Page 3 of Wolfkissed
Someone waves at me from the far end of the hall, and I recognize my cousins, come all the way from the town of Merrith to visit. They are a wealthy family on my mother’s side, dealing in the trade of cloth and wine. A nice bunch, doves flying over this sea of cunning weasels and wicked foxes.
Smiling, I start toward them when a hand grabs my arm and jerks me back.
“Oh, look, it’s the drab bat,” a familiar, annoying voice screeches from behind me, and I turn to face my sister, if only in name, daughter of my stepfather and his wife.
“Matilde,” I whisper. “What do you want?”
CHAPTER TWO
ROSAMUND
“Look at you,” Matilde sneers, releasing my arm to glare at me. “Look at all the trash you have pinned on your head.” She pitches her voice high to carry over the noise in the hall. “Is any of it real? And that silly gown, where did you dig it up? You thought you could dress up to outshine me?”
I school my expression. “Of course not.”
“Good, because you can’t.” Flaunting the gem-crusted pink gown she’s wearing, she steps closer until she’s glaring down her nose at me. “You’re a slut, aren’t you? What betrothed woman would try to attract men when she’s already spoken for?”
Losing the battle, I roll my eyes. “I’m not trying to attract?—”
“And the pearls? Where did you get them?”
“They were my mother’s,” I grind out.
“Liar.” She grabs the necklace and tears it from my neck. She’s surprisingly strong for a girl her age. The clasp breaks, and I stumble backward, shocked. “You stole them from us.”
Recovering from the shock, I reach for the necklace. “Give it back. It’s mine.”
“Go away.” She shoves at me, lifting the necklace, a calculating look in her eyes. “These pearls could bring in good coin. I?—”
“It’s mine, I said, give it back!” I grab her sleeve, and she hisses, slapping my hand away. “Matilde?—”
“Rosie.” Niele, Stepfather’s wife, steps between us, scowling at me. “Are you bullying your little sister again?”
“I’m not. That necklace is mine. She took it from me.”
“Stop lying and go sit. The hunting party will be entering any moment now. We don’t want to give a bad impression.”
My eyes burn, but I refuse to let any tears slip. Being rebuked as if I’m a child, getting accused of wrongdoing, dismissed as if my opinions and feelings don’t matter… It’s all too commonplace these days. I should have known this would happen. It’s been happening more and more often.
Mostly, I grieve the loss of the necklace. I have very few things left from my mother, and this pearl set was one of them.
But it doesn’t matter. They are just things, and I am made of fire, even if some days I feel like I’m made of mud and stones. I’m fire, and I don’t need pearls to remember my mother.
I’ll be fine.
I realize Matilde is jealous because I have found myself a rich husband. Although it could also be because the servants like me more. Because I like to spend my time in the gardens with the gardeners, learning about plants and planting, or with the cooks, learning about cooking. Because I’m good at stitching and knitting. Because I like books.
Who knows, really? Anything could be the reason.
I watch Niele escort her daughter back to their seats beside Stepfather’s, and I feel… untethered. This isn’t my home anymore. I have no home, but maybe… maybe Lord Eorl will turn out to be a good man. A good person. Maybe his home will become mine. Hope is a scarce commodity when you’re afraid of your own shadow, but I have to believe it, or I won’t be able to take another step ever again.
A step through this hall, a step out of the door of the manor. The thought of traveling won’t let me sleep at night, but Stepfather promised me a bodyguard.
A bodyguard, a carriage, and servants. I’ll be fine.
This is my eternal mantra. I’ll be just fine. Everything will be fine.
“Come, Rosamund,” Stepfather says, beckoning. “Come be introduced to Lady Erielle of the House of Fireflies and her children. I have asked their house for help with a special little project of mine.”
