Page 206 of Storm of Bells
Next, I was accosted by a stream of servantsand villagers, all their relatives and children in tow. Wide-eyed,they handed me small package after package, most of them filledwith lovingly self-made household utensils. I couldn’t bring myselfto tell them that I had no bloody idea what most of them would beused for. Although the rolling pin might come in handy if, one day,I’d have a little disagreement with my future husband.
‘Thanks so much!’ Smiling broadly, I pattedthe shoulder of the little girl who had handed me the rolling pin.Her face turned as red as a tomato. ‘This can be very useful to amarried woman. You’ll see one day.’
‘Y-yes, My Lady. You’re w-welcome, MyLady!’
Bursting with happiness, the little girl ranoff, ready to tell all her friends about how much Her Ladyshiploved rolling pins.
‘I’m next!’ announced Amy, pushing ahead ofthe next few villagers and handing me a slim package. ‘Open!Open!’
I took the package warily. It was flat andlight, covered in wrapping paper decorated with…
‘Amy!’ Hissing, I grabbed a cloth off theclosest table and threw it over the wrapping paper. ‘There arechildren present!’
‘And, if ye let yourself be inspired by mywrapping paper,’ Amy suggested jovially, ‘there soon will be a fewmore.’
I wished I could grab another cloth and hidemy burning face in it. Unfortunately, there were none left.
‘What, exactly,’ I demanded, lowering myvoice to a whisper, ‘is inside that thing?’
‘Well…’ Amy wiggled her eyebrows like thesnake in the Garden of Eden. ‘Let’s just say it’s something thatshould be very…helpful during your wedding night.’
Cora coughed.
Jenny snickered.
I wished for a bag to cover my head.
What did I do to deserve this? Why do I havethese demons for friends?
Most people had a little devil sitting on oneshoulder and an angel on the other. Wasn’t it just my luck to havethree devils instead?
Swallowing with apprehension, I opened thepackage, and—
‘Amy!’ Face tomato-red, I slapped the boxshut and shoved it under the nearest table, out of sight—butunfortunately, most definitely not out of mind. I would need amonth of meditation and several buckets of mental soap to washthatimage from my mind. ‘You…you…’
‘Best friend ever?’ she suggested.
I didn’t disagree. Partly because I didn’tknow what to say and partly because a little voice at the back ofmy mind whispered that she might be right.
‘Oh, and this one is from me!’
Elbowing Amy out of the way, Cora steppedforward and shoved her gift into my hands. Cautiously, I peekedinside—and instantly slammed it shut again. Quickly, I glancedaround at the children, making sure they were at a safedistance.
‘And here’s mine!’
Jenny rushed towards me, arms extended. Itook the package as if it might be about to explode at any moment.Taking a deep breath, I lifted the lid about a millimetre, and—
‘Ah!’
The three girls burst into laughter as Icovered my eyes with my hands and pressed the lid down.
‘What is it?’ Ella enquired, curiously, andstepped forward to take a look.
Never in my life had I moved so fast. Lungingforward, I threw myself on top of the package, protecting it withmy very life.
‘No!’
‘What?’ Ella blinked at me, looking slightlyhurt. ‘I was only going to look.’
