Despite the Angels - By Madeline A Stringer Page 0,59
brother’s friend.” Roki followed along beside Nicholas, talking to him, trying to slow him down, but Nicholas broke into a run as he got near the gates of the estate.
“I’ll tell you. You will have to listen to me.”
Daniel was in the room called the chai looking over the fermenting vessels when Nicholas appeared, breathing heavily. He looked over to the door, puzzled to see one of the men here without the foreman. He was even more puzzled when the man walked towards him.
“Yes?”
“Mon Seigneur. I am Nicholas Martin. I speak for all of us.” Nicholas took off his cap and twisted it in his hands. He looked at Daniel’s feet.
“Yes?”
Nicholas was suddenly silent. He had no practice at talking to the gentry. He had expected Daniel to be angry and then he could have been defiant. That was how he had practised this conversation. He had talked to Daniel several times now, in his head and it had always gone well: Daniel had always apologised for stealing his woman. But that was not the point of coming here. He could not have Eloise now. But there were other things he could have.
“Mon Seigneur, we need money.” There, it was said. The sentence hung in the air between them.
“You do the work, you get your piquette.” Daniel was still puzzled.
“Piquette is a tasty drink, but it is only the rinsings of the vats, not wine. We must pay high rent for our little pieces of land and everything we earn is taxed. We cannot live like this, seigneur.”
“But you do. Here you are, alive. What do you mean?”
“We can save nothing. If a man is ill for one day, his family starves. When he is too old to work, he dies.”
“He is right, Daniel. Listen to him, he is telling the truth. You could afford to charge lower rents without suffering.” Jotin held his energies around Daniel, trying to help him to hear this strange new thinking. “Remember those books your mother disapproves of? ‘Voltaire’ I think wrote some of them. Those ideas aren’t just for fiction, they could be true. Come on, don’t just annoy Madame with your new liberal opinions, develop some that can benefit people.”
“But all the landowners charge the same,” said Daniel, thinking fast. “If I reduced my rents, I could not compete. My products would be the dearest.”
“Your wine is the best, Seigneur” said Nicholas with what he thought was a flash of genius. Daniel smiled.
“Well said, Monsieur, but unfortunately not true. Our wine is average. It would be difficult.”
“It is difficult now, Seigneur, for us. We only ask that you pay us some wages for our work.”
“Money? Not goods? Can you not sell what I give you?”
“No, Seigneur. No-one will buy piquette, it is..”
“That is enough, Nicholas. Stop now. He called you Monsieur, he is hearing you.” Roki’s hand was on Nicholas’ arm.
“All right. I will think about what you have said. I will talk to my wife, she knows the village.”
“Your wife?” Nicholas’ voice was rising. “This is men’s business, what does ‘your wife’ know?”
“STOP! Stop now!”
“She knows nothing about the happenings in Paris, about the new way of things!”
“Nicholas, enough! He was listening. Say no more.” Roki’s hand was now at Nicholas’ mouth, stroking.
“What about Paris?” Daniel was puzzled again.
“My cousin has come from Nantes with news from Paris. The Bastille has fallen, the people are in charge. The days of the rich are over.”
Daniel put out a hand to steady himself. “When did this happen?”
“Last month, he said. He came ten days ago. Who knows what happened since. But the rich will be finished. You might as well pay us. Only Christian, after stealing my woman and setting her up in your little palace. Tempting her with gold.”
“Your woman? Are you talking about my wife?” Daniel was back to being puzzled.
“Do not say any more, Nicholas, or you will lose what you have gained. Apologise and leave. Come on.”
“She was going to be mine. She was my best friend’s sister. We were going to be brothers.”
“Did Madame deVrac know this? Or was it just a plan between the boys?”
“Madame deVrac indeed! She was Eloise Seurin to me and it was good enough for her! Now, are you going to be a Christian and pay us in money?”
Roki moved over to Nicholas and tried to urge him away, muttering at him softly.
“I am a Christian, as you say, but I seem to remember a piece where Our Lord states that the owner