The Kingdom Journals Complete Series Box Set

by Tricia Copeland

  “I will look for work in the north side of the city today. Can I trade half a day’s work for a solid meal for the two of us?”

  “Yes, only one egg each. You can have some meat if there is any left after breakfast. Fridays are usually crowded, so I wouldn’t count on it.” Walter puts his apron on and retreats to the main room.

  I ogle the eggs Elizabeth stacks in the basket. She offers me the largest two. Shaking my head, I place one egg in front of her. Her lips form a smile, the first I’ve seen from her all week. “I’ll find a better position today.”

  In one quick move, she tilts her head back, cracks the egg over her mouth, and lets the yolk fall onto her tongue. She licks the last remnants from the shell and tosses the broken pieces into the trash bucket. Laughing, I copy her form. The slick egg slides down my throat, calming my belly.

  We work in the kitchen, and Elizabeth helps deliver food to the patrons. The dining room buzzes with an energy not found the prior days, and we serve twice as much food. I lament the empty meat bowl as I pass the dish to Elizabeth to clean.

  “All out of meat, I see. I’ll have to go to the butcher’s. At least Adam will be back today.” Walter stuffs coins in his pants pocket and sheds his apron. If Adam comes with the fish, tell him to wait.”

  After cleaning, we sit on stools by the fire and dip bread in the last bit of meat drippings. It’s not even midday, but my body aches with fatigue, and I stare into the flames.

  “Here, child.” Elizabeth pulls her cloak from her shoulders and wraps it around me. “Rest by the fire while I finish cleaning.”

  I lay my head on the hearth, eyes trained on the pub door, wanting to be ready if Walter comes back. Instead, it’s Adam that enters when the door opens.

  “Still here, I see.” He greets me as Elizabeth rushes to my side.

  “I’ve been to most parts of the city. I can’t find other work.” Elizabeth leans over and picks me up.

  “Work is hard to find when you don’t know anyone. This is my first stop today. Would you like a ride to the other side of the city? I could introduce you to my patrons.”

  “That would be wonderful.” Elizabeth sets me on the floor and pats my back. “Anne, go to the stable and wash up.”

  Running out the back, I slip between the cows as they drink from the trough. Seconds later, Elizabeth is beside me. She twists me around, tightening my braids and smoothing my skirt. We walk through the alley and around the block to the main street where Adam is waiting. Elizabeth lifts me up, and I climb onto the seat beside Adam.

  “Look at you, all prim and proper.” He winks at me. “Let’s find your mother a decent job.”

  Adam introduces Elizabeth to each of his customers, and we scout the area for other places of business. It’s a long afternoon of smiling and curtseying, and the motion of the cart lulls me into a restful state as we make our way down a long tree-lined path. As we stop, I hear a door creak and pop my eyes open. A two-story red-stone, or brick as I will learn later, building, with windows along on the main floor and second floor, looms over us. I note the trees surrounding the lawn and think I will escape to them if something goes amiss.

  A white-haired gentleman standing in the doorway pulls a watch from his breast pocket. “I wondered if you’d make it today.”

  “Sorry I’m late. I have company.” Adam jumps to the ground and holds his arms out to me. He swirls me over his head and I giggle despite my worry. “This is Anne and Miss Elizabeth. Elizabeth is looking for work.”

  The white-haired man is introduced as Master Henry. With light smooth skin and graying hair, Henry smells like the Bible Finn read from. A woman appears behind him. Wiping her hands on an apron, she jogs down the stairs.

  When she smiles, her blue irises seem to sparkle at me. She offers her hand to Elizabeth. “I’m Faye.”

  With hair the color of strawberries, she reminds me of the faeries in Mother’s stories. I imagine her twirling her skirt in a flower-filled meadow. I’m caught up in the scene and reach out to touch her long amber braid.

  Elizabeth grabs my hand. “Anne, where are your manners?”

  “Sorry.” Embarrassed, I drop my eyes to the ground and curtsey.

  “It’s okay, child.” Faye stoops so we are eye level. “It’s not every day you see red hair. Come inside, I think I have a few toys for you to play with.”

  I look to Elizabeth, who nods, and slide my fingers between Faye’s. We follow Master Henry, Adam, and Elizabeth through the front door. A wide staircase spirals up to the second floor. My eyes dart between the rooms and down the long hall to a back exit.

  Faye leads me into the sitting room and squats on the floor beside me. “I should have a doll here somewhere.”

  She pats my back and shuffles through a door. I focus on Elizabeth and Master Henry, learning that he runs a boarding school for boys. Hearing ruffling fabric, I look up to see Faye holding a cloth doll out to me. I take the toy and smooth the yarn hair.

  “I’m not sure I can take you on without any references,” Master Henry tells Elizabeth. “As I don’t know French myself, I have no way of confirming your skills.”

  My eyes cut between them, and I hope we can stay. The large structure around me feels solid, and it smells of books and grass, much like Elizabeth’s home in France.

  “What of the baker down the lane? He’s German,” Adam offers as he enters with a box of fish. “The woman at the grocery store is Italian.”

  “Can you test me for a day or so?” Elizabeth wrings her hands. “I will not disappoint.”

  Master Henry looks to me and back to Elizabeth. “We shall visit the German and Italian tomorrow. You may stay until then.” He looks to the Faye. “Show Elizabeth and her daughter to the empty room upstairs. They can wash up, and then we’ll have dinner together in the small dining room.”

  Faye offers to show us the building and extends her hand to me. The tall walls block sight of the next room, and I tighten my grip on her fingers. She leads us through classrooms on the lower level, to the kitchen, her quarters, and back to the stairs. “My stars.” She wiggles her fingers in mine. “You have the warmest skin.” She releases my fingers and runs her hand across my forehead. “I think you may have a fever, child.”

  Elizabeth whisks my coat off and lifts me to her hip. “Children heat up so quickly.”

  My comfort level with the curious woman led me to forget about the touching humans rule, and I rebuke myself for letting my guard down. With a body temperature eight degrees warmer than humans, I’m supposed to limit contact to a quick shake of a hand.

  Faye smiles and points up the stairs. “Most of the boys go home on the weekends. There will be only two joining us for supper tonight.” At the top, we follow her down a door-lined hall to the last room. She points to a black pipe in the corner. “It’s small but warm as the heating pipes run along the outside walls.”

  “Thank you.” Elizabeth sheds her cloak.

  “You can use the wash room next to my room downstairs.” Faye bows and backs out the door, closing it behind us.

  Elizabeth kneels in front of me and runs her hand down my braid. “You did good.”

  “I forgot about touching humans, I’m sorry. Are we safe here?” My eyes trace around the room.

  “I believe so.”

  There’s a knock at the door. Elizabeth opens it to find Adam.

  “I just wanted to see that you were okay.”

  “Yes, thank you very much. We’re in deep gratitude to you.”

  Adam slides his hat off his head. “I hope to see you next week then.”

  “Until then.” Elizabeth curtseys.

  Adam backs up a few steps, turns, and proceeds down the hall. A door downstairs slams, and loud banging sounds vibrate through the structure. Heavy footsteps on the stairs have me on alert, and I train my eyes on the hall in front of us. The metal smell of blood reaches my nose before the beings appear. As my fangs eject, Elizabeth scoops me up, holding my head to her neck. I breathe in
her scent like we practiced.

  Most of the time in the open air, it’s easy to divert my attention, but with the warm enclosed space, my mouth waters with desire.

  Elizabeth bounces me on her hip. “You’ve scared the youngling.”

  Their footsteps cease. “Sorry, madam, you must be Elizabeth.”

  “Yes.” Elizabeth swallows again and takes a step backwards. My hand scrapes the wall behind her. “I believe you’re injured.” Elizabeth grips my chest as I take long breaths from the air around her neck, fighting the urge to wriggle from her arms. “You should let Miss Faye attend to your wound.”

  The smell of blood invades my nostrils, and I dig my fingers into Elizabeth’s back.

  “Oh, wow, I did cut myself,” one of the boys remarks. The sounds of their footsteps and the waning smell of blood signals their retreat. Their voices waft up the stairwell. “Is Master Henry running a nursery now? First the eight-year-olds, now this.”

  “Come on,” the other replies, “it’s not so bad. Maybe she’ll wash your clothes more often so I won’t have to smell your stench all the time.”

  I’m trembling from the adrenaline coursing through my veins as Elizabeth sets me on the wood floor. Further, I fear she will rebuke me for my reaction. I drew blood on her back, and the scratches won’t heal well with our current state of nutrition. I look up into her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

  “Oh, dear.” She squats and wraps her arms around me. “You did wonderful. I’m proud of you. You’re getting so mature.” She cups my cheeks in her hands. “Your mother and father would be proud.”

  Faye appears at the top of the stairs. “I found some clothes for you. You can change in my washroom now.”

  At dinner, with the wound covered and the boys cleaned up from their play, their scent although still appealing to me, doesn’t set off the same need to feed. I pile fish on my plate as the dishes are passed to me.

  “You eat more than a horse,” the blond boy says.

  I stare into his blue eyes. “Horses eat grass and hay. I’m a meat eater.”

  The other boy slaps his friend’s arm. “She’s even smarter than you.”

  The boys tease each other until Master Henry stops them to ask about our family. Elizabeth tells a story about how her husband and other children succumbed to the plague.

  “I believed my sister would still be in London, but it seems she has moved on.” Elizabeth finishes the tale.

  “Poor souls, at least you have each other.” Faye runs her hand down my hair.

  I realize her scent is different from the others and note it to Elizabeth when we retire for the night. “Is Faye a faerie? She smells different from the men. And why isn’t Master Henry’s scent as good as the boys.”

  “You noticed that?” She holds the covers up for me to climb onto the mattress.

  I snuggle into the feather cushion. It reminds me of home, and I focus on Elizabeth so I won’t think of Mother, Father, Beatrice, Sebastian, and Mina. Elizabeth tells me of the faerie beings that lived near her childhood home in Ireland. How, with red hair and light skin, they tend to be smaller than humans. They are gifted with the ability to know a person’s feelings, even thoughts. I am to be careful of touching Faye too much.

  “I know the rules.” Mad at myself for letting my guard down, I cross my arms over my chest and jut out my lower lip. Even thinking of this hard-and-fast mandate, that a human must never learn of our kind, makes me remember Mother. I want to think about something happy and ask Elizabeth to tell me of Ireland again.

  “You never tire of that story.” Sliding in the bed beside me, she indulges me, as she always does, relaying her childhood tales of life by the sea, trek across Europe, and how she met my parents and Finn.

  “Rest dear.” She kisses my head as she finishes the tale.

  Trying to relax, I listen to the sounds of the house. Hot air hisses as it rises through the pipes, and the wood creeks. I get hot and move a blanket to the floor and lie atop it. For the first time in weeks, I feel safe and rest as if I were home.

  As light starts to grow outside the window, I get up and cross the room. Inching the door open, I find clothes stacked in front of me. With the dress a little wide, I tighten the sash around my waist and make my way downstairs. Seeing Faye in the kitchen, I point to her washroom.

  “Of course, child, go ahead.”

  When I join her in the kitchen, she is rolling out dough. I flip a bucket upside down and slide it to her side. Reaching out for the flour, I keep her rolling pin dusted.

  “You sure are smart for a little one. How old are you?”

  “I’ll be three the seventeenth of November.”

  “You are tall. That’s not far off. What kind of cake do you like?”

  “I’m sorry. Cake?”

  I catch Elizabeth’s scent and hear her footsteps before she enters the room. “She has never had cake.”

  Faye startles, dropping the rolling pin. “Oh, my stars. You are a quiet one.”

  After breakfast, Master Henry takes us in his carriage to meet the German baker and Italian grocery woman. With an enclosed compartment, complete with doors and windows, his carriage is much nicer than Adam’s wooden open cart. I rub my fingers across the crushed velvet seat. I catch Master Henry’s gaze as it lands on me, and fold my hands on my lap.

  “It’s my favorite fabric too.” He winks at me.

  I’m not familiar with German or Italian, and it’s boring for me to wait as Elizabeth and Master Henry speak with the baker and then the grocer. Faye entertains me by pointing out the different breads, cakes, and pies made by the German man. In the grocery, she leads me around, showing me the huge barrels of flour, sugar, and salt. As I point to items I’m unfamiliar with, she tells me their names.

  Elizabeth and Master Henry walk towards us as we admire ribbons in the front window. “I am very impressed,” I hear Master Henry comment to Elizabeth. “I will be honored if you should join my staff. I can give you and Anne room and board in exchange for five days of training and helping Faye. Do you agree to these terms?”

  Elizabeth stops and turns towards Master Henry. She holds out her gloved hand to him. “Thank you, I will be most willing to accept the position.”

  “We are agreed then. Perhaps you and Anne can accompany Faye to the dress shop, on my bill, of course.” He motions for her to proceed to the front of the store.

  Elizabeth’s smile tells me all I need to know. This is a good thing. We’ve found a home.

  I help Faye during the day, and Elizabeth teaches me lessons in the evenings. In a year, Master Henry allows me to sit in class with the level-one eight-year-old boys. I must pretend to be playing not to insult them, but I don’t care. On my tenth birthday, Master Henry gives us his room on the main floor to give me space from the boys. Two years later, he and Elizabeth wed, and Master Henry signs papers that make him my legal father. Elizabeth and I still share our room as the purpose of the marriage is to ensure I’m seen as a proper lady.

  Master Henry enrolls me in etiquette and dancing classes, and for the first time since my family died, I’m with girls of similar age. These peers, for as imperfect friends as they are, help me to feel included, and a tentative sense of belonging beyond my family of Elizabeth, Faye, and Henry emerges.

  My teen years prove to be most challenging as I navigate growth spurts without a vampire’s natural diet. More times than I care to admit, I fake being ill to avoid feeding on a human. It is only when I begin hunting at night that the cravings become manageable.

  With my schooling complete at sixteen, Elizabeth and Master Henry decide I should enter society. Faye, Elizabeth, and Master Henry plan my debutante party for the beginning of the summer social season. Master Henry is well respected in the area and earns the first event date of the year. My girlfriends are so green with envy and excited, I can hardly stand to be around them.

  As for me, I hate formal parties, introductions, pretense, and posturing. The rules of society feel suffocatin
g. I’d much rather sit in a classroom with the boys learning history, economics, finance, law, anything but sewing, cooking, manners, and rules of courtship.

  “Sir Thomas has asked to bring their new caretaker,” Faye notes at dinner the night before the party.

  Henry’s eyes cut between Faye and Elizabeth. “I met him briefly. Large man, quiet, but Sir Thomas speaks highly of him.”

  Elizabeth places her hand atop Henry’s. “Do we know anything about his family?”

  “I don’t want to offend Sir Thomas.” Henry lifts his fork to take a bite.

  “We need to be sure.” Elizabeth squeezes Henry’s hand.

  I roll my eyes, thinking Elizabeth to be too nervous about every newcomer. She still protects me like I’m one of her young halflings, making sure I don’t slip up and get too close to someone or am discovered slipping out of the house to hunt at night.

  Lowering his fork to the table, Henry wraps his other hand around Elizabeth’s. “Sir Thomas says he’s from the north. He’s not in society, but Sir Thomas has taken a liking to him and plans to support him.”

  On the night of the party, it’s chilly by human terms, but Elizabeth takes every precaution so that I’m not overwhelmed by the number of humans in our home. We are to receive guests in the front hall at the main entrance. This assures there will be fresh air flow. Since our room is on the main floor, she leaves that window open to get a cross breeze.

  “You don’t seem excited,” Elizabeth notes as she helps me dress.

  “What part of me did you think would like this? I’d rather be single for my whole life.”

  “You never know. You might meet someone wonderful.”

  “In London? I’m not meant for this society. Henry is already starting to notice you don’t look any older. Why don’t we leave? Isn’t that how it’s done?”

  She grips my shoulders. “You have ten, maybe fifteen years before you have to move on, enjoy being young and cared for. The world is not such a hospitable place for women.”

  “But I’m not a woman, and I don’t need to be cared for.”

  Elizabeth exhales a deep breath. “In this society, yes you do. Just give me until you’re twenty-five. Much will change. If you’re still unhappy, then we will go.”