Chapter 15

Fifteen

The next morning, I scramble out of bed early because I don't want to rush to meet Mara again. I wash and dress while Morg and Torren are still asleep, and my heart leaps happily when they roll together in my absence, holding on to each other. I want to leave them sleeping, because there's no need for them to get up with me, but I accidentally bump into his chair, clumsy in the half-darkness, and Torren stirs.

I sense more than see that he's awake, and I walk over to the bed to find both him and Morg with eyes open. They're staring at each other, but neither is jerking back their hands to break the contact.

"I have to leave," I whisper. "But you don't have to get up."

Morg lifts himself on one elbow and motions for me to lean in. His kiss is soft and sweet, and I almost give in and climb back in bed with them. But I want to show Mara she can count on me, so I sigh and break the kiss. Then I press my lips against Torren's. He swipes his tongue over my lower lip, sending a shiver of awareness through me, but he's also careful not to mess up the crown braid I plaited.

"We'll see you at lunch, I hope," he murmurs.

I pat his arm. "If not, I will meet you for dinner. You made me a promise last night, and I intend to hold you to your word."

Heat flashes in his eyes, and he reaches for me, but I leap back, giggling.

"No, no," I say. "If I join you in bed now, I'll be late again."

Before either of them can say anything more, I twist away and sit in the armchair to lace up my boots. I think for a moment that Torren might get up and follow me for one last kiss, but instead, he relaxes back on the pillows, his arm behind his head. I see how Morg looks at him, his gaze skittering down Torren's broad chest and the chiseled planes of his muscles.

I bite the inside of my cheek to hide a smile. They're getting more comfortable with each other, and I love it. If they can accept that they're meant to be with each other just as much as they're meant to be with me, I believe our future will be amazing.

I manage to eat my breakfast and drink my first cup of tea before the morning rush, and I'm ready for Mara. She arrives in the great hall, armed with her big ledger and a smaller notebook for me. She smiles when she sees me, and I know I did the right thing, getting here early.

I follow her around all day as we tackle the rest of the larders. Afterward, we retreat to her office for planning, and Queen Dawn herself joins us, her baby on her hip. She's incredibly nice, if a little distracted, which is no wonder considering her baby is teething and fussy. When the king pokes his head through the door to ask if she needs anything, I scramble from my chair and curtsy, then remember I should have done the same to greet the queen, too.

"Oh gods," the queen says, waving at me to sit again. "Please, we don't do all this bowing and curtsying, it's too much."

I raise my eyebrows but sit again. "All right. I'm sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry for," the king says from the door. "We are happy to have you here, Jasmine."

He leaves after that, and I'm left gaping after him.

"Mara visited us last night," Dawn explains gently, "and told us she's found a person who is better at sums than she is. And that we're to make certain you stay at the Hill."

I glance from her to Mara. "You did?" Then I turn back to Dawn. "She did?"

Mara pats my arm. "Aye, and how lucky that you're here. If you're content to do this job, I will gladly name you my assistant officially."

Dawn swipes some drool from her baby's chin. "I want to spend time with Arvel."

She motions at her son, who is chewing on a piece of apple and drooling all over his hands. Only one of his tusks has poked through, and he's adorably lopsided now. He squirms on his mother's lap, then lets out an outraged squawk when the apple slips from his tiny green fingers.

"And I think Gorvor and I will want more children in the future," Dawn adds as she hands him another slice. "Which means Mara is overworked a lot of the time, despite having other assistants."

"I have several who know how to do parts of my daily tasks, but none of them are happy to balance the books," she explains. "They do a good job, but I dislike giving people tasks they don't enjoy. You completed your tasks faster than I did these past two days, and you asked questions that showed real interest. I'm hoping that means you liked what we were doing."

"Oh." I never thought about it like that, but the work was very satisfying. This morning, I woke up excited to help Mara. "Yes, I liked the work a lot."

It's similar to what I'd already been doing at home, only I also had to carry water from the well if the grooms didn't complete their tasks, or knead the bread in the kitchen whenever my mother's wrists hurt but there weren't enough maids to help for the day.

"That's great to hear," Dawn says.

Mara pushes a sheet of paper over the desk at me. "This is the list of tasks I would like you to eventually take over." She points at the first section of the text. "And this is your salary. It will increase with time and experience, but we'll ease you into the work." She grins at me, her white tusks flashing. "I don't want to overwhelm you and send you running."

I blink down at the paper. "My salary?"

Mara pauses, then clears her throat. "Oh. I suppose I should have asked you how much you were making at your parents' inn so we can at least match that."

I put my hand over hers to stop her. My throat hurts suddenly, so I swallow to clear it. "I wasn't," I croak.

She frowns. "I'm sorry, I don't understand."

Dawn presses her lips together and squeezes her baby tight to her chest, and I know she understands. She's human, and she knows how things are in the human world.

"I wasn't making any money," I tell Mara. "I received food and board, and a good room at that. I always had enough. And Father would give me pocket money sometimes for dresses and books and such."

Her delicate black eyebrows draw together in a frown. "But you worked for them every day, no? At the inn?"

"Yes." I look at Dawn for help. "This is just how it's done. I-I don't expect you to…" I point at the door, toward the great hall. "I mean, you serve three delicious meals. I get access to the baths, and I have a place to sleep."

Mara groans and covers her face with her hands. "I swear, I will never understand humans," she groans. "Is this really how they treat people? Or is it just women?"

Dawn pats her on the shoulder. "It's a bit of both, I think. And not everyone is like that."

Yes, some humans are worse.

The thought pops up, because that's what my parents always used to say when they reminded me of how good I had it. I could have had a much more terrible childhood—and I know I was lucky to have grown up as I did. But it did put me at a disadvantage, compared to the maids who worked at the inn. Yes, they shared rooms in the attic, and their dresses weren't as nice as mine, but they were paid weekly in copper and silver coins, and they could do whatever they wanted with that money.

More and more, I suspect that my parents might have been wrong in how they treated me. I can't turn back the time—and I don't really want to talk to them in order to demand they change their ways.

But maybe that means I don't have to keep doing what they wanted. Perhaps I can demand more for myself, and if the orcs do things differently, if they pay their people fairly, I don't have to push away the opportunity.

I clear my throat again and tap the sheet of paper Mara presented me with. "I find the salary you're offering very reasonable."

Mara peers through her fingers. "Thank the gods. I thought I was going to have to do a speech on how important it is for a woman to have her own money."

Dawn grins at me. "Well done, Jasmine. Now, I'll have to leave you, unfortunately. Little Arvel needs to be changed."

When she opens the office door, the king is there again. Apparently, he'd waited for Dawn, and now he takes the smelly baby from her arms without complaint. Dawn winks at me, then closes the door behind her.

"You don't know how strange this is," I murmur.

Mara watches me curiously. "What is?"

I motion at the door. "That a man might concern himself with raising babies, let alone a king."

Her expression falls. "Are human men really all that bad?"

Something in her gaze has me considering my words. I don't want to be flippant or dismissive, not when this apparently means something to her.

"No," I say. "I've met good men. And my father wasn't bad, only…set in his ways."

"But you came to the orc lands to seek a husband," she presses, "instead of going to Ultrup, for example."

I chew on my lip, because I did do that. "I had a bad experience with one man. My fiancé, who left me at the altar. And I heard from Rose and Ivy how wonderful orcs were."

Mara's expression falls. "Oh."

She looks so forlorn, I reach out and grasp her hand. Her fingers are longer than mine, but her palm is softer, her skin unblemished and smooth. I don't know what's bothering her, but I need to make her feel better, so I tell her something I'd been thinking of.

"I resent Ansel for not telling me he was planning on running away," I say. "He could have executed that part of his plan better. But he did act out of love." I squeeze Mara's fingers between mine. "He loved his sweetheart so much, he gave up his entire family and a very advantageous marriage in order to be with her. I imagine his new wife is very happy with him."

The corner of Mara's lips turns up in a small smile. "Thank you for telling me that."

I lean back, satisfied. "It's not easy to admit, but I don't hate him either." I shrug, then add, "His actions brought me here, after all. And I'm very happy here."

Mara places her ledger on top of a stack of papers. "I'm glad to hear that. Now, you'd better go."

I purse my lips, a little offended at the abrupt dismissal. "Of course. I will see you tomorrow."

She shakes her head, grinning. "Tomorrow is my day off, so you get one, too. But I didn't mean to throw you out so rudely. It's just that Morg and Torren are waiting outside the door, and I think they're very impatient to see you again."