The Baron's Quest Read Online Free

the tip of something bigger that was hidden underneath, he was sure of it.
    And though he didn’t know what he planned on doing with the girl, something had made him let her go without reprimand or without a fine. He regretted it already, knowing a girl like her wouldn’t stop coming to the docks to sell her wares, but rather had only told him what he wanted to hear in order to suffice him. If her father truly was dead and she was excommunicated from the guild, things would only get worse for her than they already were now. And as much as he wanted the best for her and her brother, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to be the one to pick up the pieces once she fell.

 
    Chapter 2
     
     
     
    Muriel awoke the next morning to a loud pounding noise. She rolled over on her sleeping pallet and opened one eye, trying to focus. She hadn’t slept well at all after the episode yesterday on the docks. Her stomach was in a knot. She knew times were rough if she couldn’t even manage to sell her wares to a questionable tradesman who looked to be as dishonest as the day was long.
    And then she’d been cornered by the handsome baron of the ports, and was only glad he didn’t realize exactly who she was. If she hadn’t managed to get away, the bailiff would have told him about her debt.
    She heard pounding again, and jumped up, pulling her gown over her head quickly, making her way to the stairs.
    Like all merchant shops in town, they lived in the upstairs of the small two-storey building made of stone and wood. The storefront and their workroom were downstairs for all to see, as well their distaffs of wool, their vertical loom, and anything else that was used for spinning, weaving or sewing. The upstairs was used as their private quarters, mainly to eat and sleep. This basically consisted of a table and benches, and a second room separated by a hanging cloth with pallets on both sides.
    Most the buildings as well as a lot of the land was owned by the church. Her father had rented the building from the church, paying Brother Germain the money due each month.
    “Muriel, someone is here,” said her brother, darting down the stairs in front of her. “Mayhap we’ll make some money today.”
    It was not yet dawn, and she knew no one would be coming to buy cloth at this hour.
    “Nay, don’t let anyone in, Isaac,” she called, running after him, but it was too late. When she got to the bottom of the stairs, her brother was already opening the door. Half a dozen guild members pushed their way into her shop, followed by Brother Germain. She saw another dozen angry guild members standing out front with lit torches in their hands.
    “We’ve come for your guild dues that are two months late,” said Oliver Card, the head of the guild, who was also the town mayor.
    “Muriel, I’m here to collect your rent on the building as well,” added Brother Germain in a soft, melodic voice. The man had been a good friend through the years, but she knew he had a job to do.
    “Please, you know I don’t have the money,” said Muriel. “Just give me another day.”
    “Another day?” growled a man from the back of the crowd. “For what? So you can break the rules, just like your father and run off and sell your wares for less than ours? That action has cost us all sales.”
    “Our father didn’t do that,” Isaac protested. Muriel just laid a hand on her brother’s shoulder to still him.
    “I’ll go to another town to sell my wares, then,” she told them. “I promise I won’t compete with the guild for sales. But just give me more time. I’ll get the money, I will.”
    “Our guilds are in every town up and down the coast from here to Great Yarmouth, and you know it,” snapped Oliver. “You won’t be able to sell your things anywhere once we put the word out of what you’ve done.”
    “I’ve done nothing. You are talking about my father, and I had no idea anything was amiss. If you won’t let me sell my goods on the coast, then