started toward the path through the gardens. “He often sends it early. It’s annoying, as there are only so many carriages that can fit out the front of the University and they always get jammed. What do you want to do tonight? I thought we might put our hair up.”
Lilia tried not to wince. Her mother had done fancy things to her hair when she was a child, and she’d hated the tugging and pinching, and how the clips made her scalp itch. Naki looked at Lilia and frowned.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Lilia read disbelief on the other girl’s face. “My mother used to do it to me for special occasions. There was always a hair pulling or a pin sticking into me.”
“Don’t worry. I promise there will be not one pulled hair. It’ll be fun.”
“I’ll hold you to that.”
Naki laughed – a throaty, deep laugh that made heads turn. They chatted more as they walked through the gardens. When they rounded the end of the University they found a mass of carriages waiting. Naki took Lilia’s arm and guided her through them. She stopped at one and the driver leapt down to open the door for them.
The jam of carriages outside delayed them for some time, but Lilia barely noticed. She was too busy enjoying talking to Naki. They started by swapping amusing stories of encounters between servants and their masters, then an anecdote about a servant Naki had grown up with made her pause and look at Lilia thoughtfully.
“You know, you remind me a lot of her. I wish you could have met each other.”
“She doesn’t work for you any more?”
“No.” Naki’s face darkened. “Father sent her away.”
He seems to be the bad guy in all her stories
, Lilia mused.
“You don’t like him, do you?” she asked cautiously, not sure how Naki would react to a personal and perhaps sensitive question.
Naki’s face changed dramatically. Suddenly her gaze was darker and her face taut. “Not much. And he hates me.” She sighed, then shook herself as if trying to throw off something bad. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to say anything, in case it made you afraid to meet him.”
“I’m not that easily scared,” Lilia assured her.
“He’ll be perfectly polite to you. After all, you’re a member of the Guild. He has to treat you as an equal. Well, as a novice anyway. He might turn all teacherly, though.”
“I can handle that.”
“And we don’t have to tell him you’re from a servant family for now,” Naki said anxiously. “He’s a bit … like that.”
“That’s fine. What matters is that
you’re
not like that. I appreciate it.”
Naki smiled. “And what I like about
you
is that you don’t hate us, like the other … you know … do.”
Lilia shrugged. “My family works for a nice, decent family. It’s hard to agree with people who say—”
“Look! We’re here.”
Naki waved eagerly at the carriage window. Lilia peered out, looking where her friend pointed. They stopped outside a huge building. She’d known that Naki was from a rich and powerful House, but it hadn’t quite sunk in until this moment. Nerves and excitement warred within her. She tried to quell them.
“Don’t worry,” Naki said, somehow picking up on Lilia’s trepidation. “Relax and leave everything to me.”
The next hour passed in a blur. Naki led her into the house. First she introduced Lilia to her father, Lord Leiden, who welcomed her in a distant and distracted way. Then they went upstairs to a spacious collection of rooms that were all Naki’s. Aside from the main bedroom, there was a room filled with clothing and shoes, and another with its own bath. Naki fulfilled her promise to put Lilia’s hair up, combing through a special cream first, then using smooth silver pins that she somehow arranged so they didn’t pull or irritate Lilia’s scalp. Then they hurried downstairs for dinner.
Naki’s father was at the table. Looking down at all the different types of cutlery, Lilia had a moment of panic. A messenger
Lilia tried not to wince. Her mother had done fancy things to her hair when she was a child, and she’d hated the tugging and pinching, and how the clips made her scalp itch. Naki looked at Lilia and frowned.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Lilia read disbelief on the other girl’s face. “My mother used to do it to me for special occasions. There was always a hair pulling or a pin sticking into me.”
“Don’t worry. I promise there will be not one pulled hair. It’ll be fun.”
“I’ll hold you to that.”
Naki laughed – a throaty, deep laugh that made heads turn. They chatted more as they walked through the gardens. When they rounded the end of the University they found a mass of carriages waiting. Naki took Lilia’s arm and guided her through them. She stopped at one and the driver leapt down to open the door for them.
The jam of carriages outside delayed them for some time, but Lilia barely noticed. She was too busy enjoying talking to Naki. They started by swapping amusing stories of encounters between servants and their masters, then an anecdote about a servant Naki had grown up with made her pause and look at Lilia thoughtfully.
“You know, you remind me a lot of her. I wish you could have met each other.”
“She doesn’t work for you any more?”
“No.” Naki’s face darkened. “Father sent her away.”
He seems to be the bad guy in all her stories
, Lilia mused.
“You don’t like him, do you?” she asked cautiously, not sure how Naki would react to a personal and perhaps sensitive question.
Naki’s face changed dramatically. Suddenly her gaze was darker and her face taut. “Not much. And he hates me.” She sighed, then shook herself as if trying to throw off something bad. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to say anything, in case it made you afraid to meet him.”
“I’m not that easily scared,” Lilia assured her.
“He’ll be perfectly polite to you. After all, you’re a member of the Guild. He has to treat you as an equal. Well, as a novice anyway. He might turn all teacherly, though.”
“I can handle that.”
“And we don’t have to tell him you’re from a servant family for now,” Naki said anxiously. “He’s a bit … like that.”
“That’s fine. What matters is that
you’re
not like that. I appreciate it.”
Naki smiled. “And what I like about
you
is that you don’t hate us, like the other … you know … do.”
Lilia shrugged. “My family works for a nice, decent family. It’s hard to agree with people who say—”
“Look! We’re here.”
Naki waved eagerly at the carriage window. Lilia peered out, looking where her friend pointed. They stopped outside a huge building. She’d known that Naki was from a rich and powerful House, but it hadn’t quite sunk in until this moment. Nerves and excitement warred within her. She tried to quell them.
“Don’t worry,” Naki said, somehow picking up on Lilia’s trepidation. “Relax and leave everything to me.”
The next hour passed in a blur. Naki led her into the house. First she introduced Lilia to her father, Lord Leiden, who welcomed her in a distant and distracted way. Then they went upstairs to a spacious collection of rooms that were all Naki’s. Aside from the main bedroom, there was a room filled with clothing and shoes, and another with its own bath. Naki fulfilled her promise to put Lilia’s hair up, combing through a special cream first, then using smooth silver pins that she somehow arranged so they didn’t pull or irritate Lilia’s scalp. Then they hurried downstairs for dinner.
Naki’s father was at the table. Looking down at all the different types of cutlery, Lilia had a moment of panic. A messenger
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