Page 48 of A Marquess' Season of Secrets
Mr Wickle’s face went from red to pale in a matter of seconds. “Well, uh ... it seems I made a mistake with the last bill. Why don’t I return the money, and we can pretend that such a thing never happened?”
Juliana was surprised the man was ready to fix the situation without further argument, but she believed she could go one step further with him.
“I commend you for recognising your mistake, sir, but surely you do not expect me to lie to my employer? However, if you were to sweeten the agreement, I believe he would not begrudge me this one little secret.”
“Sweeten the agreement?” the candlestick maker asked, his voice infused with suspicion. “What do you mean by this?”
“A little discount on the candles from this moment forth until further notice would do well.”
“A discount!” the man cried. “That would be robbery.”
“That is the very thing you accused Mrs Mason of, but I assure you that is not the situation. You make a pretty penny with your candles and sell them at a higher price than most of the vendors in Oxfordshire. Would it be such a crime to give us a little percentage off of every two dozen candles bought from you?”
Juliana had not actually taken details from every candlestick vendor in Oxfordshire— that would take much too long! She had simply asked a few other servants and came to her own conclusion. She hoped Mr Wickle would not realise this and ruin her good efforts to impress Mrs Black.
“One per cent,” the man decided.
“Two, and that is as low as I am willing to go. Might I remind you that fifty pence is more than a two per cent overcharge? I believe my offer is quite generous given the circumstances.”
The man’s hands tightened to his sides as though he was keeping himself from physically showing his anger, but Mr Wickle obviously realised that he would lose if he didn’t agree to her terms. Juliana left this vendor with a little more money than she started out, but she was careful to keep it separate from her own.
She also planned to do some shopping and perhaps find something for Kitty, but she first needed to deal with the vegetable vendor.
I certainly hope Mr Carter is easier than Mr Wickle!
***
Well over an hour later, Juliana sat with her hands clasped on her lap to hide how they were shivering. The men had never been so insistent before! They had always kept their distance and left her to do her shopping in peace. What could have influenced them to come after her?
“That was unfortunate,” the duke said.
“Yes, Your Grace.”
It certainly had been an unfortunate and mortifying event. Juliana had not seen the duke, but she was certain she would have if those ridiculous men had not taken most of her attention.
If only they had not crowded me on this day of all days! How terrible it is to know that the duke was watching everything. I’m glad he came to my rescue, but I cannot depend on him every time something happens to me.
Juliana needed to stop getting into situations where she needed rescuing, but they were never done purposefully. She had no idea how she had landed on the side of the road with a head injury, the very same injury had caused the fainting spell in the duke’s study just the other day, and now these men had surrounded her like a pack of wolves.
None of the situations had directly been her fault, but that did not stop her guilt.
“Has this happened before?” the duke asked.
“No, Your Grace. They have never approached me or attempted to speak to me. I was surprised that they dared so much today.”
The crowd had been bigger than usual, which had momentarily frightened Juliana when she had first spotted them. She had come to see Mr Wickle and Mr Carter about the discrepancies with the bills and had been rather confident about it.
The men had first tried to deny everything and attempted to make her feel terrible about accusing them, but Juliana had held her ground. The candlestick maker and vegetable vendor had cheated the duke of his money, and while it may not seem like a lot to a man like him, it was nevertheless stealing.
Mr Wickle had been the easier of the two men to handle, and he had eventually given her the money owed. The candlestick maker had made her promise never to reveal his actions, but Juliana’s silence had come at a price.
She had secured a two per cent discount on all candles for Stratford Manor, and Mr Wickle had given his word in writing that he would increase that percentage every three years.
I thought his heart would cease to work from the way his face swelled up and turned red! That will teach him to cheat the duke.
Mr Carter had not been easy to deal with at all and had even threatenedherwith exposure. He wished to accuse her of slander and was certain his loyal customers would come to his defence. The vegetable vendor had played the victim well, but Juliana had not given up.
She had shown him her calculations and warned him that the household would choose another vendor for their needs. That had changed Mr Carter’s attitude towards her, and suddenly he had been charming as though his initial rudeness had never existed. He, too, had made her promise not to reveal his lies by giving a three per cent discount on all vegetables.
