"Me? I'm not much of a match to the Captain."he said. "He has money, I don't. He has a name…"
"I don't need money, I've always had plenty of it."
"I don't think your family would allow that."
"I don't really care what they allow. I never have. After all, el Conde is my uncle, and I've always been his favorite. Everyone thinks because I'm his youngest sister, but you know the truth."
"Why are you telling me?"
She shrugged.
"What exactly will happen if someone finds out I know?"
"Nothing. Why should they find out?"
"Well, they're…and I'm…I'll probably be burned, or hung."
"No one has to find out."
Blob was holding an enormous feather fan behind a chair, where an elderly lady was sitting, with her maid, and they sat, conversing with a gentleman in a military uniform.
"Prisco!"said the lady, as she stood up, and he kissed her hand.
"Tia!"
"And how is Fernando? I haven't seen him in quite a while. Have you been keeping him very busy?"
"Just with his duties, Tia. He's very responsible."
"Just the kind of man Fernanda needs. You must try to imply that to him. Nothing would make me happier than to see her wed to a man like him."
The man smiled.
"I would like that very much, also."
"Then you should do what I'm telling you. And you should do it well."
"I certainly can't force him."
"You can, however, suggest it. I'm sure he'll take advice from you. Perhaps you can say it will help his career?"
"I don't think Fernanda is the type of girl who would find it easy to be married to a military man."
"She'll get used to it. It may take her a while, true, but she'll get used to it."
"I overheard the lady saying that she wants her niece marrying your old employer, Lance."Blob said later.
"What?"
He repeated himself.
"Oh. I knew that. She's told me before. Her aunt wants her to marry the captain."
"At least you get to hear interesting things around here."yawned Pietro. "All I got to do was just stare at the street. The idiot who was there with me, didn't even say a word. You'd think he was a statue, or something."
"He's a professional, I guess."
CRACK!
They jumped. A man was standing in front of them, looking angry.
"Why isn't your shirt buttoned? Where is your hat? And just look at the state of your hair! Why did you leave your quarters in that condition?"he asked Pietro.
"I was on guard all night. I only just came to get something to eat, and afterward, I'm going to get some more sleep."
The man's eyes flashed.
"You do not talk back to me in that manner, young man! You will be put punished, and have nothing to eat but bread and water for a week. You will be put to helping keep maintenance in the gardens! Next time it will be the bastinado. Now go and make yourself more presentable. I want to see you up first thing tomorrow morning, to help in the gardens."
"What! I was…that's not right!"complained Pietro.
"I told you they were strict here."said Lance.
"It was all his fault. He made me stay up all night."
Lance shrugged.
"I don't think that matters to him. What he cares about is keeping order here, it seems to me."
Pietro grabbed a piece of fruit and aimed it at him from behind.
"No!"
He missed, and it landed on the brim of someone's hat.
"Hope he doesn't notice it until later, and that no one noticed it was you! He looked like he meant he was going to put you to the bastinado."
"I gotta go and make myself more presentable."said Pietro angrily.
"Wow. They do mean business here, don't they?"said Toad.
"They seem pretty careless this morning. The guy who arrived to see the old lady, didn't even say he had an appointment."
"That was the lady. They're probably real strict here, while the owners do whatever they please."
"I think he was her nephew, and he's in charge of the army, or something, it seemed."
"The general. Yes, the captain used to say that he was related to them."
"So that's how you got the other guy to offer you the job?"
"No. That was through someone else."