Eva watched Great-Heart leave with James at his side. She had truly been surprised when James laid her dagger at her feet. It hadn’t even crossed her mind that she’d left it behind. She would never touch it again—not after holding it to Perry’s throat. It had found a new owner, and that made her happy.
Perhaps she’d been even more surprised that someone had sworn fealty to her, as though she were a queen. Well, he was very young after all.
“That was sweet of you,” said Perry.
“It was the least I could do.” She smiled faintly. “The poor boy. He probably doesn’t even remember his father. He was just a baby when his father died.”
“You know… his mother?”
“Only of her. Unkind never came to any of my parties. Not even once.” She paused. “Ah, but he called her Christiana.”
“You can hardly expect the mother of a young child like James—”
“Not just James,” she said. “He has…” She frowned, searching her memory. “Three brothers. But she was always… different. She never seemed to get along well with anyone, except her sister Ruth.”
“For only knowing of her, you seem to know much about her.”
“Remember, dearest. Knowing is what I did in the City of Destruction. What I do.”
Perry nodded. “How did his father die?”
“Well, first, the madness took him. Or so we all thought.” She looked toward the Narrow Way. “He disappeared through the Wicket Gate. Several tried to stop him, but he was convinced the City would burn. Mr. Worldly Wiseman once told me he tried to persuade him to go to Morality. He never would have fit Carnal Policy. It was probably for the better… he would have ended up in Stupidity.”
Eva shook her head. “She didn’t follow him. The poor dear. She tried to pretend she didn’t care, but anyone could tell she was devastated. He was everything to her. When I first moved to the City, he carried her water every day. Then one day they just got married.”
Perry chuckled. “It happens.”
“Yeah, the rumors were he kissed her. The sweet dear probably thought it meant they had to get married.”
“I think that’s sweet,” said Perry.
“Me too, Perry,” Eva whispered. “Me too.”
