Riddermarch by Ellen Quellery (top fiction books of all time .txt) 📕

looked with hardly any interest before saying, "I suppose, if he wanted to. But that wouldn't have gotten him what he wanted, now would it?"

And he strolled on.

Those following him stared.

 

Ranoft escorted another group that had come a few minutes later. He was showing around the Bitten Lady (in green flounces today), and a number of regal and watchful gentlemen. The fact that Miss Bitten-by-ants was brave enough to come after an ant attack, made him forgive her, if only a little. His group noticed birds following him. They lighted on Ranoft's shoulder occasionally, though most flew around like adoring fans.

Then the other guests came.

Jastalettel ended up showing Dale and his companions about their property - with Cedalot, Dannalot and Saliferth following them with sharp eyes on the gentlemen. The remaining guests followed Azuesh and Grennanod, who took mostly a collection of ladies. They went through the water garden first.

The visiting ladies had decided to be civil to these two sisters, friendly and encouraging, as Azuesh and Grennanod were 'still quite young', and therefore impressionable. At least that was their initial reasoning. But as they walked along with the sisters, their minds soon were drawn to the breathtaking beauty of the winding stream and swelling ponds with shallow waterfalls, and the fleets of water lilies floating on top. More than fair number of dragonflies had begun to follow the sisters. And singing frogs surfaced in chirping serenades for them all. Subdued, the ladies approached the pagoda off to the side of the water garden where many of the others had already gathered.

Once together at the tables, the groups merged, swapping stories over what they had already witnessed within just that first hour. Most spoke in whispers under their breaths.

The Riddermarches pretended not to notice.

The feast was already there. Cakes. Sandwiches. Butter and cream. Berries and nuts of all varieties in season. Fresh hot bread buns. And oh so many kinds of salads. And in the center of the table, on three trays, was roasted wild pheasant with honey and citrus glaze. The clatter of forks and spoons hardly rose above the hush of the wind.

 "It seems so peaceful," one of the ladies murmured while spooning a third helping of cream onto her strawberries.

"Seems is the correct word," whispered back another. She had taken up yet another scone.

A squirrel had just snatched a strawberry off the table, eating it a safe distance off. It was eyeing the guests intently. Ranoft's bird entourage was now in the tree boughs, and the younger sisters' dragonflies had gone back to the waterlilies. The air around them was aromatic and sweet.

Laughing at the thought, a gentleman lounging in his chair after another helping of cheese tart said little louder, "Indeed. It seems idyllic. But we all know nature is not all peace and cream."

Ranoft lazily glanced to Erleon who was reclining near a curious fox that had snuck into the party and was now being fed pieces of roasted pheasant from Erleon's own plate. The animal had initially startled the guests, but now it fascinated them - for it was not shy with the Riddermarches.

"Foxes eat rabbits," said that gentleman. He glanced to the rabbit in Azuesh's lap, which had also hopped in sometime after the servants brought out the dessert. "Yet here they are, at the same table."

Erleon chuckled, feeding yet another piece of roasted meat to the grateful fox.

"How long will it last?" asked that gentleman.

Everyone had been listening rapturously to the quiet buzzing of bees and the whisper of the wind. Idle chatter felt irreverent here. Or rather, they did it in low whispers, trying not to be heard. It was definitely different than The Picnic the day before.

"They are visitors here, like you," Ranoft said. "This is neutral ground."

A black bird landed on the table, making a few people jump, including the Riddermarches.

Cedalot huffed and shooed it off.

"Does that happen often?" exclaimed one of the ladies with perfect curls.

Saliferth rolled his eyes. "Only when sent from - "

"Sal!" Azuesh shot him a sharp look.

A silent argument ensued between older sister and youngest brother. Finally, Saliferth huffed and got out of his seat.

"I'm going back to the house..."

"I'll go with you," Dannalot announced, shooting Cedalot a look.

But her older brother remained, mostly staring at the lady who had been bitten by ants the day before. She was nibbling on a tart, her eyes flickering nervously on every moving insect. But her bites mesmerized him.

"Sent from where?" Ernest asked, not letting the subject drop. He shot a meaningful glance at Ranoft who merely nodded.

"Do you think the Elfking sends them?" one lady asked with an anxious look to the woods. Witsend Manor was not far from the wild forest edge. They could see the border of the tree line from there.

"Oh, no," said Azuesh, shaking her head while calmly stroking the rabbit in her lap, mostly dissipated her own irritation. "He doesn't send birds."

Interest piqued. Their guests lifted their heads.

"Does he send something to you?" another of the ladies asked.

Grennanod shot her sister a chiding look as she said, "Not really."

"Though we do keep a lookout," added Erleon. He then shooed the fox away. He sat up. "The Elfking, if he sent anyone, would most likely send an elf."

Their guests stared enraptured.

"Have you ever seen an elf?" whispered one gentleman.

Erleon and Ranoft exchanged a look. They were the only ones who really ventured in the forest. And, to be honest, they kept much of what they had seen while in there from their sisters.

"We may have thought we have..." Ranoft said.

"What's this?" Jastalettel straightening up in surprise. "You didn't tell us this."

"We didn't want to worry you," Erleon replied.

Azuesh and Grennanod glowered at their older brothers.

Cedalot cringed. He then got out of his seat and said, "I'll be going back to the house now."

He hurried off. The rabbit in Azuesh's lap sprang off and hopped after him. So did several of the squirrels.

"Have you seen signs that the Elfking is coming back?" Jastalettel asked.

Ranoft shrugged, sharing a look with Erleon. "How would we know?"

The guests at the party nervously shared looks. They also felt the urge to get up and possibly escape to the manor house. The air had changed quality. Tense. Electric with pressure - like a storm brewing. Only it seemed to be coming from between the brothers and sisters.

"How would you not know?" Azuesh snapped.

"You venture into the wood, and we don't!" Grennanod said.

"You venture into the wood?" Ernest exclaimed, rising quickly from his chair and hoping to change the subject. "Is there good hunting there?"

Blinking, Ranoft looked to his guest. Already the tension in the air had begun to dissipate - punctured effectively. The humming of the bees and sound of the wind returned. The sun seemed bright again. It was then that the guests realized that all had gone silent inside the pagoda.

Squaring his shoulders and putting on another smile, Ranoft said, "Excellent hunting. But nobody in their right mind would ever hunt in Dalethorne Forest. Alderwood is safer hunting."

What he hadn't said was that everything in Dalethorne Forest was the domain of the Elfking. But then, every soul at the table already knew it.

Erleon then brightly urged everyone to adjourn with him to the lawn, where they could play games, such as boules or horseshoes - as the servants informed him that someone had lost two mallets from the croquet set, and a wicket. For the first time, the entire crowd happily followed him.

The servants had already set up for games. The equipment was there, and two servants were standing by to help.

The visiting ladies approved.

The gentlemen were impressed.

And everyone sported with both games until the sun edged into the afternoon and it was getting too hot for respectable people to be outdoors.

They adjourned indoors, to the dining hall for refreshment, and to tidy up for their rides home. Their first steps inside took their breaths away once more.

Though the Riddermarches hardly paid attention to it, the grandeur of Witsend Manor barely had an equal. It was an ancient manor house, a style so old that it could never go out of fashion - and that was the building itself. The décor was exquisite. Paintings of all of its previous owners hung on the walls in marvelous frames. Their visitors looked at them all, searching for elvish features and finding none until coming across the portrait of their father - Ranalon Riddermarch. The only others like it were of his children. Not even a portrait of Begennagan Riddermarch hung on the walls. But they did find the portrait of the famous Genine Westlach.

Genine had luxurious hair, a sweet, angelic face, and eyes the color of forget-me-nots. The painting was well cared for. And her image was in the perfection fashion of the era she was claimed to have lived. All of them mused, wondering how she had resisted the Elfking as long as she had.

And as for the portrait of Lady Letita Dappefold Riddermarch - which showed a bright, youthful woman with golden blonde hair and a vigorous disposition - all of them wondered if the woman looked anything like her former, youthful self. Not one of them had seen even a sign of the mother around the house.

"But, they don't really look that much like their mother, do they?" mused Lady Lillian in whispers to her two companions. Gazing up at the portrait.

Sneaking looks to the Riddermarch ladies especially, who were cheerfully showing off the paintings they had recently done of flowers and the obliging animal, they agreed. They also noticed not one Riddermarch still-life excluded some sort of animal - as if they thought it was unnatural. Many had butterflies and bees in them.

"I don't think it would be polite to say," whispered back Miss Calea, "But where is their mother?"

"Maybe they locked her up," snickered their other companion.

As if called upon, padding on silent bare feet down the grand staircase, came the lady of the home. As always, she was wearing an easy-to-dress frock of tan muslin, her golden hair wild and her stare vacant in front of her. Cedalot, Dannalot and Saliferth were on her heels, struggling to pull her back.

Jastalettel and her sisters immediately went to her, shooting panicked looks to the servants.

"Sorry!" Cedalot cried out. "We tried to stop her!"

"She just got up and came on her own!" Dannalot said.

Saliferth hopped anxious from foot to foot, following as their mother continued on her way despite her daughters' efforts to stop her.

"Oh no!" Grennanod exclaimed. "She senses another one!"

"Another what?" asked one of their guests, watching.

"Find it before she does!" Grennanod shooed off her younger brothers and sister.

Erleon and Ranoft turned when they saw, sharing panic looks. Immediately Ranoft nodded to Azuesh, tugging her aside. Together, they approached their guests.

"I hope you are refreshed and watered. But I am afraid this will have to be the end of the party," Ranoft said.

"We are so glad you all could make it," Azuesh added genially, urging everyone to the door. "And I look forward to seeing you at The Dinner Party tomorrow."

Their guests politely nodded and curtsied back, though all felt uncommonly shoved out. They had hoped to extend their time in order to thoroughly explore the manor house. However, they could tell (with peeks to the bewitched mother) that it was best to go. The sisters were unable to stop the forward motion of the mother who looked wild with bewitchment, and all of the Riddermarches were frantic to avoid a scandal.

The guests were hurried to their carriages, which were promptly at the gate. One thing could be said about the Riddermarch household - their servants ran a tight ship.

When they rode off, not even a stone's throw from the property, an earsplitting scream cut through the trees from the manor house. It rattled them to their very nerves.

"What was that?" protested Miss Who-had-been-Bitten.

Everyone in her carriage shrugged, pulling their arms to themselves.

"Such beautiful grounds..." murmured one.

"And exquisite furnishings," said another.

"But they are