“I’m surprised the Crown was willing to part with coin for a job I’m not doing. And… why am I up inthisroom? Surely there must have been somewhere else I could have gone…”
Pip looked down. “I pulled some strings,” he said, “and by that I mean I asked nicely. You get a lot done that way, I’ve found. Besides, there were a lot of rooms going to waste. It wasn’t hard to persuade them to let you have this one.” His hand brushed her cheek. “You really worried me there for a moment. Initially there were some concerns that you might have had the coal sickness.”
Elena shuddered, remembering the beaked faces hovering over her. “What would you have done if it was the coal sickness?”
“I don’t know. Probably something stupid.”
“I don’t believe you’re the type to be stupid.”
“It’s been a while since I have been, to be sure. Probably well overdue. At least it would be for a good cause.”
Elena smiled, raising her hand to grace Pip’s cheek. He looked worn, dark circles under his eyes. “You look terrible.”
“Oh,Ilook terrible?” He laughed. “Sorry, the implication there was rude. Rest assured, I’ve never seen a person quite so ill look quite so lovely as you do right now, but there’s a bitter irony in commenting on my appearance in your present condition.”
“I don’t look lovely.”
“Oh,” he assured her, “but you do. Covered in engine oil, white as a sheet, snotty and sniffly—you look lovely to me, dearest Elena.”
His fingers caressed her cheek, brushing her temples. His touch felt like sunlight. “I like it when you say my name,” she told him.
“I wish I could sing it. Commit it to verse. Sew it into the stars…”
“I’m not sure I do ‘Pip’ justice…”
“Well, it isn’t my full name.”
Elena frowned. “What is?”
Pip paused. “I already like how you say my name,” he told her. “I like everything about you, actually.”
Elena’s heart murmured in her chest. “I like everything about you, too.”
She wished she didn’t. She wished she could find something to hate, to latch onto, to dislodge this feeling deep inside her that made her feel like she would die when they came to say goodbye, but she couldn’t. He was welded onto her.
The door opened, and a sharply-dressed woman in grey robes shot into the room, holding a clipboard.
“It’s breakfast time and you need to—” The woman stopped, her eyes widening at the sight of Elena sitting upright in bed. “You need to go and get ready to serve it. Spit spot now, young Pip. We can’t be late.”
She smiled at the last bit, but Pip did not return it. He looked like he wished he could vanish this interloper into smoke. “This is Susan Dupont-Jones,” he explained to Elena, not removing his glare. “She’s the aide to the prince.”
“A pleasure to meet you. I’m—”
“Oh, I’m very much aware of who you are,” said Susan, grinning. “Pip? Miss Elena will be quite fine on her own.Get to breakfast.”
Pip stood up. “All right,” he said. He squeezed Elena’s fingers. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
He gave Susan an irritated look as he was leaving the room, his lips pursed like he wanted to say something, but didn’t trust himself to stop at that.
Susan smiled smugly as he left the room. “Hello,” she said brightly. “I’m so glad to see you awake, Miss Elena. Young Pip was really very worried about you.”
Elena blushed. “You’ve known him for a long time?”
“All his life. Between you and me, I’m quite fond of the boy.”
“Why did he glare at you?”
“I imagine he’s worried that I might interrogate you in his absence.”