Page 58 of The Time Of Queens

“No, I asked you to wait until morning and you didn’t. You took this carriage and left like some thief in the night.”

I scoffed and muttered,“Hardly.”

“Look at this any way you wish, Miss Williams, the simple fact of the matter is that you are in my debt…”

“Yes, as you keep saying,”I muttered sarcastically, and his response to this was to raise an expectant brow before continuing like I hadn’t interrupted him.

“…Therefore, your employment is not over and has been transferred to me as your new master.”

Honestly, the gall of him! Although was I really that shocked? It was Draven, after all. The man who had a Scottish tower setup for me and was all too ready to take me prisoner after first meeting me… had things not gone his way. But then I had to question why he was acting this way now if he still believed me not to be his Electus.

“Great… and just how much servitude are you expecting for the hour’s use of your carriage, my Lord?” I snapped and again, he seemed to be enjoying this argument of ours. As this time, he tried in vain to hide his grin, doing so with his hand at his chin and two fingers covering his lips.

“Try four hours,” he corrected.

“I have not been gone that long?!” I cried, disputing this.

“I had to travel here to retrieve you, did I not?”

“Not that anyone asked you to,”I muttered, something he ignored.

“The inconvenience aside, my time spent has been two hours at least, meaning that is two for you and two for me, you’re a smart girl, you do the math,” he replied with a sarcastic tone.

“Yes, it equals extortion and blackmail,” I retorted with a sneer, making him shrug once more.

“So, four hours as your servant. Fine, that’s going to be oh so worth the trip.”

He laughed at my sarcastic comment.

“Oh no, little maid, that equals ten weeks, at least.”

I baulked back.

“Ten weeks?! Are you crazy?!”

Again, he looked to be enjoying my outraged response.

“I can assure you I am sound of mind, although I do worry for yours if you do not know how much a maid earns, nor how expensive a stagecoach is,” he said, and it was where I stumbled in my argument.

I had no clue as to how much I should earn, nor how much it would have cost me to get to London. And something in his expression told me it was expensive indeed.

“But just in case, I am happy to break it down for you.”

“Oh, please do!” I said, rolling my eyes as well as my hand in mocking.

“With pleasure. A maid earns ten shillings a week, which generously includes room and board. As you know, there is twenty shillings to a pound and a stagecoach costs five pounds per hundred miles. For like I said, you are an intelligent girl, no doubt, so I am sure you can equate the rest.” His reply totally floored me. Ten weeks!

“That’s… that’s…” I stumbled for words and again he seemed pleased by the fact.

“Ah but, but I haven’t travelled a hundred miles,” I argued, making him smirk as I scrambled for my words.

“No, but you intended to, no doubt. I can check with my coachman for who knows, it could have been further, in which case…”

“Fine! Ten weeks, whatever!” I snapped, knowing I wouldn’t be here for this long anyway, so what did it actually matter? And besides, being his maid might afford me more chance to steal one of his coins, so why I was continuing to argue this, I didn’t know.

“Excellent. Now that our business is concluded, we can move on to your duties.”

“Great, can’t wait,”I mumbled, again making him grin.

---