“What is the princess capable of helping with?” Nicholas’ father asked him once we were in the house.
“I work with animals on the sanctuary,” I said, but he didn’t look at me.
He stopped walking. “The pack is waiting for you, Nicholas. Go and see to your duties. This one doesn’t need you to babysit her.” I wasn’t so sure about that.
“Treat her kindly, Father.” I watched Nicholas leave and fought the urge to leave with him. His father was watching me, so I met his gaze and hoped that the intimidation he struck in me was not evident. “Don’t speak unless you’re spoken to.” His voice was like thunder, and I flinched. “Go put your bag in the first room on the left. Then come back here and we’ll begin.” I did as he instructed and my job as a maid began officially.
My first assignment was to clean out the stalls for the horses and believe it or not I was glad. It was something I knew how to do and so I went to it. The first three stalls were clean and I was working on the second to last when Nicholas’ father came in to look them over. “Kellan.” He barked my name and again, I flinched.
“What is it?”
He thrust his hand toward the first stall. “Is this what you Gaje consider clean?”
I said, “It is clean.”
“Not to gypsy standards. Clean it again.” He turned to leave.
“You’ll have to tell me which part of the stall is unacceptable if you want it fixed.”
The expression that filled his face was full of challenge and reminded me of Nicholas. “You like to choose for yourself. You choose what’s wrong with it.”
So, it’s like that, is it?
He was actually smiling as he walked out of the barn, no doubt thinking he had really shown me.
Forget him.
I would clean the stalls until they were clean enough to eat off the floors. I shoveled out all the hay, scrubbed the floors and walls with hot water and vinegar, dried everything and then replaced the hay in each stall. My blouse was sticking to me, and my back and arms were killing me, but there was no way he could find a flaw in the stalls. The sun was setting when I came out of the barn.
Adriel was bringing in one of the horses from the field. “Hi, Adriel.”
“Hello.” He looked around, probably embarrassed at having to talk to me at all. I wasn’t surprised that he was one of Nicholas’ brothers. They looked a lot alike.
“Who is with my grandma Sidney?”
“Boldo, he’ll keep her safe.” Adriel continued walking past me, and I tried not to let it show that I was really wishing he would befriend me. I went into the house and found all four of his sisters standing in a huddle. They were all yelling, and the woman in the middle of them I recognized as Nicholas’ mother.
One of them yelled louder than the rest so I heard perfectly, “We don’t want her here.”
I went to the room that I had been told was mine and closed the door. I was looking forward to getting out of my sweaty clothes and had just sat down to take off my shoes when someone knocked on the door. “Come in.”
“What are you doing in here? Your work is not finished.”
I stood up. “Those stalls are as clean as possible. There is no way-”
“Did you think that your duty here was only to clean stalls? Your work is far from over. Follow me.” He led me down the hallway to a room full of books that literally were the four walls of the room. From the floor to the ceiling there was nothing but books. “Dust each book.” He handed me a dusting towel.
I took the first book off the bottom shelf and started wiping it down. The slave driver stood watching me for a moment and so I looked up at him to see if there was something else he wanted. “You would be lucky to have my son as your own. He is more than you deserve.”
“I agree.” Even though by agreeing with him I had just complimented his son, he still appeared furious.
I couldn’t help but dislike the slave driver even if he was Nicholas’ father. He was always angry and mean. Was this only with me, or was he like that always? I was going to get out of there as soon as I could. Somehow I was continuously dumb enough to make my situation the worst it could be.
I was in the S’s when I found a black book that looked like the oldest one in their library. It was thick and heavy when I took it from the shelf. The title was not in English. I opened it anyway and the sketch on the first page startled me into dropping it. I quickly picked it up and turned the page to get away from the perfect likeness of a black Sith. I couldn’t read anything because it was all in what I was guessing to be Gaelic.
Outside the library door, I could hear the slave driver and Nicholas’ mother arguing and the doorknob began to turn. I closed the book and was replacing it when the door opened. “Hello, Kellan. We have dinner ready and we’d love for you to join us.”
“She can finish after she’s had something to eat.” He gave a jerky nod and she signaled for me to follow her. “If you’d like to wash up first I can show you to the bathroom.”
“Thank you.” The slave driver didn’t come with us and Nicholas’ mother stood in the doorway while I washed my hands. “Will Nicholas be eating with us?” I asked never wanting to see someone so much in my whole life.
“No, he is still training the pack to be ready for the next full moon.” I nodded wishing I was not going to have to sit at a table full of people that hated me. “Brynn has asked to join us.”
Perfect.
“Isabeau was invited by Nicholas. I’m sure it was for your comfort that he did so.”
Thank you, Nicholas.
Isabeau, along with everyone else, waited for us at the huge dinner table. It was dark wood and highly polished. The dishes were the nicest of any china I’ve ever seen and the glasses were crystal. I wanted to sit by Isabeau, but the seats by her were taken and so I took the seat next to the eldest sister.
A prayer was said over the food and once I began to eat, I discovered I was ravenous and completely forgot that I was hated. I ate a steak, two big baked potatoes and I was on my third helping of salad before I once again paid attention to what was going on at the table.
“I think she should be released. Nicholas doesn’t need to come back and have to see her. She’s really hurt him and it’s only hurting him more that she’s here.” The sister whom I was seated next to was saying, and I swallowed my mouth full of food.
“The way that she carries on with Toryn is disgraceful, I don’t see why you couldn’t interfere on Nicholas’ behalf,” Brynn piped in.
“You are the last one at this table to cast a stone at Kellan,” Isabeau snapped before I could say the exact same thing. “If you’re going to eat dinner with this piece of trash and be all forgiving to her, why not forgive my cousin?” Isabeau challenged Nicholas’ parents.
“Because she does not seek forgiveness,” the slave driver said, looking right at me. Then everyone else did too.
“You’re right. I’m not sorry for giving myself a choice.” I had to stand up and yell to get them to listen to the rest of what I had to say. “I am sorry for any pain I caused any of you in the process, and of course I would never intentionally hurt Nicholas.” I met Isabeau’s eyes and the encouragement in them made me feel stronger. “I am honored to serve you if that means you will allow me to earn your forgiveness. If that’s not possible you might as well send me back to Seraph’s house.”
The slave driver, whose name I had yet to learn stood too, and glowered at me from the head of the table. “You’ve eaten, it is time you finish your duties.” I could feel all of their eyes on me and I felt it when the heat stung my face from my own embarrassment. Since I was already standing I moved around my chair and scooted it back in.
“Thank you for dinner,” I said to Nicholas’ mother alone and went back to the library. The very first thing that I noticed was that the big black book was gone.