For the past week, Nick had avoided her. She had pretended he wasn't at first. She told herself that he was just busy learning all he had to learn about the Old Kingdom, busier that he had been. However, it became undeniable when he almost walked into her, started, and rapidly diverted his path to avoid running into her.
Lirael blushed in embarrassment. Did I do something wrong? Does he not like me anymore? Stop being silly, you don't even know if he liked you like that in the first place.
Still, he was at least her friend, and she was hurt by his behaviour. That evening at dinner, Nick started towards her, but then he seemed to notice something behind her, and he flushed and quickly turned to sit at the opposite end of the table. Lirael looked around and saw Sabriel looking at Nick cooly. Nick seemed intent on avoiding her gaze and Lirael's, and he barely spoke the whole evening.
Why did he do that? It's almost as though he's scared of Sabriel. While it was true that her sister was an intimidating woman, the look was too specific for it to just be that. She can't have said anything to him can she have? Why would she have?
Lirael went to bed that night full of questions.
The following morning she resolved to seek Sabriel out and ask her directly.
She found her in her study with her husband. Sabriel and Touchstone sat close together, heads bowed over a document, talking about something to do with Belisaere.
She paused at the doorway
"Um. Hello." Lirael said, so quietly that she almost didn't hear herself. They didn't hear her either.
She took a breath and stepped inside the large room.
"Hello," she tried again, louder this time.
They looked up.
"Lirael. Hello." Sabriel said lightly.
"Hello." Lirael said again, her nerves telling her to run away and pretend nothing was actually wrong.
No. She had promised herself she would not hide anymore. "Could I talk to you?" She asked. Then, because she had not promised herself to be rude, she added "If you aren't very busy." Sabriel and Touchstone shared a look that was full of meaning.
"No, I'd love to." Sabriel replied, though she was still looking at Touchstone.
Touchstone seemed very smug about something, and Sabriel seemed slightly irritated, though there was laughter in her eyes.
Touchstone kissed Sabriel on the cheek and rose. "I'll speak to Harmond about the matter." He imformed her, obviously referencing what they'd been speaking about when Lirael had interrupted them.
He nodded at Lirael, smiling, as he rose from his chair. "Lirael." He said in parting. She nodded back at him, wondering what the look he'd shared with her sister had meant.
"Would you like to sit?" Sabriel asked, rising and gesturing to some more comfortable chairs across the room.
Lirael opened her mouth to accept, but her mouth decided not to obey her. "Did you say something to him? Nick." She blurted.
Sabriel sighed and walked over to her.
"You two are...friendly." Sabriel replied, somewhat defensively. "I know from Sam that he's a nice young man, but I just wanted him to know that should he hurt you in any way, he will regret it. Perhaps I may have been a bit harsh." She paused and looked towards the window. "He may think he is not to go near you."
Lirael was surprised. She instinctively ducked behind her hair to think. She hadn't expected that, and she didn't know what to say. She wanted to run away to her room and think about what this meant. Instead, she just stared at Sabriel, dumbfounded.
Her sister had noticed that she felt something for Nick and felt the need to protect her against possible hurt. She felt strangely happy about it. She felt cared for, like when the Dog had let Lirael hold her when she was sad, but also different in way she could not explain.
Lirael peaked out at Sabriel from under her hair.
For the first time she had ever seen, Lirael thought Sabriel looked slightly uncomfortable.
"I has not been long since Orranis, and I thought... it might be painful to deal with a relationship." she said carefully when Lirael didn't respond for some time. "I'm sorry if I've upset you or if I was out of line."
Lireal smiled. "You didn't." She gathered her courage and lifted her eyes to meet her sister's. "I..." She could feel herself blushing. "I'm glad you scared Nick."
Sabriel cocked an eyebrow in confusion.
Lirael quickly backtracked "I don't mean... I mean I'll have to tell him it's alright and sort things out, whatever things are, and I don't really know how to do that but I am happy because you noticed and you worried." She stared intently at the floor. "I'm glad you...cared."
Though talking to others was much easier now that she wasn't surrounded by people who talked of little else but the Sight, she still sometimes fervently wished she could write things down before she spoke them.
But Sabriel's face broke into a radiant smile. She gently cupped Lirael's face.
"Of course I care about you, sister. Never doubt it."