Page 45 of The Withering Dawn
“I have no idea,” I sighed. “But if any of us go to his house, he’ll either recognize us or we’ll kill him in front of too many eyes and get ourselves in trouble.”
“Aye. That’s the truth. Aleksi is in the brothel. I’ll go give him the news.”
“Meet on the beach before sundown.”
He nodded and we parted ways, impatient and eager. Looking down, I noticed little Georgie had disappeared from my side, but he had his bread and he had his honey. A part of me did want to track him down and take him with me, but my life, even without Antonio infecting my thoughts, wasn’t for a small boy. Perhaps he was better off on the streets of Dornwich. He knew them well. He was smart.
And I couldn’t save everyone.
My thoughts wandered back to Aeris. She wasn’t an orphaned boy, but the way I wanted to save her was similar. I saw myself in every sad little thing that needed rescuing, and it was my curse. But Aeris was different. She didn’t have that same vengeful poison festering inside her, corrupting her softness. She didn’t have the same furious, violent urges, despite what she was.
Unless it had to do with protecting me.
The thought made my lips twitch, threatening a smile. And as if the thought of her commanded my gaze, I caught sight of a dress store across the street. I could see her in that oversized rag I’d found deep in storage on my ship. It was musty and old and hung on her like a sack. She deserved better.
I headed toward the apparel shop, eyeing the few dresses displayed in the window. They were far too bland for Aeris. Her vivid red hair and astonishing green eyes needed something that brought out her colors.
Entering the shop, I could smell strong rose oil in the air and took a deep breath of the sweet aroma. Quickly, a busty woman with orange curls piled on her head greeted me.
“Not my usual customer,” she said, putting her fists on her wide hips and looking me up and down.
I took off my tricorn and politely inclined my head. “No, I’m not here for me. I’m here for a friend. A good friend.”
“Oh, my.” She placed a hand on her chest. “With that accent, I can’t imagine this ‘friend’ is just a friend. At least she doesn’t want to be,” she giggled.
I gave her a charming smile and a wink and took another scan of the shop and all the dresses displayed on wooden mannequins.
“What size is your friend, then?”
“Very small,” I said, running my fingers over the sleeves of a blue dress with lace trim.
“Small, eh? And what’s her color, then?”
“Fair skin. Green eyes. Red hair.”
“Goodness, she sounds like a doll.” She strolled to the back of the shop, stepping onto a little stool to skim over some boxes stacked on her redwood shelf. “Petite, you said? Let me see.”
Continuing my search for a dress that suited Aeris, I found myself not being drawn to a single one. Then again, I didn’t know women. Not really. I knew working women and the occasional shop owner.
“She outgoing, this friend of yours?”
“Shy,” I said.
“Shy,” she muttered to herself, finally pulling a box from the shelf and stepping off her little stepstool.
She walked the box to a wooden table in the middle of the room and lifted the lid off of it. Inside was a folded, moss-green garment with a square neckline trimmed in small, green beads and braids of fabric.
“Now, this one is special. Might cost you more than a handsome smile.”
I reached in and pulled the dress out by the shoulders, revealing the garment in its entirety. It was indeed small with half sleeves and a sash around the waist made of fine silk. I could already imagine Aeris wearing something so fine. Something for her and not something discarded by someone else.
“I’ll take it,” I said.
“Right then. That’ll be…”
She trailed off as I pulled a handful of coins from my coat pocket and slid them across the table.
“Oh. That’s more than…”
