Queen of the Sylphs Read Online Free PDF Page A

bed, but he wasn’t really smart enough to get jealous. He did love her, and Gabralina was blissfully happy to have him. She had been used to men always telling her what to do, not the reverse.
    Ahead, the lane she’d been following turned through a gate toward a large stone house. It looked as though it had been there for centuries, but the surrounding trees were small and young. Gabralina walked up to the front door, already hearing the excited shouts from the children inside.
    As she reached the doors, they were flung open and a trio of boys ran out, bolting past her and laughing as they headed around the side of the house. Gabralina spun to watch them, smiling and reaching up to brush her hair out of her face. They were all good boys, if rambunctious. Once, boys like that tried to get her behind the stable, and she’d often let them. Now she felt positively adult while watching them play.
    She entered the house. To her left was a doorway into a wide chamber used as a playroom, the floor meticulously clean and the toys all in their boxes under the window. To the right was the Widow’s sitting room, where the children weren’t permitted to go unless they were very good. There was no one in either room, and so Gabralina continued down the hallway, following the sound of voices.
    A huge kitchen took up most of the back of the house. There, a massive harvest table stretched for nearly twenty feet, children of all ages crowded on the benches to either side. In the cooking area of the chamber, older children helped the Widow prepare porridge in a great pot on the wood stove or cut bread and cheese. She directed them like a general, allowing laughter but keeping the chaos under control.
    Mace stood nearby, presiding in his trousers and shirt, his coat nowhere to be seen. He held a baby in his arms and was patiently spooning mush into her mouth. She kicked her feet at him and spit onto his shirt. Mace merely raised an eyebrow. Cleaning off her chin, he offered her more. She smiled toothlessly.
    The Widow Blackwell looked up. Gabralina didn’t know the woman’s first name; she was just the Widow Blackwell to the entire Valley, despite the fact that she was Mace’s master and they were clearly together. She still wore black, and Gabralina had to think that the color of mourning rather suited her. She couldn’t wear black herself; it made her look washed out.
    “Did you see Moran, Gilter, and Pel?” the Widow asked.
    Gabralina nodded and reached for one of the aprons hanging by the door. “Yes, ma’am. They passed me.”
    The Widow frowned, making lines appear all over her face. “I warned them. They better not complain to me later if they miss breakfast!”
    Gabralina just smiled and went to take the large wooden spoon from the oldest of the orphans. She edged past Mace, who eyed her impassively and moved back to give her room. She quickly started to spoon porridge into bowls, and the girls carried these to the younger children at the table. There was a lot of giggling and chattering, but under the Widow’s watchful eye everyone stayed in their seats and ate politely. At the last moment, Moran, Gilter, and Pel reappeared, grinning at the Widow, who immediately sent them out to wash their hands at the pump in the backyard.
    Gabralina moved around, helping the children get more food and to use their napkins and utensils properly. She was a bit hungry herself, but she’d eat later, along with the Widow. The older woman circled the table as well, keeping everything under control.
    Mace joined them at the table, still feeding the baby. There were twenty children in the Widow’s house, all between the ages of seven months and seventeen years. Gabralina had tremendous respect for the woman, and she loved that she could help out. She’d always adored children, but she couldn’t have any of her own now; not with Wat. Still, helping with these was enough, and she was still smiling when the children finished eating and were