The next time I saw August, he was coming out of a tent that a wandering gypsy had set up in town a few days ago. He was carrying a stack of old tomes.
"What do you have there, Lord?" He almost dropped his books at the sound of my voice.
"Waif…! You never cease to surprise me at the most inopportune times."
"My apologies, Lord. Do you need help carrying those books?"
"No, I'm fine." He was irritable today. I tried to read the title of the books, but they were written in a strange language I had never seen before.
"What are those books about?"
"Even if I elucidated their subjects, you would not comprehend them."
"Are you okay, Lord? You seem to be in bad spirits." He looked at me with a grim smile.
"Your analysis is more apt than you know."
Suddenly, a small rock flew by the two of us.
"Oi, Augustus! Are those books about how to love-making positions for pigs?" A group of men began to point at Augustus and spit at him in the distance. "Quit talkin' to little girls, Augustus! I don't know what's worse, you wantin' to shack up with her or the swine!"
"Hey! All of you, shut up!" I shouted back at the men. "How dare you talk to your lord like that?"
"You better watch your back, girl. There's no way he's up to any good."
"You degenerate rabble best not anger me, lest you provoke my wrath," Augustus growled.
"Please, you're even more hopeless than your father. What are you gonna do, throw pig feet at us? Or maybe you'll put some dead rats in our beds?" The men chuckled and chortled. "Come on, boys, we got better things to do than talk to this pretender." August sighed and shook his head after they left.
"Commoners like them are the reason why I cannot frequent the tavern anymore. Quite a shame; I did indeed relish the beer there."
"Are… are the rumors true though, Lord?"
"I tire of that question. If you ask me again, then I am afraid that I will have to discontinue our pleasant conversations."
"Yes, Lord. I understand."
"Good. Now, I must return to my manor and peruse these volumes." He turned away and began to walk unerringly to the path back to his estate.
"Lord? By the way, were you serious about your offer to let me eat dinner with you at your manor?"
He stopped in place and rubbed his chin.
"Yes I was. In fact… why don't you come with me now and I'll have you for dinner tonight?"
"I would love that, Lord. It would be an honor!"
"Good to hear," he said without smiling. "Hurry up then. I would like to return home before nightfall. This town is beginning to become… unruly."
"I'll need to change my clothes, gather some things, get ready."
"Meet me at my stagecoach in 30 minutes then. Be prompt."
Every inch of his manor was decorated. There were magnificent crests, amazing portraits, and stone busts on every wall and in every corner. The marble floors were covered with lush rugs and intricate chandeliers hung from the ceilings. Huge glass windows allowed copious amounts of sunlight to pour in during the day, and an ocean of candles and torches were lit up by the time I entered. The sun was setting, and we sat at opposite ends of a long dining table. A wooden panel slid open, revealing ten different lavish dishes. Augustus got up and began transferring them to the table.
"Unfortunately, a majority of my servants have fallen victim to a strange illness. Only a few remain, so the burden of transferring dishes is up to me," he explained. I got up.
"Let me help you, Lord."
"Thank you."
The food was moved and we were about to say a prayer when a series of loud knocks on the main doors interrupted us.
"Excuse me. I must see who it is."
After a few minutes, he returned to the dining table with a beautiful woman. She had matured in ways that I hadn't, and her long brown hair seemed to give off a mysterious aura. She wore a leather belt with numerous pouches attached. She noticed me, smiled, and nodded. Lord Augustus's look in his eyes immediately told me that he was entranced by her.
"Sidney, it appears that another guest will be joining us for dinner tonight. What did you say your name was, fair lady?"
"My name is Acta," she said with a strange accent.
"Well, Acta, please have a seat."
Augustus pulled out Acta's chair for her and pushed it in for her as well. They smiled at each other the whole time. I was looking forward to some one-on-one time with Lord Augustus, but it looked as if my plans were shot. At least the food was delicious.
"This food, quite good my lord, but I think I can improve it," Acta said. "This bare-bone recipe needs spice." She pulled out some mysterious herbal powder and sprinkled it on the dishes. She took a bite of her improved turkey. "Now it is perfect. Try it, my lord."
Augustus took a bite of his meat and his eyes opened wide. He put both hands on his throat and stopped moving, his mouth wide open.
"Lord Augustus, are you okay?" I shouted. I got up to run to his side, but he suddenly swallowed.
"Acta, this is amazing! I never expected that mere herbs could enhance taste to this degree. That was singularly striking," he gasped.
"Lord Augustus, that is only the start of what herbs can do. Please, try all the other improved dishes. You too, Sidney."
I took the smallest spoonful of mashed potatoes that I could and put it into my mouth. I didn't expect that to be too much. It felt like a deadly explosion of flavor. I found myself shoveling as much of the mashed potatoes I could down my throat. It was so delicious!
"This… is so… good!" I managed to choke out as I devoured my food. What a contrast with what I had to eat back at the abbey!
"Yes, yes, eat up, Sidney," Acta said with a grin. "Glad to see you two appreciate my work. Of course, the base food was good as well."
We all ate as much as we could, but it was impossible to finish all ten dishes, no matter how delectable they had become.
"My caretaker will return you home, Sidney. I hope you enjoyed dinner," Augustus said.
"It was fantastic. Thank you for this great honor."
"It was my pleasure. Acta, will you be requiring transportation tonight?"
"Oh, no, I'm perfect like this, my lord."
The two of them walked me outside. I waved at the bespectacled caretaker on the stagecoach as I approached, but he kept staring straight forward with his eternal frown.
"Get on in," he stated.
"Okay, alright."
As the stagecoach began to move, I saw Lord Augustus and Acta waving goodbye to me. I looked back a bit later and could barely make out that they had wrapped their arms around each other and were kissing. I turned away and felt my stomach drop.