“Papa! Be careful.”
He righted himself quickly. “I think I shall head to bed and look at the stones tomorrow.”
“An excellent idea,” Amber returned.
“And you will go back to Lady Dunnamore’s with Lord Byrn.” He waggled his eyebrows. “Stab him if he is not the gentleman I think he is.”
“Papa!” Amber cried, her cheeks coloring. “A fine father you are, leaving me alone and telling me to defend my own honor.”
Mr. Gold’s expression tightened. “Do I need to stay?”
She sighed and shook her head. “No, Papa. Lord Byrn is a perfect gentleman.”
That was decidedly untrue, but Elliott knew better than to say a word. Instead, he gave the man his most respectful bow. “I will take care of her, Mr. Gohar. Have no fear.”
Her father nodded. “And if you don’t, the Wolf Pack sits right there.” He pointed to the back door and the stairs that led up to the den.
He was talking about the bouncers who would come running in mass if Amber raised her voice in any way. “I believe you are protected better than most princesses,” he said dryly.
She shrugged, and Mr. Gold grinned. “You understand us.” Then with a broad wave, he opened that very same back door only to stop short at the sight of a small boy with dark curly hair asleep on the floor. His head was lolling against the thick leg of a very large-fisted man seated there. And though one of his hands had gone lax over a piece of foolscap, the other still clutched a thin piece of charcoal.
“The new apprentice?” Amber asked, her voice dry.
Her father grunted as he gingerly tugged the foolscap out of the boy’s hand to study the image there. A soldier and his horse, neither one very good, but both with a bold stroke that spoke of spirit if not skill.
“He thinks the ladies will wear brooches of soldiers,” Mr. Gold said as he showed the drawing to Amber.
“His heart is with the horse.”
“Isn’t every boy’s? Especially when they grow up in the rookeries with nothing to see but dirty stone, rotting wood, and rats.”
Amber pulled the foolscap from her father’s hand, her eyes narrowing as she studied it. She was silent a long time before she handed it back. “He is better than I was at that age.”
“With the horse, yes.”
“And the soldier.”
“But not the birds. You always looked to the sky.” Her father pressed another kiss to Amber’s forehead. “You, daughter, will fly far. This one, however, will stay on the land, I think. He is good with dogs, too.”
“What’s his name?”
“Joseph.”
Amber stepped forward and then gently shook the child awake. Elliott watched her closely to see if she would be mean to the boy who would likely take her place in the family business. He shouldn’t have worried. Her touch was gentle, her voice soft.
“Joseph. Wake up, Joseph.”
The boy opened his eyes with the sudden alertness of a child who had seen too much danger. He jerked away from Amber, and his eyes darted about, but he never let go of the charcoal.
“Hello, Joseph,” Amber said quietly. “Do you know who I am?”
The boy nodded but didn’t speak.
“It is late, young man. You should be in bed.”
The child knuckled his eyes, leaving a dark charcoal smear across his face. “I was waiting.”
“For me?” Mr. Gold asked. “Did you want something?”
The boy shook his head, and that was all the answer he needed to say. Everyone could see he just wanted to be with safe people and keep an eye on the man who was providing for him.
Joseph scrambled to his feet. “I can help you go upstairs now. If you need it.”
“I do need it,” Mr. Gold said. It was a lie. The man had certainly made merry with his drink, but he would have made it to the top floor without incident. “I thank you, young Joseph. Come, let us get your face cleaned before sleep.” Mr. Gold used his thumb to try and wipe away the charcoal smear.
Joseph wrinkled his nose and ducked his head away, but he allowed Mr. Gold to clean him a little. And the whole time, he watched Amber with a steady gaze. “Have you come to take your bed back?”
“No, Joseph. You may sleep there with no fear. I will never take your place away.”
The relief was apparent in the child’s entire body. He tried to cover it, but his shoulders eased down, he stood taller beside Mr. Gold, and eventually, his lips curved into a shy smile. “One day, I will carve you a big soldier with a large hat and a sharp sword. He will be the most handsome soldier you have ever seen.”
“I would rather see a horse from you. Or maybe a dog.”
A grin filled his whole face. “I will make both.”
“I believe you will.” Then she smiled. “Go on now. Get Papa to bed.”
So, it was done. Both boy and father climbed the stairs, leaving behind the large man in the chair smiling at her with a toothy grin.
“How are you doing, Philostrate?” Amber asked when her father and Joseph were out of sight.
The man made a happy gurgling sound as his grin widened.
“I’m so glad.” Then she squeezed the man’s massive arm. “I won’t be much longer.” She glanced at Elliott. “He always waits there when I work late.”
Elliott gave the man a brief nod. “Sir.”
“He doesn’t speak. We don’t know why, but he never has. And he is the best guardian a princess could ever want.”
Philostrate gave her a fond smile, waited for her and Elliott to step back into the jewelry shop, then he shut the door to give her the illusion of privacy, but not before giving Elliott a long threatening glare. For a girl deemed not respectable by most of society, she certainly had a great many protectors.
And so they were alone. Or at least somewhat private.
“That was kind of you,” he said. “Letting Joseph feel safe here.”
“Really?” Amber asked. “I only told him the truth. He will always have a place here now that Papa has adopted him.”
“And what of your place?” he pressed. “Don’t you feel cast aside?”
He knew she did. He could see it on her face and in the way she had looked at the boy’s drawings. But in this, she surprised him. She exhaled a long, unhappy sigh.
“I had not expected to become grown in the space of two days. For years I have pushed my father to let me have more freedom. Always he has said no. And then you appear, and suddenly I am free to do as I choose, to marry where I will.”
That wasn’t exactly true. She wasn’t fully free. She was under his protection. She had no money of her own, and no real independence could be had without it. And yet, she’d spent much of her life in a gray cage. What she had now must feel like stepping out unfettered into the world.
“So, why do you seem so sad?”
She looked at him and shrugged. Then she echoed his own words back to him. “It is only new. And new is often frightening.”
“You will always be safe with me.” He meant it. No matter where she went or who she married, he would always keep an eye out for her happiness. “May I see what you’ve made?” he asked as he gestured to her wax carving.