[Continued from here]
It
was late afternoon when they finally reached the house once more. Nereus was
waiting by the door as they rode up.
"You've
acquired a new companion, I see." It was the first thing he said, and his
tone was not approving.
"This
is Stan." Quinton introduced before Beranwen could speak. "We found
him in the woods. Then we found his legs, and it turns out he has cogs, but
he's still real."
"I
see." Nereus lied. "Lord Quinton, I'm sure your father you like to
see that you have returned, and to hear that your quest ended well. I must
speak to Master Beranwen for a while, but I will see you shortly."
Obediently,
Quinton climbed from his horse and ran inside, clutching his red scarf and
calling for his father.
Beranwen
climbed more slowly from her horse, all too aware of what was coming. Before he
could be forgotten, though, she brought the conversation back to Stan.
"Master
Nereus, Stan has spent the night in the forest. Might we get him some food and
some water to wash in?"
"Of
course." Nereus seemed fine with the idea of removing Stan from the
approaching conversation. Turning to the man, he added, "The kitchens are
around the back. Tell them I have sent you, and they will give you food and hot
water."
"I'll
come and see you in a bit, Stan." Beranwen added, seeing the hesitant look
in the mechanical man's eyes. Reluctantly, Stan nodded and disappeared around
the back of the house.
"I
hope that man is not the object of lord Quinton's quest." Nereus said
seriously.
"No,
Master Nereus. We found a scarf abandoned in a den in the forest."
Nereus
seemed to relax.
"Good.
That's something, at least. Come inside and tell me about the quest, then. And
explain the presence of the stranger."
Beranwen
talked Nereus through the events of the day. Glossing over the worse parts of
it wasn't an option - whenever she tried it, Nereus would stop her and ask
probing questions until the whole truth came out. He was too good at dealing
with Mad Men to let seemingly innocuous lines like 'Quinton got cross' slip by
unchallenged.
With nowhere to hide, Beranwen got slowly
quieter and quieter as she spoke, until she eventually came to her plan to
rescue Stan. She explained. Nereus listened. There was silence.
"Lord
Quinton was very upset that he had been taken." Beranwen said defensively.
More
silence greeted that. She felt like Nereus' gaze was drilling into her.
"And
Master Lucan doesn't know it was us." That didn't seem to be a
particularly good excuse, but it came out of her mouth anyway.
"Master
Lucan is a very clever man." Nereus said finally.
"I
know. And he suspected us, but he doesn't now. We met him on the way out of the
forest..." Beranwen hurried on with the rest of her story, wondering if
the ending would make up for the bad bits in the middle.
"Lord
Quinton lied for you?"
"Um..."
That hadn't even crossed Beranwen's mind. "I didn't ask him to. I just
asked him to be friends with lord Derryl again."
"So
he did it voluntarily, of his own volition?"
There
wasn't a good answer for that, either.
"Yes."
"Mistress
Tuple, perhaps I wasn't clear when explaining the role of an advisor."
"You
were perfectly clear, Master Nereus." She replied, feeling slightly
annoyed at being called 'mistress'.
"The
can you explain to me why you dragged
lord Quinton into an argument that you could very easily have talked him out
of, why you felt it necessary to
attack another Mad Man, and why in the gods names you inspired your
young, impressionable lord to think for himself?"
Beranwen
had no answer that wouldn't get her fired on the spot, so she stayed silent.
Nereus
sighed, and fell back in his chair.
"I
am sure you're aware that your livelihood in this house - your family's
livelihood - depends on the Gentins remaining Mad Men. A single bump in the
road can cause a Mad Man to start having serious thoughts. You have been more
than a bump, mistress Tuple. I really cannot risk you influencing lord Quinton
anymore than you already have. Therefore, you will collect your things and
inform the housekeeper than you are leaving. You can spend the night as long as
you keep out of sight, but in the morning you must be gone."
"Master
Nereus..."
"I
am told that you have been a good worker in all other respects, and so I will
allow the housekeeper to provide you with a respectable reference for whatever
new role you acquire."
"Master
Nereus..."
"However,
if you continue to attempt to argue with me, that allowance will not be
made."
Beranwen
shut up quickly.
"Now,
unless you have anything else to tell me of today's events, I believe we have
finished. Go and pack your belongings, mistress Tuple. You will need to leave
early - I do not wish to see you in the morning."
[Part 22]
[Part 22]
Comments