Chiela (chee-AY-lah) was sold into servitude to House Evensong as a toddler by her own parents, neither of whom she remembers. When old enough, she worked in the kitchen and was more or less raised by the cook. During her early years, she learned much about cooking, herbs, and midwifery. An imp frequently visited her, but only appeared when nobody else was around. It was assumed that she simply had an imaginary friend. For most of her life she secretly obsessed over the younger of the Evensong brothers, Sidney, while living in fear of the elder, Edmonde. Lady Evensong, a highly feared person herself, had only the two surviving sons. The Evensong family has always been connected to dealings in the underworld such as the slave market and illicit drugs.