Chapter 61
"Your Grace!" a boy of perhaps ten years greeted Millicent with bright cheer before darting away.
On this day, she had set aside her many obligations to bring me to the orphanage I was to manage. It was called House of Gab, neither modest nor grand, a two story building set on a gentle lawn. Winter lay upon the grounds, but within came the lively sound of children's laughter.
House of Gab stood in the town of Cassinee, far from the city, though the distance felt of no consequence, for the paired portals allowed passage with ease. They rested within an elegant pavilion, one for entering and one for departure, a design both practical and refined.
An elder nun approached us, her smile gentle and welcoming. "Your Grace, I had not known you would visit today."
"A fine day, Sister Katelyn. How fare things here?" Millicent replied with kindness.
"We have faced some difficulties as our procedures are not yet set, but we are making progress."
"This is Lady Naevia," Millicent said. "I have appointed her as the head of House of Gab."
"The Naevia from the rumors?" a small girl peered from behind Katelyn.
"Goodness," Katelyn hastily covered the child's mouth and bowed to me. "Pray forgive her. She has only just arrived and has not yet been taught proper manners."
"It is quite all right," I said. "She is merely curious."
Millicent led me to the second floor where the office was, and there she reviewed with me the many documents concerning the orphanage.
"What if I fail, Your Grace?" I asked, setting the paper from my hand upon the low table. She sat across from me on the sofa, a gentle smile resting upon her lips.
Had it been a smaller house, I might have found some measure of confidence, yet this place held forty three children, from the smallest infant to those nearly grown.
"If you do, then you shall try again," she said with calm assurance. "We are not always granted success at the first attempt."
Such words had never been offered to me by my parents, and I was grateful that Millicent did not seek to guide my every step, but allowed me instead to learn through my own doing.
She is a woman of kindness and keen intellect, and I began to doubt the whispers that claim she keeps a Marchioness as a mistress. It is also said she has two children, though their father remains unknown, yet in the months I resided within her estate, I saw no trace of them.
Then again, I scarcely left my chamber.
She glanced toward the wall clock, then rose with grace. "My apologies, I must depart. Another engagement awaits me."
I stood as well and inclined my head. "I thank you for bringing me here. I shall endeavor to do my utmost."
"When you find yourself truly at an impasse," she said, "send word to me, or come to my estate."
"I shall."
"I will have Issac deliver your wages by the end of the day," she continued, moving toward the door as I followed.
"I am to be paid?"
"Certainly. You are in service. Where there is labor, there is recompense."
For the first time in many years, my heart fluttered, for that told me a truth. I was at last earning coin by the strength of my own hand.
"Take care, Lady Naevia."
Millicent took her leave, and not long after, Katelyn entered the office. "Lady Naevia, a child has been left at our door."
That would make forty-four in total. I had only just begun my duties, and this felt far too soon. I have not yet read beyond the documents Millicent deemed most essential.
"What is our usual course in such a matter?" I asked.
"The sisters and I take the child in, record their name, and note the cause of their abandonment," she replied. "Yet now that you are here, I felt it proper to seek your counsel."
"Bring the child to me."
He was brought in soon after. The boy appeared gravely malnourished, his garments worn and torn, bruises scattered upon his face, and his short brown hair unkempt, as though it had not known care for years. The moment his brown eyes met mine, he fell to the floor, his small body trembling.
"Please… don't hit me."
I had not raised a hand, yet terror consumed him as though I had already done so. I stepped closer, and he flinched with force. I could not fathom why.
Katelyn regarded me with concern. "He was uneasy on the way here, but not like this."
"Take him out," I said quietly. "Ask him why he fears me so."
They departed, and Katelyn returned not long after. "He says your dress is too fine, Lady Naevia. Women in fine dresses have always struck him."
I lowered my gaze to my attire, uncertain whether it deserved such a description. It was merely what any aristocrat might wear upon a casual outing.
"What you wear is indeed beautiful," Katelyn said, her eyes lingering upon me. "Or perhaps it is your form that lends it such grace."
"Nonsense. Bring me a habit."
Thus I changed, forgoing the veil and coif.
Seated beside me was the boy from before, his fear of me now gone, though a nervousness still lingered.
"How many years have you, dear?" I asked, softening my voice as best I could.
"Seven," he answered.
"A fitting age to learn," I said, attempting a smile. "May I know your name?"
"Ed Jackson."
"A fine name," I lied. "Will you tell me what has befallen you?"
"My step sisters don't like me. They drove me from the house."
"And your parents?"
"My father is ill. My stepmother does not like me either."
"Your birth mother?"
"She was a maid. She died last year."
So that was the truth. Such cruelty was not uncommon within noble households, where the unwanted child is cast aside without mercy. I resolved to report this to Millicent, for such treatment must surely stand against the laws of her duchy, a land that prides itself upon justice.
"Lady Naevia," Katelyn began from the other side of the boy, yet her words faltered as Ed suddenly dropped to the floor before me, his small body trembling once more.
"You are a Lady," he said, his voice shaking. "You are a noble."
This child had suffered greatly at the hands of nobles.
"I wear a habit, do I not?" I said softly. "I am Sister Naevia."
That seemed to ease him, for he yielded with innocent trust. I asked him further of his likes and dislikes, and of any ailments, before entrusting him to Katelyn, who would tend to his wounds. I returned to the desk, drew forth a blank sheet, and composed my report to Millicent. Once it was sealed, I stepped into the hall in search of a nun to deliver it.
As I walked, the sound of children's laughter rose from every corner, bright and unrestrained, a sound I had never once heard from Aelunira's lips. I looked down at the letter in my hand.
Ah… what a hypocrite I am. I ought to report myself as well, for I have neglected my own child. I questioned Ed of many things, yet I have never once asked what Aelunira likes, nor what she dislikes, and now I see how little I truly know of her.
A young boy in the distance drew my attention, moving with careful steps, his hand trailing along the wall as though it were his only guide. As I approached, I understood, for his eyes were gray, almost white. He was blind.
"Pardon me," he said with a gentle smile.
"How did you know I was here?" I asked.
"I felt your presence. You sound like an adult. Are you one of the Sisters?"
I glanced at my habit. "I am Sister Naevia. May I know your name and age?"
"Charles. I have no surname. I am fourteen."
"Why do you walk without a cane?"
"I heard the prayer chamber has been completed. I wished to go at once and offer my prayers, and in my haste, I forgot it."
"You hold such eagerness to pray?"
"Yes. When I come of age, I shall join the temple and devote myself to our beloved Ombrithar."
"Charles… you are aware that Ombrithar is not real?"
It was better to reveal it to him early, for Ombrithar was but a figure shaped by human imagination. To devote one's life to that which does not exist was a sorrowful misdirection of one's years.
"Walk with me," he said, extending his hand. I took it, and together we slowly moved forward.
"I was born without sight, Sister Naevia."
The laughter of children faded until only his gentle, clean voice remained.
"My faith has sustained me," he continued. "Though She is not real to you, She is real to me. I know within my heart that She hears every word I offer, and today, I shall pray for you."
"That is not necessary."
"It is," he said with certainty. "I lack sight so I can hear the weight within your voice. You carry sorrow, Sister Naevia. I shall not inquire why you became a Sister, only to have lost your faith in our beloved Ombrithar. But know this… you are not alone. Ombrithar walks beside you, and if you permit it, I shall walk beside you as well."
No… he was mistaken. Such thoughts were but illusions, the very same I once clung to.
"There was a time when I, too, was lost in grief because of my eyes," he went on, his smile serene, his unseen eyes seeming to hold a bright light. "When my family perished in the fire, I came to understand that life is too brief to dwell only in sorrow. Whatever has befallen you, Sister Naevia, you must not allow it to steal the days that remain. If you have erred, seek forgiveness and rise again. If you have been wronged, grant forgiveness in turn, not to forget, but to free your own heart. Consider it a trial set before you, that you might emerge stronger than before."Top of FormBottom of Form
I looked ahead and found that we had arrived at the modest prayer chamber without my notice, for his voice was so soothing.
He reached with careful hands and found the back pew to the right, guiding me to sit beside him. He gathered my hands and raised them to my chest, then mirrored the gesture, his own hands clasped as his eyes closed in reverence.
"O beloved Mother," he began, his voice filled with earnest devotion, "hear me, I pray. Lift the sorrow that rests upon Sister Naevia's heart. I, Charles, your humble servant, shall cherish your grace for all my days. I beseech you, restore her spirit, draw her gently from the shadows that hold her, and bless her with your light, that she may find her way once more."
From that day onward, I found myself accompanying Charles to the prayer chamber each day. There was something in him that could not be resisted, a quiet pull that required no persuasion. To remain by his side felt… warm.
And so I continued to wear the habit and to be known as Sister because of Ed.
In time, matters within House of Gab settled into order. With the guidance of the sisters, I established rules and structure, and I found gratitude in the knowledge I had gathered over the past years, for without it, I would have been wholly unprepared to lead this place.
There remained but one difficulty. This nobleman who stood before me.
He was tall and imposing, with curls of orange hair, a broad frame burdened with excessive muscles, and a narrow waist that lent him a striking figure. His beard was neatly shaved, his black eyes deep, and he bore the kind of presence that would compel many women to offer themselves without hesitation.
Baron Romeo Lake.
He had taken it upon himself to court me. Should Yseldra learn of this, I do not doubt she would see him cast into an early grave, and it was only a matter of time before word reached her as she had yet to depart Ivoryspire.