Chapter 79: Kali
Rose watched Lady Delphine walk away with Esme on her tail as they walked toward the man. He looked a little drunk, and there was a huge wooden cup of ale in his hand. With every movement he made, the liquid spilled over the top of the cup, but he wouldn’t stop moving his hand.
"Who is that?" the man asked, pointing toward Rose. "A new girl? Give her to me."
"No one," Lady Delphine said sweetly as she tried to distract him while Kali grabbed Rose’s arm and pulled her away from the scene.
Rose let herself be pulled as Kali dragged her up the side stairs. They turned a corner and came into a row of rooms. Rose counted no fewer than five different rooms. She wanted to plug her ears against the noise that came from every corner of the house. How could anyone—she didn’t want to think about it.
Kali stopped in front of a door and pushed it open. "This room should be empty," she was saying.
The door opened, and Kali rushed in. Rose followed behind her, closing the door as they entered the room. The room was small, with the bed taking up most of it, but it was a decent room, and a lit lamp sat on the table.
"Stay here, don’t come out. If you—" she frowned as she took in Rose’s appearance.
"I will get you something to clean up with, a change of clothes, and a new pair of shoes."
Rose nodded. She couldn’t help wiggling her toes at the mention of shoes. She wouldn’t mind being barefoot here. The wood wasn’t bad, and there was a soft carpet she could step on.
"Lady Delphine will be very busy for the rest of the night, and I can’t come here after getting you shoes," Kali continued speaking. "If you need anything, you have to wait until someone comes to you. And when I leave, lock the door behind you."