He is going to get me a room? Hope sparks in my chest when I take his calloused hand, letting him lead me out of the stables, across the street, and around the back of a gray building with white shutters. His fist bangs against the door.
A moment later, a portly woman with wiry brown hair peers out, her bushy eyebrows lowered over coal-black eyes. “No charity,” she clips.
“The girl claims she has coins,” the man replies.
“I do.” I drag out my purse and withdraw a coin.
The woman’s eyebrows lift. “That is human gold.”
“Does that matter?” Gold is gold, right?
Although her lips flatten into a thin line, she huffs a weary sigh. “I’ve only one room, but you’ll be needing a good scrub first. Don’t want lice in the beds, ya see. And the bath will cost you extra.”
I’m so relieved, I don’t care if the bed and bath cost me a hundred coins. I drop the gold coin in her palm and drag out a few coppers for the bath. “Is that enough?”
She stuffs the coins into her apron pocket. “Should do. Come with me.”
I thank the man who brought me here before following the woman through a bustling kitchen that smells like fresh-bakedheaven. With all the excitement, I realize I haven’t eaten since Eason left.
The woman swipes a scone from a tray and shoves it at me. I want to devour the warm treat straight away but manage to refrain as we climb a set of twisted stairs all the way to a room on the very top floor, where a single mattress waits beneath a window covered in cobwebs. The patchwork quilt folded at the bottom looks more threadbare than my cloak, and I have to bend down to keep my head from colliding with the beams.
An entire gold coin forthis? I don’t mean to be rude—I’ve slept in a dilapidated cottage for the last few years—but the price seems quite steep.
The woman hands me a key from her pocket. “Bath will be up in five minutes. I’ll let you stay till tomorrow morning and give you breakfast, but then you’re out.” She stomps out the door and heads back downstairs.
I only get one night? That isn’t good. Not at all.
A metal spring jabs my thigh when I sink onto the thin mattress. Nibbling on the scone to make it last, I dump the contents of my purse beside me, counting exactly how much I have to survive on until I make it to the castle.
Four pieces of gold, ten pieces of silver, and twenty coppers.
That will only afford me a handful of nights,ifthe innkeeper continues to provide breakfast. But I’ll need to eat more than one meal a day.
It’s settled.
There really can be no delay.
Tomorrow, I’m going to the castle.
Fourteen
ALLETTE
Dust motes spinin the shafts of gray light slipping through a gap in the canvas curtains. Tuath flood the streets far below. Some move with purpose, others meander, and a few beg from doorways.
After sleeping all day and most of the night, I feel like a new woman. My stomach lets out a hollow howl, the scone long gone. First, I need more food. And then I must buy something to wear other than these ratty old dresses. For the time being, I settle on the faded gray muslin and thick black tights from my pack. The color does nothing for my complexion but since these people seem to think I’m Tuath, I decide to lean into it for the moment. Fewer questions that way.
Downstairs, a pair of older men in wool breeches and coats hunch over two cups of coffee.
There is a free table near a window, so I take a chair and prepare to plan my day.
The same boy who filled my tepid bath the day before pops through a back door. When he sees me, he comes straight over, offering a toothy grin. “Mornin’, Miss. Hattie says to fix you up with something warm that’ll stick to your ribs before you go.”
I could kiss Hattie for remembering me. “That would be wonderful. Thank you.”
His grin widens. “Not a bother.”
Breakfast consists of runny eggs, limp bacon, and slightly burnt toast. I eat every single bite and consider licking the plate clean.