Sir Warren of Bainsbridge dismounted his horse and rapped on the door of the tiny house. Gareth opened the door and, seeing his feudal landlord, bowed his head and took a step back.
"Milord," he said as he pulled his tunic back on. "Forgive me. I was not expecting you."
"Relax, Gareth," said Sir Warren. "This is your home. May I come in?"
"Of course, Milord."
Stepping aside, Gareth ushered in the man to whom he was a serf.
"Gareth," Sir Warren began. "I need to speak with you on a delicate matter."
"Milord..."
Raising his hand, Sir Warren stopped him before he could continue.
"Please Gareth, let me finish. Before he died, my father told me of your bravery and loyalty. It was because you saved his life that he bequeathed to you a parcel of land double the size of any other serf.
"As you know, however, I am still lord of the manor. As such, I collect a portion of what the land yields or equivalent money. It has been four months since I received a tribute from you. I understand that the land has been less productive of late. You are not alone in that circumstance. Most everyone is telling me the same thing. Everyone is struggling, but we must press on. We must maintain our position amongst the other lords or they will surely take us over – and they will not be as patient and understanding as I.
"We need to find a way to maintain our relative places. I come with a proposition for you to consider. I have had freemen working for me – both in the manor and on the grounds. Because I've been unable to pay them, I've been obliged to allow them to go elsewhere if that is their wish. I've been fortunate. About half of them have decided to stay a while longer. Even so, there are quite a few jobs not getting done.
"In short, Gareth, I need labor. The land is not producing, so there's not much for you to do here. Come work for me."
"Milord, that still leaves the problem of feeding the people who work at the manor. If there is no produce, how long can we survive? People must eat."
"There are ways, Gareth. Some parcels are producing. Also, other land under other lords is producing greatly. They will need labor. We can provide that labor in exchange for a portion of the yield. The important thing is that we need to be unified and deal from a position of strength. Our strength now is in our labor force."
Just then, Clarissa, Gareth's daughter, entered the room.
"Father, there is tea and soup ready."
"Sir warren, will you join us?" Asked Gareth. "Milord..."
"Hmm. I'm sorry. Did you say something, Gareth?"
"I asked if you'd be joining us for supper."
"I wouldn't want to burden you."
"It's no burden, Milord. Besides, your idea merits discussion."
"Then, yes. I will join you. Thank you. Gareth, is that your daughter?"
"Yes. That's Clarissa."
"She's quite lovely. Quite lovely, indeed."
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Supper was quietly eaten, and then the two men discussed Sir Warren's idea. After reaching agreement, Sir Warren broached the subject of Clarissa.
"Gareth," he began tentatively. "I would very much enjoy having Clarissa serve at the manor, also."
"Of course," replied Gareth. "That is your prerogative."
"I think you misunderstand. I will not indulge that prerogative with you. You were my father's friend. I am asking."
"Thank you, Milord. If that is your intention, perhaps you should ask Clarissa."
Clarissa nearly jumped at the opportunity. After all, she would get to see and, in fact, live in, the big manor. She would be working for a man to whom she'd immediately been attracted. He was strong looking but soft spoken. When he talked to her, his eyes burned into hers and her heart skipped a beat. She wondered how closely she'd be working with him.
"Don't get the wrong idea, girl." Her father warned. "This is no holiday. You'll be working. You will do whatever Sir Warren tells you to do."
"Yes, anything." She thought to herself.
____________________
She'd been at the manor for more than two weeks without anything happening that even remotely resembled her hopeful expectations. Mostly she'd been helping in the kitchen and serving meals. Sometimes she'd be sent to tidy Sir Warren's bedchambers. This was the most torturous of all, for as soon as she entered the bedchambers, and for the whole time she was within, his scent enveloped her like a fog.
She was at an age where she was constantly aware of her physical desires. She would occasionally give in to those desires, but not very often. There really wasn't much opportunity, with the constant presence of her parents and with so much work always needing to be done. But now, in completely different surroundings and so close to a man unlike any she'd ever known, she was overwhelmed by a stronger awareness of her body's needs.
That night, with eyes downcast, she approached Sir Warren.
"Milord," she said meekly.
"Yes, Clarissa."
"Have I displeased you in some way?"
"No, not at all. Why would you ask such a thing?" He said, genuinely surprised.
"Well, at my father's home you seemed as though you..."
She paused.
"As though I what?" He prompted.
"I'm not quite sure how to say it, Milord...as though you wanted me."
"Yes. That's correct. That's why you're here. I wouldn't give you a job if I didn't want you here."
"No," she said. "Maybe I didn't say that right. I meant to say 'as though you desired me'"
"Oh," he replied in astonishment. "I didn't realize that it was that obvious. I'm sorry I embarrassed you."
"No, Milord. You didn't. I'm just confused now. I've been here for more than two weeks and you haven't even touched me. Maybe I presume too much, but the look you gave me that day was familiar. I've seen it in the eyes of boys in the village when they want me. But they're just boys and don't usually have the courage to pursue me."
"And you want to be pursued?"
"I'd settle for being pursued. But even if they did pursue me, I'd still be the one to grant or deny – I'd still be in control."
She said this last with obvious disappointment and frustration in her voice.
"Many women would enjoy being in that position." Said Sir Warren. "Being desired and being able to choose the man and the circumstances should be very exciting."
"I know. But I'm attracted to strong, decisive men – men who know what they want and are willing to take it!"
"I see," was all he said.
"That's why I jumped at the chance to work for you. You're a man of the world and lord of the manor. I didn't expect you to be so ... shy."
"Clarissa, have you ever been with a man like you describe?"
"No, sir," she said, hanging her head.
"It may not be what you envision," he replied.
"All I know is that none of those boys really brought me pleasure. Sometimes I enjoyed controlling them – making them beg and do whatever I wanted – but the novelty would always wear off. A real man wouldn't do that. A real man would make me comply with his will. I would learn to please him and to get pleasure for doing so. He would take what he wanted – not ruthlessly – but passionately. I would know that I was desired and that would make me want to please him. Soon it would be me doing the begging. I just want a man who's not afraid to be a man and make me feel like a woman. I wouldn't think that was too much to ask."
"It's not too much to ask, but you need to be sure that it's really what you want."
"I've never been more sure of anything," Clarissa said.
"And you were hoping that I would assume that role?"
"Yes. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have expected..." then she sniveled. "Why don't you want me?" She asked, openly sobbing.
Sir Warren put his finger under her chin and raised her eyes to meet his.
"I do want you, Clarissa. I just didn't want to exert my influence over you. Your family and mine share a history. Your father is more than just a subject to me. It was my desire to respect his family. I thought that in time you and I would grow closer and come together – that some day you would accept my gentle advances."
"I wanted you from the moment I saw you," she said. "Given our respective stations, I would have accepted any of your advances, gentle or not."
"Yes, well. Now that we've spoken frankly, I can grant your desires. I'll ask once more and never again – are you sure that this is what you want?"
Now she was faced with a moment of truth.
"Yes, Milord," she said unreservedly.
____________________
Sir Warren clasped the choker behind Clarissa's neck.
"This symbolizes your position as my servant – my wench. You will not wear it when I'm away from the manor or in the presence of the other servants. If I tell you to put it on, I expect you to be obedient and do whatever I say and to allow me to do whatever I want to you. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Milord."