the future.” He gave precise instructions as he worked, making sure Blake took note of quantities, the amount of water used, how he seasoned, as well as the relative heat of the stove. While he did, he interspersed the conversation with other questions.
“How did it go with the weapons?”
Blake smiled. “A week and they’ll have two spears and two falchions ready. It might have taken longer, but I got him to promise to work on ours first. You’ll be interested to know they just finished a big order of similar items for the king. He ordered them prepared several weeks ago. Luckily for us, the extra leftover materials made things a little cheaper for us.”
Will gave him a sour look. “It would have been even luckier if we’d known what the king knew then so we could have weapons ready now and damn the money. How much do I need to give you for the smith?”
Blake shrugged. “Nothing, it will be paid out of the accounts.”
He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “What accounts?”
“Her Highness’s accounts,” said the manservant with a smug look.
“I have access to those? You never mentioned that before.”
Blake nodded. “She gave the instructions before she left.”
“But you didn’t tell me,” said Will pointedly.
His servant smiled brightly and nodded. “That is correct. I did not.”
“But you probably should have, shouldn’t you?”
“That’s a matter subject to some interpretation. Since you never asked, I never thought to mention it.”
Will glared silently at the man for several long seconds.
Blake held up his hands. “In my defense, I wasn’t sure about you at first. I’ve been taking care of the princess since she was just a girl. I was worried you might be planning to steal or waste her money.”
Will started to growl, but then caught himself. Taking a deep breath, he responded, “Fair enough. Actually, I can’t say that I blame you. In fact, I admire your principles, and to prove my honesty to you, I’m still willing to pay for the weapons. I never intended to have her foot the bill.”
Blake shook his head. “That won’t be necessary, sir.”
“I insist.”
“Truly, Master William. Her Highness would have me strapped if she found out I made you pay for this, especially when it is something so important to your own survival. Trust me, the sum is insignificant compared to her accounts.”
“How much did it cost?”
“For a rush job with new weapons and the silver to do the inlay it was just under two hundred gold crowns.”
Will had nearly five hundred still saved in the limnthal. “That’s nothing. I can cover it.”
Blake shook his head. “Based on what I know of you, that’s almost half of your reserve.”
“How do you know that?” asked Will, feeling mildly alarmed.
“When the princess married you, I started doing some research. Based on what I learned from the Bursar’s Office and the Department of Healing and Psyche, you nearly earned enough to pay the weregild for Count Spry’s son—before the king paid it in your stead. Given your other purchases and what I gleaned from the merchants in the city, you spent close to half of that. Admirably, you spent a significant portion on armor for your friends back in Barrowden. By itself, such generosity isn’t that uncommon among commoners, but that was the first indicator that prompted me to begin trusting your motives.”
“Weregild?”
Blake sighed. “That’s the technical term for what commoners call a blood-price or blood-debt. Sometimes I forget who I’m talking to.”
Damn, he gets snarky when money is the topic of conversation, doesn’t he? thought Will. “I don’t want anything to do with the king’s money. I’d rather pay myself than owe that man anything.”
“This isn’t the king’s money. Princess Selene has her own separate accounts.”
Will growled, feeling stubborn. “Which he gave to her and can probably take back at a moment’s notice. What’s the difference?”
“Begging your pardon, sir, but that isn’t true. While her money did initially come from the royal family, it belongs to her