The Treatment of the Lower Orders

The Treatment of the Lower Orders 8

Sheriff Vaisey put his booted feet on the table, pushed back in his seat and considered them, leaning his head from side to side pondering as his man servant polished the leather to a dull shine.

"You're not very good at this are you?" He swiped several times at the servant, who stood and waited till the blows ceased, and then resumed the polishing.

Vaisey was bored, the week had not proceeded as he had intended, the Hood thing was still not resolved, Gisborne was mooning about over his various lepers. One, the annoying one, had run off to a convent or somewhere, and the other, well... she had his master-at-arms all fired up about something? Then there was Prince John's latest demand for more money. Vasey was good at getting the money, but really he was a victim of his own success. Sad but true, the more he collected the more the Prince found he needed. He sighed and kicked the manservant away.

Gisborne entered the room briskly.

"My lord, the new grain store is finished and is being filled as we speak. I took the liberty of having the locks reinforced; I don't think we'll have a repeat of last year. Now the harvest is in we should have no more problems with the millers." Gisborne spoke rapidly, pleased that at least one task was completed without a hitch.

"Oh and you do seem so happy with that my boy. Grains safe is it? Oh goody, goody!" The sheriff stood and wandered over to his birds, they shrieked and fluttered madly at his approach.

"What's that girl of yours up to?" His voice was sly, deceptively pleasant.

"What girl my lord?" Gisborne swallowed and looked away from his employer.

"What girl my lord?" The older man mimicked nastily. "The one you actually fuck, Gisborne, the charming little creamy one, she sews or something?"

"My lord...I ..." Guy faltered; the sheriff knew about his little seamstress, did he have suspicions about her?

"Is she any good? Does she... scream much?"

"Scream, my lord?" Guy looked puzzled, what was Vaisey asking?

"When you fuck her, does she scream? It's not that hard...oh yes hard, yes, yes, I like that," The sheriff laughed at his own joke. Gisborne just rolled his eyes.

"She is discreet, my lord." He said smugly. He'd never thought of it before, but it was true. Also he realised he did not know her name. It had never mattered, but somehow, now it did.

"Eww, Discreet, Oh yes you are liking her, aren't you!" He rubbed his stubby hands together. "Yes I know what you mean though; I've seen her, carries herself well, almost...as if she was well born. She's not is she? I don't want any nonsense from outraged minor gentlemen."

"I do not know my lord"

"No I suppose not, your not really the conversational type are you?" He nudged and winked at the faintly embarrassed Gisbourne.

" Well, I want her for a few days, I have a new selection of materiel flageller I want to try out, and I think she would do very nicely."

"Flageller...whips? My lord...I..."

"Do you fancy being there? It's a very subtle pleasure, quite artistic really. Every stroke must be precisely placed, just the right force...Oh very...rewarding. You would enjoy it, I promise. You get to have her after. That's almost the best bit, when they are..." Vaisey's eyes were almost misty at the prospect.

Gisborne found he didn't want Vaisey touching her. Not with a whip, not with anything! It did not matter that he had struck her, that had been in anger, frustration at...well he had reasons, but this was not to his taste at all. He did not want another man touching her.

"I believe she is at Knighton my lord, helping the lady Marian." It was a lie but it was all he could come up with at such short notice.

"I thought Marian was at Kirklees hiding from you?" Vasey was annoyed now.

"No my lord, she is back in her fathers house. And I now respect her decision over our marriage." He lied gritting his teeth. At least he knew he could trust Marian to hide... what was her name?

"Oooh, I was really looking forward to that. Oh well another time perhaps?" The sheriff became quiet. Gisborne judged it time to retire and get his leman into hiding.

Out side the chamber, once the door was firmly shut, Gisborne looked about him.

"The new man, where is he?"

"Crowe sir...he's in the stables."

"Get him and send him to the servant's quarters." He strode off to find 'her'

Guy was angry when he found her folding sheets in the drying yard. Angry that he felt he had to do this. Angry at Vaisey for wanting to take what was his. Angry because he did not want her beaten for pleasure, why did he care? There was no honour in it, but he had committed greater crimes, this would have been just one more. Why was this so bad?

He dragged her out of the sight of the windows.

"You are to go to Knighton, assist the Lady Marian in what ever she needs you to do. But you do NOT come back to the castle till I tell you to. Do you understand?"

"You are sending me away? I did not spy on you I swear." She sounded as if she did not want to leave him.

"Your name, what is your name?"

"I am Elias Renouf." He asked her name, what subtly was this?

He looked faintly puzzled. "A man's name surely?"

"My father wanted only sons, he would countenance no female names, it would put me at a disadvantage, he said."

"Elias, the sheriff has requested you from me...and I would not give you up" It sounded as if... but that was ridiculous. He did not...what did he not do? Care for her? Need her? Want her?

"But he will punish you sir!" She was amazed. She still nursed bruises from his too urgent demands the day before. Did he truly care for her?

"He would... do things that...I could not have done to you. That is all you need to know. One of my men will take you to Knighton and stay till I send word for him to bring you back. The Lady Marian will hide you, she is generous... to the weak and the needy"

But not to him.