A Scandal in Battersea (Elemental Masters #12)(37)

“There’s no need Mistress—” Roan began, but Nan had already gone in search of pillows that had gone flat that would serve the hobs for mattresses, and something for blankets. She returned with a “mattress” for each of them, a couple of cushions Suki had made when learning to sew that would serve them very well as pillows, and a number of shawls that she and Sarah had been given as presents that . . . well . . . the giver meant well, but the colors were so garish that they’d been relegated to the back of the wardrobe. She thought that spare pillowcases would probably serve well enough as sheets, and had brought two of them as well.

“Here you are, gentlemen,” she said cheerfully, dropping her burden at their feet. “And do feel free to help yourselves from the bookshelves. All that I ask is that you not borrow a book one of us is already reading.”

The two little men were clearly torn; they were delighted at this hospitality, but also embarrassed by it. “Really, Mistress . . .” Roan said, and trailed off. “You’re very generous. We hobs do with little. It’s not our way to be so . . .” he appeared to be searching for a word. “. . . luxurious.”

“Really, Master Roan, we’re going to be working Durwin rather unmercifully,” Sarah replied, a look in her eye telling Nan that evidently she understood this situation better than Nan did. “This isn’t a gift, nor is it charity. We hope we can rely on him to stand guard at night when we are asleep, and whenever we are gone, so that the birds are safe and nothing catches on fire. It’s been a constant concern for us when we’ve needed to leave them alone. So many things can go horribly wrong. He’ll be taking a terrible burden of worry off of us.”

Roan’s face cleared, and so did Durwin’s. “Well, then . . .”

Durwin whispered in Roan’s ear. It was a very loud whisper and Nan could hear it. “I can clean up after the winged ones too.”

“And the one thing that no one can keep up with at the school is the repair of the toys!” she continued. “They’re good children, but they are children, and they play very hard. Why, there are two whole rocking horses that are in the school workshop to be extensively repaired now, and I really don’t know when anyone is going to be able to get to them!”

Now Roan’s face lit up. “Toys, indeed.” He rubbed his hands together. “Now, the making and fixing of toys is something I am a bit of an expert in. Happens, I once lived in a toymaker’s shop . . .”

“And of course, we’ll need your presence around the clock to take messages to Robin,” Sarah concluded, and sighed theatrically. “And now I am afraid that is so much work you are going to regret saying you’ll live with us. I cannot conceive of any hob ever doing as much work as we will need doing.”

Roan marched up to Sarah, reached up, and patted her hand. “There, there, now Mistress. Don’t you worry your pretty head about that. Hobs are tough! Hobs are resourceful! Do much with little, that’s what I always say!”

Durwin bobbed his head. “That he does, Mistress,” the sandy-bearded hob concurred. “Do much with little! He says it a lot.” Durwin glanced sideways at his compatriot. “Says it a whole lot.”

Roan elbowed him again.

Sarah sighed with exaggerated relief. “All right then, if you’re sure. We’ll leave you to get comfortable. Suki, it’s time for your lesson.”

Suki opened her mouth to object, because, after all, it was Christmas Day, and there weren’t any lessons, but then she exchanged a look with Nan. We should let them settle to suit themselves, Suki, Nan thought at her. They’re shy, and very much not used to being around Big Folk who can see them.

Suki’s eyes widened, and she nodded. With the birds to supervise, they left the hobs to work out who was to get which shelf. “I call the top!” “Rubbish! I’m eldest, I get the top.” “Rubbish yourself! I’m smaller, I get the top!” “Then I’ll be having this red blanket.” “Oh, you will, will you?”

Nan had to stuff her hand in her mouth to keep from laughing. It was like listening to a couple of siblings argue over a room. It’s a good thing it’s a cupboard. They can’t draw a line down the center of the room and forbid each other to set foot across it.

They retreated into the sitting room. “If they’re not brothers, they’re the next thing to it,” Sarah giggled. “Well, how are we to feed them? I assume they’d be horrified if we asked them to sit at table with us.”

“I think there’s something in one of the books Mary Watson lent me,” Nan replied, and went to the shelf on which she was keeping the borrowed books on Elemental Creatures separate from the rest, to avoid mixing them up. She found the book on Earth Elementals she wanted—like most such books, it was a handwritten tome, with empty pages at the back for the next Master to own it to use for his or her own observations. Unfortunately, it was not indexed or alphabetized in any way, which made looking for anything specific a bit of a chore. While she looked, Sarah laid out food—not much, just some bread and butter and cheese, as Mrs. Horace was making everyone a lovely Christmas dinner when she returned from church, and indeed, the aroma of chestnut-stuffed goose had begun to fill the building. Nan absently nibbled as she searched the book, while Suki, who never turned down food, sat with a piece of cheese in one hand and a thick slice of bread-and-butter in the other.