Free Steam & Sorcery by Cindy Spencer Pape Page A

stand in front of Caroline.
    The boy stared down at the toes of his scuffed black boots and coughed. His already pale complexion whitened even further. “Yes, miss?” The poor thing was terrified, but not, Caroline somehow sensed, of a physical beating. She got the feeling that being switched wouldn’t have bothered the lad in the least. Interesting. What was he afraid of?
    “Since you were the one who started that ruckus by shooting a pea at Mary’s head, it seems only fair that you should do her share of the work in cleaning up, doesn’t it? After all, Johnson and Sally shouldn’t have to do her work too, not because of something you caused.”
    He shuffled his foot on the carpet. “Yes, miss.”
    “Very well, you may assist Johnson and Sally in clearing the table and sweeping up the mess. Then you may go wash your hands and join the rest of us.”
    Caroline smiled at Sally, a sturdy young woman who looked annoyed and amused, rather than terrified. “Please make sure that Piers does his share of the cleaning.”
    Sally grinned wickedly as she bobbed her head and began to help load dishes of food back onto the rolling cart. “Of course, miss.”
    Piers nodded and knelt to pick up some shards of broken crockery. Immediately, Johnson was there with the automated sweeper. “Use this, lad, so you don’t cut your hands.”
    Caroline watched until she was certain that the servants were carefully guiding the boy, making him work, but ensuring his safety and not putting extra onus on him out of spite. Then she took Sally aside and asked that some brown bread and butter be sent up to the schoolroom later. None of these children should go to sleep hungry, but there needed to be some punishment. After the maid agreed, Caroline moved into the playroom, where Tommy and Jamie had already returned, freshly washed.
    “Tommy, what is your usual bedtime?” A glance at the mantel clock showed it was presently a quarter past eight.
    “Nine, for the younger two,” he admitted, glancing down at Jamie’s fair head. “Miss Hadrian’s been letting me and the girls stay up a little later, reading or whatnot. Lights out by eleven though, even for us.”
    “Perfect.” Caroline beamed. Once the others came in, she took a seat in a rocking chair near the hearth, a strong wire net in place to keep little fingers away from the coals, and spoke. “Could each of you find a chair and come sit in a circle?”
    Obediently each child fetched a stool or chair from some corner of the room and arranged them in a tight circle.
    Caroline put on her sternest expression. “I know that living in a house like this one takes some getting used to, and there are going to be times when we disagree about how we’re to go on. I’ll always try to be fair, but you must know that if you disobey me, there will be consequences. Tonight will be no exception. Is that completely clear to everyone?”
    Five heads nodded soberly.
    “Are we being sent away?” Nell’s barely whispered words went straight to Caroline’s heart as she spied fear in all five sets of eyes.
    Ah. That was what they feared worse than a beating. This, Caroline thought, she could safely address. “No. Do you really think Sir Merrick has so little honor that he’d go back on his word, no matter how much you provoke him?”
    They all shook their heads.
    “So it might behoove you to stop testing his tolerance. He isn’t going to throw you back on the streets. As for tonight,” Caroline said, “instead of having some time to yourselves between supper and bedtime, you will be writing letters of apology, to Johnson, to Mary, to Sally, and another to Cook, for wasting such a lovely meal. The fifth will be to Miss Hadrian, for breaking your promise to behave. You may decide among you who shall write which letter.”
    “Jamie can’t write, miss.” Wink kept her eyes downcast. “He’s just now learning his letters. I can do his for him.”
    “Jamie did his share of the poor behavior,