Chapter Text
Sansa skipped down the stairs from her bedroom with an uncharacteristic vigour born from the thought of a weekend away from the horrible school her mother had transferred her to at the start of the week. If it was even possible she detested King’s Landing High even more than she had disliked her previous school – her classmates were largely obnoxious, ignorant, over-privileged snots who seemed to delight in torturing her at any and every opportunity.
It wasn’t all doom and gloom though. She had been befriended by a smart, beautiful, slightly older girl called Margaery who seemed to detect the sad insecurity in her and had kindly taken her under her wing. Margaery was the type of girl who commanded respect. She was sharp witted, confident, and came from a very wealthy and powerful background but remained seemingly unaffected by it. She was charming, poised, very put together – everything that Sansa aspired to be but feared she never would be.
She couldn’t help but feel awkward and storkish next to Margaery. Where Margaery was all womanly curves and natural vivaciousness, Sansa felt gangly and stringy, too tall and cursed by a mane of thick flame red hair. Every day she would be assailed by hoots of “hey Ginger” and “Fire Crotch”, but Margaery would simply twine a strand of her auburn hair around her fingers comparing it with her own honey brown and tell her that it was beautiful and unique.
“I think I’ll dye my hair brunette. I hate it like this,” Sansa would sulk.
“Don’t you dare! You are gorgeous the way you are. Don’t listen to those jealous morons. If you dye your hair I won’t speak to you again. I mean it!”
She hated most of her classes but English class was the highlight of her day. Apart from being her favourite subject and the one that she continued to excel in, she was intrigued by a blonde boy who sat towards the back of the room. He was tall and slim with penetrating glassy blue eyes and sharpish but not unattractive features. He had stared at her with naked appraisal when Mrs Turner, the teacher, had introduced her to the rest of the class and then winked at her when she took the seat in front of his. She hoped and prayed that the furious blush that had crept across her face at his undisguised inspection would be put down to her shyness in front of the class and not as a reaction to him specifically. She eventually discovered that his name was Joffrey Baratheon, eldest son of the CEO of Kingsgate International, a multi-national banking corporation with its headquarters near Old Gate. He had yet to speak a word to her but he would always smirk at her or wink as she took her seat. Maybe on Monday she would pluck up the courage to speak to him – maybe.
As she neared the foot of the stairs, Sansa became aware of two voices floating through from the lounge room. Her mother had the phone on speaker and was conversing with a man whose voice she was certain she had never heard before. The voice was smooth and silky, soft and with a gentle lilting quality that mesmerised her. Sansa stopped in her tracks and lowered herself to sit on the steps, intrigued and curious, especially as she began to realise that their dialogue concerned her. She was usually late out of bed on a Saturday so clearly her mother had not expected her to be up and about so early this particular morning.
“It’s been really hard on her. I’m really worried about her. Arya has always been the stubborn strong one and she seems to be coping but Sansa is more sensitive.”
She bristled at that.
Typical. Arya gets to be the toe-rag running around all over the place causing trouble but I am quiet and keep to myself and I am the problem child.
“She really took Ned’s passing badly,” her mother continued. “She was such a daddy’s girl. Her grades are slipping and she seems really down after her first week at the new school.”
“It must be difficult for her losing her father and then having to contend with a whole slew of new classmates as well,” replied the mystery man.
“And knowing some of those brats, I don’t envy her,” he added.
Sansa nodded vigorously to herself impressed with his insightfulness.
“I need your help. Since Robb and Jon left last year, Sansa has no older male figure in her life. She seems very lost. And I am so worried about her senior year grades – her Maths and Economics results from last year were very poor. I was hoping that moving her to a new school with such a good reputation would help but I think I might have made a huge mistake.”
Sansa winced at that but could not deny the truth of it. Maths and Economics had never been her strong points. She had always had to put so much more time and effort in to achieve the grades and now she just didn’t seem to care.
“What can I do Cat?”
“I know you are incredibly busy but is there any possible way you could maybe spend some time with her? I was thinking you could tutor her after work… I don’t know…. Maybe once a week? The subjects she is failing in are your specialty after all.”
There was silence from the other end of the line.
Oh my God, Mom. You can’t be serious. Now I am going to be babysat by some stranger who will feel obliged but doesn’t really want to be here. Unbelievable. Just what I need.
Eventually the mystery man responded.
“Cat, you know I would do anything for you and the kids but are you sure that would be a good idea? The last time I saw Sansa she would have been about 9 years old. She doesn’t even know me and we both know how Ned felt about me. It doesn’t seem right somehow.”
Now Sansa was truly intrigued. Who was this man who was obviously close to her mother but who had been no friend of her father’s? Her mother sighed sadly.
“Ned is not here but one thing I do know is that he would want what is best for his children. I really think you could make a difference. And besides, it’s not as though you are going to be a stranger to the kids for much longer. Petyr, you will be their uncle soon enough once you marry Lysa.”
Sansa gasped in surprise. She clapped her hand over her mouth, fearing that her mother may have heard her but she detected no reaction. The pieces of the puzzle finally came together. This must be Petyr Baelish. She did not remember him from the childhood meeting he had just mentioned but she did recall the name from past conversations between her parents. She also recalled that her father had seemed to resent the man but for what reason she could not fathom. She was not sure what the relationship had been between Baelish and her mother exactly either – she believed they had been brought up together for a time in the same household along with Aunt Lysa but she had no concrete details beyond that. And he was going to marry her aunt? This was getting stranger by the minute.
“I don’t know Cat.”
“Alright what about this? Why don’t you come over tonight for dinner, if you’re free, of course. It will just be Sansa and myself – Arya has a sleepover at a friend’s. You can get to know each other, see if it feels comfortable and take it from there. If you don’t think it will work out, I won’t say another word about it. But if you could come tonight at least, I would really be grateful. Please?”
There was a slight pause before the man replied, chuckling. Sansa enjoyed the sound: deep and raspy.
“I could never say no to you Cat. Of course I’ll come.”
“Six o’clock?”
“See you then.”
“Oh and Petyr…. thank you.”
If Baelish responded Sansa did not catch it as she bolted back up the stairs before her mother terminated the call. A few moments later she sauntered as nonchalantly as she could back down to where her mother still sat, staring absently at the phone.
“Hi Mom. Mom? Earth to Mom…Hello.”
“Oh sorry dear. I was miles away. You’re up early.”
“Who was that on the phone?”
“That was an old friend of the family, Petyr Baelish.
An old friend of yours Mom, not necessarily Dad’s, she thought.
“Sansa, come and sit here for a moment.”
She moved to sit next to her mother who took one of her hands in hers.
“Sansa, Mr Baelish is going to be marrying your Aunt Lysa. I should have told you before but things have been a bit all over the place lately. It should be a very good match. They are compatible in age, lifestyle, they both have strong careers and want the same things.”
“Does he love her, Mom?”
Sansa had never been a huge fan of her Aunt Lysa. She was all angles, severity and sharp edges with cold slits for eyes and thin cruel lips; her hair was red like her mother’s but wispy with a murkier, darker tone that was unflattering to the pallor of her gaunt face. Her Aunt’s touch was a talon grip, so unlike the warmth and gentleness of her mother’s, her temper volatile, her words biting and at times unkind. What would the man who would marry such a woman be like and why would he choose her? She didn’t like to think about it too much. But even though she could not say she exactly loved her aunt, she was still family and she would not see her hurt by some unscrupulous bastard in it for the money or social position or whatever this was all about.
“At heart Mr Baelish can be a very kind and generous man, Sansa. He is a little reserved and he can come across cold at first; his humour is very dry and definitely takes some getting used to. In business he can be quite ruthless. But underneath it all, he is a good man. I trust him.”
“You didn’t answer the question, Mom.”
Her mother squirmed and seemed to measure her next words carefully.
“I am sure that he has affection for her. They have known each other for years. When his parents died my father made him his ward. For a time we were all living together but eventually we all went our separate ways. I know that Lysa had a real soft spot for him back then. They are at a point in their lives where a marriage like this could be very beneficial for them both.”
Sensing that her mother was dodging her question and that she was unlikely to receive a more satisfying response, Sansa changed tack.
“So why are you telling me this now?”
“Sansa, I have asked Mr Baelish to come to dinner tonight. I would like for the two of you to get to know each other better.”
“Why Mom? What about Arya? She should get to know her new Uncle too.”
“And she will, darling. But I have also asked him to help you with your Maths and Economics subjects – he works in an executive role in the financial industry so it’s right up his alley. It would be nice if you met each other beforehand, relaxed over a meal, had a chat.”
“Mom, seriously?”
Sansa had tried to sound as surprised and outraged as she could, finishing with a pronounced pout of her lips.
“Please Sansa. You need help and it is not a weakness to ask for it. Just for a little while until you get back on track. It would really help me out: one less thing for me to worry about. It was very nice of him to agree to help. Just give him a chance; I am sure he will grow on you.”
As much as she was intimidated by the idea of spending time with this unknown quantity of a man, Sansa hadn’t thought about it like that. Her mother had been under tremendous stress since her husband’s death. On top of having to settle all his affairs and look after a young family, she worked a busy job with long hours as a PA at a local legal firm. She could see that the stress lines around her mother’s eyes had deepened and she did not seem as energetic as usual these days. If she could lighten the load in any way she would, even if it meant having to put up with this stranger towards whom she felt a growing distrust and unease although why that should be the case she was unable to articulate.
“Sure Mom. Let’s see how it goes.”