Devastation: A Beauty and the Beast Novel (8 page)

“Please send Swiftly or Tam to milk the
goats and have Egrit meet me in the ballroom,” I said as I walked
toward the hall. I stopped, suddenly. “Oh, did Lord Ruhall say
anything about the excess milk?”

She raised her nose a notch in the air.

“I have not yet approached him. Who are you
to say—”

“Mrs. Wimbly,” Mr. Crow said, walking from
his study. “Afford Miss Hovtel the same respect you would afford
Lord Ruhall or you will find yourself without employment.”

His words surprised me. I wasn’t the only
one. Mrs. Wimbly looked shocked, and it took a moment for her to
give the barest of nods.

Mr. Crow turned his attention to the
assistant cook.

“Kara, show me the cellars. We need an
accounting.”

I was glad he wasn’t giving up.

“Mr. Crow, have all the milk from the cellar
loaded into a wagon. Let me know when it’s done.”

“Yes, Miss,” he said.

Mrs. Wimbly still hadn’t moved from the
cutting board.

“Get Egrit, please,” I said.

She nodded stiffly and left the room.

I strode through the halls, my heels
striking the floor with determination. Rose would not win.

At the ballroom, I pushed open the doors. It
wasn’t as I remembered it, and I wondered if Rose’s magic had
enhanced it. Now, dust drifted in the thin streams of midday light
that filtered in from the curtained windows. The large room echoed
with my footfalls as I crossed to the windows and pulled back the
drapes, one by one. Two sitting rooms opened from the ballroom, and
balcony doors led to a tangle of vines. A dust rag wouldn’t be
enough to set the rooms aright. It would take a shovel, several
scrub brushes, and an army of help to fix fifty years of
neglect.

“Benella?” Egrit said from the doors.

I pulled the balcony doors closed and turned
to face her.

“Egrit, Rose expects the estate to host a
harvest feast within four weeks.” I held out the letter to her.

Her shocked, pale expression matched Mr.
Crow’s as she glanced down at the brief note. I looked around, and
the same hopelessness crept up my spine.

“It will take us a week just to get this
cleaned and polished.”

“The men are making good progress on the
barn. Perhaps we could have two help in here,” Egrit said.

I shook my head and rid myself of any
thoughts of futility.

“I have another idea. Where did the servants
stay? The room off the kitchen has only four beds.”

“There’s room for three pallets on the
floor. There are also rooms in the attic. That’s where I stay.”

“Will you show me?”

She nodded and led the way to the third
floor. Once there, she pushed against a panel that matched the
wall, and a door swung open.

“How do I keep missing these staircases?” I
asked.

Egrit laughed. “They’re meant to be
missed.”

She led me up a narrow staircase to an
equally narrow hall lined with little rooms fitted with two beds
each. At the end of the hall was a locked door.

“The attic?”

She nodded. The rooms were small and dusty
but otherwise serviceable. Each had a small round window for
airing. I reached for a window and opened it.

“Egrit, it’s time for us to visit the
Water.”

* * * *

The wagon rumbled past the market district.
No one paid us attention until we turned onto the narrow path lined
with the rundown homes of those who worked in trade. Children stood
aside and watched us with wide eyes as we stopped before the house
where I’d found a garden and someone willing to trade.

“Egrit, start knocking on the doors. A pail
of milk for each house that wants it. Find out which homes have
children between the ages of eight and twelve. Swiftly, stay by the
wagon and keep an eye on Egrit.” Both nodded and started working
together to pour the milk. Children slowly drifted toward them.

I turned away and looked at the house I
remembered. The soil in the side garden had been turned already.
Nothing remained.

I knocked on the door, and it opened
immediately. The woman looked a little thinner as did her children,
and her eyes trailed to my hands. Her hopeful look faded when she
saw them empty.

“Can I help you?” she asked, meeting my
gaze.

“I think you can. May I come in?”

She nodded and held the door open. The
children stood just behind her. Their neat clothes were well
mended. Two rolled pallets sat near a cold hearth that was stacked
with a few sticks of kindling.

“My name is Benella Hovtel. I’m here on
behalf of Lord Ruhall.”

Her eyes widened at the name.

“I’m Mrs. Palant.”

“Pardon my question, but where is your
husband?”

“We lost him last winter. He was a
woodcutter.” She didn’t say more.

“How old are you two?” I asked, looking at
the little boy and girl.

“Six and eight, Miss,” the little boy said.
He was the older of the two and held his sister’s hand.

I looked at his mother. “The Liege Lord
would offer your children an education in exchange for your work.”
She gave me a wary look. Many children were forced into work at an
early age. Only those families with funds could see their children
schooled.

“This is no trick. The children would attend
private teachings at the estate six days a week from just after
breakfast until just before dinner. All meals for you and your
children will be provided by the estate. The children can do
whatever tasks you give them to help you in your duties but will
not be given work by any other member of Lord Ruhall’s staff or by
Lord Ruhall, himself. You would all live at the estate. There will
be no other compensation for your labors,” I said clearly. It was
more than a fair deal while the children needed schooling.

She looked at her daughter, and I knew her
thoughts. Most of the women in nearby houses traded their bodies
for coin. If she stayed without a husband, it wouldn’t be long
before she found herself in the same position. What future could
she then offer her daughter?

“There’s a wagon just outside with enough
room to carry what’s needed. Take your time to think over the
offer. I intend to return each week with the spare goat milk from
the estate. It’s not much, but it could help if you choose to
stay,” I said, standing and placing a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll
not play games with you. If you choose to accompany me, your
children will not be ill-used and neither will you.”

She nodded, still looking at her children. I
let myself out.

A hand tugged my skirt, and I looked down at
a girl no more than ten. Dirt dulled her pale blonde hair and
streaked her left cheek. Her blue eyes darted to the wagon, then
met mine.

“May I have milk?”

“Certainly. Did we miss your house?”

“I have no home.”

“Where are your parents?”

She shrugged.

“Is there anyone here to care for you?”

She shook her head, and I felt a surge of
pity for her.

“How old are you?”

“Eleven, Miss.”

No one that age should be alone to fend for
themselves.

“And your name?”

“Otta.”

“Otta, I’m here to offer employment at Lord
Ruhall’s estate in exchange for an education. You would be required
to attend school six days and work afterward. You will be fed,
clothed, and given a warm place to sleep. You will be treated
fairly and cared for. Does that interest you?”

“Very much, Miss.”

“Then into the wagon with you. Ask Swiftly
for a cup of milk while you wait,” I said, pointing at the
wagon.

Egrit met me by the wagon.

“There are three houses on this side with
children those ages. Many more with younger.”

I nodded and mentioned Otta, who already
waited in the wagon.

“She will be returning to the estate with
us.”

Egrit nodded. I’d already shared my plan
with her and Swiftly during our ride to the Water.

When she moved to the wagon to continue
distributing milk, I went to the houses Egrit had indicated. To
those houses, I offered the same opportunity I had Otta since the
women already had a trade to support themselves. The children would
be educated during the day but would be required to work before
breakfast and after dinner.

Only two of the women agreed to release
their children. The third woman intended to introduce her
twelve-year-old daughter to her trade. When she told me the price a
virgin would fetch, I thought of the baker and struggled not to hit
her.

I walked away from the house, not seeing the
road I trod. Egrit caught my arm and pulled me toward the
wagon.

“Horrid woman, that one,” she said
quietly.

“Quite,” I agreed.

Two children already sat in the wagon. Mrs.
Palant and her two children were working together to pack their
belongings.

Watching them gave me an idea, and I stopped
Mrs. Palant.

“What happens to your home when you leave
it?”

She looked up and down the road at the other
houses.

“One of them will claim it most likely.”

Her house was in much better repair. All of
the wood was solid, no rot, and there were no gaps between the
boards.

“With your permission, I’d like to try
trading it with the woman in that house,” I pointed, “in exchange
for her daughter.”

“Meg has had plans for her daughter since
she flowered. She’s just waiting for the right buyer,” she said
quietly.

“Do you think your home might tempt
her?”

“Not when all she needs to do is wait for me
to leave.”

“Yes, but so is everyone else.”

Determined, I walked to Meg’s door and
knocked again. She answered with a surly expression.

“The house for the girl,” I said without
preamble.

Her eyes drifted behind me, and she
laughed.

“I have no chance at that place. As soon as
you leave there’ll be a fight for who gets it.”

“Unless we help the new owner move her
belongings there and make it official.” She glanced at the
structure, her interest plain. “The girl will only be pure once,” I
said, the words souring my belly. “But that home will keep you warm
for more than one winter.”

“Retta, come here.” A young woman stepped
into the light of the doorway. A little girl held her hand. “You’re
going with this woman. Go.” She waved her hand at me. The little
girl started crying.

“Want both of them?” the woman asked,
looking at the younger child with no obvious affection.

“Yes.”

* * * *

While Egrit led everyone to the top floor to
air the rooms and settle in before dinner, I went to find Mr.
Crow.

He sat behind his desk, staring down at a
piece of parchment. When he saw me, he wilted a bit and without a
word handed me the paper. Scanning the list, I understood his
despondency. We did not have enough to feed us for the winter,
especially with the additional staff I’d brought.

Absently, I sat across from him and stared
out the window. Surviving with meager supplies was familiar to me.
But would that knowledge help produce an excess of food for a
feast? It had to. I turned to Mr. Crow, who watched me expectantly.
I gave him a reassuring smile.

“There are plenty of fish in the rivers to
the northwest and southeast. On the estate land, a skilled hunter
could also find more large game.” We just needed the men to fish it
and hunt it. “We will succeed.” I stood. “I’ll speak with Lord
Ruhall about having three of the men hunt and fish every day for
the next several weeks. It will keep the cooks busy. Meals will
need to be simple. See if you can recall any of the families who
may have attended in the past. We’ll need to create a guest list
quickly.”

Leaving Mr. Crow, I went to search for
Father or Lord Ruhall. As I approached the library, I heard them
both.

“What good could milk possibly do?” Lord
Ruhall’s angry voice rang through the room.

“I’m sure her reasons are sound,” my father
said.

I caught a glimpse of Alec, pacing in his
study. His wide shoulders were hunched and his head bent as he
worked his path. I could imagine his expression. No doubt the news
of Rose’s letter had upset him.

“My reasons are quite sound,” I said,
walking into the study. His tense face swung in my direction. “Lord
Ruhall, I’m sure Father’s explained Rose’s letter.” I handed him
the note I still carried. “I left with the milk and returned with
several additional servants.”

He studied me for a long moment, his anger
fading to frustration.

“We can’t afford to employ more,” he said,
bracing his fisted hands on his desk. “You, yourself, suggested
trimming their numbers.”

“Their wages will not be paid in coin. You
have a teacher who is not teaching. So I brought a mother who could
never afford an education for her two children and several older
children who are willing to work in the morning and evenings in
exchange for their education. It’s a fair trade.”

“Children, Benella?” my father said with
shock.

“Father, here we will not ill-use them. They
will have the sleep they need, a warm bed, food in their bellies,
and an education in exchange for four hours of work a day. It is a
far brighter future than what waited for them where they were.”

Though Father continued to look troubled, he
nodded.

“Benella, servants aren’t enough.” Lord
Ruhall straightened away from the desk and began to pace behind it
once more. “What she’s asking is impossible for three hundred
coins.”

I agreed, but I kept quiet. He already
looked ready to yell. He didn’t need me to further his despair. He
needed hope, at least until I could look at the ledgers to discover
the cost of past feasts. So, I walked toward the desk and leaned in
until we met eye to eye.

“As impossible as freeing a beast from a
fifty year enchantment, I imagine. Allow me a chance to try.”