The Storyteller’s Daughter
Page 26
As the lads chuckled, Elenora passed by the doorway and gave me a disapproving shake of her head. She proved a loyal companion over the year I had been here, but she couldn’t understand my love for the cards. She chalked it up to my ‘rough upbringing’ as she called it and avoided the topic. I knew her father had lost a great deal to the cards when she was little, though few played at such high stakes anymore.
“How is it that you’ve been playing for years, when you’ve only come here a year ago?” the gentleman next to me asked.
“I was taught how to play by some boys in the village.”
“What’s this, you lived in a village?” another asked as he placed two chips on the table.
I sighed. It felt as if each time I played my past was brought up by curious gentlemen who couldn’t wrap their head around a strange girl. I laid my hands with my cards on my lap and crossed my legs. “That’s right; I came to the Wateredge Manor a year ago when my family acquired the title.”
I didn’t offer any more information, but the man slowly nodded his head. “I recall now, you took on after Lord Gregory.” A man next to him coughed, and another drew his mouth in a thin line. This was a sensitive topic he’d unknowingly treaded into.
“That’s correct,” I confirmed.
Another cough. “Thomas, will you raise?”
He was bringing the conversation away from Lord Gregory and my estate, which was a smart move. The man who held my title and lands before me died during the war with no direct family to pass the lands to. His cousin should have inherited the land, but the late king of Westfallen gave the title to my family instead as appreciation to my sister for her work in the war. It was my lucky break out of Autumn Leaf Village, but I hadn’t been received warmly. Lord Gregory was well loved, and many felt I cheated my way into his manor.
They might be right, but it wasn’t such a great prize as they believed. The floorboards in the manor sagged, railings were rotten, windows missing, and many tenant’s lands had failed to produce a generous crop in years. I spent the long year in tedious work fixing up the home and helping the farmers in the fields. This past year proved a more frustrating learning experience than I’d anticipated, but I was desperate to keep my lands. Many around me had to sell chunks of land to the king to keep afloat due to the shortage of workers.
More than half the boys had gone to war, and many hadn’t returned.
Wateredge Manor rested on the boundary line between Westfallen and Vestalin, our allies. While no bad blood stirred between our countries, the war had left a bitter taste in everyone’s mouth. Only four countries fought, but the whole land felt the sting of battle.
My sister and her husband brought relief from the war, spinning straw into gold for the king to provide the resources to bring the fighting to an end. That act awarded us this estate in the first place, however unqualified we were to run it, and my sister and I moved across the country to live here. The past few months with Cosette have been filled with working in the village and healing the town, but then the letter came that Mama was ill and Cosette was eager to return home. But not before sending for Lady Claire.
I hated admitting it, but I did need a few lessons to navigate the social waters, and I’d greatly misjudged how much socializing nobles did. Friendly alliances with the surrounding nobles boosted my status, and as much as I detested it, their business was crucial to my survival here. That meant participating in these horrid gatherings and playing nice.
There wasn’t much to complain about at the balls. I wasn’t one to turn down free food or a chance to make some money at cards, but the secret reason behind the multitude of events is what made my stomach churn.
With the end of the war, many nobles sought their own alliances, resulting in a land-wide scheme to send off eligible children to other countries to make friends and secure their parents’ place, should another war break out.
Consequently, the ballroom was stocked with maidens hiding their faces behind bright fans or oversized hats and all-too-eager gentlemen filling their dance cards. They were all searching for marriage. Luckily for me, not many looked for a match inside the card room, hence my inclination to it.
“Very well done!” Lord Byron clapped as I revealed my hand. Finally, some luck wandered my way. I grinned and collected my winnings. I promised Joshua, a kind farmer who was a tenant of my lands, that we’d buy a few pigs at market this year; this money would serve that purpose.
I’d only made a little money when taking in account the cost of the tokens, but it was enough.
“I think I’ll call that a night, gentlemen.”
They tipped their heads at me as I turned in my tokens, gathered my money, and left. I had to brave the ballroom at some point.
Acknowledgments
If you’re reading this, you’re the best. Seriously. Thank you so much for joining me on this adventure of sending my debut novel out to the world. Cosette’s story was fun to write, but it was even more fun to share with you all. Thank you.
Further, thank you so much to Oma. Without you, this book would only be half of what it is. Your advice is invaluable to me. And thank you to Jonathan for encouraging me through this process, even though you have no interest in the literary world at all. My family, my friends, everyone whose sat through hours of me rambling on about my stories, thank you for listening. I wrote a book so you don’t have to listen anymore.
Huge thank you to Amanda for looking at my manuscript, and for Shayne and Chantal for giving me the chance! Thanks to my amazing editors who took this book and made something magical with it. And thanks to marketing expert Jessica for dealing with my endless emails about ideas for this book. You guys are all so fantastic and I’m honored to be a part of the Parliaverse.
About the Author
Some of the things I love most in this world are peppermint hot chocolate, peanut butter ice cream, golfing dates, Jesus, and game nights with family. And of course, books.
Fairytales were my first love. I became obsessed with the idea that if one was brave enough, they could defeat dragons, and that true love was real. I met my true love in college, and together we raise our two boys. I have my dad to thank for teaching me to love writing, and my mom to thank for allowing us to keep a wall of medieval weapons in the house, which curated my love for that time period.
My dream is to write vivid worlds and charming characters that will leave an imprint on my readers hearts, the way that so many books have done for me.
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