The second floor was much the same as the first; apart from a few linen closets, every door led to an identical bedroom, perfectly furnished and made up for guests and left undisturbed for months. None of them seemed more personalized than the others, so it was impossible to tell which was the master bedroom, if one even existed. When I had inspected the entire house, I had no doubt in my mind that Elise lived at her business headquarters full time.
We all reconvened around the large dining room table after our individual investigations. Marten uncorked a particularly dusty bottle of wine while Hana hunted for glasses, and the five of us were soon holding cups of the dark red liquid. “I can hardly remember the last time I could relax with a glass of wine before bed,” Marten remarked, tipping back comfortably in his chair as we drank together. “It feels like it’s been months since we left home.”
Marin swirled her glass slowly against the table. “I think it has been months since I could relax like this,” she said, her voice uncharacteristically subdued. “Things weren’t going well in Attetsia, even before the Company showed up. I was so homesick. Then the rebellion started, and I was running the shop alone.”
Lia put a hand on her arm. “You’re not alone anymore,” she said brightly. “Now you have us!”
Marin turned her eyes up from the table and smiled. “You’re right,” she said, taking a small sip of her wine. “I’ve got a new business partner, new friends...and a new family!”
“And Elise,” I added with a coy smile.
The statement caught her in the middle of another sip of wine, and she visibly struggled to keep herself from choking as she reacted. “What do you mean by that?!” She yelled, coughing.
“Nothing specifically,” I answered casually. “Between her being a family friend and running the largest trading business I’ve ever seen, I’m sure we’ll be seeing her basically every day, at least for the foreseeable future.” I sat back and drained the last of my wine. “After all the stories I’ve heard, I can’t wait to get to know her. She’s so interesting, don’t you think?”
“No!” she said defensively. “I mean, yes, she’s, uhm, very interesting. As a, erm, businesswoman. And as a person! I just...just don’t know her yet. As a person, that is.” She let out a loud, frustrated sigh and rested her head on the edge of the table with a loud thunk. “I think I need to go to bed.”
Hana and Marten laughed, but Lia gave me a dirty look. “I agree,” Lia said. “After sleeping in the wagon for two weeks, I’m sure we’ll all sleep well tonight.”
Marin stood up quickly and gave everybody a quick nod—apart from me, who she glared at through squinted eyes. “Goodnight, everyone,” she said, taking her wine with her as she hurried out of the room towards the stairs.
“I suppose we should get some sleep as well,” Marten chuckled. “We’re not on the run anymore, but we’ll still be plenty busy.” He and Hana stood up from the table, each planting a kiss on the top of Lia’s head as they made their way upstairs after Marin.
I reached across the table, grabbed the open bottle of wine from Marten’s spot, and poured myself another serving. The glass of wine I had finished coupled with the multiple mugs of ale from our extended lunch combined into a warm, comfortable buzz, and I rocked my chair gently back and forth on two legs. “What about you? Are you ready to get some sleep?”
“I’ve been ready from the first moment I saw one of those beds,” she laughed. “There’s nothing like a few weeks on the road to make you appreciate just how comfortable a bed can be.” She reached out and stole the wine bottle, pouring herself another full glass.
“Easy, now,” I warned her. “We have plenty of work to do in the morning.”
She huffed and waved me off. “I’m fine, I’m fine,” she said, spilling a few drops of red onto the floor as she sipped from the overfull glass.
I shook my head, grinning, but held any further comments to myself. Scooting my chair closer to hers, I took her free hand in mine and took another drink of wine. The sunlight had long since faded from the windows and left the room dark apart from a single flickering lamp on the opposite wall, which seemed to grow dimmer by the minute.
“Lux?” Lia asked, breaking our long, comfortable silence. “Do you think Elise is attractive?”
“Sure,” I answered honestly. “She’s not really my type, but I can’t deny that she’s a beautiful woman, either.”
“Not your type?” she asked, cocking her head to one side.
I shook my head and took another sip of wine. “Nah. She’s a bit too...forward, for my taste.”
“I’m not sure what you mean,” she giggled. “So...what is your type?”
“You are.”
“Well, yeah, but...what specifically?”
I arched an eyebrow at her. “Would you like a detailed list of features in order of their appeal? Maybe a poem illustrating your undying beauty and charm?”
She blushed and turned her face away. “Okay, alright, I get it.”
I stood and walked behind her chair, leaning heavily on its high back for support as my head spun. “I love everything about you, Lia. I never want you to worry that anything, or anyone, will change that.” I leaned down and hugged her, resting my forehead on the top of her head. “You’re the most important thing in the world to me, and you always will be. I promise.”
“Thank you,” she said softly, squeezing my arms. “You know I feel the same way about you, right? I know it’s silly to be
