The Reckless Oath We Made - Bryn Greenwood Page 0,156
looked at me. My hair, my mouth, our hands together on the table.
“Lady Zhorzha,” he said. “This be how a tower is built. Lay first the foundation stone. Then upon it, lay the next stone. Up and up, one stone, then another, til thou hast built a tower to keep thee and thine safe.”
He meant for our hands to be like the tower’s stones, and my right hand was the only one not on the pile. I laid it on top, so that all our hands were stacked together.
“It’s not a very tall tower,” I said.
“This tower shall keep out a foe that is broad but not high.”
I laughed, because I felt like I was in danger of more crying, which wouldn’t make either of us feel better. I squeezed his hand between mine and he squeezed back.
“What’s going to happen?” I said. “When you get out, what will you do?”
“When first I came to this place, I thought to give myself over to quiet things. To prayer. To art.”
“Are you an artist?”
He smiled and shook his head.
“Nay. Master Marcus hath more skill than I. Nor am I restful in such labors, for I miss the grip of a sword. And I am ill-suited to be a priest, for I long to spend another night in my pavilion with thee.” For the first time ever, his hand felt sweaty between mine.
“But what can I do for you now?” I said.
I knew in another minute, Gentry would have to let go of my hand. Too much. Until then, I curled my fingers around his.
“Wilt thou come again?” he said. “Come again and lay thine hands upon the table, that thy champion may look upon thee and be content.”
CHAPTER 62
Charlene
I swore I wasn’t going to be ashamed. Not of what Gentry had done, and not that he’d been in prison. I invited everyone I could think of to his welcome-home party. Everyone at church, all the neighbors, everyone I knew through the foster system.
Well, I didn’t invite everyone. I didn’t invite Gentry’s biological family, and I didn’t invite Zhorzha. I assumed Gentry would invite her, but I hoped she would have the decency to stay away.
Because it had been so long since we managed to have family photos, I hired a photographer my sister, Bernice, had recommended. After the photographer arrived, I sent Trang to round everyone up for pictures. When I went into the family room, there was Zhorzha, coming in from the backyard with Gentry.
I must have stopped in my tracks a little too quickly, because Bernice said, “Oh, she did come,” like it was a good thing. “And she dressed up for him.”
“In a dress that’s six inches too short,” I said.
“It’s hard for us tall girls to find things that fit,” Janae said.
“I’d like to douse her hair with a gallon of coconut oil.” Why had no one taught that girl about leave-in conditioner?
“Aw, but look,” Bernice said.
I looked. Zhorzha and Gentry had gone to stand at the kitchen bar, not any closer than casual acquaintances would have, but Zhorzha had her hand on the counter with Gentry’s on top of it. While I watched, Zhorzha laid her other hand on his, and he added his other to the pile. Then she pulled her hand out from the bottom and put it on the top. They laughed, the first time I’d heard Gentry laugh in a long while.
“He sounds happy,” Bernice said.
“Why can’t you two let me be aggrieved in peace?” I said.
“Because it’s not who you are,” Janae said.
“Oh, it’s who I am, make no mistake.”
“Nothing good’s going to come from holding on to that anger,” Bernice said.
“Do you blame me?”
“Don’t play yourself. After all the things you’ve done for me, how can you—”
“Now wait. The Lord knows I love you, but I have never done anything like that, and I never would. Not even for you,” I said.
“Okay, everybody,” the photographer said and clapped his hands. “Let’s put the sisters on the love seat here. Then spouses behind and kids around.”
Bernice tugged on my hand to lead me to the love seat. We did what we always did, smiled at each other to check for food in our teeth. Then she leaned in close and said, “What about the time you drove down to Tulsa to put the fear of God into Prester?”
“That was different,” I said. “He’d hit you. And I didn’t get anyone else hurt.”