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Chapter Seventeen
Let’s make a deal
Wherein Sark makes a deal and another matter is settled
Fortunately they didn’t have far to go before a cluster of houses appeared before them. Several more wagons joined them on the road, but none offered to give them a lift and soon they were walking into a bustling town.
Not far into the town proper was a large fountain and they perched on the wide rim to take in their surrounds and catch their breaths. This town was larger and livelier than Little Lamb Village had been. Sitting there in her ‘shepherdess’ outfit she felt a little out of place though no one gave her a second glance, well a few men did but not because of the oddness of her clothes. Julian’s arm casually slid around her waist and she hid a small smile.
After watching the flow of traffic they joined the throng and found themselves in a busy market area. Her dad wanted them to split up and work their way through the crowd, looking for someone to give them a ride to the not so distant, but too far to walk to by nightfall, castle. She agreed with his plan and set off with Julian while her father and Marshall went the other way. She pulled Julian along behind her looking, not for someone to give them a ride, but someone who might know about the cottage.
She spotted two old men hunched over a board game, “Let’s go talk to them.”
“It doesn’t appear that they’re intending to go anywhere in the near future,” Julian skeptically pointed out.
“Good, because I want to ask them about the cottage.”
“Ah,” was his only reply as he followed after her.
She stopped in front of the two old men and smiled brightly, “Hi! I hope I’m not interrupting you.”
They looked up and blinked at her before smiling, “Not at all young lady.”
“What can we do for you?”
She smiled charmingly, “I was wondering if you knew anything about the two story cottage down the road a ways, it has a stained glass window…”
“Old Baumann’s place,” the first one hastily said as if to beat the other man to saying it first.
“Old! Ha! He’s younger than you,” the second one
interjected.
“No he’s not! You’re getting senile!”
“Do you know where we can find him?” she quickly asked.
“His daughter owns a candy shop on the other side of the market,” the second offered.
“The one with the chocolate on the sign,” the first one clarified.
“There’s only one candy shop, you idiot,” the second scolded.
“No there isn’t! That young, red-headed birdie has a candy shop right near there.”
“She left months ago. You’re one who’s going senile,” the second one wagged a finger at the first man.
“She did not! I was just there the other day,” the first man scowled.
“Not likely.”
“Thank you,” she quickly told them, flashing both of them a smile before moving off with Julian in tow.
“Well that was somewhat amusing,” Julian wryly observed.
They made their way around the market until they found the candy shop with the chunk of chocolate painted on it. It appeared to be the only candy shop nearby. Sydney nervously stood out front.
“What’s wrong luv,” Julian quirked an eyebrow at her hesitancy.
“What if they don’t want to sell it to us? In my dream the baby was several years old, they might turn us down at first,” she bit at her lip.
“Well only one way to find out,” he opened the door for her, a bell tinkling to announce their arrival.
The shop was cool and dim, the smell of sugar and sweetness almost overpowering. A dark haired woman stood behind the counter and smiled brightly at them as they approached.
“What can I do for you?”
She smiled nervously back, she really, really wanted the cottage and the idea that she wouldn’t get it right away was not one she wanted to entertain, “Hi. We were told that your father, Mr. Baumann, owned the cottage with the stained glass window, down the road a ways. We were wondering if he wanted to sell it.”
The smile slipped a little on the woman’s face, “Yes, Da owns it. He built it a while back for my ma, but she died before it was finished. No one’s lived in it, but he won’t sell it either.”
“Oh,” she disappointedly glanced down at the counter then up at Julian who had put his hand on her back.
“I’d wish he’d sell it though, it’s not doing anybody any good just sitting out there. He’s around back if you want to try and talk to him,” the woman offered.
Sydney perked up, “Okay, we’ll do that. Thanks.”
They headed back outside and then around the side of the building.
“I’m positive we’ll be able to convince him to sell it to us,” Julian tried to tell her.
“Maybe,” she didn’t know why she was so pessimistic all of a sudden. She pressed her left hand against her belly and her ring seemed to hum reassuringly.
Mr. Baumann was sitting out back randomly whittling at a piece of wood, if it was supposed to look like something she didn’t know what it would be.
“Hello, Mr. Baumann,” she waited until he looked up at them before making introductions, “I’m Sydney and this is Julian. May we sit down?” she indicated the wooden bench across from him.
He eyed them, but nodded his head at the bench.
Settling on the bench she glanced at Julian, while taking his hand, and he smoothly started.
“To be blunt sir, Sydney took a fancy to your cottage outside of town here and she’s adamant about wanting it.”
She was a little startled at Julian’s approach but she let him go on, smiling prettily at Mr. Baumann.
“She’s anxious for us to have our own house before the baby comes and as I said she really took a fancy to the cottage. And frankly money’s not an object.”
She twitched a little at the last part, mostly because it didn’t sound like something he’d say, even if it was true.
Mr. Baumann eyed them, “Well that was blunt and if’n money’s not an object then why don’t you just build yer own place?”
“Sydney wants the cottage,” Julian evenly and plainly replied.
She blushed a little as Mr. Baumann eyed her with amusement, “Oh? And whatever she wants she just gets it then?”
“Yes.”
She glanced up at Julian and squeezed his hand lightly. He tilted his head to smile slightly and affectionately at her. She coyly glanced at him through her lashes as she dipped her head.
“Fine.”
She gaped at Mr. Baumann, “Excuse me?”
“For ten thousand gold Wendell’s you can have the cottage and the land,” Mr. Baumann eyed them as if expecting them to object to the price.
“The price is acceptable,” Julian, unruffled, replied, “however, for obvious reason we don’t have that amount on us at the moment.”
Mr. Baumann squinted at them, “I’ll give you a month from today or the deal’s off.”
“Very good,” Julian rose to shake Mr. Baumann’s hand and as the elderly gentleman slowly rose from his chair she stood up too, slightly dazed at the suddenness of it all.
“Perhaps we should get this all down in writing so both parties are certain of the price and time frame,” Julian smoothly suggested.
Mr. Baumann laughed, “A sharp one aren’t you! Sure’n we can do that. I’m sure Mattie will be happy to write it all down,” he started to lead them around to the front of the shop, “She’s been harping at me to sell the place.”
She wrapped her arm around Julian’s, smiling up at him.
Mattie was more than happy to write up the agreement onto two papers which everyone signed and Julian formally handed their copy to her for safekeeping. She was practically squealing as they left the shop, the paper clutched in her hand.
Once outside she threw her arms around his neck and thoroughly kissed him. He eagerly returned the kiss pulling her close to him. She broke the kiss and glanced down between them before coyly glancing back up at him. He grinned at her and slid his hands across her butt, pressing a certain part of her closer to a certain part of him. She giggled and shifted her hips against him and started nipping at his neck.
“Sydney…”
“mhhh,” she nipped his neck and soothed it with her tongue.
“About what Mr. Flinkman had said,” he was a little breathless, but she understood what he said.
“Oh,” she leaned back a bit and observed him. Seeing that he looked a little uncomfortable with the subject she went first, “We don’t have to get married.”
“We don’t?” his voice was cautious, but his eyes looked relieved.
She smiled and shook her head, “I’ve got a ring, you’ve bought me a house, were going to raise a baby together and if you ever leave me I’m going to hunt you down and kill you.”
He grinned at her, “Excellent. I know it’s a little ridiculous for all the same reasons you just gave, but the idea of a wedding—”
“Shut up,” she kissed him.
His tongue deeply probed her mouth and his hands were running freely over her body. Just before they might have caused an indecent scene in public he grabbed her hand and dragged her off down an alley.
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