Lily waved her away. Then she called in Mirrie’s nanny, Calma, and took great pleasure in telling her that from now on she would be getting her orders from Martha, since the older woman knew better how to manage the girl. If she didn’t like the new rules, she could roll right on down the road.
Calma said nothing. She had realized that the countess was not a woman to trifle with. She would make trouble for Martha, of course, but she was afraid to cross Lily. She might talk bad about Lily in private among the servants, but Martha was sure to jump in to defend her little girl.
I bet it will be interesting.
That was just to get Lily’s blood pumping. It was time to go through her accounting. After an hour of studying notebooks and scrolls, Lily was ready to kill Etor.
I’ll bring him back to life and kill him again! How could he be such a bastard?
Her new world hadn’t dreamed up double-entry bookkeeping yet. She had one book showing all her income and another book showing all her expenses, including purchases and sales. Nothing was dated. All Lily could do was swear like a sailor. An experienced accountant or business owner might have made something of the records, but not a young doctor. To make things worse, Etor had tried to cover his tracks by making the records hard to follow.
The only thing Lily could think to do was perform an inventory of everything, right down to the cockroaches’ slippers. With a full inventory in hand, she would start new income and expense books.
I need to talk to Emma. She can start the inventory while she gets my spy network up and running. Information is everything.
She remembered the killer sitting in the dungeon. Something had to be done with him.
I can have him lawfully executed. He tried to murder me, after all. But is that the right decision? Maybe I should keep him around as a witness.
Then it occurred to her that she could ask Taris Brok to listen to the man’s story. He might have some advice for her, and it would give him more gruesome details to carry back to her father.
Someone ordered my murder because my husband is playing around with some hussy. I can use that, can’t I? You bet I can! You’re were fooling around when someone tried to off me…
Lily thought back to the story about her falling down the stairs when she had her miscarriage. She tried her hardest to remember something – anything – from that incident, but all she could call up was a memory of feeling sick and in pain.
Maybe I was having morning sickness. Who knows? Especially now.
She ran her fingers through her hair. She would have to talk to Taris and the pastor about what the laws said. Should she have the killer’s statement written down, or should she keep him alive to make his statement in person? Or both?
She wondered again if she should write to her father.
Taris will tell him everything anyway, but it may seem strange if I don’t write. Taris can take the killer’s confession along with my letter. I’ll write it out this evening. Now…what do I do now? I have to lie here and rest and think. I’ve been so busy since I got home from Altver.
Focus. I have to focus.
What do I need to accomplish first? The castle’s defenses need to be improved. Has that been done?
Lily reached for a sheet of parchment and started chewing on the end of her pen (it was one of the beautiful silver pens Helke had made for her).
One of the Virmans peeked in. “My lady, Leis Antrel is here. Will you see him?”
Lily nodded. “Let him in.”
The captain was out of breath. “My lady, how are you feeling?”
“Terrible, but I’ll survive. Did you have something to tell me?”
“I don’t have enough workers. We won’t be done with the walls before winter.”
Lily sighed. “What do you suggest?”
“I hear you have ordered some of the peasants to build strange contraptions behind the castle. What are they for? Exercise?”
Lily frowned. “What are you talking about?”
After much back and forth, she realized that he was talking about the playground. Lily felt like an idiot. She couldn’t tell him it was for the children.
“Those are some improvements I had in mind. What have the peasants built?”
He described a balance beam, some chin-up bars and a series of logs sunk into the ground to different heights.
Wonderful.
“Those are for developing the muscles and sense of balance.” She described what exercises the men could do on her new installations. Leis was unimpressed.
“I apologize, my lady, but none of that is serious.”
“Why not?”
“Because we need to finish repairing the fortifications and cleaning out the moat. The other things you speak of can wait until winter.”
Lily sighed and consented to have the peasants moved to other, more pressing work. She asked for an estimate of how long the work would take. He told her.
“Fine. If you don’t finish in time, you’ll have me to answer to. What is your rank, Leis?”
“I am a commanding officer of the earl’s personal guards.”
“Have you seen the condition of our guards at the castle?”
“Yes, my lady. I would not call them guards.”
“Exactly. Your company is the only fighting force we have here. I want to name you captain of the Earton guards.”
Leis’ eyes bugged out, making him look somewhat like a fish. “But my lady…”
“I am the countess. While my husband is away, I can direct the affairs of the estate. Since he sent you here to guard his daughter and myself, I assume he thinks highly of your abilities.”
“My lady…”
“I also assume that the earl will approve of my decision. Since he is traveling, he will not need you until next summer. So stay here and serve us at the castle.”
Leis looked doubtful, so she sweetened the deal. “Of course, a captain’s salary is higher. What do you currently make?”
“Three silver coins.”
“Now you will get six.”
“My lady…”
“Six silver coins a month and the title of captain of the Earton guards. I know that we are in the middle of nowhere here, but…”
She could tell that Leis was interested. He would have to stay at the castle over the winter one way or another, why shouldn’t he make a little extra money?
“I should write to the earl.”
“Of course. As soon as Shirvey is well, we will send him with a letter.”
Leis looked like he didn’t believe her, but he gave a respectful bow. “As you wish, my lady.”
As soon as he left, Lily fell back on her pillows.
The castle’s defenses are taken care of. I think I can trust him. Now for the housekeeping.
Thinking about housekeeping made her mad at herself again.
Lily knew she shouldn’t be working so hard. She was supposed to show up when everything was done and check the windowsills with a white handkerchief. Her only justification was that she had never managed anyone before. And she had learned the value of the proverb “If you want it done right, do it yourself” from the earliest age.
I have to stop this cleaning nonsense and let Emma handle it.
Next item: work out the kinks in my exchange of ideas and money with Helke.
What else? I have to go through the estate’s papers. I’ll do that while I’m laid up in bed.
Next: the blacksmith and the glassblower are getting their workshops in order. The smokehouse is almost done, and so is the brine pit for salt.
(She had ordered the men to build both the brine pit and the smokehouse where they couldn’t be seen by passing ships. Just in case.)
Now I have to think about how to protect both sites. Soon I’ll tell Leis to take a few dozen of the young men from the villages and run them through a quick training program to turn them into guards. How long did it take my father to turn new recruits into soldiers? Something like six months. I hope I have
that much time.
Time was what frightened Lily. Every day that passed brought her husband one day closer.
I need to know what my rights really are. Am I just a piece of furniture, or can I do something?
She dove back into her pile of papers and scrolls with renewed effort, and was rewarded when she located her marriage contract.
So they wrote it all out. Wonderful!
Skipping over the medieval legal terms, Lily did her best to understand the essence of the document. She liked what she found. The contract was between the Earl of Earton (Jyce Earton – I think he’s my husband’s father. The name is familiar) and August Broklend. It made Lily the Countess of Earton and specified that her husband undertook to respect and love her. In return, he got a sizeable dowry: several ships, a large sum in gold, and a share in August’s trade. Lily’s child would become the Earl of Earton if it was a boy. August undertook to leave Lily’s son his boatyards and other property, retaining management of the property until his own death, after which the property would pass to Jerrison Earton.
Very interesting. We don’t have a child, and if we never do have one, Jerrison keeps my dowry and all the rest of my father’s property goes to whomever he leaves it to. To the church, for example. Of course. Whom else would he leave it to? That means that someone stands to gain a great deal of wealth as long as I don’t have a child. I have to get more information from Taris or my father, but I can’t write about it in a letter.
The contract also specified that the wife was to be well treated. Lily began to have extremely warm feelings for her father. Jerrison was forbidden from beating, offending or mocking his wife.
Well, he seems to be abiding by the letter of the contract. He hasn’t beaten or mocked me. He just stays away. But the contract doesn’t say he has to love me with his whole heart. I live in his family’s castle and I have everything I need. My father saw to that much.
She read on and discovered that she owned a share in the boatyards. Her share was to be managed by her husband, but if her father died, she would inherit the shares and a nice chunk of money.
At least I won’t starve. Any convent would take me with a dowry like that.
(A convent was Lily’s last choice of destinations.)
The contract was clever. “You want my boatyards? Then make sure they go to a child of my blood, and keep my daughter in good conditions,” August seemed to be saying.
But who would inherit everything if August and Lily both died?
From a very private letter:
“My lord, I must inform you that the cow is alive and well. She never even thinks of the child she lost. Her husband is not expected until summer, but her stepdaughter is with her. I await your orders.”
“Damned animals!”
Darius Avermal slammed his mug on the table. The cheap ale sloshed out and soaked his sleeve, but he didn’t even notice.
“Godless fools!”
“That’s a fact,” Tommy backed him up. “They’re children of Maldonaya and bloodsuckers.”
“They get rich at our expense and we keep putting up with it.”
“They eat gold and sleep on gold…”
It was easy to guess that the two young men were speaking of Eveers. Darius had an obvious reason for his dislike: one of the Eveers was doing business with his arch-enemy, the countess. And he was getting rich in the process, while Darius had to beg his father for money whenever he wanted to have a beer with a friend. (If Darius’ father gave him money, he acted like he was doing him a favor. Darius hated that.)
Wasn’t it clear to everyone that a young man from a good family had a right to enjoy himself? How was he supposed to enjoy himself without money? Innkeepers didn’t pour drinks on credit. And prostitutes wouldn’t even look at a man who didn’t have money. Darius loved walking into an inn, pouring a heap of gold on the table and partying all night. It made him feel powerful.
His father simply didn’t understand him.
The old goat is making a fool of me. He runs off to see that Eveer almost every day, but when I went to ask the heathen for money he made a sour face and said he’d given everything to my father and that perhaps I should ask him for funds!
After being refused on several occasions, Darius had decided to teach the Eveer some manners. However, when he showed up at his shop with a sword, a pair of bodyguards appeared out of nowhere. The Helke came out and reminded him that he was – in a sense – working for the baron.
The hell he is! Everyone knows that he works with that daughter of Maldonaya.
Making matters worse, all the young women in town had lost their heads over the new items Helke was selling. Tommy’s girlfriend had recently asked him to buy her some earrings with the new clasps that kept them from falling out. Helke was charging an arm and a leg for them and he wouldn’t sell on credit. He said his backers wanted to see profits, not promises.
Tommy’s father declined to finance him, so his girlfriend found herself someone new – a merchant who was twice Tommy’s age and three times his girth but more than able to pay for her pleasures.
So now, Tommy was an enemy of the Eveers.
Saul didn’t want to hear about them, either. His father had tried to get into Helke’s business, but the old jeweler would hear nothing of it. And why not? Because Saul had given one of Helke’s nephews a few lashes with a bullwhip. The young man was hurrying to see a lady of his acquaintance, and Helke’s nephew got in the way of his horse as he was crossing the street. The horse stumbled and almost threw its rider. Saul couldn’t imagine what would have happened if he had shown up at his lady’s house in a dirty tunic from falling off his horse. He had to teach the kid a lesson.
So what? It didn’t kill him. He wasn’t even seriously injured. He had a fever for a few days, and then everything healed up nicely. I can’t believe Helke refused to do business with Saul’s father over a minor incident like that.
“I’d like to see that Helke burn like a torch!” Tommy barked.
The others nodded in agreement, but Saul shook his head. “We can’t do that.”
“Why not? We’re nobles!” Darius objected. His ass suddenly twinged, reminding him of the beatings his father was capable of. It also reminded him that his father had promised to kick him out of the house if he caused any more trouble.
Darius knew that the baron was as good as his word.
Tommy seemed to read his mind. “We just have to arrange it so that we aren’t involved. So that no one sees us.”
“What about the Eveer?”
“So what about him? We can make him shut his mouth if we have to,” Saul said with a predatory grin. “Or we can slit his throat.”
None of the other patrons overheard the discussion of the three drunk aristocrats, and nobody knew what they were planning. That was unfortunate, because the three drunk idiots decided to drive the jeweler out of town. For starters, they would burn down his shop.
The next visitor to Lily’s room was Taris Brok. “My lady, this is unspeakable devilry!”
Lily turned her tired eyes up to the ceiling as if she were a helpless flower. The accounting records strewn over her bed said otherwise, but Taris seemed not to notice.
“How do you feel?”
“Not very well. My head hurts. And so does the rest of me,” was Lily’s honest reply.
“Would you like me to send for some herbal tea? Or should I have a servant bring you something to eat?”
Lily waved away his suggestions. “I need to talk to you about the attack.”
“My lady, I intend to tell your father everything. Don’t ask me to go against my conscience!”
Lily looked down. “Of course not. Actually…”
“What, my lady?”
“I will write him a letter myself. Would it be too much to ask you to deliver it?”
“I will be glad to do it, my lady.”
“And there’s another thing. I have to rely on your honor, Taris.” Lily did her best to play up the
helpless flower image. Taris bought it.
“My lady, I give you my word that I will keep your secrets as my own.”
“I cannot ask you to keep a secret, but I don’t know if I should tell my father this thing or not.”
“What is it, my lady?”
“My husband has been unfaithful to me. The killer was sent to clear the way for his lover. Once I am gone, the earl intends to marry her.”
Judging by Taris’ face, she had played her hand perfectly.
“Has the man confessed?”
“Yes. I would like for you and Pastor Vopler to hear his confession. If necessary, I want you to write down his words.”
Taris nodded vigorously. He would do it. “My lady, your father must know of this.”
“But it is so shameful.”
“He would never allow this information to become public knowledge. You know him better than that. He loves you and will do everything to prevent harm to you.”
“But how? How can he prevent a repeated attack? I don’t know if I can take any more of this!”
Lily knew she was on the right track, but she suspected that castrating the earl was still out of her power. She was a bad actress, but Taris didn’t know her well (and the Stanislavsky method hadn’t been invented yet). If the man had his doubts about her sincerity, he kept them to himself.
“I will do as you ask this very day.”
“Let me have the Virmans…”
“My lady, do you really trust them?”
“None of them have lovers who want to become the next Countess of Earton.”
He understood what she meant. “My lady, the earl must be blind if he could prefer some idiot to you. Aldonai sent him such joy, and he is wasting it…”
Taris paid her some more compliments. She used the time to think.
The pastor is probably still in his room.
“Taris, let me send for the pastor and have him join us.”
“You are both beautiful and intelligent, my lady.” He had more to say, but Lily worked on her own thoughts while she kept her eyes on him.
The Clearing Page 10