Depravity, A Beauty and the Beast Novel(3)

The smell of breakfast surrounded me and, despite the carrot I had eaten, my stomach growled again. Bryn stood before the stove, stirring something. Everything else was quiet. I glanced around. Two cups sat near the edge of the sink. Father and Blye had already left for work.

“Any luck this morning?” Bryn asked as she plated an egg and some greens for me.

“No bread. But I do have a lovely bunch of carrots.” I set the carrots on the table and sat at one of the four chairs.

I lived at home with my father, Benard, and my two sisters, Bryn and Blye. Father taught the local children for a modest fee, and Blye helped the seamstress. What little money Blye brought home, she gave to Father. Mostly, Blye received scraps of lace and ribbon as payment, which she kept in a box in our room. She was clever with a needle and thread. So much so, that no one could tell I wore hand off clothes from my sisters.

“Mr. Medunge wasn’t cooperating again?” Bryn asked.

She knew the baker didn’t often trade. He required coin. Except this morning. I stirred the eggs on my plate, wondering if I should mention what I’d witnessed. I wasn’t even sure if I could talk about it, but shouldn’t someone know that Mr. Medunge had gone too far? I recalled Sara’s face, flushed and uncomfortable with a trace of disgust when she had stood. She wouldn’t like anyone knowing what she’d done for bread, so I kept the tale to myself.

“I didn’t bother with him. It’s easier if I wait for Mrs. Medunge.”

Bryn cleaned up breakfast from the stove then turned toward me.

“If you have no plans for today, would you circle the estate? We’re running low on just about everything.”

I glanced at the shelves near the stove. Crocks and cloth sacks lined the aged wood planks. Granted, a few of the sacks drooped loosely at the tops, but they weren’t empty. It took a moment for me to realize it wasn’t supplies she wanted but my absence.

Bryn had it in her head that Tennen, the same Tennen who’d locked me in the beast’s garden, would make her a fine husband. She thought the Coalre family was wealthy and wanted a comfortable life. Little did she know. However, I needed no further motivation to eat quickly and bring my plate to the sink. I didn’t want another run-in with Tennen or Splane so soon.

Because of Bryn’s unshakeable infatuation with Tennen, I didn’t bother telling her what he’d done. Any remotely negative remark toward the Coalre family would result in retribution from Bryn, usually in the form of inedible food.

Taking the fresh carrots from the bag, I searched the sacks on the shelf for any aging vegetables. Wilted greens caught my eye, and I swapped them for the carrots. Calling out a farewell to my sister, I left her to her affairs and once again trekked toward the beast’s estate.

I didn’t mind the time I spent outdoors. It was a vastly acceptable pastime compared to my sisters’ chosen occupations. Sewing for an extended period numbed my mind, as did cleaning and cooking. Amongst the trees, however, opportunity for adventure abounded.

In the woods, just before entering the thicker mists, I set several snares with the wilted greens. I’d learned long ago not to set my traps any closer to the estate. Odd things happened to them if I did. I often found the ropes chewed to pieces and, once, animal feces in place of the bait in the exact center of the unsprung trap. It didn’t take long for me to determine the vegetation wasn’t the only thing enchanted around the estate.

With the snares set and nothing else to do, I went to the nearby stream that ran perpendicular to the estate, flowing south near Konrall. Since most people didn’t venture this close to the estate, I enjoyed enough privacy for a swim. Clothed, of course, since the waters still ran cold; and I didn’t trust Splane to stay home while Bryn entertained Tennen. I didn’t linger long.

Chilled and wet from my time in the water, I shivered as I walked my way around the estate, heading east. It typically took me most of the day to complete the circuit, but I didn’t mind. Gradually, the wall curved north, and I passed the place where things usually grew. I was not surprised to see barren ground, even though I had picked only a third of what the estate had offered that morning. A third seemed more than a fair share to me, and the estate seemed to agree for, if I returned later in the day, as I did now, it never offered more.

At the northernmost point of the walled property, I spotted a unique flower growing from the mortar. Its roots barely clung to the hardened surface, but I didn’t puzzle over it. I knew that anything was possible at the estate or near its wall. I plucked the flower, placed it in my bag, and continued on my way.