After the day ended, each one of us girls held a freshly-brought and wrapped package tightly.

Beth, as expected, bought a hat, an umbrella, and an expensive pearlescent brooch Clo said was impractical but she argued "might come into use one day". Clo, on the other hand, only bought practical things like stockings, which she was running low on, and a bit more rouge. Rhiannon got her ink, and I got ribbons.

"I mean, you've got such long and pretty dark hair," Beth was saying, tugging at her short brown hair, "you really should put it in something other than those braids of yours. I know—what about curling them?"

"If you like long hair, why don't you have long hair?" Rhiannon asked her. Throughout the day, she had started talking more to us. When we stopped to eat a quick lunch in a small cafe, she had even managed a conversation with us and not gotten into any arguments with Clo.

"I used to," Beth said nostalgically, "and I would braid it, put it in pigtails, and curl it, but then I went for a change."

We continued to walk through the streets, the stalls closing down and people also finishing their business and leaving stores when we saw a bookstore. It was a small one, with a humble storefront that had nothing but a wooden sign, and it didn't even set up a booth—no wonder we passed by it before. I suddenly remembered that Clo and Rhiannon might want to visit a bookstore, so I turned to them.

"It's a bookstore! We still have some time before supper-time, do you want go inside?"

"Oh," Clo's face lighted up. "I almost forgot. Jesse and Izzy will like some books."

"I would like some books, too," Rhiannon added. With their approval, I opened the door to the bookstore and a bell on top of the door chimed.

"Welcome." A middle-aged woman sat at the front. She peered at us over her spectacles. I waited for her reaction, but she simply resumed reading. In a way, her nonchalant attitude reminded me of Master Valentin. I smiled at idea when I heard another bell ring.

"Meow—"

I looked at my feet to see a beautiful grey cat loop around my legs, then caress my boots with its head.

"Oh, look at the cat!" Beth tugged at my arm and pointed at it, as though I hadn't noticed. I laughed.

"You're so excited."

"I've never been this close to a cat!"

"Really?" I folded my skirt behind me as I knelt down, then the cat sat down too and began to nuzzle it's head against my hand whilst purring.

"It loves you!" Beth said. Clo and Rhiannon had disappeared, so it was only me and Beth there, off to the aisle, playing with a cat in the store. It was dark and smelled like papers and ink, but not unpleasant. In fact, it was a nice change from the loud and busy day.

"You think?" I laughed. "I hope it does. It's an adorable cat. Do you want to try petting it?"

"I'm afraid I'll be allergic." She pouted a bit. "I don't know why, I sneeze and get rashes at everything. I don't even know what I'm allergic to sometimes."

"Oh, no wonder why said you haven't seen a cat this close."

I looked up at Beth, who was still standing, but looked down at me and the cat with her beaming face.

"Today was fun, wasn't it?" she asked.

"It was." I continued to pet the cat, enjoying the feeling of its short fur against my skin until I remembered something. I looked around and made sure that Clo and Rhiannon were not in sight before I stood up and faced Beth.

"What's wrong, Shuyan?"

"Beth," I took a deep breath, "I apologize if this is a strange question, but do you remember the first day we worked—the day you woke up late and we didn't get breakfast?"

She tilted her head to one side. "Of course, why?"

"On that day I—well, took my time cleaning the rooms, do you remember?"

"Yes?"

I struggled to phrase my question before it finally left my lips.

"That day you whispered to me that you were sure I had my reasons—what did you mean by that?"

Slowly her neck straightened, and she looked at me quietly with her big eyes.

"Reasons? I didn't mean anything, though." I sighed. She laughed. "Why do you look so tense, Shuyan? Is that all?"

I laughed too, although it was forced and awkward. "Yes, I'm sorry for worrying you. I must've been thinking too much."

I bent down to pet the cat again, my shoulders feeling much lighter.

It seemed like Beth hadn't been approached by her masters, Augustin and Valentin, yet. Besides, they were children, and adopted ones too. I'm sure they weren't as much of a threat to Mister Silas as Master Tobias and Master Eugene was. Then Clo, with her children, surely were no issue.

I didn't have to be on guard with them. With Rhiannon, we would simply leave our work affairs and outside affairs separate. Everything sounded fine. I could stay in the house of Beardsley while being friends with them.

"I've found a nice book." Clo appeared from a corner with a book. "Look, an illustrated treasury of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales."

Me and Beth walked over and looked at her flipping through the pages. They were beautiful: there were floral borders and dancing little girls as well as the more heart-wrenching crying mermaids and plump-faced children huddled together.

"They are just the type of tales they would love." Clo's eyes were dreamy as she whispered it. "I have never found such a perfect book."

"Then that's wonderful!" Beth said.

"But the price is a bit steep."

Clo closed the book and ran a finger across leather-bound cover with an illustrated plate embossed in it. She smiled a pained smile.

"Maybe I'll return next time and buy it. I'll bring enough next time."

"What if they don't have it next time?" Rhiannon was suddenly there too, in her arms two small books, like the ones she always read. "How much are you short?"

"I'm not short on money," Clo said, "it's just I would prefer to keep some in my purse just in case of something."

"Yes, so how much more do you need?" Rhiannon said dismissively. Beth and I gave each other a quick glance.

"I'm not taking any of your money," Clo stated.

"And I'm not giving you any money," Rhiannon said. "You can pay me back in the future, but there's no guarantee the book will be there." There was silence. Clo only looked at the book longingly.

"I'm not doing it for you." Before we knew it, Rhiannon pressed a few coins into her hands and walked to the woman at the front before we could say anything.

"I'd like these books, please," she said, setting the books on the table.

The old lady placed them in a paper-bag and then handed it to Rhiannon. Clo, by that time, had decided to suck up her pride and forgo her long-lasting rivalry with Rhiannon, also placing the book on the table.

"I would like this." She counted the pounds and then placed them down. The woman picked it up and started counting.

"Five, ten, twelve—here." She placed some coins down. "It's twelve, not twenty. Must've been placed in the wrong section—my eyes are getting old."

Clo looked at her in awe.

The cat meowed.

***

"...and that's what happened!"

After she finished recounting the story to everyone at dinner, Beth was laughing and Rhiannon and Clo were both eating in silence, embarrassed.

"I swear to the Lord that old lady did it on purpose," Clo fumed. "There was a whole selection of similar books in that section!"

"Yes, that was kind of her," I said. "I suppose there are nice people out there too."

"Glad to hear the day was fun for you girls," Holden said. "Although it might've started out poorly."

"Oh, don't worry, Phillip here got me very used to it." Clo smiled a passive aggressive smile in a certain person's direction. He didn't turn around.

"But thank God I bought an umbrella. It began raining right after we left the bookstore," Beth continued. "Isn't it funny?"

"What's funny is how you can keep talking after all of that," Clo said. "You've been talking nonstop all day."

Beth only laughed in response.

"After dinner, let's play cards," Beth said. Otis nodded.

"I'll teach you girls some real games—gambling games!"

"Don't teach them such things," Rudy said in disapproval. He was like a father. Mister Kupka nodded in approval.

"What'll the masters think of this, servants gambling in this noble house!"

"Then let's play without gambling," Clo proposed.

"I won't, I have my own things to do," came Rhiannon's familiar reply, but it was less cold now.

I smiled, and Clo shrugged. Mister Kupka told us to be conscious that we were mere servants while Otis told him to go easier on us. As Beth agreed and Rhiannon sighed, each on my side, I felt, for the first time, like I had a family. Like I had a place to belong to.