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As he tugged her along, Ni Na stared down at that strong hand engulfing hers.  And felt oddly warmed by its embrace.  Could she really picture the rest of her life without him?  Should he never propose to her – or should he propose and she refuse him – could she face that lonely future?

She still wanted him with all her heart.  The question was…could she endure a marriage with him based upon only friendship?

It could still be a good marriage, couldn’t it?

But it would never develop into the passionate relationship for which she had always secretly hoped.  Still…it would be better than her marrying some other man.  Some man with whom she had no connection.  And to whom she had no attraction. 

At least, Beom Sook was becoming one of her best friends.

All these thoughts fled her mind as they turned the corner and came face to face with a ravenous crowd of children.  Apparently, the rice cakes had done little to assuage their hunger.  They came forward like a flood and descended upon the bags of fruit.  Quickly devouring all that they’d brought them.

Lee Beom Sook watched them inhaling their treats and felt pity for them filling his chest.

“How long have you been without a home?” he asked the oldest boy after a few minutes.

“Several months,” he mumbled around a mouthful of strawberries.

“What happened?” Ni Na asked suddenly.

The boy glanced at her, but he didn’t reply.  He crammed another strawberry into his mouth.  As though he hadn’t already consumed ten of those juicy berries.

“A plague hit our village last summer,” the eldest girl finally responded.

Ni Na’s heart bent towards her as she studied the girl.  “How old are you?” she quizzed her.

“Almost sixteen.”

There, but for the grace of God, go I….

Ni Na swallowed as her eyes flooded with tears.  She closed them and turned away before reaching up to wipe the evidence of them from her face.  This girl was barely younger than she was.  Yet, while Ni Na had been surrounded by luxury, her tummy full every night – and all day long too, this child had scraped and striven just to survive the elements…and a roaring hunger.

As Ni Na turned back towards them, she addressed the group.  “How many families do you represent?  Can you show me?”

She gave them a couple of minutes, but before long they were standing in smaller groups.  Thirteen, to be exact.  There was a set of two boys and another of two girls.  A girl and a boy formed three of the groups.  Two girls and a boy, another two groups.  Two boys and a girl, the final of the larger three groups.  Five children stood alone.  Two girls and three boys.  There were twenty-four children in all.  Twelve boys.  And twelve girls.  An even dozen of each.

Ni Na turned to smile at Beom Sook.  “It’s a sign.”

“What?” he queried, uncomprehending.

“There are exactly twelve of each.  Twelve boys.  Twelve girls.  The house will be split in half.”

He nodded.  He inhaled sharply before broaching the subject with the children.  He cleared his throat and got their attention.

“We would like to offer you shelter.  And food.  Clean clothes.”

“And an education,” Ni Na added. 

The children’s eyes all flew wide.

“What’s the catch?” asked the oldest girl.  Suspiciously.

“We would, of course, expect you to follow the house rules,” Lord Lee Beom Sook responded heavily.

“And work hard at all your classes,” continued Ni Na.

“You’d be expected to respect your elders and be gracious to the other children,” the noble lord went on to require of them all.

They bobbed their heads in understanding.

“And?” asked one of the older boys.

“And our hope would be to apprentice each of you to a trade by the time you’re fifteen.  Unless,” Ni Na glanced at the eldest girl, “you’re already past that age, of course.”

“Why do you want to help us?” another girl asked dubiously.

“Because…under different circumstances, we might have been you,” Ni Na explained.

“And we have the means to help you,” Beom Sook added.  “But…that doesn’t mean that you wouldn’t have to pull your weight.  You will be expected to learn a trade, and to study hard to learn to read and write, and as soon as you are able, to contribute to the running of the household.”

Ni Na glanced at him in surprise.  But she fully agreed with him.

“You’re going to teach us to read and write?” another girl asked, clearly excited.

Ni Na smiled at her.  “Absolutely!”

“I don’t want to learn to read and write,” grumbled one of the little boys.

“We’ll get to eat every day?  And sleep in a warm room?” asked another tiny boy.

“Yes,” Ni Na grinned at him.  “You’ll get three meals a day, a warm room, clean clothes, everything you need.”  When he beamed at her, she glanced at the disgruntled boy and informed him cheerfully, “If you learn to read and write, I’ll let you play with clay and paints too.”

“Clay?”  His interest seemed to perk up.  “Like making pots and things?”

She nodded.

“Do you have a pottery wheel?” he asked with a frown puckering his brow.

“I sure do.”

“And you’d let me use it?”

“I’ll do better than that.  I’ll teach you to use it.  And if you show an aptitude for making pottery, I’ll train you in it myself.”

A grudging smile slowly spread across his face.  “Count me in then.”

“I want to learn how to make robes.  And to embroider them.  Like yours, milady,” one girl breathed as she studied the intricate design on Ni Na’s white robe. 

“We can help you to do that,” Ni Na promised.

She and Beom Sook gazed around at the group.

“Who’s willing to come with us?”

“Where might we be going?” asked an older boy.

“To my house,” Beom Sook responded.

“Your house?” the boy asked, dumbfounded.

The lord nodded.  “It’s a property I own on the edge of town.  We will, of course, house girls on one side of the house and the boys on the other.  You’ll be taught in different classrooms too.”

Several of them frowned.  And the younger kids moved closer to their older siblings. 

“Who’s going to teach us?” one child asked.

“We will.  And some of our friends may help us,” Ni Na replied.

“I won’t be separated from my sister,” Dae Jong vehemently refused the suggestion that they sleep in separate quarters. 

And Dae Hee was clinging to him now as she buried her face against his torso.

Ni Na glanced at Beom Sook.  “We can discuss sleeping arrangements later.  For right now, I was going to take the girls to another house to bathe while you boys go with my friend here to bathe at the house you’ll all be staying at.”

“We’ll be staying at?” One of the older girls narrowed her eyes at them.  “You won’t be staying there with us?”

“Not at night.  A very kind married couple will stay with you while you sleep.  If you need anything, they can help you.  But I’ll be with you during the day.  As will Lord Lee here.  Whenever he can.”

“I’m not letting you take my sister somewhere without me,” grumbled Dae Jong.  “Not even just to bathe.  I either go with her, or she doesn’t go.”

Several other children murmured their agreement.

Ni Na sent a desperate glance at Beom Sook.

He spoke.  “All right.  We’ll take half of you to one house and the other half to the second.  I have only so many tubs.  We were just trying to divide up the labor of my servants.  Who is comfortable coming with me?  And who would like to go with Miss Choi?”

A few minutes later, that noble lord set off down the road with one group of children following him while Miss Choi led her own troop towards the house at which Ae Ri and Auntie Dan O planned to meet her.  Today was sure to be a busy day.