Page 10 of The Starling and the Hatter

She looked ahead but nodded, seeming to take my observations seriously. Thank the stars for that.

We arrived at my tent, and I was glad to see that it appeared undisturbed after I’d left it unattended. I dropped Elise’s arm and slipped inside, finding my way by memory to the corner where a small wooden trunk sat. The top was filled with scarves, but I reached past them, lifting the false bottom to pull out a handful of coins. Then I closed it up and headed for the doorway.

“How can you find your way in the dark?”

I stopped, startled to hear Elise’s voice so close at hand. She had followed me in, and it sounded like she was just by the opening of the canvas flap. “Practice,” I answered as I neared the spot where I thought she was.

“Oh…” She moved a little, and I was finally able to see which dark shadow was her.

We stood there in the dark, unable to see each other, but neither of us moved to leave the confines of the tent either.

For a moment I had the foolish thought that perhaps she wanted to stay here close to me. Maybe she’d consider sleeping here in the tent while I slept out back.

“I can’t find where it opens, can you?” she whispered.

I winced, berating myself. She’d been waiting for me to guide her out. “Yes.” I reached for the opening and pulled the canvas aside. “Go ahead.”

The fresh air outside cleared my head. “Here.” I dropped the handful of coins in her palm, then turned back to secure the canvas.

“This is far too much!” she protested.

“Is it? I didn’t bother counting in the dark.”

“Here, take these back.”

I shook my head. “Consider it retribution for me forgetting to pay you earlier. You wouldn’t have had to take on the darker crowd if I hadn’t been a dunce.”

She continued to hold out the excess money, her face only dimly lit by the nearby fire. “I ended up making quite a bit from that performance. I should be thanking you.”

“Where are you going to sleep tonight?” I asked, mostly out of curiosity, but also because I wanted her to forget about giving the coins back.

She took a step back, her face closing off. “The same place I slept last night.”

Frustration stiffened my shoulders. If I kept pressing the matter, she might mistake my motives. “Maybe my sisters had the right idea,” I suggested after mustering my bravery. “Maybe you should stay with them.”

Elise laughed at the idea. “Yes, I’m certain what your stepmother needs is to have one more person to take care of. She seems to have her hands full enough already.”

I shrugged, not wishing to press the idea, but not willing to brush it aside as she had. “It could be a benefit to all of us. I doubt Dorothy would have to take care of you.”

The laughter left her eyes, replaced by longing. “It’s a nice idea that they had” was all she said.

I let the conversation drop. If I was actually going to truly consider such a notion, I would have to speak to my father and Dorothy before inviting a stranger into our home. “Just…be careful.”

“I’m fine.” She turned and walked away, leaving me worried about all sorts of things. Her safety. Her opinion of me. Her plans to work with the Starfire troupe.

Why did I care? I barely knew her, and when I took a step back and looked at things objectively, my feelings didn’t make sense.

But they were there.

5

Elise

I walked away from Maddox, feeling as if my luck had changed. Not only had he given me nearly double the payment he had promised, but the money from my performance would add to my stash as well. I hadn’t counted it yet, but the weight of my purse lifted my spirits.

A sigh escaped me as I thought about the way Maddox had led me away from the night crowd. It had been almost…gallant. He was a handsome young man. I hadn’t noticed when I’d first met him since I’d been preoccupied with the urgent matter of figuring out how to provide for and feed myself, but now that my prospects weren’t entirely bleak…well…I noticed.

Of course, all that hope and good feeling was tamped down as I navigated my way into the woods—far enough away to be alone, but not so far that animals would be roaming close by. I’d spent yesterday evening making a small shelter. I’d found a large tree whose trunk split in two at the height of my waist. I’d gathered long branches, setting one end in the juncture of that split and the other ends on the ground. Then I’d covered my little lean-to with evergreen boughs. It gave me some semblance of peace not to be out in the open, but my solitude was still nerve-wracking.