the Starosta's assisstants 11 cliffie bonus

 

Chapter 11

 

Frydek continued to press his opponent, who was blowing.

“So, we know your father had peculiar ideas.  Is the old Korwiński genuinely your father?”

“Y... yes!” squealed Korwiński. “He sired me!”

“You’re not the genuine heir, though, are you?” asked Frydek. “You’re an imposter.”

“No, I... I should be the heir!  I was sired by Lord Korwiński!  The heir was my half-brother, I went with him on the grand tour as his servant! Me, his brother, a servant!”

“And you killed him and took his place.”

“No! No, I never did! He got his own silly self killed in Italy, some fellow there knifed him for touching up his doxy!”

“How can you be sure she was a doxy? You have very little idea of how to distinguish a lady from a woman of unfortunate profession,” said Frydek.

“Well, anyway, he was dead, and... and I was in the inn, and the landlord addressed me as milord, as I was in my nightshirt, and borrowed his kontusz... and I thought, why not?”

“So, did your brother ever curry his own horse?”

“No, he said that’s what servants were for.”

“You poor fool,” said Frydek. “A mix of ignorance and poor examples. And a fear of being found out if you let your wife dominate you.  Well, I have to say, I’d be happy to have such an able lady as Helena Skrzetuska drop her skirt over my foot.  Honoured, even. And now she knows you are a fool as well as a knave, she will never have you, whether she chooses me or anyone else.”

Korwiński was sobbing in real pain and despair now.

“Just kill me and get it over with,” he begged.

“No, I don’t think I will,” said Frydek. “I happen to agree with you that it was your right to be your brother’s heir, and I suspect if you go to Lord Skrzetuski, and humbly beg his pardon for your foolishness and attacks upon his offspring, tell him the whole story, and ask him to help you, he will go out of his way to guide you. Nobody who has such self-assured offspring as Jeremi Skrzetuski and Halszka could be anything but reasonable.”

 

“That young man has judged you very well, from your offspring,” murmured Barbara to Michał, they having ridden into town to further their arrangements for the morrow’s masque, and stopped to watch the duel.

“I’m beginning to like him very well,” said Michał.  “If he can handle Helena when in one of her stubborn fits I think he might do very well.”

 

Korwiński gazed on Frydek with horror.

“I couldn’t! I would... he would look down on me,” he said.

Frydek sighed.

“Well, it’s my recommendation, to help you regain some self-worth, and to be aided in consolidating your position. Whatever. I can’t fight you; you don’t know as much even as Halszka, and she picked it up late.”

“I wasn’t  taught...” Korwiński tailed off.

“No, understandable. But you need to lose the attitude,” said Frydek. “And then, who knows, you may manage to impress another girl by having learned to be a real gentleman, not a half-arsed excuse for a bully boy like your old man.”

He turned and walked away.

“Bravo,” said Jaracz.

 

oOoOo

 

Marylka exclaimed over the bruise on Halszka’s face.

“I didn’t know as szlachcice hit their women about like other men!” she said. “That Falcon fellow wot took me sister away seemed to think it were bad.”

“It is bad,” said Halszka. “And it’s one reason I would never marry Korwiński; his temper and his violence to women. A man who has to hit a woman is a small man, because hitting someone weaker than yourself is the act of a bully, and bullies are usually cowards. If you married someone who hit you, I would kill him.”

“Cuh!” said Marylka, impressed by this level of loyalty from her mistress. “I reckon I’m in clover with you.”

“I don’t think I’m particularly demanding, but having you to run errands for me and helping me dress for things like masked balls is useful,” said Halszka. “Do you want to come to the one on Saturday? You’re a bit young, but you might enjoy listening to people talking for me.”

“So long as it ain’t in szlachta-gabble,” said Marylka. “I dunno  why you bother to turn real words into nonsense amongst yourselves.”

“It isn’t nonsense, it’s another language, Latin,” said Halszka. “I’ve been speaking both Latin and Polish since I was a baby, so I can think in both, I don’t have to translate.”

“Cuh!” said Marylka. “You mean, gypsies think in gypsy language and don’t turn good Polish into gypsy-words just to be awkward?”

“No, that is their language. Just as Towarzysz Frydek sings in Ukrainian, a language quite close to Polish, but not exactly the same.”

“Well, I never!” said Marylka. “What about that song you sing, ‘Oy sharamusha?’”

“‘Oi šermukšnio šermukšnio kur tu augai tarp balių,’ that one?” asked Halszka.

“That’s it,” said Marylka.

“It’s Lithuanian, and we sing it to remind ourselves that the Rzeczpospolita is Polish-Lithuanian,” said Halszka. “Which is right over your head; I’ll explain about the Jagiełło kings another time. But I have to get back on duty.”

 

oOoOo

 

Jaracz had noticed Halszka’s parents but said nothing to the girl. It was an extra distraction for her.

He was busy interviewing the szlachetka.

They were brothers, ranging from Jósef, twenty-four, through Andrzej, Adam, Karol, to Mikołaj, the youngest, at just sixteen.

“I appreciate that goods are dear,” said Jaracz. “I’m from the impoverished side of my own family, and I’ve had help by being outfitted by my red-boots of a best friend, and now I’m married to a relatively wealthy woman. But I’ve been where I counted every grosz twice. I could get Mikołaj into the Falcon’s school for impoverished and orphaned szlachta, where he could learn to be a steward, or pursue military training.  The lads are sponsored if they want to join up, and are expected to help support another lad if they achieve enough rank to put money aside.”

“Why would you do this?” asked Jósef.

“Because I know what it is to scrimp,” said Jaracz. “I’d  take  a couple of you on here, if you’re willing, to train up as substarostowie. Because we’re seconded temporarily, but Eugeniusz could do with some good men besides Wilk as a substitute and Michał Grybko, who is mostly incognito anyway. And if any of you did volunteer, I’d expect you to put in time helping rebuild what you broke.”

“I am not sure how to pay the fine. We were wrong, but it seemed as if we were being laughed at, you know?” said Jósef.

“I understand,” said Jaracz.  “How much land do you have between you?”

“Half a włóka,” said Jósef. “It’s enough to feed us and keep the horses in hay, but only just.”

“If Mikołaj is in school, he will be fed,” said Jaracz. “The Falcon will board his horse too, but may expect it to be available for scholars without horses to ride.”

“That’s fair enough,” said Jósef. “Mikołaj?”

“I’d like to be an Ulan,” said Mikołaj.

“Good, that’s settled,” said Jaracz.  “Suppose I bind you over to pay your fine over the next twelve months, Jósef,  and if any of your brothers choose to stay, they can add their earnings to that to pay it off quicker?”

“I... well, I’d not object if there’s a real job and no makework,” said Jósef.

“Oh, hell, no,” said Jaracz. “There are always things happening here. We mounted a lance charge with pitchforks on a pair of villains a couple of days ago, and there are sometimes crazy idiots riding through at the gallop causing mayhem, and that’s without the everyday thieves, prostitutes, fraudsters, muggers, highwaymen, card sharps, dice sharps, smugglers, rapists, murderers, and horse thieves. We haven’t had a quiet day yet, but I hope that will change.”

“Jósef needs my aid; can we borrow the others for harvest?” asked Andrzej.

“I don’t see why not; harvest is quiet because everyone is too busy,” said Jaracz. “It’s right after harvest that trouble hits the streets. You lads wouldn’t have time to rest.”

“A change is as good as a rest, they say,” said Adam, exchanging a look with his next brother. “Karol and I will do our bit. And even better if it’s for wages, not just keep.”

“If you can assess land, and work with peasants,  your first job will be surveying the Zabiełło estate, and handling the peasants and his bully-boys,” said Jaracz.

“What happened to him?” asked Adam.

“He tried to kill my lord-brother Jaras and my lord-brother-sister Sylwia, but fortunately for them, he woke my lord-brother Ursyn Kudła, who is a bear, and who does sabre drill as well as anyone, who killed him when he drew blade, with Hellish Quarte,” said Jaracz.  “Officially, in case anyone makes a stink about our hairy lord-brother, he fell foul of guard animals, implied dogs. But we know where the credit lies. We all are very fond of Ursyn.”

“Goodness,” said Adam, faintly.

And so Adam and Karol Bronski joined the Ulans, and Jaracz and Frydek sorted them out a stable to sleep in.

“More comfortable than the accommodation in town,” Frydek explained when Adam looked as if he was going to expostulate. “We find it more convenient too, and we have a steam house, but if you bathe with us, you must be courteous to those lords-brothers who are lords-sisters.”

“You Ulans are crazy,” said Adam, faintly.

“Certainly; but we have our bad  points too,” said Frydek.

 

oOoOo

 

Frydek had seen the gamber, Torzecki, a few times.

“I’ll lay odds there’s some high stakes gaming house in the town,” he said to Eugeniusz.

“Undoubtedly, and given half the chance, I’d raid it,” said Eugeniusz. “But it’ll be run privately where someone has to be invited and pay to be a member, which puts it outside my remit. If you and Jaracz can manage to get yourselves invites, I’d be well-pleased, but I wager they’ll fight shy of letting our flamboyant Ulan substarostowie in.”

“Well, perhaps I can connect with Torzecki at the masque tonight,” said Frydek.

“You aren’t a gamester, are you?” asked Eugeniusz, sharply.

“No, but I want to win those horrible apartments off him,” said Frydek.  “And the rest are bankrolling me.”

“Be careful, there are some unpleasant types about,” said Eugeniusz.

“Jaracz and I both specialise in the guileless bucolic look,” said Frydek.

“Something I can’t do,” said Eugeniusz.

 

oOoOo

 

 

Eugeniusz managed a word with Michał Skrzetuski before the ball opened.

“If you see that lad go to the gaming parlours, he’s got his eye on one of the players.”

“A cheat?” asked Michał.

“Not as far as I know... officially, I know nothing. Unofficially, those youngsters have pooled resources for Frydek to relieve the fellow of several very poorly maintained buildings in town, which the gamester does not keep in good repair.”

“I see,” said Michał.  “I think I’ll go and watch how he plays.”

 

 

“Are you dreaming tonight, in your guise as an upiór?” asked Halszka, in the guise of a gypsy wench.

“No, I can’t,” said Frydek.  “I’ve managed to track down the supplies of wódka, and the constable in charge of it is going to be unpopular, since I’ve replaced the lot with vinegar.”

Halszka sniggered.

“I should think a fight will break out at some point over that,” she said. “Are you going to be gaming with Torzecki?”

“That’s the general idea,” said Frydek. “I’m going to try to get him into a high-rolling game of hazard on his own, and rely on my ability to calculate odds. It’s a damned silly game, no real skill involved, but I think that knowing when wagering is sensible or not should help me.  I can’t see any thrill in it, personally, but that means I’m still unmoved when others get excited.”

Halszka kissed him on the cheek, they not having yet donned their masks.

“For luck,” she said.

He blushed.

“I’ve written to your father to ask permission to court you,” he said, abruptly. “But I’ve had no reply yet. I am wondering if he just threw it away.”

“I’d expect him to ask me,” said Halszka. “Well, perhaps he is talking to Jeremi first, to see if he knows you.”

Frydek brightened.

“I think he considers me able,” he said. “Though, of course, he knows me as a peasant.”

“And you explained the whole to my father?”

“I did.”

“Then he will judge on what kind of man you are,” said Halszka.