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She looked like she’d bitten into something sour.
“If you’d rather sleep in the tent that’s fine.” Even if there was no explanation he would be able to give Aunt Lorna for why Clare had decided to sleep outdoors. At least, not one that would make any sense to her. People like her—people who’d never been through the worst life had to offer, or who had never seen its effects up close—couldn’t really understand it. But he didn’t tell Clare any of that because he didn’t want her to feel pressured to stay inside. “But if you want to stay here, I can fix the problem.”
She took a moment to answer, finally saying, “It depends.”
“On?”
Her lips curved up. “What kind of flowers you bring me.”
He laughed. “I’ll do my best not to disappoint you.”
Clare was, for the first time since they had arrived here, relieved by the amount of chaos and energy that greeted her when they exited the room. She wanted to be distracted, and there was plenty to distract. She’d barely taken a step outside the room before three children unevenly screeched “Happy Solstice Day!” at her before dissolving into giggles and fleeing.
“Solstice Day?”
He grinned. “It’s kind of why I wanted to come so suddenly. It’s the Winter Solstice celebration.”
She hadn’t noticed the passing of time, hadn’t marked this date. Ordinarily it would have meant nothing to her. But this time—this year—it meant something it never had before. Something she hadn’t known until Marquin and Verol had told it to her.
Today was her nameday.
Numair sensed her change in mood, as only he seemed able to, and shot her a questioning look. She only smiled and shook her head. If she told him, he would probably want to do something for her, and she didn’t want him to. Besides, despite how strange and unsettling this place could be for her, his bringing her—his wanting to bring her—was the best gift he could have given her.
“Numair only condescends to visit us on holidays,” Nissa said as she breezed into the room, clearly having caught Numair’s explanation. Unlike yesterday she was fully dressed, cosmetics artfully concealing the puffiness of her eyes. “I think it’s for the food.”
One of her daughters ran over, stretching her arms in a silent demand to be picked up, which Nissa did.
“Is Clare going to help us decorate?” the little girl asked.
“I don’t know,” Nissa said, “you’d have to ask her.”
Clare sent Numair a please-tell-me-what-to-do look and Nissa laughed.
“Did he tell you anything before he brought you out here?”
“No.”
“We spend the entire day setting up for tonight, so everyone is either cooking, cleaning, decorating, or doing anything else that needs to be done. You can pick whichever one you want, but you have to do one.”
“What are you doing?” Clare asked Numair.
“Cooking. I make better pies than anyone else.”
Nissa rolled her eyes. “And if it wasn’t true, we’d never suffer his hubris.”
“I can’t cook,” Clare said.
“You don’t need to. Join decorations with me, and I’ll keep the curious at bay.”
“The curious?”
“I did say you were the first woman he’s ever brought home, didn’t I? People let you be yesterday out of politeness, but don’t expect that to last into today. Especially once the cider starts flowing. Stay with me and I’ll protect you.”
“But she won’t protect you from herself,” Numair warned.
Nissa sniffed. “I’m a delight.”
In the end Clare went with Nissa, both because she didn’t want to need to feel as if she could only function in this place if she was at Numair’s side, and because how difficult could decorating be?
