‘It’s complicated.’
‘I swear, Josie, I’m going to jump out of this window right now. It’s not complicated, it’s simple facts. Do you love Quentin?’
‘Yes,’ I said slowly. ‘Or, at least, some part of me does. Quentin and I are … I don’t know what we are right now. It’s been so difficult lately. He’s been part of my life for so long, and he loves me. It’s always been understood we’d get married. It’s something I accepted a long time ago.’ I twisted my fingers in my lap and looked away from her. ‘It’s our way, Katie. I’m not going to try and explain that to you, I just hope you understand.’
‘I do,’ she said. ‘But don’t you—’
‘Look, I know I owe Quentin the truth. I just don’t know what that is, yet.’
Katie frowned. ‘Okay, maybe it is a little complicated.’
‘None of that matters now,’ I said. ‘What matters is getting Sebastian out of this trial, one way or another.’
Katie nodded with a yawn. ‘Alright, fair enough. Lucky for you, I’m too tired to think straight anymore.’ She curled up with one of the oversized pillows. ‘I’ve gotta take a power nap, or I won’t survive tomorrow.’
‘Then I’ll leave you to it,’ I said with a smile, glad to be done with the conversation, at least for now. I plugged in my phone and set an alarm. ‘I’m going to take a shower.’
*
Katie was sprawled sideways on the bed when I returned, snoring loudly. I tiptoed across the groaning floorboards as best I could. As I placed my old clothes in my bag, my fingers brushed against the small book I’d hidden inside.
I retrieved it and quietly stepped outside. There was a tiny nook at the end of the narrow hallway arranged as a reading area. All the bedroom doors were closed, and the predawn silence permeated the upstairs. I settled into the chair, gathered my legs underneath me, and opened Markus Corsi’s book.
The pages crackled as I picked a place, somewhere in the middle. I stared hard at the flowing, handwritten script. Ezzie had said that only Gypsies could read these kinds of books. Some words I could make out, but most were in a Roma dialect I’d never seen before. How could this book be useful if I couldn’t even read a full sentence? I narrowed my eyes, desperately willing the words to make sense.
‘Josephine.’
I jumped so hard I nearly toppled my seat.
‘Ms Lucian!’
She stood a few paces away, leaning against the wall. She wore a long jacket, despite the warm summer night, and her hair fell loose around her face. It was impossible to tell how old she was. At least Hugo’s age, definitely, but something about her seemed older – her eyes, and the way fine lines appeared around her forehead and mouth when she frowned – like she was doing at that very moment.
‘Josephine, why are you not sleeping?’
I set my feet on the floor. ‘I could ask you the same thing.’
A hint of a smirk danced across her lips. Her gaze traveled to the book in my hands. Emotion flickered briefly behind her hazel eyes – a sort of calloused pain. She’d said little of her past when she brought Sebastian and I to her home under the bridge, and I didn’t know her well enough to pry. Not too much, anyway.
‘I have been out,’ she finally replied.
‘Where?’
‘That is my business, for now.’ She drew her jacket tighter. ‘It will be time for breakfast soon. You should think about getting some rest.’
‘You’re an original guardian,’ I said quickly. Esmeralda paused at my words, and I ploughed ahead before she could leave. ‘There were so many bedtime stories I heard as a child, so many legends passed down through our clan, about how the guardians fought against the Old Clans and helped us break free.’
‘Who I once was no longer matters, Josephine Romany.’ Her entire body tensed, and her face turned dark. ‘This is who I am now.’
I closed the book. ‘Do you … miss it?’
The fire in her eyes dwindled. Her hand drifted to her neck, to the small, faded tattoo. ‘With all that I am.’
Breakfast was served in the parlor, precisely at seven, as promised. Paizi and Ferka made the rounds with cups and saucers as the Corsis gathered in the room. I sipped my tea, fighting exhaustion and a growing sense of apprehension. Beside me, Katie nibbled on a pastry.
‘Are you okay?’ I asked over the rim of my cup.
‘Am I supposed to be here?’ she whispered. ‘I mean, I feel like they’re about to go over some top-secret files or something, and I’m literally the only person in the room who isn’t a Gypsy. It’s seriously uncomfortable.’
I hid my smile. Katie was her old self again, freak-out and all. I felt selfish for thinking it, but I was glad to have her back. The Corsis may have been Roma, but they weren’t my clan.
‘If it makes you feel any better,’ I said, ‘I feel out of place, too.’
‘It does a tiny bit, yeah.’
Sunlight filtered through the lace curtains, illuminating tiny particles of dust in the air. James propped himself against the doorframe, as though he didn’t trust the structural integrity of the antique furniture. Kris and Vincent sat in two parlor chairs near the kitchen, heads bowed as they talked in low voices. Esmeralda had found a chair in a shadowy corner of the room. I wondered if gravitating towards dim-lit spaces was a habit left over from her days as a gargoyle.
Sebastian had a knack for it as well. During evening hours, it was sometimes almost impossible to spot him, unless he blinked. Or, on those rare occasions, when he gave me one of his full, unhindered grins that brightened his entire face. But even when I couldn’t see him, I always knew he was there.
The constant, heavy knot in my chest would never go away. Not until he was safe and near me again. I’d avoided dealing with my frustration and worry, but now that we were in Savannah, fear took root inside me. Real fear. Not only did I feel responsible for Sebastian’s acquittal, but now I also had Katie to think about. I stole a quick glance in her direction.
She was licking the frosting off a cinnamon roll and trying hard not to stare at everyone around her. Katie was more than capable of taking care of herself, but my world was way more complex than she knew.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. It was a text from Quentin.
How was opening night?
Everyone was still busy eating and having their own conversations. I tapped out a quick reply.
Good crowd. Everything went fine.
I held my phone in my hand, debating. Then I added another text.
Spending the weekend at Katie’s.
Be back on Sunday. See you then?
I felt Katie’s shoulder press into mine. She looked at me with her brows raised questioningly. I tilted my phone so she could see, just as another text from Quentin came through.
I’m staying in Savannah.
Your father wants me here to represent the clan.
Just until he arrives for Gathering on Monday.
The remnants of breakfast turned sour on my tongue. Quentin