certain that it’s over.”

“How is that possible?”

“I’m not sure,” I whispered. “Just promise me that you’ll be careful. Please?”

Concern creased her features. She held my gaze for a moment, her hand squeezing my own.