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truth came out. At least a little. They thought he was a traitor.”
    I wondered how she had come to work here. “You must have been scared of him.”
    “I was, at first, just because that’s how everyone talked! But not anymore. No, when I came to work for him I was very apprehensive, but he’s a good man and he never avoided looking me in the face, but he never stared either.” She touched the mottled skin. “It was an accident with a lantern when I was fourteen.”
    She made a little dismissive sniff as if to dispel the heavy mood. “So, it’s hard work here, but I’m happy. I have the run of the place, and it’s lovely. I’m glad he pays to send the laundry out, of course.”
    I smiled. “Me too, if I’m to stay until spring.”
    “So ... Erris is ... a clockwork man? What does it mean, exactly?”
    “It means that his face and hands look real, but under hisclothes his body is just ... metal armature.” I could never explain without a horrified shiver sliding down my back. I couldn’t imagine being in his position. I couldn’t imagine what we would do if we couldn’t fix it. “Every night the clockwork winds down. And every morning, he must be wound.”
    She was silent a moment. “The poor man. I don’t know how Mr. Valdana could possibly help him, but I hope he can.”
    Celestina stood and took my empty plate. The bread had been delicious, giving me slight sympathy for Violet’s chagrin. “Shall we see how Violet and Erris are doing?” she said, and turned to the kitchen door. The white paint on the doorframe was full of thin scratches, which I guessed came from the gray tomcat sitting contentedly at the window.
    We retraced our steps to the lawn. Ahead, Erris stood up and approached us. “I should find food for Violet while the sun is high,” he said. “Do you have a basket?”
    Celestina ducked back into the kitchen and produced one.
    “Violet should stay outside until I return,” he said. “Violet, if you get cold, ask Celestina for another blanket. I’ll be back.”
    He smiled at me, and then turned to the woods, without the invitation I was hoping for. He wanted to be alone. I understood that, but it hurt me deeply all the same.
    Celestina didn’t want to leave Violet outside by herself, and she sat down beside her. I didn’t want to listen to the girl prattle about her mother and how pretty she was.
    “Do you mind if I explore the grounds?” I asked.
    “Not at all,” Celestina said. “When Erris returns, I’ll show you to the guest rooms.”
    The forest here felt very old, from the moment I stepped beneaththe shade of the trees. The ground was carpeted in leaves and forest debris; I imagined it went down into the earth forever, centuries upon centuries of woods shedding their skin. But I didn’t look closely. I was too weary and lonely to look for birds or berries. This ancient place felt indifferent to my pain, which was an odd comfort—as if everything I felt was inconsequential.
    I did not roam too far or too deep. I was afraid I might get lost, and besides, I didn’t know if there were wild animals here, or suspicious neighbors whose land I might stumble onto. I kept the great stone house in view.
    I didn’t mean to come upon Erris, but once I spotted him, it felt rude not to greet him. I hoped he didn’t think I followed him, as if I needed his company. He was gathering nuts into a basket already full of greens and a few berries.
    “I found some mushrooms back there, but they wouldn’t tell me if they were poisonous.”
    I suppressed a smile. “Do mushrooms talk?”
    “They don’t really talk. You just know. It’s very strange now. My connection to everything feels broken. Maybe it’s just because I was trapped indoors for so long. Maybe it will come back.”
    “Yes,” I said. But mushrooms never had and never would talk to me.
    “Still, it’s a good thing I came along,” he continued. “Celestina seems nice, but she clearly doesn’t know how to take