He was stricken at her words. “Honey, I did not look back because if I had, I would never have left. And at the time, I felt like I…had to. Leave, that is. Enach was there, and I…” He placed his face in his hands. “I let him manipulate me, make me think I had no choice but to go back to Hinslyth.”
“You did notlethim do anything. He simply…did that to you, Ainsworth.”
“Well,” he said, straightening in his chair, “I left him. Hehasn’t…come to check if I’m here, has he? Through the Transportation Circle?”
Honey shook her head. “No—and if he dares to show up, Ashe will send him packing. If you give the word, that is.”
“Oh, I absolutely do.”
Her grin was feral. “That’s that, then.”
When they had finished their tea, Honey helped him with his things (despite his protests) and insisted on showing him to his room. He wondered how many people he’d be sharing with, but Honey walked past the stairs and unlocked the door to the staff rooms.
“Where are we going?” Ainsworth asked.
She opened the door, picking up his trunk matter-of-factly. “Well, you’re here to research our establishment and the surrounding area, and you’re always doing errands around the inn, too. We all agreed, soon after you left, that if you came back we’d give you the spare room in the staff quarters. It’s usually reserved for any friends and family that might visit, but— Well, only Spin’s niece has ever visited, and it hasn’t been used in years. It’s all cleaned up to your standard, I promise!”
Ainsworth stood, staring at the open door leading to the staff corridor. He could not bring himself to step forward. All that worrying about whether or not they’d be pleased to see him again…
“Ainsworth! What’s the matter?” Honey said, rushing over to him as the tears began to flow. He stood, sobbing into his hands, and felt Honey guide him into the corridor, shutting the door behind them. Once the busy sounds from the tavern were muffled, the alarming sound of his sniffling made him stop. “It’s just…Thank you. Your kindness. I don’t deserve it.”
“Well, I don’t know about that…Come on! It’s at the end, looking right onto Spin’s garden.”
The room reminded him a little of the attic the first time he saw it—not that it was cluttered or damp, rather that there was an undeniable atmosphere that suggested it had not been occupied in some time. The walls were bare, the bedding was simple, and thecurtains that hung from the iron bar atop the window were dotted with moth-eaten holes. It was smaller than Honey’s and Ashe’s rooms (the only two staff quarters he had seen), but similar to his room back in Hinslyth. And it was just that, he realized.Hisroom. A room nestled among those belonging to his dear friends—a space of safety, contentment.
He almost started sobbing again but distracted himself by asking how much the room would cost.
Honey shook her head. “I won’t take coin from you. Well, I won’t takemorecoin from you.”
“But it is not from me, it is from Skarrow!”
She looked at her feet. “If I charge you nothing, you get to stay for as long as you wish, right?”
“Well, yes, but— I will have to return at…some point. To access any resources I need from the library, and to hand in the project. To see it published.”And then there is the matter of continuing my career.He could not voice that thought aloud, did not wish to consider just yet the distance that would put between him and the Misnich Inn. But perhaps if he took the time to appeal Enach’s actions on the Transportation Circle first, such journeys could last only days instead of weeks.
In fact, now that he thought about it, if he wrote to Enach stating his intentions to appeal, Enach might well remove the block just to spare the public stain to his reputation.
But that was a matter for another day.
She looked up at him. “Of course. But until then—”
Suddenly, Quiddle burst through the door, making them both jump. “Honey, can you lend a hand with the tables again? Please? I’m knackered!”
She sighed. “All right, I’ll be there in a minute. Ainsworth, do you mind—?”
“Please do help the lad! I’ll unpack my things, and I may rest a while, if that’s all right with you.”
She smiled, nodded, and was about to leave when, unable to stop himself, he added, “Wait. Honey?”
“Yes?”
“It’s just later, if we get a chance…” Oh Matron, he could feel the fire in his cheeks already. “I thought we could talk…in private? About…everything. I mean in the tavern it was so busy—and I want to talk with you because I…Well, you deserve to know—”
“Oh,” she said, pausing by the door. “Well, you don’t owe me any explanations, Ainsworth, but I do wish to hear more about your time away. So yes, later. My room, perhaps?”
“Yes! That would be splendid!”
He caught the sheepish grin she tried to conceal as she turned and closed the door behind her.
