You Are Mine (21 page)

He told her about that? She pours a
cup and then grabs another that I hadn't noticed. “I thought we
could get to know each other so I can better serve you, and warm
milk is always soothing before bed. Or any time really.”

I've never heard of a stranger
servant. Though perhaps since Phyllis was the only one I've had, I
don't have enough to compare with. “I haven't ever tried warm
milk.”

“
Try it for a couple
nights. It may seem strange at first, but soon you'll be asking for
it. I promise to have your chocolate in the morning.”

I take the proffered cup. It doesn't
sound like anything a person should drink, only calves. Her eyes
are so big and her smile so encouraging, I find myself taking a sip
anyway. My face scrunches. It's not right.

She laughs. “Try it a few more times.
If you don't grow to like it by next week, I'll quit pestering
you.” She pulls a chair beside me and pours her own cup of milk.
“Now then, what sort of things do you expect of me? Is there a
particular way you like things done?”

I set my cup down. “No. I don't think
so.”

“
There's got to be
something.”

“
What type of things are
you expected to do?”

She studies me. “Is this a test or
don't you really know?”

I shift in my seat. “We had servants
at the house, one for mother, but mostly they did things for
Father. My sisters and I helped with chores and taking care of each
other. I can't imagine needing a servant. The only one I've ever
had for myself is Phyllis, whose job you are replacing.”

“
It's hard for me to
understand that. Families in Envado aren't big like yours. Usually
they have one child, maybe two.”

“
The only big families are
those who produce a lot of boys. Once they have a girl though, they
stop. And families like mine who can't produce a boy.”

“
I see.” Her brows draw
together. “Sisters would have been nice, I think. But as for being
your servant, I can help with dressing and cleaning. Drawing baths,
doing your hair and face paint, bringing you treats, delivering
notes. I'll help with the ball of course.”

“
It sounds like too much.
I'm fine with doing things myself. Except for planning the ball.
That I could use help with.”

She finishes her milk and sets down
the cup. “I'll help with that, but Zade said I was going to get
paid extra for it, so I'll need some other duties. Let's start with
this one.” After grabbing my brush, she stands behind me. Part of
me wants to be grateful for her help, but the other part is
resentful that she's taking it from me. “Your hair is so long. It
must be hard to take care of.”

I shrug. “We aren't allowed to cut our
hair, only trim it. With so many sisters, we take care of each
other's hair. But being here, I've been doing it on my own. Until
Phyllis came that is. Sometimes Cynthia and I still assist one
another.”

“
Well, I'm a bit rusty at
doing hair, but I'll soon remember and can help make up for your
other sisters not being here.”

The brush moves over my hair as if one
of my sisters was using it. Once she's done, she turns down the
covers.

“
If you need anything,
feel free to ring for me.”

“
I will.” Except I won't.
It seems odd to have someone at my beck and call.

She gives a half smile, as if she
knows what I'm thinking. “Goodnight.”

“
Night.”

Once she's left the room, I climb into
bed. Yes. The strangest woman I've ever met. I blow out the candle
and pull the blankets over me. Strange. I think I like
her.

***

A noise startles me awake. Moonlight
shines through my window. What woke me? I stretch out on my back.
Usually it's one of my younger sisters that wakes me, scared or in
need of a drink. That chore usually goes to Cynthia or Bethany, but
sometimes it falls to me. Won't happen here though. Unless Cynthia
comes, which she hasn't in the two and a half months we've been
here.

The door is closed. It's hard to tell
in the dark, but I don't see her coming toward the bed. Maybe it
was something in my dream that woke me.

I curl up on my side, facing my window
seat. I wonder how Cynthia's getting along. Many times I've
awakened in the night at Father's, she was up. If I can't get back
to sleep, maybe I'll go visit.

My eyes give a heavy blink. My limbs
relax. Tomorrow then. I'll see her tomorrow. My eyes close. Then I
jolt awake. Did that shadow just move?

Sleep flees from me. My body tenses.
The shadow isn't moving anymore, but I can't think of any object in
my room that would cast it. It's a lumpy, round shape, sort of like
a person crouching. Someone's in my room.

Do I feign sleep or call for help? Who
would even be in here? Has the Envadi come for me? I swallow,
trying to force the fear down. The action does no good. If it is
him, no one may come for help, but I won't sit by and do
nothing.

There's nothing close by I can use to
defend myself. The best I can do is ring for help and try for the
door. Where to go after that? I don't know if anywhere is safe. I
hope someone comes when I ring.

With several deep breaths, I bolt from
the bed, yanking on the cord as I pass. The rope burns my hands as
it slides through. I dart for the door, not daring to check behind
me. It's still too far away when hands grab my waist and I'm
knocked to the floor. My head bangs against the wood. Blood fills
my mouth. I thrust my head back, slamming into my attacker. He
grunts.

Hands scramble across me. I claw at
them.

“
Wenchit!” A tenor. Not
the Chancellor. Who's attacking me?

The pressure lifts off me. I scramble
on my hands and knees toward the door. Before I get more than a few
feet, I'm flipped over onto my back. Meaty fingers wrap around my
wrists and hold them above my head. He smells of damp earth and
body odor, sort of like Thomas.

“
Get off me!” I buck and
kick, trying to get free.

A slap stings my face. “Where's the
Envadi?” What? Why do they want him? “Where is he?”

The door opens.

“
Help!” I yell and
struggle to get my hands free.

A crack. The pressure is gone from me.
I flip back to my hands and knees and crawl away.

“
Light a lamp!” A female
voice. Waverly?

Whack! A green spell zaps toward her.
She twists away and it crashes on the wall behind her.

I rush to my night stand and light the
lamp.

A man in black has his hands wrapped
around Waverly's throat. She reaches up, trying to pry his fingers
off her. No luck.

If I do nothing, she's going to
suffocate. I jump onto his back, hitting him with everything I've
got. Immediately, he releases her and casts a maroon spell at me. I
drop to the ground before it hits.

A teal and pink spell hurtles toward
the attacker. Where'd that come from? Does the attacker have help?
I look around for more intruders.

Chancellor Zade stands just inside my
room. “What are you doing here?”

Without hesitating, the attacker
flashes an orange spell out the window and bolts after it. The
Chancellor darts after him, but stops at the window. He throws
several spells from the window and then shoots one through my
door.

“
Are you both
well?”

I'm trembling, but don't think I'm
injured. “I'm well. Waverly?”

She coughs. I fill a glass of water
and bring it to her. Dark bruises are already forming on her neck.
She croaks out, “I'm all right. Or will be.”

He crosses to her, puts a hand on her
throat, and emits a faint blue light with streaks of red. When he
takes his hand away, the marks are gone.

“
Thank you.” Her voice
back to normal.

His mouth thins. He comes to me. “Do
you want me to heal you, too?”

I put a hand to my cheek. “It's
nothing.”

“
Are you sure?”

Very. I don't want magic cast on me
ever again if I can help it. “Yes.”

“
What happened?”
Chancellor Zade asks.

Next to his presence I feel as
helpless as I did a moment ago while being attacked. I shiver and
Waverly wraps a blanket around me.

“
I woke to a noise and
rang for help. Waverly came before anything really happened. He
asked where you were.”

His face hardens. “Speak of this to no
one. I'll put extra guards and wards around the house. Let me know
if you have any more problems, but you shouldn't.”

With that he leaves the room. What's
going on? Does he expect there to be more problems?

Wavely's pale. “Did you need anything
else?”

“
No, I'll be
fine.”

She nods. “Ring if that
changes.”

She helps me into bed, tucking the
blankets tight around me. After she leaves, I stare at the window.
Why is someone trying to attack the Chancellor? Is it because he's
not acting eager to marry me? The kiss was supposed to fix that. I
toss and turn, fear chasing away any hint of sleep.

Chapter Twenty

A
knock sounds at my door, and Waverly enters, carrying a tray.
I leave the window seat to sit at the table.

“
Are you all right this
morning?” She sets the tray down and pours some
chocolate.

There's no sign left of the struggle
last night on either of us or the room. Inside myself though, the
same couldn't be said. I'm exhausted from jumping at every noise I
heard last night. “Shaken.”

“
Me, too. If truth be
told. I didn't sleep very well after that.”

“
Me either. Do you know
any more about why it happened?”

“
Only what Zade has told
me.” She looks at the tray. “Have some chocolate, maybe that'll
help.”

I take a biscuit and a cup. “Thank
you.”

“
No problem. Warm milk
soothed me, but I figured this would work better for you.” She
fixes a crease in my already made bed. “A note was sent for you.
Someone named Katherine will be by to see you this
morning.”

“
Good, I was hoping to see
her soon.”

After I've eaten and dressed, Cynthia
enters wearing a dark teal gown with matching metal bracelets and
necklace, and helps herself to the last biscuit. Part of me wants
to tell her what happened last night. But I don't want to scare her
and Chancellor Zade said not to tell anyone.

“
I've heard your famous
seamstress is going to join us. Is it true?” Cynthia's eyes are
bright.

“
It is.”

“
Oh, goody! Do you know
when she's going to arrive?”

“
She should be here about
now,” Waverly says. “Would you like me to send her in if she
is?”

“
Please do,” I
say.

Waverly leaves and a few minutes later
returns with Katherine who's laden with packages. While setting
them on the bed, she says, “You're not wearing the dress. Didn't
you like it?”

“
Come sit,” I say, some of
my stress from the previous evening grows lighter at seeing her.
“Have some chocolate.”

“
Chocolate?” She hurries
to get a cup. “Thank you, but is this your way of not talking about
the dress? It's fine if you hate it.”

“
No, I just remembered you
like chocolate. The dress I love. I wore it yesterday. I was just
telling my new servant, Waverly, about it.” I gesture to Waverly.
“The Chancellor's family sent her to me from Envado. I'm already
learning new things from her. She's wonderful.” And she risked her
life for mine last night. I motion to my sister. “And this is
Cynthia, the eldest of my sisters.”

“
Good to meet you both.”
Katherine gives them both wide grins.

“
I've been anxious to meet
you since seeing Serena's engagement gown,” Cynthia says. “It was
superb.”

A small smile graces Katherine's
mouth. “Thank you.” She turns to me “You liked your new dress then.
Good. Did you wear it for the Chancellor?”

For some reason, my cheeks grow warm.
“I did.”

She tilts her head closer to me. “And
what did he say?”

Waverly and Cynthia also give me their
full attention. My cheeks grow warmer. “He said it was
nice.”

They smile.

“
Good for him,” Waverly
says, but her expression is more subdued than usual. Why is she
somber? Did she not want my dress to get approved? Does she think
it gives me too much freedom? It better not become an issue she
convinces Zade about. I like it too much to have her pushing me
back into traditional dresses.

“
Wonderful,” Katherine
replies. “It means the things I brought won't go to
waste.”

“
What did you bring?” I
eye the packages on the bed.

“
Work's been a bit slow
lately. I had to do something to keep me and my workers busy.” Her
face glows, but I can't help but feel guilty. Doesn't she need
something she can get paid for?