Part 19 (1/2)
”Bring fuel,” Apollo commanded and the boy's eyes lifted to him. ”Enough for the evening. We've a long journey and need to be rested on the morrow. We don't need to constantly be calling for wood.”
The boy gave a nod, a truncated bow and took off, closing the door behind him.
Apollo handed me a winegla.s.s and I took it, asking, ”Do you not know the word please?”
He held my gaze over the rim of his winegla.s.s as he took a sip.
When he was done and had dropped his hand, he answered, ”I do.”
”Can I ask why you don't use it?” I pushed.
His body moved in a way that it was hardly moving at all but I could tell he was settling in, which I thought was a little weird, and it did this as he asked, ”And what have I done to vex you, Ilsa?”
I took a sip of my own wine that was so far from the quality of Fleuridian wine it was not funny and thus I had to fight against making a face and replied, ”I'm not vexed.”
”You've spoken one word to me all day, that being first thing this morning. Until we arrived at the inn. Then we make our room and you also make it clear nothing I do pleases you. Can you explain why?”
I threw an arm out and told him, ”They're servants but they're people. You order them around like they're slaves and beneath your notice.”
”They have many duties to see to from dawn until dusk, likely earlier and later, I would imagine. They don't have time for courtesy and conversation.”
”Everyone has time for courtesy,” I returned and added, ”Achilles said please.” Thinking on it, I included, ”So did Remi. As did Derrik, after, of course, I mentioned it to him.”
This last was true. Way back in Fleuridia, I'd had to give Derrik a talking to.
That got another eye flash and the annoyed response of, ”Well, I'm not Achilles, Remi or Derrik.”
”I'm well aware of that,” I replied.
”And none of them are Heads of Houses,” he noted.
”So the Head of a House has carte blanche to be discourteous and bossy?” I asked.
His eyes narrowed and he asked back, ”Am I to be treated to your surly disposition the entirety of our journey?”
”Probably,” I retorted.
”When you're not pretending I don't exist, of course,” he continued.
”Of course,” I agreed flippantly.
”Excellent,” he muttered and threw back a healthy gulp of wine before putting his gla.s.s on the table. He looked back to me and spoke on, but his face belied his words. ”Please continue. It amuses me.”
”I aim to please,” I murmured.
”I doubt that,” he returned.
Suddenly, I wished I'd never said anything and just ignored him completely. So we slept in the same bed. So what? We'd done it before. I would be asleep. I could ignore him there too.
”Perhaps we can stop talking,” I requested.
”Excellent idea,” he agreed and instantly moved to the door. ”If you'd like dinner, meet me downstairs after you've had a moment to refresh.”
I was hungry and I needed to eat and to do that I needed him and his money so it was exasperating but I had to say, ”I'll be down in a few minutes.”
He said nothing. Just opened the door, went through it, turned, dipped his chin at me and closed it behind him.
I stared at the door thinking that maybe I should have sucked it up and went to Karsvall.
Imaginary children's laughter peeled through my brain.
No, I wouldn't have been able to suck it up and go to Karsvall.
I took another sip of my wine and when I was done, I muttered, sounding like a spoiled child, ”Stupid malevolent witches and deposed rulers, ruining everything.”
But they d.a.m.n well had.
My plans for me and my future.
My brief but brilliant feeling of freedom.
Now, I was back where I started, my life not my own but controlled by a rich and powerful man.
There was a knock at the door so I called, ”Come in.”
The girl came in carrying a pitcher with what thankfully looked like clean drying cloths folded over her forearm.
She moved directly to the nightstand and set it down.
And as she left, I was sure to thank her.
Dinner was not the greatest.
We went to a pub down the street and the not-the-greatest-part wasn't the food.
Unsurprisingly, without asking me my preference, Apollo ordered by stating, ”Wine, red. And patty pie for the both of us.”
I had no clue what patty pie was but it didn't sound all that great.
And during my time with the guys, they always asked the waiters to explain my choices so that I could make them.
Not Apollo.
Oh no.
After our to-do at the inn, I wisely decided to let this go, and luckily patty pie turned out to be us each receiving our own small ca.s.serole dish filled with fluffy mashed potatoes topped with melted cheese that looked really good. Under this I discovered corn, carrots and peas in a thick delicious brown gravy. This was poured over a patty of ground beef flavored with onion. In other words, a sort of shepherd's pie but with a meat crust.
I dug in, finding it was way yummy, and I did this ignoring Apollo and also ignoring the looks we were getting.