Chapter 3: Gambled Maiden

I had already gone a little distance when I heard Hailey call out to me.

"Gwen?" I stopped in my tracks and turned slowly to look at her, she was worried.

"I asked that you stay awhile."

"I know but I can't stay any longer." She turned back in the direction of the town square, as if in thought.

"I saw Albert, did he upset you? If so, I will plant him a facer." I laughed, relaxing as all my anger left me.

"No, he still hates pa though."

"Hold on, I will say my good bye to Sammy and come with you."

"Of course not. I really don't want to be a bother and ruin your evening, my friend, I know you still want to stay more with Sammy. I am going to the pub to get my pa." She frowned and I knew why, things never ends well whenever I go there.

"You are just going to get harassed again. I would rather have you go home instead."

"I understand, Hailey. But he is my papa and it's my duty to care for him, I will try to bring him home."

"Good luck with that. If you get into some trouble, don't say I didn't warn you. We part." She angrily turned around and headed back to the town square.

I braced myself and made for the pub. Just as Hailey is right, so is Albert; my papa wasn't just an ignoble fellow, he wasn't a good man either. He would spend days brewing rum to sell, only to lavish the money in the pub on gambles and he never gave me any. Not that I was without any means of making ends meet; I took care of my dead mother's livestock and I occasionally made dresses for some women and girls as I didn't charge much but made beautiful dresses, so I never really needed his money.

After he must have spent an entire day on gambling, I would go to the pub to try to convince him to come home, but I only ended up abused and embarrassed. Now, it's been a whole week since he last set foot home.

It was frightening enough staying alone at night, but what was worst were the boys, some of Sammy's friends who would never fail to drop by, asking me for a night. On occasions, I had scared them off with my father's rifle, but it wasn't enough threat as I never really fired it. So, I accepted Hailey's request of staying with her family most of the nights to avoid them. I mean, weren't they Sammy's friends? He should have just told them to leave me alone; the useless delinquent.

Hailey's family was nothing like mine. Her father made a living by going from town to town trading, but he comes home every opportunity he gets and with presents for his family. If only my pa would forget the pub and lead a better life, people like Albert would respect him.

If you actually think about it, my pa wasn't always like that and I used to have a complete family when my ma and my brother were around, but after ma had a bad fever and died, pa was heartbroken and he started drinking his rum to excess. Robert couldn't handle papa's state and he left with just a kiss in my hair.

Well, that was twelve years ago and not a word from my brother. I was just seven years old, but he left me to take care of our father on my own; our drunken father.

"Hateful pub! I wish you burn to the ground." I muttered under my breath angrily as I got to the pub. But of course, if this particular pub burns down, there is another pub in the next town and if pa starts going there, it would take months before I set my eyes on him.

I exhaled and walked into the pub.

"Aha! Here's the lucky lady." I frowned at the elderly drunk men sitting around my pa and drinking rum. My pa was spread across on the floor in his filth, barely noticing me.

"Good evening, Gwendolyn. Ah, you look beautiful tonight." Old Trevor said, coming closer to me, the heavy smell of rum on his breath made my knees weak. I disliked all the drunks but I disliked Old Trevor even more; he was a merchant like Hailey's pa but he always came back with a pregnant young girl he married on his trip even when he already had half a dozen wives and three times more children. He was a disgusting man.

"I have good news for you. Your beauty stuns me, I must say."

"Get your hands off me!" I yelled, slapping his hand away from my cheek. I bent over pa on the floor.

"Papa, let's go home now, you have had enough already." I tried getting him off the floor but his weight was too much for me. Old Trevor grabbed my arm suddenly and pulled me up.

"You're not going anywhere, my dear. Well, except to my house of course." He laughed and the other drunks echoed him.

"Let go this instant!" The men laughed again and this time pa joined them, reaching for a chair.

"Let me first tell you the good news. Ol' Benjamin here wager you during our last game and I won, now you are mine." What nonsense was he saying? I struggled to get free but he was surprisingly too strong for me. I was so confused.

"That's not true! Pa would never do that."

"Well, ask him yourself, I have lots of witnesses." That can't be true. I turned to pa.

"Papa, you didn't do that, did you? You wouldn't put me at stake like that, am I right?" He got off the chair and walked over to me, swaying from left to right.

"Oh I did, I did. But I won his cattle and it's a lot of money."

"What? Papa!?" He broke into a laugh and fell to the floor, falling asleep immediately.

"Now, my dear, I will take you to my house and I will treat you real nice. Come along." 

"No!" I struggled with all my might to get free. It was madness, I wasn't a petty thing they could play around with like that. I bit and scratched, I kicked and banged, but even more hands were holding me still.

"Unhand the lady." We all paused and turned to the voice. The stranger looked like a man of comfortable living, neatly dressed in green riding clothes and a sword hanging on his belt; he was in fact a gentleman. What was he doing in a place like that?

"This ain't no business of yours, knight. This girl belongs to me." Old Trevor grunted at the stranger who nodded.

"So I heard. But her father is drunk and I am certain he wouldn't gamble her in his right senses." My heart leaped. He was a stranger and he must have witnessed everything that happened, yet he believes papa wouldn't have gambled me if he wasn't drunk. No one has ever thought of my father as a good man ever since his drinking problem. I was grateful to the stranger.

"However, I'm not taking her by force. Name your price and I will buy her from you." He was buying my freedom? Such a kind man.

The drunks exchanged looks and they nodded.

"You fetch me forty silver coins and I'll give her to you." Old Trevor said with a sinister smile. The stranger sighed and reached into his coat and took out a money bag and threw it at Old Trevor.

"That should be about sixty, I don't care. Give me the lady and we will be on our way." The men dived for the money bag, releasing me.

"Come with me, lady." The stranger leaned forward to take my arm, leading me out of the pub; I didn't protest, I was all smiles.

"Oh, thank you so much, Sire. I fear to think what would have happened if you weren't there to help me." I said to him but he was barely listening as he called out to the stable boy to bring his horse.

"You are leaving, Sire? I thought you might stay and I shall make tea for you, to show my gratitude." The horse was in his possession as he turned to me, looking confused.

"Make tea for me in gratitude?" He paused and laughed loudly. "Lady, I didn't just pay sixty silver coins to be repaid by drinking tea. I bought you from the old drunk and you now belong to me, we are leaving... together." My heart dropped heavily in my chest.