Royse jerked at the pounding on the door, spilling the eggs she had been beating all over the counter. She growled angrily, ready to give someone a piece of her mind as she yanked the door open. Glaring up at Gerid, the new deputy, she put her hands on her hips as he scowled down at her.
He'd asked her to step out on multiple occasions and she had turned him down flat every time. Since he became deputy, it seemed he looked for reasons to harass her. "Come outside," he demanded, taking hold of her arm and jerking her out of the kitchen.
"Let go!" she demanded, thumping him with her long handled spoon.
He snatched it away from her and shoved her hard to the ground in front of her house.
Geneva Ambrose, her neighbor, helped her stand and she looked around, noting all of the women along their street were outside on the walk in front of the houses. She also noted a single carriage, ornate and heavy with a full eight horses, all black, to pull it.
"That's the lot!" Gerid yelled, still glaring down at Royse as he crossed his arms. Gheon, the sheriff, tapped lightly on the carriage and two soldiers got out, followed by a young, tall, noble man in silks.
"You are sure it was one of our girls?" Gheon asked.
"Are you naming me liar?" the noble asked. "I know what I saw. She came here and ducked into a house."
"You didn't see which one?"
"It was dark and I was up the street."
"Well, these are them, all the girls what live on this street. Servants and daughters alike."
The noble looked up and down the street, then sneered at Gheon. "Move them all closer! Line them all up!"
"Alla' you, come down here! Step quick!" Gheon yelled.
Gerid grabbed Royse's arm and pulled her down to stand in line with the other girls and she kicked at his shin once they got there.
The noble looked them all over and his eyes stopped on Royse, looking her over. He looked past her, then stopped at the end, yanking Willa Dane's servant out of the line by her hair. "This is her," he growled. "I want her caned there on that lamp post! You! Are you her mistress?" he demanded of Willa.
"Yes m'lord," Willa breathed fearfully as Daria was dragged screaming to the post.
"Your whore stole from me. A full purse and a pin with rubies and moonstones. I want it back."
"Of course m'lord! I... I need to ask her where it is... before she can no longer speak?"
Royse felt sick to her stomach, she knew where this was going to go. Daria would not survive this beating. She started to turn to go back to her home, but Gerid stopped her, grabbing her by the throat and looking down at her as he glowered.
"Let go!" she demanded, pounding on his arm. "He has what he came for, let the rest of us go!"
"You! Release the girl! Why do you handle her so, is she a criminal?" the noble demanded.
Gerid let Royse go, but bulled up at the noble's questions. "This one is a wicked little thing, sour and always with the foul mood."
"I'm never foul unless it's you at my door you giant ogre!" she yelled at him angrily, rubbing her throat. "Tell the truth! He's been at me a full year and I won't say yes! He stopped tryin', finally, but now he takes it out on me in other ways!"
"Look at me, girl," the noble demanded.
Royse looked up at him, her face red. "M'name is Royse! Not girl! Go on'n let us go back to what we was doin! You caught your pinch whore, let the rest of us go."
The noble scowled. "Pinch whore? You assume I was... purchasing company? Do I look like I need to pay for company, especially from the likes of her?"
"How else would she have access to your coin purse and valuables? I don't care about the why of you needin' a whore, mister, I care about you lettin' me go!"
The man drew up angrily. "This one does need a lesson in manners. Daniel, put her in my carriage."
He turned away, but one of the guards took hold of Royse and dragged her to the carriage, her fighting the whole way.
"Sir!" Gerid called. "I can see her punished! If you hand her..."
"You hold your tongue," the noble snapped. "She is no longer your problem. I want my valuables and that girl's caned corpse hanging from that post. I want at least fifty lashes in before she expires. Gag her," he grated, not wanting to hear the servants pleading screams.
He returned to his carriage and sat down across from Royse who was glaring at him with bound hands and a gag in her mouth. He looked at Daniel, who had a red face and a split lip.
"She do that to you?" he asked him, looking at the man's lip.
"She did," Daniel answered darkly.
The noble turned a smirk to Royse, then motioned to someone outside the window. The coach rolled forward so the noble could watch the servant being beaten. After several moments, Willa appeared at the door with a box. It had coin in it, along with jeweled pins and brooches.
"How is it possible that you did not know your servant was stealing all of this?" the noble demanded of Willa.
"I... sir, I had no way of knowing. She isn't my servant, she is the house servant, my father hired her on. I only see her around the house as she cleans, I have no dealings with her otherwise. She is new as well, only been with us for two weeks now. I swear to you I knew nothing!"
"Where is your father?"
"He works at the courthouse along with Royse's father," she said, nodding at Royse.
He looked Royse over again. "She isn't a servant?" he asked Willa.
"No m'lord, she is Royse Hildebrand, Senator Hildebrand's daughter. She... she just dresses like that and likes to cook."
