He shielded his mouth with his hand once more and murmured, “She is known to be an evil woman, seaman. There is no doubt about it at all. I have been warned to be inconspicuous as possible, not to attract her attention. I would not have words with her if I could avoid it.”
Ornery thought it over, then gave a tiny nod of thanks for the warning. Bane and Dyre went on staring for a time, though they soon gave it up in favor of loud and continuous complaint mixed with assorted sneers and unspecific threats against all and sundry.
They complained of having been sent to House Genevois against their inclination and of having been kept there by threat of force. They said they had been forced to be civil (though they called it sucking up to nobodies) when they would have preferred despotism (though they called it getting their rights). They complained of this latest outrage in which they were expected to labor like damn Timmys instead of being cushioned on silk and fed cream, which is what they’d been trained for. Cushioning and drinking and other such dalliances seemed to have figured largely in their minds, as they went on and on about it. When next Mouche and Ornery shared a glance, both understood it as a contract. If word came to blow, they would stand together against these two.
The wagon took the winding road leading onto the western heights, passing great houses behind high walls. At the top of the ridge, a man stood in an open gateway, obviously awaiting them. Mistress Mantelby halted her carriage and, indicating the waiting man with an imperious forefinger, called to those in the wagon: “Here is my steward. You will be working at his direction, so mind yourselves.”
There was no reply from the wagon, and seemingly none was expected, for she went on in a loud voice. “Well, Nephew! I said I would bring replacements, and here they are!”
“Thank you, Aunt,” the steward murmured, standing with bowed head while the carriage moved away. When she had departed some distance toward the house itself, the man waved the wagon on, following it dejectedly afoot as it went down a lane toward a group of outbuildings. The six prisoners were hauled out of the wagon, two of them were sent along the lane under the watchful eyes of an understeward, while Bastable and the three Consorts were half dragged and half led into the stables. While the Haggers watched from the sidelines, the steward dropped his veils and looked them over, disgust plain on his face.
“Three layabout supernumes and a triplet of useless Hunks,” he complained, “to replace a dozen pairs of skilled hands. And if you don’t do the work, it’ll be my hide that pays for it, so take this to heart: You’ll do the work or I’ll make your hide pay for it, count on it.”
“And who’re you, g’nephew?” sneered Bane. “A Family Man? A Man of Business?”
The steward paled, biting his lips. “I am the person who gives orders to the Haggers,” he said when he had collected himself. “The Mistress has set them under my direction. So, if you’ve some idea of attacking me or attempting to leave this place, mark down that I won’t be alone in retaliation.”
“We have powerful friends,” yelped Dyre. “And they’ll not leave us here.”
The steward grimaced. “Oh, surely. And when your powerful friends order me to release you, and when the Hags agree to that, and when Mistress Mantelby signs her name to the order, I’ll do it. Until then you are my fingers to move at my command, worthless, and best you remember it.”
He went down the line of them, pulling their veils away from their faces, staring at each of them, noting the brothers’ sullen rebellion as well as Mouche and Ornery’s puzzlement. The puzzlement, he felt sympathy for. He himself was more than a little puzzled about this whole situation.
“There is no stable master at the moment,” he said. “Until I can find a person with experience, I’ll direct you myself. Tools are over there. Muck out all those stalls, put the muck in that cart there. Fill all the mangers with hay. Take the water buckets out, wash them, and fill them with fresh water from the well outside. Put one in each stall. When that is done, haul the cart out to the field and spread the muck about. If you think to save yourself trouble by dumping it all in one pile, you’ll crawl about, spreading it with your noses! I’ll be back after the noonmeal to see how much you’ve done. If you’ve done well, you’ll eat.”