Lady Thief - By Rizzo Rosko Page 0,44
of seeing him flustered. “As I said, only three.”
Ferdinand looked predictably affronted that William would not rise to the insult, as well as he could not take more money from William’s pockets before allowing him, and reluctantly his squire, into his temporary solar.
Just like William’s, the writing table sat at the far end, under the tall window and facing East for the best light. No rushes lay under his feet, or stools for visitors, and on the writing table lay several pieces of parchment and an ink bottle.
William sniffed and noted to himself that the maids must not be allowed to enter here for cleaning. The room smelled of urine, and glancing behind him, the sour expression on James’s face told him that he recognized the scent as well.
“Not much left,” Ferdinand moved towards the table, seemingly oblivious of the smell or merely choosing to allow them to breathe it in anyway. “But it serves its purpose for however long I need to be here until I make the sale.”
“You could do that from your own estate. You always have before.” William raised his hand to pinch his nose, but realizing his actions at the last minute he scratched it instead. James made no effort to hide his disgust and openly held his nose with both hands. William did not reprimand him.
Ferdinand waved his boney hand dismissively and sat down, leaving William to stand.
William glared at him. The old man knew perfectly well that their stations provided William with the only seat.
Ferdinand gave him a smile that was more gloating than apologetic. “My old bones…”
“Aye, now to the servants I wish to purchase, there are two women, one Hawisa and the other Molly and her son. That is all.”
Ferdinand cocked his head. “You traveled all this way for that? Two women and a boy?” A light flashed in his eyes when the answer came. “I see, the servant Holton came to you with his tail between his legs and the one he gave you previously.”
William’s jaw clenched. He hoped the old man would not put it in place.
He expected him to deny the sale for the sheer pleasure of it, instead he pulled a single slip of parchment towards him and, instead of using a scribe, wrote down some figures himself, sanded the ink, and held out the parchment for William to inspect.
The figure he read made him crush and slam the parchment back onto the wooden surface.
“‘Tis four times the amount they’re worth!” He roared. The sound magnified in the small space and William was certain the serfs out in the fields heard him.
Ferdinand eyed the ruined parchment with a hint of disdain but a smirk twisted his lips. “The boy is still a boy, but he will grow into a man far more capable than two women. I must take that into account.” He looked up and stared hard at William. “And I must say, my lord, that I am still sore over the loss of my would-be wife. I shall not pretend that I do not take some enjoyment in this. That is my price. It will stay as such, and if you do not wish to have them then you must be on your way. Not even a man of your status can tell me how to price my wares.”
This time William could not help but show his displeasure, his shaking fists and clenched teeth were more than enough to tell the man what he thought of him.
He towered above Ferdinand, willing the other man to back down but he glanced up at him with the air of a man who had not a care in the world.
His heel twitched to turn and walk out the door, but denying Ferdinand all of that money would hardly count as a win for him considering he would still have the servants he knew William wanted for Marianne.
Finally, William grumbled and accepted the price. Ferdinand was right, William had traveled all that way and Ferdinand knew he would not return empty handed, regardless of the price he’d set upon the servants.
Marianne had best be grateful for this act. Thought William as he dragged the parchment back to him, signed his name and went to retrieve the monies to pay Ferdinand with.
***
Marianne waited for William’s return with an anticipation she could not hide. She was sure she knew where William had gone, as well as the reason despite his evasiveness on the hours before his departure.
Her husband had a soft