Insubordination shone in her eyes. Sucking in a deep breath, she held it until the muscles on the sides of her temples pulsed and her face turned purple. Fear coursed through me, and I let go. She released her breath and scrambled to her feet, and I quickly followed.
“You stay away from me,” she said with a deadly glare. “I will tell Papa what you’ve done, and you will be gone before nightfall.”
“What is the meaning of this?” Lord Winslow’s voice thundered, making us all jump. We stood facing him. No one spoke. Zuna hurried to my side and cuddled into the curve of my hip. I put an arm around the child to ease her trembling, and she whimpered.
“She tried to kill me.” Farrah rushed to his side.
His mouth sagged open as he looked from her to me to Zuna. Then he demanded, “Miss Wolf, I expect an answer.”
I fought to still my quivering lips. Summoning what courage I had left, I met his gaze. “Very well, I will tell you. Lady Farrah believes that, if she tests me long enough, I will leave. But she doesn’t realize that I’m not going anywhere.” I squared my shoulders with all the confidence I could muster, but they slumped just as fast as I added, “Unless, of course, you relieve me of my duties. What I mean to say is, nothing she does will see me leave this house of my own accord.”
A gleam of reverence, as minuscule as it was, flashed in his eyes before he straightened. “What caused this uproar?”
“Farrah threw her tea on Miss Wolf for no reason at all. Then she pulled my hair and knocked me to the ground.” Zuna crept forward. “Miss Wolf tried to stop her.”
“Did she do that also?” He jutted his chin at me.
I lifted my fingers to touch the dampness trickling down my face and held them out to see the crimson stain. I remained silent.
He turned and gripped the child by the shoulder. “You will go find the stable master and ask him what task he has for a child that doesn’t know how to respect those in charge of her well-being.”
“But—”
“Not another word,” he said sharply. “Now go, before I change my mind and forbid you your afternoon rides and strolls in the gardens.”
“Yes, Papa.” She hung her head, and with hunched shoulders, she left the room.
He turned back to Zuna. “You go find Mrs. Potts and tell her I wish to see her in my study.”
The girl hurried from the room without a word.
He watched her go before walking to stand in front of me. He lifted my chin and grimaced as he peered at my cheek. “Nothing that won’t heal.” He freed my chin. “You did well, controlling the child. Maybe there is some spirit in you.”
More than you know, I said to myself.
“I think it will serve you well to find other tasks for the rest of the day.”
“Yes, my lord.” I curtsied.
He left, and I stood wondering if I’d received my first nod of approval from his lordship. The thought gave me hope.
Some weeks after the incident, Mrs. Potts was helping me change the linens on the children’s beds.
“That lass has always been too bold for her own good. A lot like her da, one may say.” She tossed the pillows on the floor. “You’re learning not to back down from the child. This is your best plan of action. A firmer hand with his lordship would’ve done him some good when he was a lad.”
“You know stories of him as a boy?” I asked.
“That I do.” She squared her broad shoulders. “His mum died when he was very young, and his da did his best to raise him with the help of his nursemaid and servants. But his lordship was stubborn and spoiled. He had the servants running around like Christmas geese when he beckoned. Thought he owed nothing to nobody, and he was adamant about making his own mark on the world.”
“How long have you known the Winslows?”
“Since I was a wee one myself.” Her gaze drifted, as if a memory had snatched her mind. “His lordship and his best mate used to get in heaps of trouble. His da threatened to send him to a monastery to be raised by monks until he could learn to conduct himself as a man worthy of his title.”
I pulled the linens back with her help and discarded them on the floor. “I suppose the duties that come with a person of importance could become quite dreary. Always having someone looking over your shoulder and telling you to behave in a manner that does not bring reproach upon the family.”
“Some people ain’t got many choices,” she said. “Children born of aristocratic families do seem like a dreary lot, don’t they?” A smile crept onto her face.
“Lady Zuna is quite lovely.”
“Always been a delight, that one,” she said.
I shook out the bedsheet and gave her a corner. “And their mutter?”
Mrs. Potts’s body stiffened. “It’s best to not talk of the dead.” She tucked the corner of the linen under the mattress.
“Forgive me,” I said, regretting my forwardness.
“Don’t fret, it’s all right.” She reached for the coverlet folded on the footboard. “You never say much about yourself. What is your story, lass?”
My nerves hummed. “There isn’t much to tell.”
“Got a man?”
“If I did, I wouldn’t have left him to travel to this canton.” Dampness coated my palms, and I turned away to avoid her gaze. I strolled to a rocking chair and busied myself with arranging the slumped-over dolls. Nisse’s face appeared in my mind.
“Ever been in love?” When I didn’t answer, she said, “Don’t be shy, love.”
“I suppose one could call it that.” I moved on to fiddle with a lopsided drape.
“So, you’re still in love with him?”
“It wouldn’t matter if I was,” I said, keeping my back to her. “He may never see me as more than the pathetic child that followed after him, thinking he was the smartest, most interesting boy in the village.”
“I know love when I see it. And no turned back will hide the true feelings inside you,” she said.
I dropped my hand from the drape and turned to face her.
“You consider marrying the lad?”
“No—well…” My face burned. “You see, my mutter told me once to make sure that the man I chose as a husband was a prince and only a prince.”
“She wanted you to marry for money?” Disapproval and judgment registered on her face.
“No. She wanted me to have a man who would love and care for me.”
“She seems like a wise woman. But you talk of her like she is…”
“She died when I was little. She was the kindest human I’ve ever met. Always looking to do good and spread joy to all those she met and loved.” Pride expanded in my chest.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” she said. “It appears life ain’t been that easy for ya.”
“One doesn’t get to choose the life they’re given, but I intend to make the best of the one I was handed.”
“I see the wisdom and goodness of your mum have passed to you.”
Mrs. Potts’s words struck me straight in the heart. I felt as if she’d embraced me in a massive hug. “Thank you.” I blinked away unshed tears. “You’re too kind.”
She walked to my side and laid a hand on my arm. “Got to admire a girl alone in the world who can make a go of it on her own. That is something that takes valor and guts.” She dropped her hand. “Now, dry those tears. You tidy up in here and then go on down to the washhouse and help the laundress with the washing.”
“Yes, Mrs. Potts.” I curtsied.
She grunted in her usual manner and left me to tidy the room. I finished and gathered the bundle of linens from the floor.
Downstairs, I went to retrieve the basket of dirty washing cloths I’d left in the parlor earlier. On my way past Lord Winslow’s study, I paused at the sound of male voices within.
“The girl isn’t like most. She is special.”
“So I’ve been informed. What is your point?” Lord Winslow sounded agitated.
“Tread lightly around her,”
the stranger said. “Handle her with care.”
Was I the girl the men spoke of? I leaned closer to hear.
“I received word that requires our immediate attention,” Lord Winslow said. “I’ll meet you in the meadow within the hour. Until then, don’t you have matters that should occupy you?”
“Very well. But do remember what I said.”
“Yes, yes. Be gone.” Lord Winslow’s voice rose. A chair scraped back.
I darted into the parlor and pressed myself against the wall to keep from being spotted. The study door opened and closed, and then somewhere in the house, another door closed. I waited, not daring to move or breathe. The clock in the room ticked, and I counted each strike. When I thought it safe, I slipped from the parlor and raced to the washhouse.
Nisse
I placed a tin plate of eggs, cheese, and bread before my vater and lowered myself onto the chair to his right. His loyal companion whined and eyed the plate from his position at Vater’s feet. When I’d brought the bright-eyed, wriggling ball of fur home, Vater’s eyes had welled up, but he’d told me to take the dog back, stating he didn’t have any need for a dog. Since I had been contemplating leaving and didn’t want him left alone, I told him I’d take the animal back by the end of the week. And, as I’d hoped, he decided the dog could stay.
Our small apartment above Vater’s watch shop was filled with trunks of old watches, mechanisms, books, and treasures he’d collected throughout his life. His greatest treasure, though, was my mutter, who had died when I was seven, and although the memory of her had faded long ago, Vater kept her alive in my mind and heart with tales of their love story.
Ten years younger than Vater, my mutter had been a street urchin of only seventeen when she’d walked into his shop and tried to steal from him while he was preoccupied with a customer. The gentleman had seen her slip the watch into her pocket and grabbed her before she could escape. He had demanded they report her to the authorities, who would take her hand for her thievery, but Vater had interceded and held her arm until the customer finished his business and left. After he departed Vater fed her, and during that meal mutter had shared with him how she’d ended up living on the streets. It was then that he offered her a job sweeping floors, washing windows, polishing, and dusting the display cases.
Not long after he’d hired her, he recognized her interest in the mechanisms of a watch. Soon she was tinkering on watches and fixing them for customers. People had given him grief for not hiring a male apprentice, but Vater wouldn’t turn her away for the mere fact she was a woman. She became his greatest apprentice. In the years that followed, she earned the respect of the village people.
I dreamed of a love like my parents’. Out of that love, Mutter had borne three children, but I was the only surviving child to carry on the Strasser name. The pride I took in being Tobias Strasser’s son had guided me throughout my seven and twenty years.
Before me sat a glimmer of the man I’d left behind. Years had weathered Vater’s flesh, strong shoulders now hunched forward, and his once-vibrant blue eyes had dulled. Since I’d returned, I noted the faint yet persistent trembling of his hands. The rapidly advancing disease of his lungs was taking its toll on him. Each day since my return, I questioned if I’d done right by him when I’d left him behind to pursue my faraway adventures. If I’d stayed, maybe he wouldn’t have deteriorated so much. In his letters, he’d concealed from me how far the sickness had advanced.
“Flicker and I will meet the supplier in the next village. We should be home before nightfall.” I dug my fork into the eggs.
“That is good. I don’t think I can handle the journey today.” Vater pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and held it up to his mouth as another coughing spell erupted.
My muscles tensed as I waited for it to subside. “They seem to be getting worse. We must consider selling the shop and taking the council’s offer.”
“Nonsense. I won’t hear of it.” He folded the handkerchief, but not before I spotted the ruby stain on the cloth.
“You’re a sick man. Doc says warmer weather will give you a chance at a quality life in the years you have left.”
“Son.” He placed his hand on mine. “If I’m to leave Switzerland, I will go home to Austria. I won’t venture across the ocean to a foreign place in the middle of a civil war. I’ll take my chances here.” He regarded me, long and hard. “I wish to see my homeland before I die. It’s been too long since my eyes have beheld its beauty. Would a son do this for his vater?”
He had been a force of strength and structure in my life, but he also provided the gentleness I’d expect of a mutter. Our bond as vater and son had never faltered, and I loved him more than I’d ever loved anything. He had integrity and honor, traits I strove to embody. One day, when I took a wife and we had our first son, I would name him after the man who’d been both mutter and vater to me.
“I’ll do anything you ask of me.” I covered his hand with my other and gently squeezed.
“That’s my boy.” He smiled before his expression turned solemn. “I wish Mutter could have seen the man you’ve become.” His jaw quivered. “Sometimes I miss her so bad, the ache is like a sword to my chest.”
“I know, Vater, but all we have is the here and now. And each other.”
He lifted the handkerchief to dry his tears. “You’re right, my son. I know I shouldn’t dwell on things of the past.”
“You loved her, and it’s only right that your heart would ache for her.”
“I suppose if you were to marry, you could give me other reasons to find joy in the years I have left.” His eyes lit with amusement and a thread of hope.
I leaned back in my chair as a grin broke. “And am I to assume you have a wife in mind?”
“The one I’ve thought would make a good addition to this family for some time.”
“She may never see me as a man worthy of marriage,” I said.
Since returning home, a face often stirred in my thoughts: eyes the color of the Aegean Sea, dark hair that gleamed with tiny threads of gold, and full pink lips that puckered into a pout when she was displeased. The young girl I’d taken on as my duty to protect had grown into a woman of striking beauty. Vater’s letters had spoken of her trips to his shop when she’d come to the village to trade. He’d written about her with fondness, and shared his concerns about her well-being. She is no longer the wide-eyed girl that walked in your shadow, he’d written. And often, as I had settled in whatever cave, forest, or meadow I’d found for the night, I’d dream of the woman he spoke of and how her kindness had helped assuage his yearning for my return.
“Time will tell.” He bent over and placed his plate on the ground so the dog could lick it clean.
I rose from the table and took my dish and the empty one the dog had licked of any last morsel and dropped them into the basin of warm water.
“I need to get downstairs and open the shop. Herr Schneider is coming to have his pocket watch fixed.” Vater hobbled to the doorway beyond which a narrow flight of stairs descended to the shop below. “Stop and greet him if he is here before you head out.”
A short time later, I joined Vater and Herr Schneider downstairs. The men had been good friends since Vater had come to Switzerland when he was scarcely twenty. Vater’s leather pouch of tools lay rolled out across the counter, and spectacles now teetered on the bridge of his nose. Herr Schneider held a glass of whiskey in his hand and leaned close to observe my vater at work. Vater glanced over his spectacles at my arrival, and Herr Schneider swerved to greet me. He held his crystal glass in the air.
“It isn’t too early to be hitting the whiskey?” I beamed as I closed the distance between us and embraced the man who’d become like family.
He clapped my back with his free hand. After his wife had passed some time back, the men had become that much closer. He’d been there the day I’d decided to leave, saying, “Don’t worry, young Nisse. Your vater will be fine in your absence. He has me to be a
pain in his arse.” Though his words were humorous, his face always wore the same tight, unsmiling expression.
“You tell that swine Signor Barnone that I’ve waited long enough for him to find the Louis Audemars timepiece he promised me.”
Vater snickered and continued his work with profound steadiness.
The chime over the door sounded, and Flicker stomped his feet outside on the boardwalk and entered the shop. He removed his fur hat, revealing his frosted chestnut plaits. “Good morning, gentlemen. It’s a cold one out there today.” He blew on cupped hands to warm them up.
After a quick introduction, I left Flicker talking to the men while I retrieved my pistol from the back room. I strapped the holster around my waist before putting on my furs, and stuck my head out the doorway. “If we intend to get back by evening, we need to be on our way. Bring your mount and meet me in the livery down the way.”
Flicker waved a hand in acknowledgment and continued chatting. I said my goodbyes and exited through the back door. The sun sulked behind the clouds, and I blamed it for the eeriness that settled on my shoulders. I shook the uncanny feeling off and strode out the back gate and down the alley to the livery.
“Good morning.” The livery master, smelling of horse shit, greeted me in the yard. “Off so early?”
“I’ve supplies to pick up for Vater and wanted to get a jump on it.”
“It’s good you came back. That stubborn old coot would never tell you how much he needs you.” The livery master had visited our apartment many times to drink and play a friendly game of cards with Vater and his friends.
“He never told me he’d gotten worse,” I said.
He adjusted the brown leather patch masking the eye damaged in a tavern fight between him and a mining dwarf. “Didn’t want you to come home on his account. He wanted you to see the world. To behold all the mystery and magic reported to exist beyond this canton.” He craned his neck to eye me, his expression serious. “Tell me, is it as they say, what lies beyond those mountains?”
The Maid of Chateau Winslow Page 11