it isn’t this new seam of opal, no matter how much fire it might contain.” She smirked slightly. “He likes you.”
He liked the little cat who’d come to visit him, Theo knew that much. “I don’t know…”
“I do.” Amelia helped herself to one of the small lavender cakes on the three-tiered serving stand. “Do you like him?”
“I…that is…it doesn’t matter what I think of him. We’re not equals.”
“Why not? He’s no longer king. The only reason anyone still calls him your lordship or sire is out of respect.”
Theo shook her head. “But he was king. And I’m common-born.” Though, so was he. He’d told her as much. The difference was she hadn’t risen above that. And never would.
“Theodora, how do you feel about him?”
She took a breath, unsure why she felt compelled to answer this woman she didn’t even know, except that she didn’t want to cause trouble for Robin. “I like him more than I thought I would. He’s surprisingly kind and generous and funny. He’s also a little…”
Theo struggled to find a word that didn’t paint Robin in a bad light.
After a moment, Amelia filled in the silence. “Sad?”
Theo nodded. She’d been reluctant to say it. “I think because of that, I feel for him. And I definitely didn’t expect that. I came here mad. Angry that I had to spend my next year here, angry at my father, angry at Robin. Just angry about all of it.”
“You don’t seem so angry now.”
“I’m mostly resigned to it, I think. But it’s so different than what I thought it was going to be.” She looked out the window toward the garden. “I’m not happy to be spending so much time away from my father, but that can’t be helped.”
“What would your father want you to do in this situation?”
Theo thought on that for a few long, introspective moments. “He’d want me to make the best of it.”
“Did he give you any advice before you came here?”
“Not really. He just told me to be safe and not to worry about him. And to try to have some fun.”
“But you can’t turn off your worry that easily, can you?”
“No.” Mrs. Oakhill, their next-door neighbor, had promised to look in on Theo’s father every so often, but Mrs. Oakhill was getting up there herself. It was a help, but not enough to ease Theo’s worry. Not when her father’s track record of taking care of himself was sketchy at best.
“Then you’ll have to do your best to follow the other guidelines he gave you. Be safe. Have some fun. Two out of three isn’t bad.”
Theo squinted at the woman. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying Robin needs someone to spend time with. Someone who cares about him. I think that person could be you. Even if you have to dig deep to find that care. I’m not saying lie to him. Just try to understand his position.” Amelia shook her head. “This life wasn’t his making.”
“You believe that Vesta did all this to him? That he’s innocent of the crimes she’s accused him of?”
Amelia nodded. “Absolutely. When I first met him, the taint of fairy magic on him was undeniable. Still is. It surrounds him and this place. And the more I’ve gotten to know Robin, the more I understand what a good man he is. What Vesta did to him, not just taking his throne, but the way she’s limited his movements here, only further proves that she’s the monster. Not Robin.”
Did Amelia have any reason to lie for Robin? Theo didn’t think so. But they were clearly friends. Still, Theo was glad to have someone else confirm what she’d already been thinking. “I want to help him. I really do. My mother liked him very much. At least, she liked her job in the palace very much. And I don’t think she would have felt that way if he’d been the monster Vesta makes him out to be.”
Amelia nodded. “That’s an astute observation.”
“So how do I help him?”
Amelia smiled. “You already are helping by spending time with him. But I also think your party idea deserves more of his attention. Don’t let go of that.”
“I won’t. Anything else?”
Amelia put her hands on the couch as if she was about to get up. “I know his movement is restricted, but he needs to get out of this house. Going to the mines doesn’t count. Maybe you can get him to go out for a walk? There has to be some room for