CHAPTER FIVE:
Looking at the man in front of her, Rue matched him glare for glare. Here was the person who was going to make her miserable for the next four years and already she could tell he didn't like her. If she had still been in her sailor clothing, she would have thought it was because she was dirty but Alanna and Eleni had made her put on fancy clothing. Well made clothing in long lasting fabrics, she certainly did not look scruffy at all. He lifted his nose into the air and Rue copied him to keep eye contact. Frowning, he raised his nose higher and Rue copied. This went on until Rue's neck was bent backwards. Annoyed now, Rue asked, "Is there any purpose to doing that?" Lord Padraig's head snapped down and happily Rue did the same.
"Hmph" Extraordinarily articulate Rue noted sarcastically. She walked to his desk and pulled out his chair.
"I'm sorry sir, were you waiting for me to pull out your chair for you?" A thick headed pompous idiot, thought Rue as Lord Padraig walked over, sat down and then motioned for her to sit in the chair opposite him. After she had sat, Lord Padraig began.
"The rules are generally simple and rather commonsense- no flirtations, no sexual intercourse, no fighting between pages. For female pages" (rue noticed with interest that when he said that a expression of disgust crossed his face; sort of how her papa's face had looked after he had tasted squid in pepper sauce.) "No boys can be in your room and the door be closed at the same time. However" he said consulting his papers "there are no rooms left for you. As you may have heard, pages are now rooming together to promote friendships and to help you and your fellow pages learn how to tolerate differences. The other two female pages this year are already rooming together and even with the room size doubled, I'm afraid there is no way for you to stay with them." Lord Padraig stood up and walked over to a small chart tacked onto the wall. Peering at it he mumbled things to himself, shaking his head. Moving his finger along the little boxes he finally smiled and turned back to Rue. Walking over to the door, he conferred with someone outside of it and shut it again. "There is a woman outside. She'll show you your rooms and help you settle in."
"Yes Sir" Rue said, bowing just on the side of mocking. There was silence for a moment.
"I'm going to work you to the ground, child. You're much too fresh." This last was said in such a pleasant voice it took me a moment for the meaning of his words to penetrate. Rue smiled and saluted. "Good luck sir" she said with a gleam in her eye. Dismissed, Rue turned on her heel, marched to the door, opened it and stepped out.
Lord Padraig frowned. He was not stupid as this child thought and she was not half as clever as she so obviously thought she was. The obvious mocking had galled him, but a man didn't become the patriarch of his family by losing his temper at little, petty things such as children. He would take his due from this girl…what was her name? Ah, yes, Rue. Lord Padraig smiled but quickly put her out of his mind. He had problems to be solved and some to get ride of.
Looking at the man in front of her, Rue matched him glare for glare. Here was the person who was going to make her miserable for the next four years and already she could tell he didn't like her. If she had still been in her sailor clothing, she would have thought it was because she was dirty but Alanna and Eleni had made her put on fancy clothing. Well made clothing in long lasting fabrics, she certainly did not look scruffy at all. He lifted his nose into the air and Rue copied him to keep eye contact. Frowning, he raised his nose higher and Rue copied. This went on until Rue's neck was bent backwards. Annoyed now, Rue asked, "Is there any purpose to doing that?" Lord Padraig's head snapped down and happily Rue did the same.
"Hmph" Extraordinarily articulate Rue noted sarcastically. She walked to his desk and pulled out his chair.
"I'm sorry sir, were you waiting for me to pull out your chair for you?" A thick headed pompous idiot, thought Rue as Lord Padraig walked over, sat down and then motioned for her to sit in the chair opposite him. After she had sat, Lord Padraig began.
"The rules are generally simple and rather commonsense- no flirtations, no sexual intercourse, no fighting between pages. For female pages" (rue noticed with interest that when he said that a expression of disgust crossed his face; sort of how her papa's face had looked after he had tasted squid in pepper sauce.) "No boys can be in your room and the door be closed at the same time. However" he said consulting his papers "there are no rooms left for you. As you may have heard, pages are now rooming together to promote friendships and to help you and your fellow pages learn how to tolerate differences. The other two female pages this year are already rooming together and even with the room size doubled, I'm afraid there is no way for you to stay with them." Lord Padraig stood up and walked over to a small chart tacked onto the wall. Peering at it he mumbled things to himself, shaking his head. Moving his finger along the little boxes he finally smiled and turned back to Rue. Walking over to the door, he conferred with someone outside of it and shut it again. "There is a woman outside. She'll show you your rooms and help you settle in."
"Yes Sir" Rue said, bowing just on the side of mocking. There was silence for a moment.
"I'm going to work you to the ground, child. You're much too fresh." This last was said in such a pleasant voice it took me a moment for the meaning of his words to penetrate. Rue smiled and saluted. "Good luck sir" she said with a gleam in her eye. Dismissed, Rue turned on her heel, marched to the door, opened it and stepped out.
Lord Padraig frowned. He was not stupid as this child thought and she was not half as clever as she so obviously thought she was. The obvious mocking had galled him, but a man didn't become the patriarch of his family by losing his temper at little, petty things such as children. He would take his due from this girl…what was her name? Ah, yes, Rue. Lord Padraig smiled but quickly put her out of his mind. He had problems to be solved and some to get ride of.