Alred pushed his tea away. “As you know, my lord, the spring taxes are due in a few weeks. Earl Bradford is offering a sizable discount for early payment.”
William froze with his tea in mid-air, too stunned to comment. “I have an agreement with the earl,” he said finally. “Six months’ deferral.”
“That’s not mentioned in the records, sir,” said Alred without flinching. “And begging your pardon, my lord, because it will sound like I am accusing you of lying, but the earl said nothing of it when he assigned me this task.”
“Hello—did someone forget to invite me to the party?” All heads turned as Jack strode into the dining hall.
“Hardly a party, Jack,” said William. “Mr. Alred has informed me that my spring taxes are due soon, and has offered a discount for early payment.”
“But Earl Bradford agreed to defer your taxes,” said Jack. “Oz, could you get me something for breakfast? My belly is rumbling enough to wake Clyde.”
“Hold on a second, Oz,” said William. “Ask Mrs. Gracey to get Jack’s breakfast instead. Then I’d like you to fetch Ruskin for me.”
“Right away, sir,” said Oz. He turned to leave, then paused. “Uh…should I ring the bell?”
“What for?” asked William with a look of confusion.
Oz stared at him, his eyes trying to convey a private message. “You know…to get Ruskin…or anyone else.”
“Huh? Oh…no. Just go to his cottage and ask him to bring the tax papers, please.”
Jack helped himself to the abandoned slice of cake. “Mr. Alred…are you new to Marshland? I thought I knew everyone, but I’ve been living in Rebel Falls for a few years now.”
“I’m not sure why that’s of interest to you, Mr…?”
“Doran,” said Jack. “Son of Earl Hiram.”
Alred’s face went pale. “I see. Well, I probably shouldn’t talk about Lord William’s business in front of anyone—”
“Mr. Doran is a close friend and adviser,” said William. “You are free to discuss any part of my business that concerns you in front of him, or my agent, or my butler. And you can start by explaining how a man in Earl Bradford’s employment can be unaware of my agreement with him. Did Jeffery not have anything to say about this?”
“Jeffery has been on leave for several weeks,” said Alred. “Family matters, as I understand it, although perhaps I am already saying more than I should.”
William drummed his fingers on the table impatiently. “You are saying nowhere near enough. Who is head clerk during Jeffery’s absence?”
“I am,” said Alred in a haughty voice.
“Are you telling me there is no one senior to you on the earl’s entire staff? I find that hard to believe.” William’s agitation caused Clyde to look up. The dragon peered at Alred and the two guards and began to rise.
Alred looked at Clyde with alarm, sliding to the edge of his seat as though to run. “My lord, with all respect to your position, it is a criminal act to threaten a town official. I must ask you to restrain your…beast.”
William signaled to Clyde. “Mr. Alred, Clyde has never attacked anything more sentient than a carrot. The most he’s ever done to anybody is sniff them. Clyde, come here.”
Alred remained tense until the dragon lay behind William. “Thank you, my lord. A man delivering tax bills is often threatened. I don’t dare take chances.”
Ruskin marched into the dining hall, his face red with indignation. “You’ve already taken a chance with your career, whoever you are. What’s this I hear about taxes being due? Read this, you numskull, and tell me if you still think they’re due. Look at the bottom and see if you can recognize your patron’s signature or not.” He tossed the papers into Alred’s lap and continued to fume.
Alred, momentarily startled by Ruskin’s entry, collected the papers and read them carefully. “I’m sorry to inform you, but this is a forgery.”
William could only stare in confusion. Ruskin answered before William could gather his wits. “What sort of fool do you take me for?” he roared. “I was in the room when the earl signed this, as was Lord William. Now you have the gall to tell me to my face that it was forged?”
Alred folded the papers quickly and stuffed them into his robe before William or Ruskin could say anything. “I don’t need to explain myself to you, Mr. Ruskin. My job is clear. I’m afraid I must confiscate these.”
William shot to his feet. “How dare you!”
The two guards stood and advanced, blocking William’s path to Alred, who remained calm. “Forgery and tax evasion are serious offenses, Lord William. You can avoid any…unpleasantries…by accepting the earl’s offer of a discount on early payment.”
William glanced at the far wall to where his sword hung. If he sprinted quickly enough…
Jack reached out and grabbed William’s arm. “Will, don’t be an idiot.”
“What exactly were the earl’s instructions to you?” asked William, through clenched teeth.
“To inform you your taxes are coming due, to deliver the offer of discounted early payment, and to deliver your reply.”
“You’ve done your duty, so you can leave now,” said William in a low growl. “There will be no reply except the one I’ll deliver myself, in person. And when I do, you’d best hope you were acting in good faith, or it won’t be just your career in jeopardy.”
“Again, I must warn you about threats, Lord William. You may be the world-famous Defender of Rebel Falls, but your fame won’t protect you from the law. I will inform Earl Bradford of your decision. I do hope he’s in a mood to receive you when you visit…though I wouldn’t count on it.” Alred gestured to his guards, who fell in behind him as he departed.
William was livid. His hands shook with rage as his breath came in ragged shudders. He whirled around and strode the length of the dining hall, snatching the sword from where it hung. Jack and Ruskin grabbed his arms as he attempted to chase after Alred, while Oz blocked the door in case William broke free.
“That’s a fool’s errand, my lord,” said Ruskin. “No matter how good a swordsman you are, they are three men, two of them well-armored and well-trained. Nothing’s to be gained even if you did prevail.”
William shook himself free and hurled the sword to the floor. “King’s blasted teeth,” he yelled. “What’s the use of even having the thing?” With an angry wave of his arm, he swept the tea and cake into the fireplace, causing Clyde to jump in alarm. “I swear, I will force that man to eat his words, every last one.”
“But not today, Will,” said Jack. “Not until you’ve calmed down and thought it through.”
William slammed the table with his open hands. “Fine. Sit. All three of you. Let’s think.”
Ruskin, Jack, and Oz traded looks of concern before sitting. “Should I clean the mess, sir?” asked Oz.
“Leave it,” snapped William. “I want your help on this, Oz. You were smart to suggest ringing the bell. We didn’t need it just then, but we might one day. Thoughts?” He gazed around the table at each of them. “Has Earl Bradford gone back on his word? And without my papers, can I appeal to Duke Vincent?”
Ruskin cleared his throat. “I’ve known earls and barons to do some shady things, but nothing this blatant. Whatever’s going on, Alred is part of it.”
“You think he’s only pretending to work for Bradford?” asked Jack.
The agent shook his head. “It would be brash to fly a blue pennant and speak for the earl if he doesn’t represent him. I suspect he’s acting in bad faith.”
“Trying to steal my money behind the earl’s back?” asked William. “He’d never get away with it; the earl has spies everywhere and would toss him in prison the second he found out. And what about the guards? They’re risking their lives if they aren’t real guards. If they are, then they can only escort people on sanctioned missions.”
“It’s a puzzle,” said Ruskin. “The first thing we need to do is to find out if Alred is truly acting on the earl’s
behalf.”
“No,” said William. “First we get my papers back. Without them, I have no proof of the deferral, and I’m stuck paying the interest and half the mill’s profits for nothing.”
“This isn’t a time for swords, Will,” said Jack. “Even if your papers are gone, Earl Bradford presumably still has a copy, and he can’t claim anything from you without using it. And he would have sent another copy to Faywater Bay for his own protection, so forget about the papers. Ruskin is right: we need to know what Alred is up to.”
Oz raised his hand. “Can you ask the earl? Sorry if that’s a dumb question.”
William sighed. “It’s not dumb, Oz. In fact, it may be my only option. I don’t know who else to go to. If Alred is crooked, then so are those guards. I don’t want to be the one to give Sir Hendrick that bit of news—especially if he’s crooked too.”
“Want me to come with you, sir?” asked Ruskin.
“No,” said William. “Not during planting season. I need you here to solve anything that goes wrong. There’s too much at stake now for both of us to be absent.”
“Well, I’m coming with you,” said Jack. “You have a tendency to get into trouble when you wander off alone.”
“Thank you,” said William. “I’ll need you too, Oz. Ruskin won’t like it if someone isn’t there to announce me.”
Ruskin pointed a calloused finger at Oz. “And see to it that you announce him properly. Lord William needs to be taken seriously as a nobleman, especially after today. Remember what I taught you, and don’t screw up.”
“He’ll do fine, Ruskin,” said William with a trace of annoyance. “Give him a chance.”
Ruskin turned to William with a patronly gaze. “Pardon, my lord, but you’re a new baron, and a young one at that. If today was any indication, you could end up facing a hard-nosed official with a grudge to bear against anyone who outranks him. The last thing you need is a butler who doesn’t know how to announce you.”
William refused to back down. “He knows my name, he knows my title, and he announced Alred without any trouble. The rest is up to me.” He held Ruskin’s gaze until the older man looked away, then turned back to Oz. “We’ll leave in the morning. Pack some clothes and food.” He stood and retrieved his sword from where it lay on the floor. “Get my scabbard out of storage, too. I’m bringing this, whether anyone likes it or not.”
Chapter 11
“What’s the plan?” asked Jack as he and William rode side by side into the outer edges of town. Oz lagged behind, looking less than comfortable on his first ever horseback ride, despite riding the gentlest mount available.
William leaned into the strong breeze and brushed the hair out of his eyes. “I’ll demand to see the earl, obviously.”
“And what if they refuse?”
William looked behind to make sure Oz wasn’t falling too far behind, then turned back to his friend. “That’s never happened before. Why would they refuse me now?”
Jack shook his head. “Still naive after all these years. Assume for a moment that Earl Bradford needs to raise money quickly and decides to renege on your deferral. Would he usher you in and serve you tea and cake, or have his clerk tell you he’s away? Alred was right—being the Defender of Rebel Falls will get you nowhere if they don’t want to see you.”
William looked skyward. “I’d like to strangle whoever wrote those stupid books. But as far as getting an audience with him goes, I could claim it’s about something else.”
“They’ll see through that in a heartbeat,” said Jack. “Besides, you’ll never think of an excuse on the spot—better come up with it now.”
“This is all so ridiculous. I wish we could jump forward to a year from now when all of this is past, and the mill is bringing in money and I don’t have to worry about a…” William’s voice faded, his lips moving silently.
Jack peered at him, waiting for William to finish his thought. “Worry about what?”
William’s eyes brightened with sudden enthusiasm. “A wedding. I was going to say a wedding, but I just realized that’s what I can use. I’ll tell them I need a marriage license right away. Among the other things I learned recently is that an Earl must personally sign a nobleman’s marriage license.”
Jack grinned at William. “Don’t you need someone else’s approval too?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Won’t Melissa want a say in when you have the wedding? You said Melissa already scheduled it. Now you’re going to move it to spring without asking her first?”
William pondered a moment before answering. “I think she’ll go along with it. I’m planning on visiting her before we go home. I’ll just explain what happened with the earl.”
Jack’s face broke out in a huge grin. “Oh, this I have to see.”
“Not a chance, Jack. You can go to Deacon’s or visit someone else. Oz will announce me, and then Melissa and I will have a nice quiet chat on our own.”
Jack looked over his shoulder at Oz. “I’m counting on you to tell me everything embarrassing that Will says.”
“Uh…I don’t think I’m supposed to do that,” answered Oz as he glanced at William with a mortified look.
Jack sighed. “Ruskin trained you too well.”
“We’re about to find out,” said William. “Okay Oz, here’s your moment to shine. Knock on that door and announce me like you practiced yesterday…all day.”
Oz approached the door in trepidation, William following a few steps behind as Jack secured the horses. Oz took a deep breath and pulled the bell rope. As the door creaked open, William half-imagined Jeffery’s face poking out as it had done less than a month earlier. Instead, the afternoon sun fell upon a young man in what were obviously new clerk’s robes.
“Can I help you?” asked the clerk.
Oz cleared his throat and spoke in a clear voice. “Earl Bradford to see Lord William Whitehall.”
William covered his face. Behind him, hidden by the horses, Jack stifled his howling laughter with limited success. The clerk stared at Oz with a look of disapproval. “I assume you mean the other way around?”
“Huh? What did I say?” Oz stared at the clerk with a blank look.
William pushed past Oz with impatience. “I am William Whitehall. I need to see the earl on an urgent matter.”
“Earl Bradford is away,” said the clerk with a bored sigh. “Perhaps I can help?”
William glanced back at Jack, who nodded almost imperceptibly. He turned back to the clerk. “I need to file a marriage license. Since my barony is in his jurisdiction, I’ll need his signature.”
“I’ll prepare the license for you. Can someone vouch for your identity?”
“Excuse me?” said William as his fists clenched of their own accord. “Vouch for me? I lived in Marshland Crossing from birth until three years ago. The earl himself can vouch for me. Jeffery can vouch for me. Any senior clerk can vouch for me.”
The clerk stood his ground. “There has been significant turnover in the earl’s staff lately. We are rather short-staffed at the moment. As it happens, I am the most senior clerk on duty.”
“Where’s Jeffery?” demanded William.
“I’m not at liberty to discuss my co-workers’ whereabouts, my lord. Perhaps you can find another town official to vouch for you. Good day, sir.”
The door slammed in William’s face. He was about to pound on it when Jack grabbed his wrist. “Leave it, Will. Something weird is happening, and we won’t find out what it is from him. You can’t barge into the earl’s offices without solid evidence of foul play, and we don’t have that yet.”
William threw off Jack’s hand, seething as he returned to his horse.
“Are you mad because I announced you wrong?” asked Oz, his eyes wide with worry.
“No!” William’s hands shook as he tore the reins from the hitching post. “You flubbed your lines—no big deal. It’s that…IDIOT…in there who has my blood boiling.”
“Idiot
or not, we have to decide what to do next,” said Jack. “Any ideas?”
“You mean other than wringing that clerk’s neck?” asked William. “Just one. If I can’t force my way in, I’ll make him do what he promised. I can visit Cairns and ask him to vouch for me. Then the clerk will have to prepare the marriage license, which means I can get inside.”
Jack nodded in appreciation. “You know, for a guy who’s nearly out of his mind with anger, that’s not a terrible idea.”
“Shut up and get on your horse.”
The short ride allowed William to calm himself. He hadn’t spoken with Cairns in months, and looked forward to whatever advice his old boss could give. Cairns often played cards with the other officials, including the earl himself. If anyone knew what was going on, it would be him.
“Should I announce you again?” asked Oz as they dismounted near the Library door.
“It’s not that kind of place,” said William as he handed Oz the reins. “We can just walk in.” He reached for the door handle and pulled.
The door was locked.
“What on Esper…?” William stared at the door in confusion. With no knocker or bell available, he pounded the door several times. He was rewarded with the sound of the bar sliding, and was greeted by a guard in duty uniform, one he didn’t recognize.
“Yes?” said the guard.
William turned to Oz and waited. Sighing and shaking his head after a moment, he turned back to the guard. “I am Lord William Whitehall. I’m here to see Lester Cairns.”
Oz jumped in surprise. “Oh, sorry…I was supposed to do that, wasn’t I?”
The guard ignored Oz. “The Library’s closed, sir.”
“Closed?” asked William. “I worked here for over a year, and never once did the Library close except on a holiday.”
The Guard shrugged. “It’s closed now. Nobody told me why—my orders were to stay here and not let anyone in. Say, is that the dragon I’ve been hearing about?”
“Where’s Cairns?” asked William, ignoring the guard’s question.
He shrugged again. “At home, maybe. I also heard he might be visiting friends while the Library is closed.”
Skyrider of Renegade Point Page 11
