The goblins bride, p.1
The Goblin's Bride, page 1
The Goblin’s Bride
Silveri Sisters
Book 3
R. L. Medina
Copyright © 2023 by R. L. Medina, Moon Dragon Books
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
For all the middle children who’ve ever felt forgotten or unseen. May you find your happily ever after.
Contents
People (and animals) of Zamerra
1. The Funeral
2. A New Start
3. The Heirs
4. The Offer
5. Changes
6. The Baking Witch
7. The Grumpy Goblin
8. The Invitation
9. The Dinner Date
10. Get-Well Soup
11. The Goblin’s Secret
12. The Other Man
13. Sisters’ Day
14. The Pie
15. Sweet Sixteen
16. The Letter
17. The Insult
18. The Harvest Festival
19. The Dance
20. The Apology
21. The Rejection
22. A Happy Ending
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Also by R. L. Medina
About the Author
People (and animals) of Zamerra
Signora Gloria Silveri (Mama)
The matriarch of the Silveri family. She is a seer who arrived in Zamerra with her five daughters and no husband. Meddlesome at times, she will do anything for her girls.
* * *
Alessia Silveri
The oldest of the Silveri daughters. Unlike her sisters, she has no magic, but she is the only one who can hear the enchanted villa speak. She is married to Massimo Gallo, a half-fae count, making her the Contessa of Zamerra and surrounding region.
* * *
Liliana Silveri
The second oldest of the Silveri daughters. Her magic skill is with brewing potions and performing spells. She is engaged to the warlock, Dante Lazzaro and runs the Apothecary in town.
* * *
Pamina Silveri
The third oldest and middle child of the Silveri family. She has baking magic and also makes the best, magical caffé.
* * *
Serafina Silveri (Fina)
The fourth daughter in the Silveri family. She can talk to and command animals.
* * *
Fiorella Silveri (Ella)
The youngest Silveri sister. She has plant and earth magic which she struggles to control at times.
* * *
Count Massimo Gallo
The half-fae count who would rather sit in his favorite chair with a book than make public speeches. He falls in love with the oldest Silveri sister, Alessia.
* * *
Dante Lazzaro
Massimo’s best friend and skilled warlock. He helps his fiancé, Liliana, run the Apothecary.
* * *
Stefano Rivaldi
The tailor’s son. He has set his sights on Pamina.
* * *
Signor Covelli
The town baker and deceased father of Lorenzo and Giulia.
* * *
Lorenzo Bartoli
The son and heir of Signor Covelli. He is a half-goblin who comes to Zamerra to claim his inheritance.
* * *
Giulia Bartoli
The daughter and heir of Signor Covelli. She accompanies her brother to town after her engagement falls through.
* * *
Salvatore Rossi
The Silveri’s neighbor and friend. He is married to Adriano, a faun, and is the oldest of the Rossi brothers.
* * *
Adriano Rossi
Salvatore’s faun husband. An introvert, he prefers to stay home and throw dinner parties. Heir to an enormous fortune, he and his husband are able to enjoy their quiet life just outside of Zamerra.
* * *
Angelo Rossi
The third oldest Rossi brother. An extrovert, he is often the spokesman for his family and has a fondness for Serafina Silveri.
Other characters:
Padre Leonardo
The ordained minister of Zamerra’s only chapel.
* * *
Signora Bianchi
Signor Covelli’s employee in the bakery.
* * *
Patrizio and Patrizia Foncello
The mayors of Zamerra. Together they oversee day to day things in the little town.
* * *
Signora Savelli
The matchmaker and busybody of Zamerra.
* * *
Ometta
Dante’s owl familiar.
* * *
Rafaelo Rossi
The second oldest Rossi brother. He is quiet and reserved, taking after his father. He will inherit the Rossi goat and horse farm.
* * *
Marco Rossi
The youngest of the Rossi family. He helps his brothers on their farm.
* * *
Bruno
The Silveri’s house elf.
* * *
Franny
Alessia and Massimo’s house elf.
* * *
Massimo’s spoiled cat.
* * *
Gio
The scrappy little dog that has become a part of the cat gang that lives in the Silveri’s yard.
* * *
Fabrizio
The Silveri’s old horse.
Chapter 1
The Funeral
Pamina
Cold bit through Pamina Silveri’s wool coat as she stood with her family at the edge of the cemetery. Padre Leonardo’s deep voice rose above them, carried by the autumn wind. Sniffles and coughs rippled through the crowd. It was that time of year when colds and other ailments ran rampant through Zamerra.
I’ll need to make some stronger soup now. More garlic and ginger. A spell for decongestion.
Pamina’s mind ran through all the recipes she knew and all the ingredients she’d need. Her fingers twitched inside her gloves, ready and eager to start.
The loss of Signor Covelli, the town’s baker, had hit her hard and while she couldn’t do anything about his passing, she could do what she did best—comfort and heal people through her food. Through her magic.
A shuffling sound came from beside her. Pamina opened one eye to see her younger sister, Serafina, growing restless as the Padre droned on.
Serafina caught her stare. “What?” she mouthed.
Pamina shook her head and put a finger to her lips in warning. Serafina was on the cusp of womanhood, nearly sixteen, but that didn’t seem to stop her from acting out when bored. Even their youngest sister, Fiorella, at only ten, showed more decorum than Serafina sometimes.
“Amen,” the adre finally finished.
“Amen,” Pamina repeated along with everyone else.
Somewhere in the distance, a bird cawed as if echoing them. Pamina watched as the men lowered the coffin into the ground and covered it with dirt. Some of the townsfolk stepped forward to add their own handfuls.
A shudder ran through her. Poor man. With no family in town, his gravestone had been commissioned and paid for by Pamina’s sister and brother-in-law, the count and contessa. The workers would set the stone another day and it would stand lonely, slightly apart from the family plots.
“Thanks to the hospitality of our count and contessa as well as the patrizia and I, there will be food served at the bakery for all. Please join us in remembrance of the late Signor Covelli,” came Signor Foncello’s, the town’s patrizio, booming voice.
His wife, the patrizia, nodded serenely and motioned everyone toward town. People began to disperse, murmurs and whispers filling the silence.
Pamina’s gaze swept across the somber faces, looking for one she didn’t recognize. The whole town of Zamerra had come out. All but the ones who were too under the weather to leave their bed. The contessa, her sister, along with her husband were also absent, having been called away on important business.
A chill that had nothing to do with the cold settled in Pamina’s chest. Why hadn’t Signor Covelli’s family come? Didn’t he have anyone left?
The older man had always been kind to her and her family, which was more than she could say for some of the other townsfolk. Not everyone could overlook the Silveri girls’ scandalous patronage. Though her older sisters, Alessia and Liliana, shared the same father, Pamina and her younger two sisters did not. That and the fact that their mother was a known seer and Liliana brewed potions and could perform spells made the Silveris the frequent target for gossip.
Pamina’s own magic, with food, was not much of a secret either. However nobody outside her family knew the extent of her power. Pamina wasn’t sure she even knew the depths of her baking and cooking magic.
“Mama, can we stay for the party?” Fiorella’s voice brought Pamina back to the present.
Serafina snorted. “It’s not a party, Ella. A man is dead.”
Fiorella’s face flushed.
“It’s called a reception,” Pamina said, casting Serafina a scolding look.
Their mother nodded and drew Fiorella to her side. “Yes, amore. We should pay our respect to Signor Covelli.”
Serafina followed them, blowing out a loud breath. “I thought that’s what we just did.”
“Signorina Silveri, I hope to see you at the reception.” A voice caught Pamina’s ear.
She turned to see a familiar, handsome face. Stefano Rivaldi, the tailor’s son, gave her an appraising look. Heat spread across Pamina’s face at his frank stare.
“Yes, I’ll be there, Signor. Such a pity about poor Signor Covelli. And that his family couldn’t make it,” she said, straightening out her skirt as she walked.
“Hmm. Yes. Pity,” Stefano replied as he elbowed his way through the throng of people to catch up with her. Behind him, his friends smirked and whispered together in their direction.
Pamina’s pulse quickened as Stefano joined her. He stood a foot taller than her and walked with a purposeful air. He was the handsomest of the eligible men in Zamerra and he knew it.
Though Pamina and her family lived just outside the town, she knew all the rumors about him. She’d heard about the many young women he’d left brokenhearted.
Just as she knew he’d probably heard all the talk about her and her family. Witches. Fatherless. Scandalous. Though her older sister marrying the count had improved their status a little.
Stefano grinned at her, his sea green eyes lighting on her chest. Pamina’s face warmed. The black cotton blouse fit her rather snugly, but it was still modest. She’d inherited her mother’s generous curves and thick waist and while some people were rude about it, it also seemed to draw a lot of unwanted male attention.
“Pamina!” a voice called ahead.
She looked up to see her sister, Liliana, waiting for her. Her sister’s fiancé, Dante Lazzaro, stood beside her.
“I didn’t see you two at the gravesite. Were you there?” Pamina asked as she caught up to them.
Dante smiled warmly at her and nodded. “Of course. How could we miss it? It’s all everyone’s been talking about as if it’s the most exciting thing to happen in Zamerra.”
Her sister didn’t answer. Her eyes were fixed on Stefano, her lips curled in distaste. To his credit, the young man only faltered once under her glare before bidding them farewell and hurrying to rejoin his friends.
Pamina watched him go with a mixture of relief and disappointment. Dante offered her his arm as they continued walking, one eyebrow arched at her curiously. “Friend of yours?”
Liliana, on his other arm, peered around him to frown at her. “What did Stefano want?”
“Nothing. He was just being friendly.”
Liliana snorted. “Oh, I bet. You—”
“Please. Not here, Liliana,” Pamina cut her off, heat searing her skin.
Dante gave her a sympathetic look, which only furthered her embarrassment. Ignoring her sister’s questioning look, Pamina stared straight ahead.
She knew, deep down, that Stefano was trouble, but a part of her couldn’t help but entertain the idea of them together. What if he could change? What if he actually did care for her?
Pamina glanced up at the dreary sky and shook off the questions. They had just buried poor Signor Covelli and here she was brooding over her marriage prospects. Or lack of prospects.
She looked over at Dante and her sister. Their eyes were locked together in a silent exchange. Liliana turned away first, but Dante continued to watch her, a smile on his lips. The adoring look he gave her sister made Pamina’s chest tighten. Would a man ever look at her the same way?
Or was she doomed to become their mother, alone against the world? Or worse, would she end up like the poor baker with no legacy or children to mourn her when she passed?
“Santo Cielo,” Pamina muttered, shaking her head at herself.
As soon as she arrived at the bakery, she’d help herself to a large mug of her special caffé. That would help clear her mind and emotions and hopefully bring her out of this strange funk she’d been in lately.
They passed the town’s little stone chapel, leaves crunching under their boots as they walked. Voices murmured around them as they followed everyone to the dirt path that would lead them into the heart of Zamerra. A gust of wind blew past them, making Pamina shiver.
More and more, the warmth of the bakery and her magical caffé sounded perfect. She couldn’t see her mother or younger sisters in the wave of people, but she would catch up to them once they reached the reception.
Smoke billowed from the chimneys of the clustered shops and homes, the scent growing stronger as they got closer. Dirt turned to cobblestones and soon the echo of everyone’s boots drowned out the chatter and coughs.
“How is everyone going to fit in the bakery?” Pamina asked aloud.
“We’ve opened our potion shop for the reception as well,” Dante answered her.
“Yes, and the patrizios have spread out tables and chairs in the plaza too,” Liliana added.
As they made it to the center of Zamerra, Pamina could see the tables her sister spoke of. They surrounded the giant fountain, set up end to end, and were laden with trays and trays of various dishes. Savory and garlicky aromas of different pastas and soups filled the air along with the sugary scents of the pastries and pies.
The dishes Pamina had made and brought herself were nowhere to be seen. Perhaps they were still inside the bakery where she’d arranged them.
“Did Massimo tell you anything more about Signor Covelli’s heir?” Liliana asked, glancing at her fiancé.
Her question caught Pamina’s attention. She looked to Dante as well, waiting for his answer.
He shrugged. “Only that he’d be arriving soon. After the funeral.”
“So, he does have an heir? We should have waited to hold the funeral. I’m sure he wanted to be here for it,” Pamina said.
Dante looked at her, dark eyes gleaming. “Oh, no,” he lowered his voice, “Massimo said the man made it pointedly clear that he did not want us to wait to bury the body. Apparently, there was no love lost between them.”
Liliana frowned. “Or maybe he’s coming from too far and understood the importance of burying a body quickly. Wait too long and the rot becomes unbearable.”
A shudder ran through Pamina. “Liliana. You shouldn’t speak of such things,” she said.
Her sister scowled, brown eyes narrowing. “What? I haven’t said anything too crass. Have I?” She glanced at her fiancé.
Dante grinned at her and winked. “Crass or not, you do have a way with words, amore.”
Liliana gave him a playful shove, a small smile playing on her lips. Pamina looked away, feeling like an intruder in their moment. Dante’s words rang in her ears.
Signor Covelli had an heir. An heir who would be coming to claim the bakery. Though she tried not to think badly of this stranger, she couldn’t help but wonder if what Dante said was true.
Had there been some sort of falling out between Signor Covelli and his heir? Even so, she couldn’t see how someone could miss the funeral of a family member. Perhaps, the man’s grief had been too much.
She made a mental note to bake something fresh for his arrival. A special treat that would help soothe his sorrow. Maybe a pie.
