by MJ Haag
“There is a setting for you,” he said, looking at me, “if you would care to join your father and Lord Ruhall.”
I nodded and followed him from the kitchen.
“How did she do?” I asked.
“Fair. She questioned Kara about Lord Ruhall but asked nothing about you or your father.”
I chuckled. Lord Ruhall was of interest in her eyes, and we were not.
“How did Kara deal with her inquisition?”
“Her standard answer was, ‘Why should a cook know that?’”
“I like Kara.”
“As do I,” he said with the barest of smiles.
When we reached the library, Mr. Crow set the tray on the table and left.
Father, unaware of the world around him, continued to read. I doubted estate business kept him at his seat all day. The rows upon rows of books would tempt even the dullest scholar. Leaving him to his peace, I made my way to the study.
Alec likewise focused on a book and didn’t immediately look up at my approach. With his brow furrowed in concentration, he absently rubbed his jaw. A healthy coating of stubble rasped his fingers. He’d removed his jacket and loosened his neckcloth. The sight of him thus made my middle warm, and I wondered again about the marks on his shoulder.
“Mr. Crow brought a tray,” I said softly.
He looked up and warmth filled his gaze for a brief moment before it disappeared.
“Did you visit your sister?” he asked, standing.
“Yes. She helped prepare the midday meal under Kara and Mr. Crow’s instruction. Instead of biscuits, we have bread.”
He looked mildly interested.
“What were you reading?” I asked as he marked his page and stood.
“A book of basic arithmetic your father borrowed from Mr. Roost.”
“Ah.”
“Yes, ah. I have a man of estate who insists I must know the arithmetic to check my own records.”
“I won’t live forever,” my father said from the other room. “And your next man might not be as honest.”
“He hears everything,” I said in a mock whisper. “Years of teaching.”
Alec chuckled and walked around the desk toward me. When he reached me, he set a hand on my lower back and guided me to the library.
“I’m ready for a break. Let’s eat.”
* * * *
After a pleasantly drawn out meal with Father and Lord Ruhall, I carried the tray back to the kitchen.
Bryn was washing dishes, and Kara was absent. I brought the tray over to the sink and set it near the other dirty bowls.
“What is it you do here?” Bryn asked without looking up.
“I clean,” I said, surprised she spoke to me.
“And eat meals with Lord Ruhall.”
“With Father. Lord Ruhall chooses to join him.”
She nodded slightly, straightened, and wiped her hands.
“Could you wash for a bit? I need to sit,” she said.
“I’m afraid, Miss Hovtel is needed elsewhere,” Mr. Crow said from his office, making me start.
Bryn gave an almost inaudible sigh and went back to washing. I turned to look at Mr. Crow, and with a conspiratorial wave, he shooed me from the kitchen.
* * * *
The next morning I woke with a stretch. Exhausted from a day of beating mattresses, I’d collapsed on the bed fully dressed. I had no recollection of Alec joining me; yet a blanket covered me, and my stockings were off.
I washed my face and went in search of food. In the kitchen, Kara and Bryn were already hard at work.
“Good morning, Miss Hovtel,” Kara said when she spotted me.
Bryn looked up and frowned at me.
“Really, Benella. Your dress is wrinkled like you slept in it. You’re in a Lord’s house now. Go change so you at least look respectable.”
I pressed my lips together. I was respectable, wrinkled dress or not.
“Bryn, go see if Tam has fresh milk for the children,” Kara said.
Bryn dusted her hands on her apron and walked outside.
“Are you hungry?” Kara asked once we were alone.
“Very. Is there anything ready?”
“I can boil an egg for you. The biscuits will need another half an hour. There are also a few apples Tam picked yesterday. They should be ready for harvest tomorrow or the day after.”
“I’ll take an apple and come back later for a biscuit.”
She grabbed the apple, and I held up my hand. With a grin, she tossed it to me.
“Thank you, Kara.” Before Bryn could return, I hurried out of the kitchen and found Egrit in the laundry room.
“What will we work on today?” I crunched into my apple. The juice was only slightly tart and, in my opinion, perfect.
“Mrs. Palant is dusting the parlors in the ballroom so they remain clean. You can dust the front sitting room if you’d like. I am going to go through the second floor bedrooms that have been aired and cleaned.” She had three of the large vats filled and lit a small fire under each.
“What is the water for?”
She straightened with a laugh.
“Benella, you are wearing yesterday’s dust. It’s for our baths tonight.”
The idea of a bath in one of the large vats had me eagerly heading toward the sitting room. The sooner I finished the day’s work, the sooner I could bathe. Once I eyed the room and recalled it had taken three of us more than a day to clean it, my enthusiasm faltered. With a sigh, I took my dust rag and set to work.
Several hours had passed when Mr. Crow found me.
“Miss Hovtel, your assistance is needed immediately.”
I eagerly set down my rag and followed him from the room, hoping the assistance brought me to the kitchen. The apple had long since disappeared.
My anticipation of food dwindled as I neared the kitchen and heard a familiar voice. Blye stood in the center of the kitchen with her back to us when we entered. But she quickly turned at the sound of our steps.
“Why can’t Bryn stop to talk to me?” she asked me. Annoyance painted her face.
I glanced at Mr. Crow who stood just slightly behind me and to my right. His focus remained on Blye. Why had he brought me here to deal with her? Facing Blye, I forced myself to relax and tried to forget our last, hurtful encounter.
“I’m not in charge of what Bryn chooses to do.”
“He says if she stops working, she stops being paid. Why is it you can stop working?”
I laughed. At her. At the question. At the absurdity of the moment.
“Because I’m not paid.”
She eyed me for a moment then seemed to decide I was telling the truth. With one last irritated glance at Mr. Crow, she began to explain her presence.
“I’m making Bryn’s dress for the feast. I rented a carriage for two hours to bring it to her for a fitting because of the babe.”
I sighed and glanced at Mr. Crow again. This time, we shared a calculating look. I didn’t want to encourage either of my sisters to abuse Bryn’s position. Yet, I couldn’t ignore Blye’s reasoning or her unspoken plea.
“A quarter of an hour should more than suffice,” Mr. Crow said. “Miss Hovtel, I will leave you to show your sisters to an appropriate room.”
Bryn and Blye shared an exuberant embrace that made me feel hollow. I turned away and listened to them follow me.
“If you’re not paid, why are you here?” Blye asked as we passed the laundry.
“I’m here because Father is here, and I have no money to see me elsewhere. Would either of you care to visit Father?”
“I only have a quarter of an hour,” Bryn said.
“And I must return to the shop as soon as I’ve finished,” Blye said.
My face flushed with annoyance, but I said nothing as I led them to one of the smaller sitting rooms near the dining room. Egrit and Mrs. Palant had recently cleaned and aired it. I lit several candles and drew the curtains closed while Blye went to fetch the dress. Bryn c
losed the door and started undressing.
“What is he like?” she asked.
“Who?”
She rolled her eyes.
“Lord Ruhall.” She stepped out of her dress and stood before me in her underthings.
“You’ve met him. Don’t you recall what he’s like?”
“That was when he was cursed. What is he like now? Is he handsome?”
The door opened and closed quickly as Blye stepped in with a sturdy, large bag.
“Who is handsome?” she asked as she set the bag on a lounge. She opened it and pulled out a pretty, lavender dress with a hint of lace trim.
“Lord Ruhall,” Bryn said. Then she studied the dress Blye held out for her. “Isn’t there more lace?”
“Not for the price you paid,” Blye said. Bryn took the dress with a scowl and began to slip into it.
“Why would a married woman care about the handsomeness of a man?” I asked, watching the pair of them.
“Don’t be dull, Benella,” Bryn said. She laced up the front of her dress and adjusted the panel there. The clever design would allow the dress to grow with her.
“I wonder how many high ladies he’s invited to the feast,” Blye said. She tugged here and there and stood back to eye the dress critically.
“It’s a feast for the local community. Why would he invite high ladies?”
“To start looking for a wife, of course. He’s wasted enough of his life because of the enchantment and needs an heir for the estate,” Blye said as someone knocked on the door.
I went to open it and found Otta in the hall.
“Mr. Crow sent me to tell you the quarter hour is up.”
I smiled at the girl and gave her hair a gentle tug.
“And you should be in the schoolroom.”
“Yes, Miss.” She scampered off.
I closed the door and turned to face my sisters. Blye was already closing her bag, and Bryn was undressing. It didn’t take her too long to change back into her normal dress.
“See if Benella can hang it for you until you leave tonight,” Blye said as Bryn carefully laid her dress over the lounge.
“There is a spare room at the top of the stairs,” I said to Bryn. “You can hang it in the wardrobe there.”
“Good.” She picked her dress back up and draped it over her arm. “I might need to leave it until just before the feast, so I can change at the last minute.”
As I opened the door and stepped from the room, I heard a strange commotion, like the frantic rearrangement of furniture.
“Surely you’re not working feast day,” Blye said.
Bryn’s reply escaped my attention as I hurried my steps to the end of the hall that opened to the front entry. The noise from the right almost covered Mr. Crow’s arrival from my left. He glanced nervously toward the sounds then at me.
“Lord Ruhall, wait,” Tam said distantly.
“Mr. Crow, see to my sisters,” I said, just as something crashed. I lifted my skirts and dashed toward the sound.
I found Alec in the dining room. Several chairs lay in a broken heap already. Tam stood guard over the undamaged seats. But Alec wasn’t eyeing those anymore. He was eyeing the stack of fine glazed plates at his side.
Mrs. Palant knelt near the fireplace, a forgotten bucket of dirty scrub water beside her as she stared at Lord Ruhall in shock.
I snatched up the bucket and hoisted the contents through the air in the general direction of Alec. The grey water doused him, just as he moved for the plates. The silence was immediate. Soot chunks stuck to his cheeks and forehead and littered his once white shirt.
His dark, angry eyes found me. His jaw remained locked, and his fists clenched as our gazes held.
“Mrs. Palant,” I said calmly. “I apologize for the mess I’ve made on the floor. Would you fetch some rags so I can clean it?”
She said nothing, only rushed from the room. Under Tam’s watchful and anxious presence, I approached Alec.
“This is unacceptable and beneath you,” I said.
His eyes narrowed dangerously. I narrowed mine in return and leaned in so only he could hear me.
“I shall lock my door at night if you choose to lose control again.” When I pulled back, his eyes were closed. He shook with his rage.
I looked at Tam.
“Lord Ruhall has sat behind his desk for too long. He needs fresh air and exercise, an abundance of it. And I have just the task. I need pillar stands for the feast. I thought tree trunks about this high would be just the thing,” I said, leveling my hand to the height of my chest. “Make sure the limbs are thick and that Lord Ruhall does all the chopping.”
When I finished speaking, Alec opened his eyes and left the room. Tam hurried after him.
Beside the door, I noticed a crumpled piece of paper on the floor. Another note from Rose based on Alec’s reaction. I picked it up and straightened it as Bryn walked into the room.
“I just saw Lord Ruhall. It looked as if someone had dumped ash water on him.”
Her words barely registered. They certainly weren’t important. Nor was Mr. Crow’s response.
“Mrs. Rouflyn, please return to your duties in the kitchen.”
My heart continued to sink as I reread the brief message.
It is plain to see you cannot manage the estate alone. To continue as you are, a man, you must wed by winter solstice. Choose your bride with care. ~Rose
I crushed the note once more, truly feeling Alec’s anger. She was punishing him because of my help? Help she’d instigated. The longer I stood there, the more I seethed. She’d played her game long enough.
“Mr. Crow, I have business in the Water and will return before dinner.”
“Yes, Miss. Is everything in order?” he said, glancing at my hand.
“I’m not certain,” I said, giving him the honesty he deserved. “If Lord Ruhall returns before I do and asks for me, say nothing of my leaving. We cannot give Rose more reason to doubt him.”
Mr. Crow nodded.
Chapter 8
Ila had said that Rose wasn’t often at the Whispering Sisters. Yet, I had nowhere else to look for her. Well after the hour when the Sisters opened their doors to customers, I approached the back door. The guard who stood there let me through. Ila waited within. But she wasn’t dressed in her veil, and smoke no longer clogged the air.
“Benella,” she said warmly. When she stepped toward me to impart a hug, I eagerly accepted it.
“I’m not yet ready to show you your dress,” she said, releasing me.
“I wish I were here for a fitting. I’m here for Rose. Aryana. Whatever we’re to call her now.”
“She’s not here.”
“Then, I’ll wait and hope she returns.”
Ila nodded and started to lead me down the familiar hallway.
“Where is everyone?” I asked.
She smiled at me over her shoulder.
“The men? Their numbers continued to dwindle until they stopped completely.”
“How long will you stay?”
“At least until the feast. I want to see you wear your dress.”
We went to the room where my father used to teach the women. A lounge and chairs now adorned the room. We’d only settled when the door flew open.
“Now, you want to talk to me?” Rose said, striding into the room. She wore a displeased expression, and she did not look old in either form or face. Seeing her so, angered me. It brought back the misery I’d suffered and continued to suffer.
“Silence didn’t achieve the result I’d wanted,” I said as Ila stood and left the room.
“And what result would that be?”
“For you to go away. You’re punishing Lord Ruhall because of my help. That hardly seems just. If I leave, will you withdraw your demand?”
“Not at all. Your help proved that he cannot hope to manage his affairs on his own. Whether you remain or not, he needs a wife. Actually, if you leave, I shall be forced to move up the deadline to
the feast. We wouldn’t want him failing.”
“Ha. I think you do want him to fail. You continue to punish him though he has paid for his past failings. Withdraw your edict.”
“No. It remains. He has several months to woo his future bride. That is not a punishment; that is a kindness. Request that I change my mind again, and I will choose his bride for him and see them wed this night.”
“Hateful woman,” I said, standing. “I hope never to see you again.”
The hurt that crossed her features was almost laughable. Did she think I would thank her for her cruel meddling?
When I reached the door, she spoke quietly.
“Thank you for talking to Ila. She was upset to think you might hold her to blame for anything that has transpired.”
“Unlike you, I don’t punish the innocent,” I said without turning.
“When have I punished an innocent?”
With a scoff, I faced her.
“You’ve confessed that your manipulations brought me to the estate where I met with many manners of ill-use, disregard, and danger. The final event was your refusal to let the estate come to my aid, allowing the baker to nearly rape me. Was my time there not punishment? For surely I suffered more so than the enchanted beings of the estate who had the freedom to frolic and fuck without consequence or care during the duration of their stay.”
Her eyes widened slightly, and her face flushed. “You would see no one punished. Instead, you label the guilty as innocent and let them carry on with their crimes.”
I left, slamming the door behind me. My visit accomplished nothing but angering us both. I strode through the halls with clenched fists. Ila stood by the back door, waiting for me. Sympathy softened her features.
“Do you still wish me to attend the feast as your guest?”
I exhaled slowly and gave her a weak smile.
“I do. You are welcome to stay the night as well.”
* * * *
A dozen candle stands were now scattered throughout the ballroom. Large, and thicker than my waist, they would work beautifully to hold the pillars the candle maker would bring. But it worried me that Alec had felled them so quickly. I hadn’t been gone long. Two hours, perhaps. The purpose of the task had been to allow him to vent his anger in a suitable manner. That he had completed the chore in such a small amount of time could mean that Tam had helped him. Or...Alec was still very angry.
