A Gentleman and a Murderer, By Joseph Wolfe.
I’m beginning to think being the son in a wealthy crime family isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
Father insists I get more involved. Mother insists I am less involved. My two sisters are being groomed for marriage alliances. And my brother is now trying to kill me.
One problem at a time. For now, the tavern is smokey with good tobacco and the serving maids here are a sight to sell all their own. Father always told me that our hometown of Callisade was the place to live high on the hog, but if this is where even the lowly merchant gets to spend his time in High Gonnesberg, I have been missing out.
“For you, Mr. Graycrown. On the house.” One of the serving maids leaves a tankard of ale with something stuck underneath. I take a long drink and grab at a little piece of paper, folded, with a handwritten note.
Upstairs, after your drink.
I look up and she winks at me, then goes to the back of the tavern upstairs to the sleeping rooms. I down the drink and follow, but at the top I only see a hallway with closed doors.
“Now where did you go my fine little lass,” I mumble to myself as I walk down the hall. One of the doors is cracked open, and with a grin I shove it open the rest of the way. The room is empty.
Before I can turn around, I am knocked inside hard enough to send me tumbling into the opposite wall. I regain my footing quickly, but behind me is not a smiling serving girl.
“Roland, what a pleasant surprise.”
“I’ve been looking for you, Robin my brother.” Roland walks in and shuts the door behind him.
“So I’ve heard. Surely we can talk this out like men, and if not, then like family.”
“Family would not violate a contract. We have a reputation to uphold, and now the princess you were tasked with has escaped.”
“I told father I wouldn’t do it. It’s his fault for insisting.”
“Oh yes, father knew of your refusal, which is why he sent me. But somebody warned her, and she escaped. And now our two rivals suspect we were the ones behind the plot. They were supposed to be at each other’s throats, not banding together against us!” Roland grabs his dirk and waives its wicked point at me.
“Teleah and Helen are being groomed for marriage alliances, why can’t I do the same?”
“Because the Graycrowns do not waste their sons on women’s work!” Roland pressed the dirk to my chest. I can’t fight him, at least not in a fair fight. Him having the advantage is even worse. He inherited father’s strength and I took after mother’s beauty.
“We’re not the same, Roland. I don’t have the stomach for the family business.”
“You’ve done it before.”
He’s right, and it hits me even through my ale-muddled brain. “What will father think if you go through with this?”
“Who do you think sent me?”
“Ouch. I knew father and I were on the outs, but not that bad. What about mother?”
Roland’s resolve falters a little.
“Ah-ha! Mother does not know of this. When she finds out–”
“She will fall in line as father commands, as she has always done.”
“As she has always done except when one of her sons is involved. That’s why you haven’t run me through yet.”
Roland’s glare tells me I’m on target.
“For all your boasting and bluster you don’t want mother to despise you.”
“This is not how we do business,” he agrees. “But I cannot think of a better way.”
“Give me two months and I will find a way to deal with House Holden and House Blacksteed. That is what this is all about, yes?”
Roland sneers. “Not all. What about the honor of our family?”
“What about it? What if word gets out that one Graycrown killed another?” For the first time in this conversation, I can see I have Roland thinking deeply. He pulls back the dirk just enough and I go for the cheap shot, the only thing that worked on him when we were kids. My fist lands hard in his gut, and even though he is much bigger than me it’s enough. He staggers and I bolt for the door. I feel his hand narrowly miss a grab at my long black hair as he comes away with only a lock of it. I thunder down the steps, drawing the eyes of every tavern goer, and make for my cloak at my table before racing out the door. Of course, I take a moment to toss a coin to the barkeep for all the good service I received. I am still a gentleman, after all.
Besides, Roland is smart. He won’t chase me now, not through the crowds in the market. He will wait until he can trap me again like before. But I also think he will accept my deal, if I can succeed. And of course, if he fails to kill me before I do.
“Two months. Princess Blacksteed, prepare to be courted.”
Author’s Notes: Thanks for reading! For more free fantasy short stories and other fun, get plugged into Merry Wolf on my email list up page! (Click here) I promise not to spam you. I once got 3 emails/day from Kuerig when I signed up and That. Was. Brutal. Have a merry day!
