Keela by Jaclyn Weist

Author:Jaclyn Weist [Weist, Jaclyn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dragons & Fairy Tales Press
Published: 2017-12-17T22:00:00+00:00

Keela looked up from scrubbing the floor and glared at Maurice, the shopkeeper. He’d had her working nonstop since he’d ruined her wedding days before. While he stood there picking his teeth, she was forced to scrub floors or wash the walls. The constant rain made it nearly impossible to keep up with the muddy footprints brought in by customers, but he wouldn’t let up.

Triona had tried to come over the first two days, but he had been so horrible to her, she simply waved when she went by. Something was going to change. It had to or Keela would go mad.

“That spot is good enough. I want my windows washed.” He gestured toward the front windows that she’d washed the day before.

“But they’re still clean.”

He glared. “Do you dare test me?”

She was a princess to a sea king, the wife to a wonderful, hardworking man. She shouldn’t have to be in this position. She straightened and stood. “You will not speak to me in that way.”

“Oh, I will, lass. I can speak however I want. Judge said so.” He laughed and threw a rag at her. “Now get out there and work.”

Keela grumbled and stomped out to the front window. A group of high society women walked by and stared at her, then burst into laughter. She gripped the rag in her hand, imagining how satisfying it would be if she could just throw it at their head.

Maurice came out of the shop and set one of his newest gowns out on the rack. The women immediately turned around and came back to look at his merchandise. Keela rolled her eyes and went back to washing the window in front of her. Never mind that they were now dirtier than they’d been before she started.

As soon as he had the women roped in, Keela slid into the alleyway and took off sprinting. She wouldn’t be able to go far. Not now that she was held a slave. But she had some words to say to the man who had caused this. Maurice had assumed that relieving Keela of her shoes would keep her from getting away, but he clearly didn’t know her.

It wasn’t hard to produce the tears that it would take to summon her father. She simply had to think of the man who was a prisoner on a ship headed for Australia. As soon as the tears flowed, she wiped her cheeks and washed them in the waves.

“Father. I must speak with you. Now.” She never would have dared speak to him that way before. But he’d crossed a line. Many lines, actually.

Her father appeared. “So, I’m father now? What happened to Daddy?”

Keela clenched her fists and stepped farther into the water. “Maurice happened. Father, how could you? I was your youngest child. I was taught since I was a child how special I was, how lucky you were to have seven daughters. And now you throw me away as if I were rubbish.”

“You did this yourself, child.

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