Read Online The Duke and the Dryad (Elemental Series) by Elizabeth Rose - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Elizabeth Rose
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bailiff.
“Good morning,” they said to him with a slight bow. Wolf e just grunted and continued walking, then stopped in his tracks. He turned back to the stables. He would make a quick visit of his demesne and see for himself the state of his field. He still couldn’t believe Rae actually plowed it herself. And after the amount of work he’d given her to do, he was sure she’d be tired and begging him for a respite before the sun hit the highest point in the sky.
He rode through the courtyard, ignoring the acknowledgements from his soldiers, the servants , and even the vendors now inside his gates. ’Twas a beautiful sunny day already and he was sure ’twould be hotter than hell come midday. His little sprite would surely be in need of rest and refreshing. He almost felt bad for her now that he’d been so demanding. He’d given her the work of six people, and there was no way she would ever be able to accomplish this on her own.
He stopped at the far field first. No one was there, but as he’d been told yesterday by the reeve, the dirt was perfectly tilled. And if he wasn’t mistaken, the empty furrows were already planted with cabbage, carrots and turnips, as he’d ordered.
He dismounted, shaking his head, bending down to dig up a patch with his hand to assure himself the seed s were underneath. Sure enough, ’twas so. Then he stood and scanned the field that spread all the way to the base of Mount Calila. ’Twas as if three men had worked all night to accomplish this, and he wasn’t sure that she hadn’t convinced someone to help.
He made his way to the henhouse next, slipping inside, and carefully checking under the fowls for eggs. None. Then on his way out the door he saw several baskets all filled with eggs –twice as many as were normally collected in one day.
“This can’t be.” He left his horse and hurried over the ground, nodding at the villeins as he made his way to the barn next. He already had made up his mind that she’d had help and they were all lying to him, until what he saw next made him stop dead in his tracks.
There, in the barn were his milk cows, lactating into buckets beneath them with no one pulling on the teats.
“Impossible,” he spoke aloud, seeing the amount of milk filling the buckets quickly. He wasn’t even sure he’d have milk anymore now that his breeding bull was gone and most the calves were heifers. “What is going on here?” he said a bit louder.
Rae walked into the barn to collect the milk pails, surprised to see Wolfe in the village instead of at the castle. The villeins had told her he seldom came to inspect his demesne, nor did he make sociable visits – ever – to the serfs that worked his land.
“Lord Wolf e?” she asked in question, causing him to turn on his heel. The look on his face told her he was not happy.
“What kind of witchery is going on here?” he ground out.
“None, my lord.” She walked past him to the collect the milk pails. The cows stopped filling the buckets as soon as she did. “I thought you’d be pleased that not only the field is planted, but the eggs collected and the milk drawn as well. And ’tis still morning.”
He walked up behind her and she could feel his anger emanating from him though he didn’t say a word. She looked up to see the darkness in his grey eyes.
“You are no longer required to work the land or with any of the animals, do you hear me?”
She straightened her stance and met his gaze with her own. “I was only doing as ordered,” she reminded him. “Have I displeased you in some way?”
“Aye.” He paced, running a hand through his hair. “Nay. I mean – I don’t know. ” He turned to look at her, throwing his hands up in a mock surrender. “All I know is that you are using some sort of magick to accomplish these tasks, and I would not stand for it. Do you hear me?”
“I know no magick, my lord. I simply have a connection to every living thing upon the earth. I only use
“Good morning,” they said to him with a slight bow. Wolf e just grunted and continued walking, then stopped in his tracks. He turned back to the stables. He would make a quick visit of his demesne and see for himself the state of his field. He still couldn’t believe Rae actually plowed it herself. And after the amount of work he’d given her to do, he was sure she’d be tired and begging him for a respite before the sun hit the highest point in the sky.
He rode through the courtyard, ignoring the acknowledgements from his soldiers, the servants , and even the vendors now inside his gates. ’Twas a beautiful sunny day already and he was sure ’twould be hotter than hell come midday. His little sprite would surely be in need of rest and refreshing. He almost felt bad for her now that he’d been so demanding. He’d given her the work of six people, and there was no way she would ever be able to accomplish this on her own.
He stopped at the far field first. No one was there, but as he’d been told yesterday by the reeve, the dirt was perfectly tilled. And if he wasn’t mistaken, the empty furrows were already planted with cabbage, carrots and turnips, as he’d ordered.
He dismounted, shaking his head, bending down to dig up a patch with his hand to assure himself the seed s were underneath. Sure enough, ’twas so. Then he stood and scanned the field that spread all the way to the base of Mount Calila. ’Twas as if three men had worked all night to accomplish this, and he wasn’t sure that she hadn’t convinced someone to help.
He made his way to the henhouse next, slipping inside, and carefully checking under the fowls for eggs. None. Then on his way out the door he saw several baskets all filled with eggs –twice as many as were normally collected in one day.
“This can’t be.” He left his horse and hurried over the ground, nodding at the villeins as he made his way to the barn next. He already had made up his mind that she’d had help and they were all lying to him, until what he saw next made him stop dead in his tracks.
There, in the barn were his milk cows, lactating into buckets beneath them with no one pulling on the teats.
“Impossible,” he spoke aloud, seeing the amount of milk filling the buckets quickly. He wasn’t even sure he’d have milk anymore now that his breeding bull was gone and most the calves were heifers. “What is going on here?” he said a bit louder.
Rae walked into the barn to collect the milk pails, surprised to see Wolfe in the village instead of at the castle. The villeins had told her he seldom came to inspect his demesne, nor did he make sociable visits – ever – to the serfs that worked his land.
“Lord Wolf e?” she asked in question, causing him to turn on his heel. The look on his face told her he was not happy.
“What kind of witchery is going on here?” he ground out.
“None, my lord.” She walked past him to the collect the milk pails. The cows stopped filling the buckets as soon as she did. “I thought you’d be pleased that not only the field is planted, but the eggs collected and the milk drawn as well. And ’tis still morning.”
He walked up behind her and she could feel his anger emanating from him though he didn’t say a word. She looked up to see the darkness in his grey eyes.
“You are no longer required to work the land or with any of the animals, do you hear me?”
She straightened her stance and met his gaze with her own. “I was only doing as ordered,” she reminded him. “Have I displeased you in some way?”
“Aye.” He paced, running a hand through his hair. “Nay. I mean – I don’t know. ” He turned to look at her, throwing his hands up in a mock surrender. “All I know is that you are using some sort of magick to accomplish these tasks, and I would not stand for it. Do you hear me?”
“I know no magick, my lord. I simply have a connection to every living thing upon the earth. I only use
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