what extra I could, to try to keep the collectors from our door. That’s what I do now. I work at a bakery in the morning, then go to a cleaning job.”
He didn’t say anything for a moment. “Losing your mother changed everything, didn’t it?”
A moment of anger welled up in her, but Caralynne’s death had been no one’s fault. Her illness could have happened to anyone. Theo exhaled the bad feelings as best she could. “It did.”
She was ready for a new subject. She looked at the basket he carried and thought about the fresh biscuits and jam inside. Her stomach grumbled softly, but she swallowed down her hunger. “Those biscuits won’t stay warm much longer, even with those towels covering them.”
He smiled, which made him terribly handsome. “Mrs. Applestock puts a warming pad in the bottom. They’ll be plenty hot. But you’re right, we should get in there.”
She didn’t blame him for not offering her one. It wasn’t his job to feed the servants. No doubt he assumed that had already been taken care of. If he thought of it at all.
He tipped his head toward the entrance as he put his hard hat on. “Let’s go, then.”
She followed alongside, astonished to find that, other than feeling like she was starving, she was actually enjoying her time with him. If this was a sample of her coming year, it wasn’t going to be bad at all. She liked being outside, liked seeing new things, and, much to her personal disappointment, liked spending time with the exiled king.
For a traitor, he didn’t seem like such a bad guy. It was no surprise he claimed Queen Vesta was the villain. She’d made it plain on numerous occasions that she expected and anticipated a smear campaign from King Robin. She’d said he would paint her as the evil fairy queen out to destroy him.
She’d been right, too, although it hadn’t happened on the large scale she’d predicted. Just in person. Which wasn’t much of a smear campaign, as those things went.
But Theo could wonder about all that later. Right now, they were walking through the mine’s entrance, and there were a lot more interesting things to concentrate on.
A short, squat man who looked like he could lift a mountain came toward them. He was covered in blue-gray dust and decked out in the same kind of outfit Robin had on. A jumpsuit, boots, and a hard hat.
He grinned broadly, his teeth gleaming white against the grime darkening his face. “Your Lordship.”
“Grent. Good to see you, old man.” The exiled king stuck his hand out like a commoner. But then, that’s all he was now.
The man, a holler troll judging by his low brow and square jaw, shook Robin’s hand like they were old friends. Or at least well-acquainted ones. Grent looked at the basket. “I smell biscuits and blackberry jam. The workers will be happy about that. Give Mrs. Applestock our thanks.”
“I will.”
“Spriggs.” Grent called another worker over, also a troll. “His Lordship has brought us biscuits.”
Spriggs grinned. “Thank you, Sire.” He took the basket with a nod and a bow to King Robin.
As he left, the exiled monarch gestured toward Theodora. “Grent, this is Theodora Middlebright. She’s come to work at Gallow House for a year.”
Grent stuck his hand out. “Pleasure to meet you, Miss Middlebright. I’m Grent Hawthorne. I’m the second-shift manager here at Dragonfly.”
How odd that he’d want to shake the hand of a servant. She did it anyway. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Hawthorne.”
He laughed. “Call me Grent.” He had arms like pillars and hands that could have cracked bones. “Well, shall we start the day’s inspection?”
His Lordship nodded. “Lead on.”
Was she supposed to follow? She wasn’t sure. She wanted to go. Seeing a working mine would be amazing. But she’d been brought only to carry biscuits. And she’d barely done that. She stood there, torn with indecision, as the two men began walking away.
King Robin glanced back and stopped when he saw she wasn’t moving. He motioned for her, giving her a quick smile and a wink.
A wink. She nearly fell over. His behavior was patently unkinglike. But she went after them, catching up in a few steps.
They stopped at an entrance checkpoint where Grent signed off on a clipboard, then handed Theo a hard hat. “Regulations.”
“I understand.” She took it and stared at the inside, not sure which was the front and which was the back.
King Robin took the hat from her, turned it around,