Page 4 of The Swindler’s Daughter

As I left the trees, I heard the call of “Ho there, Miri.”

I looked up to see Johnny striding toward me, a staff propped on his enormous shoulder. Johnny was tall, broad, and muscular with an open, friendly disposition.

“Hello, Johnny.” He was one of the few aside from my brother who’d taken to calling me Miri. He and I had an easy friendship. We’d simply gotten along from the moment I started working at Sutton Manor a year ago. I noted the dirt caked onto the knees of his trousers. “Keeping yourself tidy and clean, I see.”

He paused to strike a pose. “Of course. I always strive to be a proper gent.”

“It looks like you were beaten. Has someone finally figured out how to best you with a staff?” I asked, knowing he’d just come from training.

“No, but going up against Falstone’s sword is a proper challenge.”

“What about Tyson and Oliver?” I asked, since they were only a little younger than Johnny.

He grinned, knowing very well that his sheer size gave him an unfair physical advantage over the others. “I’m afraid neither has ever managed to beat me, but they give one another a challenge, so they’re always improving.”

“And Gretchen?”

He heaved a sigh. “ I thought she’d tire of playing with swords, but if I’m honest, she’s still better than Ansel is.”

Gretchen was Johnny’s sister and the youngest of those who trained with Falstone. Ansel was older than she was, but only by half a year. They were both twelve and had become the best of friends. “I look forward to the day she can beat you,” I teased.

He let out a laugh. “That would be a sight, wouldn’t it?” He eyed my bow. “Rowan treating you all right?”

I rolled my eyes. “He’s arrogant.”

Johnny let out a deep bark of laughter. “Yes, but the man can shoot.”

“He can,” I conceded. “And he is a good teacher,” I admitted grudgingly.

“Glad to hear it.” He grinned. “We’ll make a warrior of you yet.”

I shook my head with a smile and waved as he walked away toward his own home on the neighboring estate. Johnny worked at Bridgefield, the house owned but rarely used by the sovereign Duke of Winberg.

I knew our little corner of the world was odd. Servants didn’t usually train with weapons, but it was Johnny who had started it all. He’d had aspirations as a boy for being a spy, and when Princess Marilee’s guard, Falstone, had offered to train him up a bit, plenty of others had fallen in line. Even I had toyed with the idea of learning the sword.

Then I’d seen the archery competition at the festival last year. And I’d fallen in love. Archery was just so elegant compared to the sword, and from that moment on, I’d scrimped and saved bit by bit, stashing away a portion of my earnings each month until I had enough to buy my own bow.

That bow was my most prized possession, and I was eager to learn how to wield it with speed, precision, and grace.

***

After my archery lesson, I returned to the kitchen to find the cook, Emeline, humming as she baked. She hummed a lot lately, ever since she’d married my brother.

“Hello,” I greeted.

She turned to me, her face bright with contentment. “How was your lesson?”

“He says I’m getting better.” No need to mention the way his teasing caused my ribs to tighten.

“Of course you are. You’ve taken to it like a duck to water.”

I stashed my bow in the back corner of the kitchen then set about the task of washing dishes.

Emeline continued to hum, and when she pulled her pastries from the oven, filling the air with their sweet scent, I realized what day it was. “Having tea with Her Highness?” I asked.

“Yes,” she said, looking at me with a little crease of worry in her brow. “I hope it won’t create too much extra work for you.”

I gave a little shake of my head. “That’s what you always say. And I don’t mind a little extra work.”