Chapter 2

Arthur glanced at me and smiled thinly.

He said to the village head, "Don't scold him. Nolan's still young; he doesn't know any better. I'm his teacher, half a father to him. Why would I hold it against him?"

He sighed, then added, "Once I meet the Chancellor, I'll make sure he does right by our village. After all, I'll be his daughter's father-in-law."

Smiles broke out across every face around us.

"Nolan, listen to that! Your teacher's thinking of you!"

"Exactly. Mr. Marshall's got the heart of a true scholar."

"That's great! Get the Chancellor to fix up some of our buildings and pave the roads for us. Where would Nolan even be without us taking care of him all these years?"

"That's right. Those wild greens up on the mountain, he couldn't have dug a single one without our say-so. He owes us."

Arthur stood in the middle of the crowd, unable to hide the satisfaction in his eyes. He clearly thought that after all that, I wouldn't dare refuse.

I smiled and spoke lightly, as if it meant nothing to me.

"My teacher's kept himself clean for years. The year before last, a wealthy merchant sent him a fine writing brush, and he cursed the man out and threw it away without even looking at it, saying a true scholar doesn't consort with the rich and powerful. Who in ten villages around doesn't respect that kind of reputation?

"Which is exactly why it doesn't sit right for a scholar like you to attend my wedding.

"Anyone who understands will think you're walking me to the ceremony. Anyone who doesn't will think you're currying favor with a powerful family, angling to marry in yourself."

Arthur's face froze.

I looked at him and kept my voice soft.

"If Mr. Marshall's reputation gets ruined, I'm afraid it'll drag the whole village down with it."

The chattering villagers went dead silent. The village head hesitated.

"Mr. Marshall has always kept himself above reproach. If he goes somewhere like that and stirs up gossip, people will think all of Millbrook are nothing but shameless social climbers..."

I stepped forward.

"Village head, don't worry. Once I become the Chancellor's son-in-law, I'll never forget Millbrook. The first thing I do once I have any power will be paving the village roads."

The village head's eyes lit up, and he couldn't stop smiling.

"Good, good! Nolan, I knew you were a good boy!

"In that case, we won't speak any more of Arthur walking you to the wedding."

The smile faded slowly off Arthur's face. He stared at me, and finally let out a cold laugh.

"Nolan, you've really grown up, haven't you? Got some schemes of your own now."

…

The next morning, a carriage from the Chancellor's estate pulled up at the edge of the village. The butler, grinning ear to ear, said the young lady had invited me over to discuss the wedding details.

The moment I arrived at the estate, I heard a commotion at the gate.

Arthur lifted the hem of his robe and stepped over the threshold, a smile plastered on his face. "Nolan, you didn't even wait for your teacher. Came running over here all by yourself?"

I shot to my feet. His smile turned crooked.

"Are you afraid I'm going to tell everyone about your past?"

Without waiting for an answer, he bowed low toward the Chancellor and his daughter, Victoria Winslet.

"This boy's had a hard life. Lost his parents young, ran wild with the widows in the village. Every time he came home he'd be drenched in sweat, clothes half off. It breaks my heart just thinking about it."

Up on the high seat, the composed, tight-lipped Chancellor's brow furrowed. Victoria bit her lip.

I snapped, "What are you talking about!"

Arthur let out a short laugh.

"What am I talking about? I'm your teacher. Would I ever try to hurt you? I only said it so the Chancellor would care about you more."

He turned toward the Chancellor seated at the head of the room.

"Sometimes it's one widow, sometimes two, sometimes three or four at once! This boy really has a gift for that sort of thing."

He paused awhile, his tone growing even gentler.

"Lord Winslet, you're offering him a place in the chancellery, aren't you? I do wonder if he's really worth all that investment."