was quiet but full of calm self-assurance. “Lady Judith Vedma did not finish what she began.”
“And she?”
“Fallen.”
“I see.” Hester bit her tongue, not daring to ask after her husband or her daughter.
“Hester!” Lady Damarus Regalii nearly leapt from her chair. Two servants gently held her back by her shoulders. “They told me you had perished!”
Relief at seeing her sister’s battered but smiling face brought tears to her eyes. “It was a near thing. How do you fare, Damarus ? Does Mother know you are whole?”
“I would hardly call this whole!” Lady Damarus ran a hand along her bruised forehead and cheek and pointed to her rose silk gown, burnt and ripped to rags. It had been her favorite, Hester recalled.
“I think my leg is broken,” Hester said, feeling quite stupid.
“Bones heal. But where shall I find another bolt of such fine fabric? This dress took the lot!”
“ Damarus , where is my husband?”
Her sister paused and glanced around her. “I have no idea. But you know, when I saw him tonight, I was surprised he was yet so handsome! Humans are so very fragile; it was quite a shock! Such short little lives, too. Are you sure it was not his time to die anyway? I have no idea why we must bother to protect them in the first place. They always just up and die not a few short years later. They are just like pets. Really, what is the point and purpose to it?” Damarus went on about the injustice of serving pets as Hester’s heart sank.
She motioned her litter-bearers away, and they set her in the shade of an old oak on the far side of the road. “Emile, that is your name, yes? Could you be a dear and seek out Master Marius Sloane for me, please? Tell him that I need to see him at once, and to bring Charlotte over with him.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Emile bobbed a bow and dashed off across the scorched lawn toward what had been the grandest house in the principality.
Hester waited. Some time later, Emile returned with a plate of early apples, some brown bread, and a small wedge of cheese. He offered her a bent silver ewer of water, but he had no cup. He also had no news.
It was growing dark when he returned again, this time with cold sliced meat, more brown bread, and a pear. There was still no news.
Together they sat in silence as torch-bearing workers cleared rubble and laid out the dead, draping them in sheets, towels, curtains, and whatever textiles were at hand. The remaining Vedma , battered and weary, came and soothed Hester’s leg.
“The bone is still weak—take care not to bear much weight on it until it heals properly,” she said and moved on before Hester could even thank her.
By the first light of the following day, the scene had not much changed, save that the Regalii had all been moved into the apartments and rooms that remained intact at the estate house. The estate’s owners had slept in the servants quarters, and many of the servants had spent the night out in the field with Hester and Emile. One of the house servants came to them early, wringing his filthy hands in the tail of his equally dirty shirt.
“I would speak to the Lady,” the man said. His face was puckered with burns, and he had several teeth freshly missing. His breath smelled of blood.
Hester tensed.
“If you would follow me, my Lady.” He extended his arm and helped her to her feet, bearing her weight as he led her to the line of corpses.
“No,” she whispered.
“You must be strong, Lady. For all of us.”
“I do not want to be strong! I do not want to be a lady! I just wanted an ordinary life.”
The servant laughed darkly. “We always want what is denied to us. It is what makes us human, even you who were born to rule Heaven and Earth.” They came to a shaky halt at the end of the line. “I need to know if this is your husband, Lady Hester.”
“I know. But I do not want
“And she?”
“Fallen.”
“I see.” Hester bit her tongue, not daring to ask after her husband or her daughter.
“Hester!” Lady Damarus Regalii nearly leapt from her chair. Two servants gently held her back by her shoulders. “They told me you had perished!”
Relief at seeing her sister’s battered but smiling face brought tears to her eyes. “It was a near thing. How do you fare, Damarus ? Does Mother know you are whole?”
“I would hardly call this whole!” Lady Damarus ran a hand along her bruised forehead and cheek and pointed to her rose silk gown, burnt and ripped to rags. It had been her favorite, Hester recalled.
“I think my leg is broken,” Hester said, feeling quite stupid.
“Bones heal. But where shall I find another bolt of such fine fabric? This dress took the lot!”
“ Damarus , where is my husband?”
Her sister paused and glanced around her. “I have no idea. But you know, when I saw him tonight, I was surprised he was yet so handsome! Humans are so very fragile; it was quite a shock! Such short little lives, too. Are you sure it was not his time to die anyway? I have no idea why we must bother to protect them in the first place. They always just up and die not a few short years later. They are just like pets. Really, what is the point and purpose to it?” Damarus went on about the injustice of serving pets as Hester’s heart sank.
She motioned her litter-bearers away, and they set her in the shade of an old oak on the far side of the road. “Emile, that is your name, yes? Could you be a dear and seek out Master Marius Sloane for me, please? Tell him that I need to see him at once, and to bring Charlotte over with him.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Emile bobbed a bow and dashed off across the scorched lawn toward what had been the grandest house in the principality.
Hester waited. Some time later, Emile returned with a plate of early apples, some brown bread, and a small wedge of cheese. He offered her a bent silver ewer of water, but he had no cup. He also had no news.
It was growing dark when he returned again, this time with cold sliced meat, more brown bread, and a pear. There was still no news.
Together they sat in silence as torch-bearing workers cleared rubble and laid out the dead, draping them in sheets, towels, curtains, and whatever textiles were at hand. The remaining Vedma , battered and weary, came and soothed Hester’s leg.
“The bone is still weak—take care not to bear much weight on it until it heals properly,” she said and moved on before Hester could even thank her.
By the first light of the following day, the scene had not much changed, save that the Regalii had all been moved into the apartments and rooms that remained intact at the estate house. The estate’s owners had slept in the servants quarters, and many of the servants had spent the night out in the field with Hester and Emile. One of the house servants came to them early, wringing his filthy hands in the tail of his equally dirty shirt.
“I would speak to the Lady,” the man said. His face was puckered with burns, and he had several teeth freshly missing. His breath smelled of blood.
Hester tensed.
“If you would follow me, my Lady.” He extended his arm and helped her to her feet, bearing her weight as he led her to the line of corpses.
“No,” she whispered.
“You must be strong, Lady. For all of us.”
“I do not want to be strong! I do not want to be a lady! I just wanted an ordinary life.”
The servant laughed darkly. “We always want what is denied to us. It is what makes us human, even you who were born to rule Heaven and Earth.” They came to a shaky halt at the end of the line. “I need to know if this is your husband, Lady Hester.”
“I know. But I do not want
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