Chapter 3 The Audience

Scene 1 Waking Up

It felt like the ground was shaking as her eyes opened. There was little light in the room. It took a moment for her to remember where she was. When she did though she realized that it was Mrs. Wellman that was shaking her. She sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes. The room looked the same as when she went to bed as it was still dark. One thing had changed though. Her dress was hanging on the front of the wardrobe. “You finished it?”

“Of course. I might not be an old spinster, but I can sew like one.”

“I hope you weren’t up all night working on that, I would feel bad.”

“I wasn’t. it was actually very little work. I just worked on it while Harold sat and read his papers for the day. We usually sit by the fire for a while each night. You extended out nightly schedule a bit, but nothing I cant handle. Never mind that though. It is time for you to get up and get ready.”

“The sun isn’t even up yet, why do I have to. This might be the last time I can sleep in for a while.”

“We have a lot of work to do before you go see the Lord.”

“I am not seeing him though, I am just seeing if they have any jobs. I might end up on a farm outside of town milking cows. There is no need to go out of your way.”

“I know your father raised you to be stubborn, but did you ever think that you might meet a nice man today as well?”

“What does meeting a nice man have to do with anything. Most of them around here my age are just apprentices of general workers like I will be.”

“Silly girl. Lord Umberton doesn’t come this was too often. many of the more well to do families will be visiting as well seeking an audience. Many of them have sons.”

It dawned on her then. With all of the wealthy families coming to see the Lord maybe she could catch the eye of one of them. It wasn’t the best outcome for her but it might be a way to help her family more than just getting a menial job. It didn’t seem much better than an arranged marriage, but then again she could at least see what was out there and more than likely meet someone her own age. She hadn’t planned on even thinking about starting a family for a while yet. She was of the normal marrying age though, so she guessed that it wouldn’t hurt.

“Well hurry up and get out of that nightgown. I have to work on your hair, maybe even some makeup,” Mrs. Wellman added.

“You have makeup?” Angilik asked. It was a rare thing to have access too in these parts.

“Well I have to admit I used it for social events like today when i was a younger woman and even then it was years ago. I did manage to find some old items. I am not sure how good they are or if they will even look good on you. So you need to get a move on so we can find out.”

She got up and changed quickly before she was dragged downstairs and fed a fast breakfast. Then Mrs. Wellman put her in a chair and started to work on her hair. It seemed that it took forever. The older woman even started over a couple of times. Angilik’s hair was just above her shoulders when it was let all the way out. She usually kept it in a pony tail, so she knew she did not have a lot to work with. However long it did take though it seemed like forever. The sun had come up while she was doing it. After she was done Mrs. Wellman pulled out a small box that Angilik assumed held the make up. She then started to apply some of that.

Mr. Wellman made his way down to the dining room shortly after sunrise and stopped as soon as he walked in. “My Lord.”

“What is it?” Mrs. Wellman asked as she stopped and looked at her husband.

“I have only seen that kind of beauty once before.”

“And where would that have been?” his wife asked with a raised eyebrow.

“On my wedding day.”

Angilik could have sworn at that moment that the older woman turned a solid shade of red while she was blushing. “Now I remember why I fell in love with you.”

“Well I mean your sister was stunning that day…..”

Mrs. Wellman must have turned younger for a minute after that comment as she turned and threw the container she had in her hand at her husband almost as fast as anyone Angilik had ever seen. “You old coot you,” she yelled.

“I am kidding darling, of course I meant you,” he said as he dodged the assault attempt. They both stated laughing while the young woman looked at both of them embarrassed. “Well I am off. I have to oversee all of the final arrangements so that our Mayor can of course take credit for them.”

“As usual then. Our little darling her will be along shortly. If you get a chance make sure to look out for her.”

“I was hoping that you might escort her dear. Lord Umberton is having a special lunch for all of the town officials and their spouses later. i was hoping you could attend with me after Angilik sees what the world has to offer her.”

“I would be delighted.” With that Mr. Wellman departed.

Scene 2 The Market

Angilik was out in front of the house and then remembered that she forgot to ask where in town the Lord was holding his audience. Then again she figured she would just follow the crowd and could find it herself. This was of course one of the biggest events to happen here in a long time and thus the people would go to where the action was. She also figured with all of the people in town to include lesser noble and merchants she might have a better chance at finding a good job if the Lord wasn’t hiring.

The first place she went was the outer edge of the market. She could already tell that many more merchants were here than the day before. With more people, many of them rich, coming to town it made sense to set up shop and try to make a sale if one could. This was another reason that Mr. Wellman was late she thought to herself. All the extra vendors and people would definitely make his job a bit more demanding at times like this.

She saw a lot of things that she would like to buy as she made her way around the edge. Her goal was to make it to the center to check the jobs board and maybe catch her old friend since he would have knowledge about anything that might interest her. As she made her way through the crowd she started to notice the way people were looking at her. At first she thought nothing of it. Soon though it was just not how they were looking at her, but how they were acting as well. The crowd looked big to her and when she occasionally glanced over from the booths she could see people moving slowly as they were packed in together. It was on one of these glances that she noticed around here there was plenty of room.

It was as if the crowd was giving her room to move, trying to stay out of her way. When she would try to look at someone directly, they adverted their gaze to the ground. “What is going on?” she thought to herself. She looked back towards the vendors and stopped at one. He was selling mirrors and other such household items. She stared in amazement at her reflection then it all made sense. She had left the Wellman’s without taking a moment to look at what Mrs. Wellman had done. She was satisfied when the elderly woman said she was ready to go. What she saw in the mirror was almost nothing like she had seen before. Maybe once or twice when her mother was alive and got all done up for events like this.

It wasn’t ego or narcissism that she caught up in. Just the shock of how beautiful she had been done up. The dress added all the additional flavor as well. It was tailored almost perfectly and the makeup accentuated her facial features like nothing she had seen before. Her hair was so nice as well. Everyone must have thought she was a noble woman. Angilik had butterflies in her stomach. Now the thoughts of nabbing a noble husband were becoming a serious thought. She looked around for a moment and could see no one else even close to be done up like her.

“If the Lady likes the mirror we can have delivered to where she is staying,” a voice said.

She looked up and the vendor of the booth was talking to her. She hesitated a moment, “No that is fine, I am just looking.”

“Very well ma’am, if there is anything that you like just say so. I will be more than happy to help you.”

She made her way towards the next row. Then a familiar voice called out to her. She looked and saw Mrs. Wellman. She was actually relieved. Everyone else was acting like she was abnormal, it was making her very uncomfortable. She approached the woman, “What did you do to me?”

“I admit it is not my best work, I did what i could with you in the time allotted,” she said with a smile.

“Everyone thinks I am nobility or something. You have seen how they are reacting to me.”

“Well yes. I thought we were trying to make your chances of getting work better.”

“Looking like this makes me feel like getting a husband would be a better choice.”

“What is so bad about that. Harold and I were married because our parents wanted us too. Though to be fair we did know each other for years.”

“Exactly. I don’t even know if I want to get married.”

“Tell you what, let’s go see Harold and see what is going on. Then we can go from there.”

“That sounds good. Getting somewhere I don’t stand out as much would be a good thing.”

“My dear, I think you will stand out wherever you go here.” With that the pair headed towards the center of the market.

Scene 3 Job Market

Mr. Wellman was surrounded by a group of younger men. As they approached they could see him talking to one, then that man would run off. Sometimes with papers, sometimes not. He would then turn to the next man and talk to him resulting in the same action. Angilik assumed he was issuing orders to make sure that things were running smoothly. They came up to his booth and Mrs. Wellman spoke, “I would think at your age this would tire you out, but I see you love all the activity.”

Mr. Wellman turned and looked as his wife. He walked to her and the two kissed. Angilik noticed that the group of men around him were now all staring at her. The people at the center of the market we better dressed and she could tell they were nobles and merchants here. A large tent, almost the size of a house was also on the outer edge of the area. She assumed this is where Lord Umberton was holding audience and why all the higher class people were here.

After carefully looking though she realized that there were few women here and that she still stood out. Mr. Wellman touched her shoulder, “Lost in thought dear?”

She looked at him, paused. Then did a curtsey like she was taught to do. She knew that out in public she should treat him according to his position as the town administrator. To give him the respect a man of his status deserved, then she spoke. “I didn’t realize I was overdressed for the occasion.”

“Well that you might be, but I would think it is doing very well for you. Though I would like to point out I don’t think any of these young men here are worth your time. You would have better luck over there,” he said while pointing to what looked like the start of the line to see the Lord.

There were a lot of men her age and a little older standing in all their finery. Some even had fancy swords hanging from their hips. One looked her way at Mr. Wellman who was pointing. It didn’t take long before his gaze turned to her though. Soon many of the men in the line were looking at her. She looked back at Mr. Wellman, “So do you know if the Lord is hiring anyone for a job?”

“Unfortunately he is just here to see to the needs of the people. He makes these round every couple of years to here from his subjects. There are however some fine opportunities from some of the more well to do merchant families. I can direct you to them if you like, or even have them come here. I have to warn you though, because of what befell your father I don’t know if they would offer you anything commensurate of your true skills.”

Before she answered she looked back at the line of nobles. Many were talking amongst them selves. A couple looked like they were leaving the line or at least thinking about it. She assumed it was to come over and talk to her. She also knew that if they were here representing their families and they lost their place in line that it would upset their families. So they were struggling with that fact as well, duty or passion. It was making her very uncomfortable. “I think I need to find somewhere I can think Mr. Wellman.” With that comment she lifted her dress on both sides and took off at a brisk pace. She was able to move quickly through the crowd as they gave her a wide berth when she approached. She disappeared into the town.

Chapter 2 Adventures In Town

Once she Arrived at the vendors she was almost overwhelmed by the selection. When she had come here with her mother there were maybe four vendors with clothes at the most. She could easily see a dozen at first glance, and with it being the outer arc of the market they went around the corner as well. She took the next hour or so looking at tall the options. Her father had taught her the value of exploring all of ones options before jumping in. She also knew how to sew from her other, so being able to determine the quality of each item was a good thing as well. Many of the vendors were asking more than she thought their items were worth. Sure they may look good but many either had shoddy craftsmanship or used poor material. Some even had both.

Her main problem though was finding something that didn’t require a team to put on. She saw a lot of dresses that were true works of art, but it would take her too long to put on even with help. She wanted something simple, yet elegant. She finally found what she was looking for at a vendor near the end of the row. It looked like a summer dress, but with full arms and a nicer collar. It fastened in the front and had running horses on the lower portion. They were well done and beautiful.

“How much are you asking for this dress?” she asked the man in the booth.

“I am not sure that is something you would like. I would recommend something more like these,” the older man said as he motioned towards the left side of his booth. She saw that they were dresses far cheaper than she wanted. They were suited more for working on a farm. She knew they were good for their function but was confused. Then it dawned on her, she had ridden all day and was wearing her traveling clothes. She was dirty and the man must assume she had little money.

She had an idea after her realization. She shifted to the dresses he pointed out and looked at some of them. “Well these do look pretty, not as pretty as that fancy one I asked about. But I could get maybe two of these.”

“I thought so. Many a fine lady would like a nice dress. But those are far more expensive and Ladies that get those are normally of leisure and status. I don’t think you would even know how to put it on.”

Angilik could see a sign advertising price for the work dresses at 10 copper each. She reached into her pocket and pulled out three gold crowns, she could buy thirty of the dresses at the price the sign said, but she had an idea the vendor had other ideas. She was sure by her appearance, he thought she was just a dumb local girl. “Can I get two of those pretty dresses for this much?” she asked.

“Of course dear. And because you are such a sweetheart, I can actually give you five of them for that price.”

“Wow, five dresses. I don’t think I own that many dresses right now,” she said in a louder voice. It caused a few people to look over.

“Well if you just give those coins and tell me what dresses you want, I will even wrap them in pretty paper for you.”

“But my father said I couldn’t spend that much on myself. I really want a new dress though. I would be the prettiest girl in the village then,” Angilik said in a way that sounded a lot younger than she was, or at the least a lot less educated. It was a little louder than it was than the last time she spoke. Now some passerbys were looking at them both.

“How often does a young lady get to spoil herself though. I will tell you what, for you i will make a special deal. You can have the five dresses for only two of your coins. Does that sound good to you?”

Before she could answer someone else spoke up, “I would actually say that a good deal would be to give her the five dresses you promised for the actual cost of them.”

The vendor started to speak before he looked up, “Who do you think you are butting into my business?” As he stared at the man speaking to him, he almost turned pale. “I am sorry sir. I didn’t realize….”

“You shouldn’t have had too. Trying to steal from people is wrong and shouldn’t be done at all. I believe I will have a word with the town administrator about your place here at the market.”

“There is no need for that sir. I was just negotiating with the young lady.”

Angilik turned and looked at her benefactor. He was a tall, dark skinned and rugged looking man in nice clothes. He was obviously someone with influence in the town for the vendor to be so scared by him. Her plan had worked better than she thought. She was just trying to get at least another vendor to stand up for her, but this was an unexpected bonus.

The conversation between the two men continued with the taller man speaking, “Then why don’t you sell to her at the price you put out. Though I think that maybe you should make a deal to her for trying to rob her.”

“That is an excellent idea sir. She was looking at this nice dress over here earlier. I could find it in my heart to sell it her and her five other dresses for one crown.”

The younger man pondered a moment then looked at Angilik. “That is actually a good deal for you, if you are willing to take it my lady.”

She was almost shocked at the words. He was obviously from the noble class, but he was speaking to her as if she was as well. “If you think it is good, then I will. That other dress is so beautiful,” she said, still feigning ignorance. She handed a single coin to the vendor and was given the six dresses. She thanked them both and gleefully tookoff towards Mr. Wellman’s house after fetching Benjiman.

Scene 2 Home Away From Home

She knocked on the door before her after tying Benjiman to fence in the front of the house. She had trouble getting here, it had been a long time since she had visited Mr. Wellman’s actual home. It might have been three years since she had been to the town, but even longer since she had been here. From what she remembered it was pretty much the same. A modest home, by town official standards. Only half of it was two stories, even at that it was of standard workmanship. Nothing that was going to fall in any time soon, so it had the feel of an every man’s house, but was just big enough to let you know it belonged to someone of status.

The door opened and Mrs. Wellman greeted her in a warm fashion and invited her in. “My dear how you have grown.”

“It has been a while ma’am.”

“I hear your father is not doing so well.”

“You heard right. The stress of recent events has made him very ill. Our doctor can’t seem to figure out what to do. He started to feel ill after mother died and he put all his efforts into business to make sure Joshua and I were taken care of. Once that failed, he got much worse faster.”

“Well when you see him next give him our love. He was always a fair and kind man. Unlike many of these new so called businessmen that have moved into town.”

“I can see that from personal experience.”

“Well you will have to tell that tale at dinner dear. It will still be a little while before it is ready. I have a room made up for you as well.”

“I can’t impose on you like that.”

“Don’t be silly. We have empty rooms and no one to fill them. Once Harold sent word that you were joining us for dinner I decided to let you stay.”

“I can only say thank you.”

“That is all i require. I get bored with nothing to do and no one around. The local wives are much younger than I, most of the people we knew have wither passed or retired to the city. Now child you are in a state. We need to get you cleaned up as well. You have journeyed all day and are quite a mess.”

Angilik blushed a little as she realized she was right. Her clothes were al dusty and she was covered in sweat and dirt herself. No wonder the vendor had mistaken her for a simple farmhand. Mrs. Wellman took her cloak and showed her to the room she would be staying in. A portable tub had been set up in it already filled with water.

“I am sorry that the water might be a little cooled. I didn’t know when you would arrive.”

“That is alright. The fact that you drew a bath for me is good enough. The water could be ice cold and I wouldn’t mind.”

As Angilik put her things on a table Mrs. Wellman looked at the dresses she brought with her. “That is a fine dress you have there.”

“I bought it today. I heard that the Lord might be in town tomorrow and I wanted to look nice incase he was looking to fill positions in his household.”

“That is good idea, though it looks like you might be searching for a husband with that kind of wardrobe. When harold gets home we will know for sure if he is coming tomorrow.”

“That would be good, I wouldn’t want to get all dressed up for nothing.”

Scene 3 Dinner

Mr. Well arrived home shortly after Angilik had finished her bath. She was in the waiting room with Mrs. Wellman trying on her new dress when he walked in. “I did not know we were expecting royalty tonight?” he said with a coy smile.

“Oh stop that Harold or I might get jealous,” Mrs. Wellman said. They looked at each other and laughed. Mrs. Wellman was adjusting the dress in certain places to make sure that it fit better.

Angilik had just looked at it and thought it would fit just fine. But she was used to wearing dresses that were more for work than for show. Her eye was not as refined in this area as Mrs. Wellman who had to deal in town politics and society with her husband for the better part of forty years. So she was helping t make sure that the dress accounted for more of Angilik’s fairer assets. The 5’6“ girl was just below the average height for most of the girls in the area but she carried it well. She was heavier as well, not in figure though. While most maidens sat around learning the finer art of taking care of a household, Angilik had been helping with her father’s business in more than just record keeping. This made her very muscular compared to most as well as firm.

Her strength was impressive for a girl of nineteen as well as her skills. She could ride a horse better than most and even had basic knowledge of how to fight. Her best was with a bow though. She had gone with her father and brother on many a trip and bandits were always a threat. They always brought men at arms with them, but just the same they wanted to make sure that she could handle herself. This also included the ability to take of herself out in the wild if she ever had to flee an attack.

The thing that made her really stand out though was the red in her hair. She wasn’t a straight redhead, those were rare, she was more of a strawberry blonde. But any red in a person’s hair was seen as a sign of being touched by magic. No one really believed in it anymore. But in more distant and rural areas stories still persisted of red headed witches that roamed the woods and hills. Even in towns the tales could be heard from older people and the fortune tellers that tried to make a living if you paid them.

Another odd feature were her blue eyes. Though not as uncommon as hazel or green, she would still get the occasional glare from people. She thought it odd today that she didn’t get that many until she realized that most of the day she had her cloak on with the hood up. She wanted to appear as ordinary as possible until she could get a feel fr the town.

Soon Mrs. Wellman was done making her adjustments. “Now you run up to your room child and get in something more comfortable. I will make the changes tonight so that you will look good tomorrow.”

“I still can’t thank you enough, but I know I can do it myself.”

“Don’t be silly. You are my guest, and no offense, but I am sure I will be quicker about it. I do have a few years more experience at this than you.”

“Well I can’t argue with that.”

“Hurry along now, I don’t want dinner to get too cold. We had to wait long enough for this old man to get home,” she smiled as she pointed to Mr. Wellman as she said it.

“Hey now. I got home as quick as i could. But the Lord’s advanced team arrived this afternoon and I had to work with them to make arrangements for his arrival tomorrow.”

“So he is coming then?” Angilik asked while on the stairs.

“Yes, my dear. I am not sure if he is looking for any help. But word is he will be holding audience in the morning at least. I am sure that also means he will have his staff looking to hire anyone needed nearby.”

She smiled at this news and went upstairs to get ready for dinner. She threw on one of her other new dresses quickly and went downstairs. It hadn’t occurred to her how hungry she was until Mrs. Wellman mentioned that dinner was ready. Angilik last ate that morning before she left home, and that was just a small amount. She entered the dining room and there the cook was bringing the dishes out to the table. She had forgotten that they had a couple of servants. They weren’t that rich but it was one of the perks of being the town administrator. They were not full time servants just local apprentices that were tasked with helping them. They even got their own cleaning lady once a week.

They were having ham and potatoes tonight. There was also going to be a dessert and some other vegetables. An elaborate meal like this was something she hadn’t had in a while. After her father lost most of his wealth they had also lowered their quality of meals. Once in a while hey got lucky and Joshua was able to catch some game to bring home for food. Angilik also did from time to time as well, but taking care of the home and her father offered her few chances to hunt. Even when she did she never ventured far and usually only got a rabbit or two at best. This was just a feast though. It lacked the seven courses that nobility got, but to her it was more than enough.

Conversation at dinner was sparse and covered most of the things already talked about, except Angilik’s story about the vendor that Harold loved and almost spat up his dessert while laughing. He said he was told of a shady vendor trying to ripoff a girl but he had no idea it was her. But he had it on good authority to keep his eye on him. After dinner Angilik made her way to her room and got changed for bed. She hadn’t felt this wonderful in a long time. She had nice new clothes, a full belly and a soft bed to sleep on. She didn’t know what tomorrow would bring, but she was full of hope for the first time in a long time.