Page 1 of The Noldrin Witch

PART 1

Noldrin

Chapter 1

Elise was born into the perilous circumstances of the lower class, but around her humble town, there was no danger greater than the danger of gossip. For this, she had already suffered many small cruelties.

She had been born just after her parents had run out of dreadful family names to curse their children with. In a stroke of luck, she had been the brightest and most sensitive of her lot.

However, as is not uncommon for people of the lower sort, misfortune quickly reached her at the age of eighteen when both her parents passed. The little inheritance was quickly seized by her greedy elder siblings, and she was left with only two books to call her own. The siblings had taken possession of the small hovel where they lived, along with every single piece of furniture, spoon, and frayed basket inside the dwelling.

Not being particularly attached to such sensible folk, Elise quickly looked for employment as a companion to an older lady who lived in town. Her pleasant appearance opened the door to a better life, and soon after moving in with the wealthy woman, she began to feel that her fortune might take a turn for the better and that she might even marry an honorable gentleman among the circle of her new protector.

Excited at the prospect of being around more educated company, Elise was quick to make herself useful around Lady Patrice. The noblewoman’s house was large and filled with countless servants. The lady was kind by nature, and Elise grew to like her in no time.

Her protector’s grace, however, did not extend to Elise alone. The house was crowded with people pushing their way toward a more comfortable life under the good woman’s wealth.

Lady Patrice’s wing spread wide among those in need, so wide that one of her more faithful servants was a wretched woman who carried her daughter wherever she went. While the woman scrubbed floors and polished silver, the girl busied herself clearing cupboards and devouring anything edible in the house. The child’s healthy appetite seemed to Elise like that of a goose being fattened for Christmas.

To these people’s good fortune, Lady Patrice possessed not only a heart of gold but a hearty appetite to match, and her house was kept abundantly stocked, so that all might have their fill at any hour. With little stomach for conflict and a fondness for life’s smaller comforts, the noblewoman never raised an argument nor voiced a complaint.

Not even when the loyal servant announced she had been blessed with another fatherless child did Lady Patrice ask her to leave. The lady seemed incapable of turning away from any situation, however self-serving or parasitic, that sought her attention.

Despite a few less gracious souls who took more than they gave, Elise lived for months without bickering or trouble.

Believing such things were perhaps natural among the elite and being so well treated by all in Lady Patrice’s service, the thought of protest hardly crossed her mind. She rejoiced in the comfortable life she had secured for herself and regarded such absurdities and follies as little more than daily amusements.

Elise had always been fond of long strolls, and finding plenty of space to wander about on Lady Patrice’s estate, she soon found herself walking daily in the meadows surrounding her protector’s home. She spent long stretches reading and, within months of rubbing elbows with the refined, acquired a more sophisticated manner of speech. The polish came to her as naturally as grime to the gutters.

On her long walks, Elise had made the acquaintance of a small, wild bunny that lingered beside a bench near the lake where she would often settle to read. She went there whenever Lady Patrice was busy in the kitchens or meddling in the lives of the unfortunate, which left Elise ample time to read through half the manor’s modest library.

She had named her small, furry friend Timothy and made a habit of bringing pieces of apple to feed the little creature. She soon gained its trust, and the animal began to follow her like a pet, always waiting for the hour she would come to read by the water. In a house full of people, it was the little creature whose company Elise valued most.

Lady Patrice, who took little interest in anything beyond emptying plates, quickly noticed that Elise maintained a slender figure despite eating heartily. Hoping to shed some of the girth she had accumulated over years of indulgence, she promptly set the girl to cook for her.

With a ready wit and a lively imagination, Elise proved a wonderful cook at once. Eager to repay Lady Patrice’s kindness, she set about creating recipes of her own, guided only by a handful of books on the subject. Her particular talent lay in baking. She prepared pies and breads that soon ensured Lady Patrice not only failed to lose a single ounce but gained a few stones over the course of the summer.

Even a couple of dishes she made with rancid oil by accident, the noblewoman gobbled without complaint.

Elise’s diligent efforts were greatly valued by her benefactor. Within only a few months, fortune seemed so firmly in her favor that she caught the eye of a young man of good looks and even better standing. The strapping lad in question was none other than Lady Patrice’s nephew, Edward.

The young gentleman had come to visit his aunt each summer without fail. To Elise, Edward appeared as a prince from a fairy tale—a rescuer, as if sent by the heavens to complete the happiness she had so recently found.

All the better, the handsome youth was but a year her senior and well practiced in the noble art of handling coin. Each year he came not only to enjoy the country air, but to keep Lady Patrice’s accounts in order.

Edward fell head over heels at the sight of Elise, who by then had acquired a good level of refinement, and most importantly, a wardrobe that accentuated her most enticing features. She was a warm comfort to everyone around her, the very picture of grace. But it was not Elise’s appearance alone that captured Edward’s attention; her wit and easy humor did much to captivate the young man’s mind.

The lad pursued her with such fervor that Elise was overwhelmed at first, but soon she allowed herself to believe his good intentions. Edward would spend his days writing poems, recounting his family history in earnest detail, and declaring his admiration openly before Lady Patrice. It was little wonder, then, that Elise came to see her happily ever after within only a few weeks of courtship.

After having finished his work on Lady Patrice’s books, he returned every fortnight to spend time with Elise. With the passing months, it was only natural that she came to trust him more and more.

Lady Patrice was delighted to the marrow when Edward announced he wished to make Elise part of the family. The betrothal was to be celebrated in the coming summer, as he knew Elise liked the idea of holding the merriment under the warm winds by the lake.

With the prospect of a brighter life now before her, Elise let herself delve deep into fantasies of romance and eternal love. For the first time in her life, she felt she had stepped into heaven and saw her future groom with kinder eyes than perhaps he deserved. The young man was comely by anyone’s measure; his strong torso had the sort of shape that could melt any woman’s heart. And although Edward was not burdened by an excess of height, Elise found that his frame, better suited to low ceilings, was all charm and no flaw in any regard. She saw him as perfectly suited to spend the rest of her days with.

Elise, already somewhat versed in the conflicts of the body’s natural desires, decided not to risk a surprise, or worse, a great misfortune on her wedding night. She therefore found it fitting to have some small notion of what awaited her. Edward, in spite of being a well-bred young man, was no stranger to such carnal inclinations and encouraged Elise’s curiosity with remarkable enthusiasm.

No sooner had Elise approved of Edward’s performance in the matter than she saw no further cause for delay and allowed him to parade about their beloved town of Noldrin, proclaiming he had found his wife and subtly implying that the wedding must come to pass at any cost.