But I needed him to trust me. I needed him to be the friend he’d been when were teenagers, because that friend wouldn’t hesitate to join our paltry rebellion. And if I wasn’t ready to be honest about the resistance growing in Ashpoint, I at least had to be honest aboutthis.
“We took full advantage,” I said. “Visited the shop that bound Penny’s sketchbook, fed the reindeer, spent hours looking at the stained glass…” I couldn’t bite back a smile as nerves twisted my stomach into knots. “I proposed, and he accepted.”
Levitt’s expression went slack for a moment before a grin lit his face. “Well. That was certainly quick. But you always did hold tight to the things that you made you happy.” It was a relief to find no hint of pain or jealousy in his tone. “Congratulations, Kit. No one deserves this more than you do.”
“I’m not sure about that, but thank you.”
With that out of the way, I wasn’t looking forward to broaching the topic I’d come to discuss. Levitt may have been in a good mood now, but he would sober quickly when I brought up leaving again. But Penny and I had put plans in place for our resistance while we were gone, and it was time to put plans in place here, too.
I picked at a loose thread on the hem of my cloak and forced myself to move on. “Speaking of Penny, that’s part of why I’m here.” I gestured to the world beyond the wall of windows.“Weather’s changing, days are getting longer, and it’ll be spring next thing we know. Pen will need to go back to Eastcliff to handle planting in a few weeks, and I need to go with him.”
Levitt opened his mouth, but I continued before he could protest.
“It’s only his mother and sister there. He can’t do it alone.”
“I assumed Merrick would help,” Levitt countered.
Indignation prickled up my spine. “After what just happened?” I asked. “After everything he’s done? He tried tokillus, Lev.”
Levitt made a small noise of concession.
I let my eyes wander over the market square below, fading quickly into the deep purple of dusk. “No. I think we’ve all had quite enough of each other. Merrick has no claim on the farm, and I imagine no loyalty to it, either. It’s Penny’s responsibility, and a heavy burden for one man. He needs me.”
The statement struck a chord in me, a soft feeling that chased away my anger. My presence in Eastcliff was about more than being useful with plowing and planting. It was a sort of homecoming for me, as well. Penny and I were to wed, so the Oliver farm would in part become mine. The Oliverfamilywould become mine. A place Iwasneeded. Wanted.
The Right Hand sat in silence for so long that I chanced a glance over to gauge his reaction. His brows were pinched, and he slumped forward in his seat to press his fingertips into his temple.
“The timing on this couldn’t be worse, Kit.”
“I don’t have the power to control the seasons,” I said, more sharply than I intended.
He shot me a glare, equally scathing. “I’m aware. But I also have to acknowledge how delicately we need to handle thingshere. Things are falling into place, and we’reso closeto oustingMerrick. After this stunt with Vi, the Sentinels are almost ready to call a vote.”
His frustration was justified, but that didn’t quell my irritation that he was putting matters of the Bone Men before my family’s wellbeing. Penny and his mother and sister were mine to protect and provide for, and I wouldn’t sit by and watch them lose the farm because they lacked the help to keep it up.
“There will be no crops if I don’t go. They have no hands, and Penny’s not well…” I stopped myself, unwilling to broach my concerns about Penny’s health and further muddy murky waters. “It’s too much land even if he was,” I added in a mutter.
Levitt’s scowl deepened, but I pressed on, regaining my resolve as I spoke.
“When this all started, you promised you would never make me choose between my partner and the position. That’s the only reason I agreed to it.”
The silence that stretched between us for several long moments was brittle and tense until Levitt sighed and rubbed his hand over his face.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I did promise, and I’ll do my best tokeepthat promise.” He hunched farther forward so he could rest his elbows on his knees. “And I’m sorry for how things have been between us lately. I know you’re not happy with how I’ve been handling things.”
Unhappy was an understatement. Our last few interactions had left me furious that Penny’s and my safety seemed unimportant to the man who’d vowed to protect me. Levitt had come through on the last two slights, but not before damage was done. The charges levied against me may have been disproven, but each time the people of Ashpoint saw me marched through the streets like a common criminal, it made them less and less likely to trust me. And trust was the thing I needed most.
“It may not look like it from where you sit, but I’m doing all I can,” Levitt continued. “I wish things could be different.”
“They could be,” I said coolly.
He sighed again and shook his head. “I am in a precarious position, Kit. I have to consider the bigger picture if we want to save this place from people like Merrick. Even now, it’s not beyond him to tip the scales back into his favor.”
When his eyes met mine, they were underscored by dark rings I hadn’t noticed until the firelight caught them just right. The shadow of stubble along his jaw only added to his haggard appearance as the last of his pretenses fell away. The mask he always wore was as flawless as my own and it was strange to see him let it drop.
He looked like a man who was drowning and had no one to throw him a rope. My experience with the Tribunal had left me confident that the Sentinels were turning on Merrick, but I didn’t see what went on behind closed doors. I didn’t see the careful maneuvering that went into testing the loyalties of the people who could turn onhimin a moment, too. I had Penny to lean on when things got hard, but Levitt didn’t have anyone.
“I haven’t made any of these decisions lightly,” he said, “and I hope you know how much it pains me to have to overlook the things Merrick has done. Hewillbe punished when the time is right. I promise you that.”
