“I’ll be going now,” Marie whispered to me as she squeezed my shoulder and walked past me. I heard the door shut behind me, and it dawned on me that I was now alone in the room with the Lord. The fact that I was now alone in the room with him made me nervous. It was late in the evening now, and the room was lit by oil lamps hanging from the ceilings. I rubbed my palms on the front of my tunic before folding my hands behind me. Lord Evenus was still staring at me, and he didn’t say anything for a while. his facial features were drowned by the orange light of the lamp flames.
“How was your trip?” he asked.
His voice caught me off guard, so I found myself frozen in shock with my mouth hanging open. The few times I had heard his voice before, my reaction had been the same. Its booming husky sound was intimidating when paired up with his large figure.
“F-fine,” I managed after a while before staring down at the carpet under me. The geometric patterns on it were lovely, and the colors matched the bookcases that were done with deep-brown colored wood.
“Why are you still standing there? Come take a seat,” Lord Evenus said, making me raise my head to look at him. His hand was gesturing towards one of the three empty armchairs that curved around the settee he was sitting on. I hesitated for a bit, but eventually walked up to one of them and sat down. The common room became silent again, and I wished I could curl up and disappear from the Lord’s gaze. His gaze was intense, and the way his dark eyes fixated on me made me feel self-conscious. I began to wonder if he remembered me, but a part of me knew I was just being paranoid.
“Has Marie told you what your duties are?” he asked, and I nodded. Forcing myself to look up at him so I didn’t come off as rude. A lump formed in my throat as my heart raced. I’d never been this up close to him. I had watched him from a distance and sitting right across from him right now made me nervous. His dark eyes seemed even darker up close and his brows were thick and framed his deep-set eyes nicely. Though, the left one was missing some hair where the red keloid scar that cut across the lord’s face sat.
“That’s good,” the lord’s voice was low and deeper than it was before. I watched as his eyes moved to his dog who was sleeping at his feet. Every time I had seen the lord before now, he had been with his dog. They seemed to have a close relationship, considering that most folks didn’t let dogs indoors. I knew nobles did—but not hunting dogs like the one at the master’s feet.
“This is Troy,” he said, reaching down to give the sleeping greyhound a scratch behind the ears. “Troy’s never been to war so don’t be afraid of him,” the lord added, making me nod. I hadn’t thought that, but I was sure it was common to have dogs join in the battlefield. A small part of me wondered what being in a situation where you knew you might be killed felt like. Lord Evenus went to war frequently on the king’s bidding, and he’s returned month, after month, after month. I wondered if a man ever reached a point where he was confident that he would live when embarking on something as dangerous as warfare. The thought of me even holding a sword was laughable. I would be dead if I lived in a village that conscripted its youth.
The Lord bobbed his head from side to side as if jogging his thoughts for a discussion starter. “Your name is Manfred?” he eventually said.
“Yes, it is,” I answered, blinking and coming out of my daze. I zoned out a lot today, and I hoped I wasn’t being too obvious with my detachment.
“Alright, I was just making sure I heard what Maire said right,” the Lord said, humming to himself. It was a nice hum. I wondered if he sang, and if so, what type of songs.
“What were you before you got here? I know you’re here to pay a debt,” the Lord said, making me stare at his face. He had a curious gaze on, and he was smirking—his upper lips with a nice cupid bow stretching with the action. I was taken aback by it. It made my chest ache from my pounding heart. I had never seen him smile before. In every encounter I’ve had with him over the years, his face had been blank of expression or covered by a hood.
“I worked in my parents’ farm,” I said, and he nodded.
“How old are you?” he asked, reaching down to pet the dog who now licked the master’s fingers.
“Three and twenty,” I answered, watching the brown dog who was now awake yawn and stretch its legs.
“You’re not the first son, are you?” The lord asked, folding his hands.
I shook my head at that. “I am,” I said, watching as the Lord raised a brow at me. “I’m a little old now, but there isn’t enough money for marriage and things of that sort,” I added, watching as the confused look on the Lord’s face vanished. I understood his concern, it wasn’t common for someone my age to be unmarried—unmarried and willing to give away two years of his life as a servant.
“I see…” the lord trailed, looking past me and towards the bookshelf. “Most of my caretakers have been married women, so this is a bit strange,” the lord added, and I just smiled, playing with my fingers.
“I helped my mother a lot when she worked as a housekeeper from time to time, so I know what I’m supposed to do if that’s what you’re worried about,” I told the Lord. It was true. When I was younger, and we needed some extra food my mum would take me with her to the next village to do small housekeeping jobs for families who were a little wealthier.
“I’m glad to hear that,” Lord Evenus muttered. The common room fell into silence again, and I wasn’t sure what to aside from staring at the bookcases around us.
“Do you know how to read?”
The question took me off guard. I turned to look at the nod before muttering a ‘yes.’
“Not very well, though,” I added. Not many people learned how to read because it wasn’t necessary to survive. Though, a small group of villagers got their hands on English versions of the bible and learned to read and preach from them. Aside from being very safe, Barcombe was also one of the few places the church wasn’t allowed to pursue Christians who wanted to practice outside of the church. My father was one of these people, and I learned to read the bible and do simple math and bookkeeping for trading purposes.
“It doesn’t matter. You’re free to read anything you find here, just put the books back when you’re done. It’s also good to practice. I haven’t replaced my bookkeeper so you might have to do that too,” the Lord said, and I felt my face grow warm. It’s been over a year since my last encounter with him, and he hadn’t changed at all in his aloof kindness. He didn’t seem to remember me, but that was fine. There must be a lot on his mind, and not remembering an encounter with someone a good distance away that lasted in all but a few minutes was a give in.
“Thank you,” I found the voice to say, and he only nodded, crossing his legs and resting his chin on his raised hand.
“Do you hunt?” he asked, and I shook my head.
He frowned a bit. Yes, it was odd. Most families hunted for their own meat, but I’d always been small easily scared. My father had tried to teach me a few times when I was younger, but it never led anywhere aside from me getting a beating as punishment for being too womanly and scared.
“Can you ride?” the Lord asked, and I shook my head again. My family could never afford a horse or a donkey, so I never learned how to mount or ride an animal.
“I might help you learn. Sometimes I have to attend to business for a few days, and I might need you to follow me,” Lord Evenus said.
I nodded. “Yes, my Lord.”
“Leave titles like Lord to God. Call me Evenus,” he said, and I frowned, biting down on my bottom lip. “Sir is fine also if the other is too personal,” he added, and I could feel myself relax. He seemed to be very good at reading me, and it made me both excited and nervous.
“Apart from Marie, and the Horseman that brought you here there are a few gardeners, and two young women that come to clean every other day,” the Lord said with his eyes cast to the ground. “Be free to roam the castle and the manor, but I shall get upset if I find out you’ve been to the west wing without telling me first,” he said, and I immediately wondered what might be there. Most Aristocrats were collectors of the fine arts, and images of paintings and sculptures I’ve only seen on fliers came to mind.
“Might it be a place to store your collection?” I asked, and the Lord grunted.
“No, I’m not interested in that,” he said, looking past me and around the common room. “Look at this place. It isn’t very stylish—interior and exterior—is it?” he said, and I just looked. I wouldn’t know. I only saw places like his in books and drawings. I couldn’t draw a comparison if I wanted to.
“I’m not much of an Aristocrat.”
His words hung in the air with what seemed like an opening for more.
“Wasn’t born one. The former Lord of this town adopted me and gave me his title on his death bed because I was his right-hand man in battle,” Lord Evenus finished. He looked up from the carpet before smiling at me. “You must be tired. You should go to bed. You start early tomorrow.”
“I do.” I agreed, getting up from the armchair, and taking his words as permission to leave.
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