and I laid him on his stomach. He took up most of the bed, and I knew I’d need to sleep on the rug tonight.
“A nurse will come check on you in the morning,” Maxon explained. “You can have a few days of rest, and you should stay in here as much as you can during that time. In three or four days, I’ll have you put on the official work orders, and someone from the kitchen will give you something to do. I don’t know what your exact jobs will be, but just do your best at whatever you’re asked.
“I’ll check on you as often as I can. For now, no one will know you’re here. Not the guards, not the Elite, not even your families. You will interact with a small group of people on the palace staff, and the chances of them recognizing you are slim. Still, from now on your names are Mallory and Carson. This is the only way I can protect you.”
I looked up at him, thinking that if I could hand choose a husband for my best friend, it’d be him.
“You’ve done so much for us. Thank you.”
“I wish it was more. I am going to try to get some of your personal items if I can. Beyond that, is there anything I can give you? If it’s within reason, I promise I’ll try.”
“One thing,” Carter said tiredly. “When you get a chance, can you find us a preacher?”
It took a second for me to understand the intention behind that request, and the moment I did, my eyes filled with happy tears.
“Sorry,” he added. “I know that’s not the most romantic proposal.”
“Yes, all the same,” I murmured.
I watched his eyes get wet, and I temporarily forgot Maxon was even in the room until he spoke up.
“It’d be my pleasure. I’m not sure how long that will take, but I’ll make it happen.” He pulled the medicines from upstairs out of his pocket, setting them beside the food. “Use the salve again tonight, and rest as much as you can. The nurse will see to anything else tomorrow.”
I nodded. “I’ll take care of us.”
Maxon backed out of the room, smiling as he went.
“Do you want some food, fiancé?” I asked.
Carter grinned. “Oh, thank you, fiancée, but I’m actually kind of tired.”
“All right, fiancé. Why don’t you sleep for a bit?”
“I’d sleep better if my fiancée was with me.”
And then, forgetting I’d been hungry at all, I wiggled my way onto the tiny bed, half hanging off the edge and half squashed beneath Carter. It was shocking how easily I found sleep.
PART II
I FLEXED MY HANDS OVER and over. They had finally healed, but sometimes when I had a long day, my palms swelled and throbbed. Even my little ring was pulled too tight tonight. I could see where it was fraying on one side and made a mental note to ask Carter for a new one tomorrow. I’d lost count of how many twine bands we’d gone through, but it meant a lot to me to have that symbol on my hand.
Picking up the scraper again, I scooped the loose flour off the table and into the trash. A few other members of the kitchen staff were scrubbing floors or putting away ingredients. Everything for breakfast was prepped, and soon we could sleep.
I inhaled sharply as a set of hands wrapped around my waist. “Hello, wife,” Carter said, kissing my cheek. “Are you still working?” He smelled like his job: cut grass and sunshine. I had been sure he would be stuck in the stables—somewhere he would be hidden away from the eyes of the king—just as I’d been buried in the kitchen. Instead, he was walking around with dozens of other groundskeepers, hiding in plain sight. He came in at night with the outdoors hanging on him, and for a moment, it was like I’d been outside, too.
I sighed. “I’m almost done. After I tidy up here I’ll come to bed.”
He nuzzled his nose into my neck. “Don’t overdo it. I could rub your hands if you want.”
“That’d be perfect,” I crooned. I still loved my end-of-the-day hand massages—maybe more so now that they were given to me by Carter—but if my day ended well after bedtime, it was a luxury I typically went without.
Sometimes my thoughts got stuck on memories of my days as a lady. How nice it had been to be adored; how proud my family was; how beautiful I