Lili asks

“Sophie!”

If the idea had seemed crazy before, it seemed almost cruel now. Downstairs in his room, “Sophie” had been Sophie in the abstract, Sophie of his memories—Sophie of the red ringlets; Sophie of the pretty, powdered face.

The Sophie Lili had meant was this one: so pale, so frowsy, so battered that she made a more likely corpse than a living creature.

Stein realized too that he had never seen her sleeping. Sophie was not a large woman at any time, but he had never seen her looking so small.

Lili whispered urgently, “Sophie!”

It was worse when she awoke, for she squealed and flung up her hands to protect her face. Stein winced. That was how she met the world now—the brash, bossy girl she had once been! It was a wonder she dared to sleep at all.

“Judaeus Apella!” she cried when she saw that it was only Lili and he. “What are you two doing up?”

She flung off the blankets and sat up. She spoke rapidly, as if she realized she had panicked and intended to make them forget it.

“I certainly hope it’s not because someone’s here to arrest me,” she grumbled. “I might as well give myself up, if my only defenders are a giddy blonde and a knight who runs around his friends’ castles in his underpants. Unless that’s your sword you’ve got in there, sir.”

She winked her good eye, but since the other was nearly swollen shut, it seemed rather that she had only closed them both for a moment in weariness. Stein tried to smile.

Lili clapped her hands in giddy delight and cried, “That’s his most fearsome weapon! But isn’t he a fine man?”

“I’ve always said so,” Sophie drawled. “So fine, one can almost see straight through him. Now what do you kids want? I’m trying to heal in here.”

“Stein has something to say to you, Sophie. Now, I know you will think it’s a crazy idea, but I think you ought to hear him out.”

“I do?” Stein whined.

Lili hopped up onto the bed and clasped her hands in her lap. “Go ahead now. Don’t be shy.”

Sophie smiled at him. “What sort of ambush has she trapped you in this time, soldier?”

“I don’t know. I was sleeping…”

“That makes two of us! What’s this about, Lil?”

“Why don’t you tell her yourself, you big dolt!” Lili cried.

“I don’t know!” he wailed.

“Then I shall! Sophie, Stein thinks you and he should get married.”

Stein was as stunned as if he was hearing it for the first time. It was no longer absurd—it was feasible. Therefore he was shocked and offended.

“Tell her what you told me!” Lili pleaded. “Tell her how it would be good for both of you.” Even after she finished speaking, she continued waving her hands at him, urging him on.

Sophie’s voice was low and tight—not like Sophie’s voice at all. “Did you know she was planning to do this?”

“Of course I did.” He gave her a feeble smile. “I mean, it was my idea. I didn’t think she meant to ask for me, though.”

Lili grinned at him in relief. “Well, I had to! You were standing there as dumb as a maggot! Sit down, you two, and let’s talk this out like civilized people.”

“In our nightclothes?” Sophie muttered dazedly. The intent to joke was there, but the merriment was not behind it.

Lili laughed nevertheless. “Barbarians would do it naked, I’m certain. Say, that’s not a bad idea,” she snickered.

Stein shook his head, but Lili ignored him.

“Isn’t this fun?” she giggled. “Just like sitting around in our nighties gossiping with the girls, except one of the girls is a boy.”

Stein was dumbfounded before so much levity. He lifted his eyes to send Sophie a sympathetic glance, just in time to meet another intended for him. Sophie jerked her head towards Lili as if to ask him what was the matter with the girl.

Stein realized suddenly that a gentleman could not allow a proposal of marriage—no matter how awkward, no matter the reason—to appear to have originated in the head of some other person. Particularly if the other person was blonde and giddy and seemingly insensitive to their respective suffering.

“So, Sophie,” he explained, “what I was thinking was that I could help you get your sons back from Leof’s mother, and I can stand up for you in case there are any charges. Though I think there won’t be, if I may presume to speak for His Majesty.”

“But you could do that anyway, sweetheart,” Sophie sighed. “You don’t need to marry me for that.”

“I know, but the idea is that anyone who tries to get to you will know he has to go through me. And you will need to have somewhere to live if you want to get your sons back.”

Lili nodded eagerly. Stein glanced up at her, annoyed to have been interrupted. It would have been difficult enough without an audience.

“That’s sweet of you, Stein…” Sophie murmured.

“But I’m not trying to be a hero or anything,” he said quickly. “The truth is, my baby Gamle needs a… a woman…”

“And so do you,” Lili said. “And you need a man, Soph.”

She clapped her hands as if that settled it. Stein winced, but his face stayed crumpled up longer than he would have liked. When he opened his eyes again, Sophie was looking ill herself.

“I think Sophie has had enough ‘man’ for a while,” Stein said wearily.

“Not a man like you,” Lili replied. “And you two are already great friends, and that’s the most important thing in any marriage.”

Stein looked pleadingly at Lili, hoping she would simply be quiet, however un-​Lili-​like that would be.

He did not like to hear Sophie reminded that he or anyone else was “her friend”. Sophie must have realized that if she had had any true friends, someone would have helped her before she had been forced to damn herself in order to save herself.

Stein could no more bear to look at her battered face than if his own fists had been the cause. He should have seen the signs. But he had been too busy looking at Lathir.

Sophie swung her legs back up onto the bed and lay down. “Why don’t we talk about this tomorrow after breakfast?” she muttered.

“Breakfast?” Lili wailed. “What is it about breakfast with all of you people? Can’t you think without food in your bellies?”

“Food or no food, it would at least give us some time to think about this.”

“Well,” Lili pouted, “you may certainly think about it, but I think you should do it, Soph.”

“I meant that Stein should think about it too,” Sophie sighed. “And next time you wake him up in the middle of the night with one of your crazy ideas, at least let the poor boy put some pants on. Though I admit,” she drawled, “the sight of him is certainly an argument in his favor.”

She almost seemed to wink at him, but in fact she was only closing her eyes.