by Tara Brown
“Lenny!” Hilde gasped and pointed. “Do not finish that sentence.” She stormed from the barn, leaving Lenny with a grin until Amaya spoke.
“After seeing you and Lord Ivor in the shadows last night, I wouldn’t think he’d mind kissing—”
“Amaya!” It was Lenny’s turn to be aghast at the comment which made Amaya giggle wickedly as she walked out to work the lever and fill the five pails five times over to fill the water troughs.
Lenny was still blushing at the scandalous comment when she finished with the cows and led them out to the fields.
On the way back to the house, Scar and Ollie caught up with her, both panting from the jaunt in the yard. Scar’s eyes darted back and forth nervously.
“You all right, girl?” Lenny asked, scratching the dog’s sweet silvery face.
As Lenny got to the door, she paused, noting her reflection in the window of it. Her hair was dry and fluffy, frizzy ends sticking out of the bun she had put it in to do her chores. There was a stain on her cheek and her eyes were heavy and tired looking.
As she reached for the door handle, she noticed the dirt under her chipped nails and sweat stains on her shirt. She was a mess, regardless of all the pampering the night before. This was why James always disregarded her, yet she didn’t understand why strength, dirt, and sweat would make her less attractive.
Who said hard work wasn’t for women?
“Breakfast, Lenny.” Hilde broke her thoughts as she made a noise at the barn, closing up the huge doors.
Amaya carried Sir Kitty and followed behind Lenny to the small brick farmhouse.
When they got inside, their mother frowned at them all. “Why is that cat inside? You need to stop encouraging him, Amaya. You girls must leave that kitten alone or he will never develop into a good hunter or do his job.” She turned back to the hearth where the black cat lay, smiling at her. “We have enough fat lazy cats.”
Hilde laughed. “Mother, Tubby is not fat, he is simply a hearth cat.”
“Yes, imagine poor Tubby in the barn. He would starve.” Lenny walked to him and lifted the warm animal into her arms and nuzzled him. “Pay her no attention, Tubby. She hates animals.” As she said it, Scar and Ollie snuck to their beds to avoid Elsie.
“That is a scandalous lie,” her mother protested. “I love all animals. You named that one aptly though. All he has done from the moment he was born, is become increasingly tubby.” She lifted her nose at him.
Lenny sprawled on the hearth with the fat cat in her arms and rubbed his belly, which he so proudly displayed. She needed to get to town, but she was exhausted and the idea of walking all the way there was daunting, even if it meant earning coin and helping her uncle.
Hilde sat on the chair, crossing her hands properly and straightening her skirts. “What time will we leave?” Her tone was anxious and Lenny was reminded of the horrible lies their mother had told. And how she had betrayed Hilde who Lenny had never felt sorrier for.
“Lenny needs to eat and get to her uncle. I suspect we will leave tomorrow now,” their mother said, seeming disappointed. “And you can’t go to town until you eat. Get to it! But none of you may eat with dirty hands. Wash and then to the table.” She sighed pinching the bridge of her nose.
“Good morning, Daughters.” Their father entered the dining room and sat at the table.
The girls quickly washed their hands and hurried in to greet him.
“How are the girls?” Edwin asked Lenny, meaning the cows, which she fully understood.
“Better since Hilde has stopped trying to milk them,” Lenny chided and grabbed some bacon to have with her eggs.
“Lenny!” Hilde gasped as her face grew flush with embarrassment. “The cows tried to bite me, Father. It wasn’t my fault.”
Lenny laughed doubling over as Amaya giggled. She struggled to speak as she wiped tears from her eyes. “Father, it was priceless, I didn’t know cows bite. But Bessie chased Hilde around the barn and out into the field.”
“Oh, Hilde.” Their father laughed and shook his head as he took the plate of bacon from Lenny.
“At least I managed to outrun her,” Hilde muttered.
Their father smirked at Lenny who continued to giggle as the image replayed in her mind of Hilde sprinting away from the angry cow in her fine dress.
“Shall we all go to town and watch Lenny dive?” their mother asked, changing the subject to one Lenny couldn’t have imagined in her worst nightmares.
“Why?” Lenny lost all the humor in her voice.
“If Lord Ivor is to be there, then we ought to be with him. He is our guest, so to speak.” Elsie chose her words wisely, but Lenny decided to challenge it.
“Why is he here? Did you ask him to come, Father?”
“I’ve never met the man.” He shrugged. “I was informed he would be riding with you ladies to Waterly City to ensure your safety.”
“Safety? On the King’s Road? Are there many highwaymen on the patrolled roads leading to the city?” Lenny pried.
“None that I’ve heard of in the last twenty years.” Edwin shook his head, stuffing his face with a large bite.
“So why would a cousin to the King of Dahleigh decide to show up in Blockley, of all places, to ride with three country gentlewomen and their lady mother to the city?” Lenny went too far.
“Why do you care so much about this, Ilenia?” her mother asked through gritted teeth.
“Just seems odd is all.” Lenny tried to act indifferent, but she had caught the attention of her two sisters. And both stared at her. Plainly, they were onto what she was doing.
Chapter 8
“Tell us what you know.” Amaya rushed over on the walk to town after breakfast. “You know something,” she demanded with Hilde hot on her heels. Their mother had gone into their aunt Mildred and uncle Alek’s house for a moment to drop off a shawl Mildred had left at the house yesterday and their father was ahead of the group, hurrying to the docks as Lenny was attempting to do.
“What do you mean?” Lenny tried not to sound smug, though she failed miserably.
“Just tell us, Lenny. I’ve seen that look in your eyes before.” Hilde didn’t demand. In fact, her defeated tone made Lenny sick with guilt. “I saw how you snuck glances at Mother.”
Lenny contemplated the effect of spilling this secret, weighing the wrath she would face in ruining the royal engagement, alongside the pain she might spare her sister. Scar nudged her as if she read Lenny’s mind, forcing her to speak softly, “Prince Landon. That’s why Lord Ivor is here. We must have a royal escort because your betrothed is Prince Landon in Waterly City.”
“Gods!” Amaya wrinkled her nose but the reaction Hilde gave was much worse. Her eyes stayed wide, staring at the ground in disbelief. Her mouth parted as though she might protest or at least say something, but she didn’t. She was frozen until the noise of their mother leaving their uncle’s house brought Hilde back from wherever she had gone. She blinked, straightened her back, and turned for the path that became Seaswept Lane.
“You can’t be serious,” Amaya whispered.
“I’m afraid this is one time I am not making a joke at all,” Lenny replied, keeping her tone low so their mother wouldn’t hear.
“But he’s a child, and sickly. I heard he doesn’t leave his chair. They had to put wheels on it to move him around. Surely, this can’t be—”
“Stop!” Lenny said too loud, drawing their mother’s eyes back to them as they walked past the smithy. “Think of how Hilde must feel.”
Scar nudged Lenny again as Quays came into view.
“I have to get to work.” She hurried away from Amaya.
A crowd had gathered at the boardwalk near Quays, making Lenny even more uncomfortable. Never before had anyone come to watch her work. Lord Ivor was there, speaking with a man about Alek’s age. Lenny assumed it was the captain of the large boat. He stood with an air about him that spoke of wealth and confidence. He and Ivor matched and seemed well acquaint
ed with one another.
Uncle Alek stood alone with his arms crossed, giving a confused and yet possibly stern look at Lenny as she broke from her family and went to his side at the top of the dock. She noted the warmth of the sun on her face as she made her way to him.
“The young lord managed to beat you here.” He glimpsed at Lord Ivor who was now conversing pleasantly with Elsie and Edwin although his eyes darted back and forth from the conversation to Lenny. “Not sure what that says about your punctuality, considering it’s nearly lunch,” he grumbled when she got to him.
“Had the lord not come at all, I might have been here hours ago.” She followed Ollie’s trot up to the crowd where he was greeted by a hyper Henry. He lowered himself then took off, forcing Ollie to chase him. And he was fast, just as Lord Ivor had said he was. Lenny smiled but noticed Lord Ivor was watching her, smiling too. She lowered her gaze to the clean clothes she wore.
“Why’d you bother to brush your hair or dress up for such an occasion?” Uncle Alek cracked a wide grin. “Or am I to assume your dear mother has plans for you and Lord Ivor to marry?”
“Oh, she has plans I’m certain,” Amaya whispered as she walked to them, speaking before Lenny could. “Such as marrying Hilde off to Prince Landon, apparently,” she said, still shocked. “Did you tell him already?” she asked Lenny.
“I haven’t had a chance,” Lenny lied. She’d had no intention of telling anyone what wasn’t her business, but the girls had never kept secrets of that size from each other. They read each other’s faces too well to manage it.
“Prince Landon? The sickly one?” Alek’s voice went quite low. “By the gods, who marries their daughter to a man who cannot stand and will likely never produce an heir? I thought Hilde was her favorite.” His eyes drifted to the sad expression on his silent niece’s face. She stood next to her mother, staring at nothing but likely struggling with everything.
“Indeed, Uncle. I did as well.” Amaya lifted her eyebrows. “Not certain what Mother is after there, beyond a connection to the royal family.”
“A royal family with a single son who won’t live past twenty they say?” Alek was dubious of the entire thing. “You certain about this?” he asked Lenny.
“Lord Ivor spilled it last night. I believe he thought I already knew.” Lenny shrugged. “Which side of the boat do you want me to focus on?” she changed the subject. It nauseated her to think on her poor beautiful sister a lonely widow in the royal courts at twenty-two years of age.
“Right, to work then. Enough gossip.” He slung his arm over Lenny’s shoulders as he led her to the ship. “The damage was along the bottom of the boat, both sides. Like nothing I’ve ever seen. I don’t know how to prepare you for this.”
When they reached the end of the dock where the boat was moored, Lenny took a seat and began removing her shoes. Scar sat next to her, staring out at the sea, squinting as the gentle breeze toyed with her lashes.
Ollie had given up on chasing Henry and was in the middle of the crowd, being rubbed by Lord Ivor, and even Amaya, who Lenny knew only gave him affection for show.
“Hilde has every right to turn this down,” Uncle Alek spoke softly, clearly not over it. “And she ought to. No girl should be expected to marry a dying boy. That’s cruel.”
“Indeed.” Lenny nodded, worried about the whole thing even more now that Uncle Alek was disgusted by it. He rarely gave an opinion aloud in judgment of either Elsie or Edwin. Unless he was joking.
“Does your father know?”
“That I don’t know. I assume he does but how could he?” Lenny refused to believe her father that cruel, but it was unlikely her mother would make such a decision on her own.
“All right, well nothing to be done about it now. Focus on the task at hand,” Alek said with a heavy sigh.
Lenny gave Scar a kiss on her forehead then pushed herself off the dock, gasping at the feel of the cool waves as she hit the water. She swam alongside the massive hull, bobbing and breathing deeply to stretch her lungs. Her ribs still ached, but she ignored it as she prepared to dive. A shadowy figure cast a reflection on the water, causing her to turn and see Lord Ivor watching her from the docks next to her uncle. He nodded at her, his eyes glinting.
She offered nothing back as she gulped in an enormous breath and dove beneath the choppy waves. As always, it took a moment for her eyes to adjust as she made her way along the starboard bow. There was nothing in the front for breaches. The bow of the boat hardly had a mark. Lenny wondered about it being a newer boat.
As she swam for what felt like an eternity, her eyes scanning the ship, she tried to focus. But the blue light from the other day, the yellow eyes, and Hilde’s betrothal, haunted her. As she reached the stern, she noticed a strange mark scratched into the side of the great ship. She swam closer, running her fingers along the lines. They were scratches but not deep enough to cause cracks in the oak planks, although their shape was strange. Lenny held her hand up to them, noting the way the lines matched her fingertips, as if a human had scratched the boat. But she hadn’t seen nails that long nor strong on a person before.
Her chest began to ache but she pushed through, believing that denying herself air was why she could hold it for so long; she had stretched out her lungs and chest.
She surfaced at the stern of the great ship, almost twice the distance of normal fishing boats from the dock. She waved but wasn’t certain her uncle would see.
Alek did though, he’d been watching for her. He waved back and slapped Lord Ivor on the arm. Scar barked and Lenny called out, “I’ll be right back, girl.”
She took several deep inhales before taking the big one and slipping below the surface again. The port side was much worse, many more scratches, deep ones, as if a person had dug into the boat, and again the shape reminded her of her hands and nails.
She’d never before seen a single mark on a boat that could compare to this.
At least her uncle’s patch was perfect. Not one board quivered and there didn’t appear to be any bubbles near the spots she assumed were the bigger gashes.
Gashes.
That was what she called them, though the word was unfit for a ship.
She kicked to surface again, feeling a strange sensation, like perhaps someone was calling her or needed her. As she broke through the water, she bobbed and listened but heard nothing beyond the wind and waves kissing the creaking ship and docks.
Deciding to take one more pass over the boat, as the customer was a wealthy one who had many more fine boats for her uncle to maintain, she swam back for the stern. She was nearly off the port quarter when she heard it again, the strange sound. It was music in the water and it called to her as it did before.
She spun to the right, peering out into the bay, noting the blue mist was back.
She swam toward it, pushing her legs harder and harder, determined to catch it this time. But as her hands swept through the mist, it vanished and reappeared a ship’s length away, further into the bay. She swam hard again, pushing her body as it started to beg for breath. As she reached the blue mist, it stayed this time.
Chapter 9
The sound of the music was there, in front of Lenny, and yet not. It was loud enough she could determine it wasn’t instrumental but voices. Melodic voices.
She floated in the water in front of the light, watching as it changed shape slightly. She recognized it right away as a jellyfish. There was no denying it. The liquid shape and bright light had to be an exotic type of jellyfish she had heard of but never seen.
Slowly, it sank to the bottom of the sandy water, nestling into the bed of the sea. It made a bit of dust float up as it did.
Her chest began to scream for air, but she ignored it. She kicked to go lower, reaching for the light that was now in the sand. It called to her, she sensed it.
Her mind begged her to stop, pleaded with her to swim to the surface for air. But she swam further down until her ears pulsated.
There, in the be
d of the ocean, she saw something else. Or something related to the jellyfish, though she didn’t know how that could be. The blue light of the jellyfish had somehow become a blue stone.
Her vision began to close in as she jerked with the first of the oxygen fits. She pushed herself that little bit further, wrapping her hand around the blue stone, grabbing sand and rock, then dug her feet into the muddy bottom of the bay and thrust as hard as she could. Her muscles spasmed and she lingered on the cusp of unconsciousness as she broke the surface, gasping like a person coming back from the dead might. She turned on her back, closing her eyes and breathing hard.
She couldn’t swim just yet, but she fingered the jellyfish stone, feeling the realness of it. It was oddly warm for a rock from the bottom of the ocean. It wasn’t soft or squishy but it pulsated, or was that her hand? Was her entire body pulsating?
When the cry for air subsided and she was again able to see clearly, she lifted the rock into the air, squinting against the sun, and inspected it. It glinted with light and swirled as if smoke were trapped inside.
It was the strangest rock she’d ever seen. More like a gemstone someone would wear in jewelry. In fact, its edges appeared to be cut as though it had once been part of something else.
Voices distracted her. Voices and a dog barking. She sat up, bobbing in the waves and waved at her uncle who held Lord Ivor back or restrained him in some way. Scar was barking and running up and down the dock next to the boat.
Lenny pocketed the stone and swam back, staying above the water until she was close enough to be heard. “Ship’s sound. Your patches were perfect.”
“What the blazes were you doing?”
“I saw a jellyfish like I’ve never seen before. Bright blue light. I think it was one of those deepwater ones the fishermen speak of seeing, when the waves are calm at night.” She noticed the fatigue in her muscles as she swam.
“And you decided to inspect it, did ya? Instead of coming up for air?” Uncle Alek was red-faced and his eyes were as wide as saucers. Lord Ivor appeared the same.
