little.
“There,” she says. “That bruise should be gone by tomorrow.”
She replaces the caps on the jars, covers the empty plate, and pushes the tray aside. Then she sits up on her knees and looks at me with wide blue eyes.
“So,” she says, in a tone of voice I know so well, one that I heard countless times, whenever a new issue of The Daily Jewel arrived, or the lot numbers were given out, or any particularly juicy bit of gossip reached her ears. “What happened ?”
I’m so full and exhausted, and I can’t bear to lie anymore. I tell her everything—almost. I don’t mention Lucien by name, only insinuate that someone inside the Jewel helped me escape, and I don’t tell her where I’m going (not that I know myself). I tell her about Raven, and how I helped her instead of my taking the serum. Lily practically cries when I tell her I was bought by the Duchess—“A Founding House? Oh, Violet!”
And then I tell her about Ash.
“Shhhh!” I hiss as she lets out a yelp.
“ You’re the surrogate?” Lily whispers. “But . . . but they’re saying he raped you, Violet.”
“That’s a lie,” I say vehemently.
“But did you . . . I mean, you didn’t have . . .
I nod.
Lily gasps and her hands fly to her chest. “It’s like . . . it’s like . . . the most forbidden romance ever . It’s better than the Exetor and the Electress!”
I smile at the simplicity of it. “I’ll tell you about it later,” I say. After all that food, it’s a fight to keep my eyes open. “Where are we?”
“Thirty-Four Baker Street. It’s not the nicest part of theBank, but it’s prettier than the Marsh, isn’t it? Some people call this area the Cheap Streets,” Lily says with an indignant sniff. “But I think it’s very pleasant.”
“Who do you live with?” I ask. “Are they nice?”
“Oh, they’re lovely,” she gushes. “Reed and Caliper Haberdash. Caliper’s a wonderful mistress—she’s quite old, almost thirty, and she and Reed have been saving up for ages to buy a surrogate. She can’t have babies of her own.” Lily’s face darkens. “Not like the way the royalty can’t—there’s something wrong with her body. She’s very sad about that.” Then she perks up. “I sold for nine thousand seven hundred diamantes. Can you imagine? How much were you?”
I shift uncomfortably. “I don’t remember.” I don’t want to talk about the price of my body. It doesn’t matter much whether I sold for six million or six hundred diamantes. There’s something more important that she needs to know.
“Lily,” I say, “you can’t get pregnant.”
She looks offended for a moment, then laughs. “Of course I can! What a silly thing to say. That’s what we’re here for, isn’t it?”
“No, I mean—” I grab her wrist and hold it tight. “Don’t let them get you pregnant.”
“Violet, you’re hurting me,” she says, wrenching her arm out of my grasp.
“Lily,” I begin again, alarmed that I didn’t think of this before, furious that my appetite and exhaustion overshadowed everything else. “If you get pregnant, you’ll die. That’s why surrogates never get to come home—childbirth kills us.”
She stares at me for a minute. “No,” she says, shakingher head. “That’s not possible. Caliper wouldn’t do that. She cares about me. She’s already told me she wants me to stay with them after the baby is born.”
“She’s lying,” I snap.
Lily goes very still, and I can tell I’ve hurt her feelings.
“Caliper wouldn’t lie to me,” she says. “Not about something like that.”
“I—I’m sorry, but it’s true. I’ve seen the morgue where the dead surrogates go. I was told by someone who knows .”
Something settles in Lily’s expression, some strange mixture of acceptance and determination.
“It doesn’t matter,” she says. “I went to the doctor yesterday.”
“But you don’t know yet, right?” I say.
She tucks a lock of hair
“There,” she says. “That bruise should be gone by tomorrow.”
She replaces the caps on the jars, covers the empty plate, and pushes the tray aside. Then she sits up on her knees and looks at me with wide blue eyes.
“So,” she says, in a tone of voice I know so well, one that I heard countless times, whenever a new issue of The Daily Jewel arrived, or the lot numbers were given out, or any particularly juicy bit of gossip reached her ears. “What happened ?”
I’m so full and exhausted, and I can’t bear to lie anymore. I tell her everything—almost. I don’t mention Lucien by name, only insinuate that someone inside the Jewel helped me escape, and I don’t tell her where I’m going (not that I know myself). I tell her about Raven, and how I helped her instead of my taking the serum. Lily practically cries when I tell her I was bought by the Duchess—“A Founding House? Oh, Violet!”
And then I tell her about Ash.
“Shhhh!” I hiss as she lets out a yelp.
“ You’re the surrogate?” Lily whispers. “But . . . but they’re saying he raped you, Violet.”
“That’s a lie,” I say vehemently.
“But did you . . . I mean, you didn’t have . . .
I nod.
Lily gasps and her hands fly to her chest. “It’s like . . . it’s like . . . the most forbidden romance ever . It’s better than the Exetor and the Electress!”
I smile at the simplicity of it. “I’ll tell you about it later,” I say. After all that food, it’s a fight to keep my eyes open. “Where are we?”
“Thirty-Four Baker Street. It’s not the nicest part of theBank, but it’s prettier than the Marsh, isn’t it? Some people call this area the Cheap Streets,” Lily says with an indignant sniff. “But I think it’s very pleasant.”
“Who do you live with?” I ask. “Are they nice?”
“Oh, they’re lovely,” she gushes. “Reed and Caliper Haberdash. Caliper’s a wonderful mistress—she’s quite old, almost thirty, and she and Reed have been saving up for ages to buy a surrogate. She can’t have babies of her own.” Lily’s face darkens. “Not like the way the royalty can’t—there’s something wrong with her body. She’s very sad about that.” Then she perks up. “I sold for nine thousand seven hundred diamantes. Can you imagine? How much were you?”
I shift uncomfortably. “I don’t remember.” I don’t want to talk about the price of my body. It doesn’t matter much whether I sold for six million or six hundred diamantes. There’s something more important that she needs to know.
“Lily,” I say, “you can’t get pregnant.”
She looks offended for a moment, then laughs. “Of course I can! What a silly thing to say. That’s what we’re here for, isn’t it?”
“No, I mean—” I grab her wrist and hold it tight. “Don’t let them get you pregnant.”
“Violet, you’re hurting me,” she says, wrenching her arm out of my grasp.
“Lily,” I begin again, alarmed that I didn’t think of this before, furious that my appetite and exhaustion overshadowed everything else. “If you get pregnant, you’ll die. That’s why surrogates never get to come home—childbirth kills us.”
She stares at me for a minute. “No,” she says, shakingher head. “That’s not possible. Caliper wouldn’t do that. She cares about me. She’s already told me she wants me to stay with them after the baby is born.”
“She’s lying,” I snap.
Lily goes very still, and I can tell I’ve hurt her feelings.
“Caliper wouldn’t lie to me,” she says. “Not about something like that.”
“I—I’m sorry, but it’s true. I’ve seen the morgue where the dead surrogates go. I was told by someone who knows .”
Something settles in Lily’s expression, some strange mixture of acceptance and determination.
“It doesn’t matter,” she says. “I went to the doctor yesterday.”
“But you don’t know yet, right?” I say.
She tucks a lock of hair
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