Joseph wrinkled his nose and ducked his head away, but he allowed Mr. Gold to clean him a little. And the whole time, he watched Amber with a steady gaze. “Have you come to take your bed back?”
“No, Joseph. You may sleep there with no fear. I will never take your place away.”
The relief was apparent in the child’s entire body. He tried to cover it, but his shoulders eased down, he stood taller beside Mr. Gold, and eventually, his lips curved into a shy smile. “One day, I will carve you a big soldier with a large hat and a sharp sword. He will be the most handsome soldier you have ever seen.”
“I would rather see a horse from you. Or maybe a dog.”
A grin filled his whole face. “I will make both.”
“I believe you will.” Then she smiled. “Go on now. Get Papa to bed.”
So, it was done. Both boy and father climbed the stairs, leaving behind the large man in the chair smiling at her with a toothy grin.
“How are you doing, Philostrate?” Amber asked when her father and Joseph were out of sight.
The man made a happy gurgling sound as his grin widened.
“I’m so glad.” Then she squeezed the man’s massive arm. “I won’t be much longer.” She glanced at Elliott. “He always waits there when I work late.”
Elliott gave the man a brief nod. “Sir.”
“He doesn’t speak. We don’t know why, but he never has. And he is the best guardian a princess could ever want.”
Philostrate gave her a fond smile, waited for her and Elliott to step back into the jewelry shop, then he shut the door to give her the illusion of privacy, but not before giving Elliott a long threatening glare. For a girl deemed not respectable by most of society, she certainly had a great many protectors.
And so they were alone. Or at least somewhat private.
“That was kind of you,” he said. “Letting Joseph feel safe here.”
“Really?” Amber asked. “I only told him the truth. He will always have a place here now that Papa has adopted him.”
“And what of your place?” he pressed. “Don’t you feel cast aside?”
He knew she did. He could see it on her face and in the way she had looked at the boy’s drawings. But in this, she surprised him. She exhaled a long, unhappy sigh.
“I had not expected to become grown in the space of two days. For years I have pushed my father to let me have more freedom. Always he has said no. And then you appear, and suddenly I am free to do as I choose, to marry where I will.”
That wasn’t exactly true. She wasn’t fully free. She was under his protection. She had no money of her own, and no real independence could be had without it. And yet, she’d spent much of her life in a gray cage. What she had now must feel like stepping out unfettered into the world.
“So, why do you seem so sad?”
She looked at him and shrugged. Then she echoed his own words back to him. “It is only new. And new is often frightening.”
“You will always be safe with me.” He meant it. No matter where she went or who she married, he would always keep an eye out for her happiness. “May I see what you’ve made?” he asked as he gestured to her wax carving.
“Of course.” She stepped away from the worktable as he approached, but there was little room in the tight space. He could feel the heat of her body and heard the tight, shallow way she breathed. Was she nervous about his opinion? She shouldn’t be. The design was exquisite.
“Did you sketch this first?”
She shook her head. “No. I have been making that bird since I was a child. This is just the latest version.” She leaned down to look closer at it. “But it is the first time that I have added flames.” She slanted him a look. “I suppose you are to blame for that. Did you know that I made your stickpin?”
“Your father told me.” He touched the flame pin in his cravat. “I underestimated you again, Miss Gohar. I thought this piece extraordinary, but I had no idea that you could do this,” he said, gesturing to the bird in flight.
She looked down at it and then idly crushed it with one hand.
“What are you doing?” he gasped as he leaped forward to save the design. It was too late. The wax lay in pieces on the table. “Why?”
“It was too large to make into real jewelry. We do not have enough gold. Besides,” she said with a shrug, “the head was too big and the throat too long.”