I sighed as I listened to the report of the messenger. I thought things were going to go better today.

When we reached my study, I found Benjamin at the table, dictating some notes to Jacklyn.

“John, Jacklyn, if you will excuse us, we have to discuss how to fix this issue.”

It looked as if John wanted to argue, but he just nodded and left. He seemed a little more respectful when around people other than Draves and me. I wonder if Benjamin had spoken with him. It was probably for the best. I need to keep our informal relationship behind closed doors. It wasn't easy, but I was getting better at it.

Jacklyn closed the door behind her.

As soon as the door closed, Benjamin asked with concern, “What is the problem?”

I was trying to keep my anger under control, so I had the messenger relay the news.

“A little after midnight, a miner named Turner heard a scream. Noticing his daughter was not in the room, he hurried to a small corpse of trees behind his house.

“It was too dark to see well, but he could see the figure of a man pinning down someone else. He rightly assumed it was his daughter. He yanked the man off his daughter and beat him half to death. He left the man there and brought his daughter back to the house.

“Others heard him screaming at the man in the woods and rushed to help. Turner explained that he had left the man in the woods, so the others went to the woods to retrieve the man. Meanwhile, Turner and his wife calmed their daughter down.

“When they pulled the man out of the woods, they discovered it was the Gentleman Harry.”

This caused Benjamin to give a deep frown. “Where is the gentleman now?”

“He is at the healers.”

“And the man Turner?”

“He is in his house being watched by two guards so that he doesn't try to flee.”

“Wait, you didn’t tell me that. Why is he being arrested? He was just protecting his daughter.” I demanded.

“My Lord, may we discuss this without the messenger present,” Benjamin said cautiously.

"Oh, yes, excuse us while we fix this matter. In the meantime, please wait in the great hall."

The man bowed and left.

Benjamin immediately started his analysis of the situation when the messenger left.

"My Lord, this may become complicated. A peasant does not have the right to strike a member of the nobility, no matter the circumstances."

"What father wouldn't fight for his daughter's honor? What was he supposed to do, just let the creep rape his daughter?"

"I agree that this is unfair, but it is the way things are. If he had just pulled the man off his daughter and blocked her from harm, then the fault would have all been on the Gentleman. Do not worry. We will be able to punish the gentleman as well, but that is a separate offense. If the Gentleman was indeed beaten senseless, then he will probably request that the peasant be executed."

"I am not executing a man for defending his daughter!" I shouted.

"I understand, and we won't," Benjamin said calmly. “If the man were an actual noble rather than a nonhereditary son, we would probably have to yield to him. However, maiming would be the maximum punishment Harry could reasonably ask for. If it were only a single punch, then we could probably just fine the man Turner."

"What do you mean by maiming?"

"A finger or ear would be chopped off."

"That is unacceptable," I said.

Benjamin pursed his lips. "We could give him up to ten lashes, but there is a risk of killing him that way."

I grit my teeth. "Are you saying there is no way to get around physically harming my citizen?"

"If Harry went back to Vaspar, he would begin to complain. Not only would it destroy your reputation, but you would most likely be forced to give an even harsher punishment."

"So what can we do to Harry for his crimes? I am assuming that the laws I have set out for my people won't apply here." I said with disgust.

"He will have to pay a fine."

"That's it!? He tried to rape the girl."

"Tried but did not actually succeed. If he had, then the punishment would have been paying a fine to you and providing a small yearly stipend for the raising of the child. Also, he would have the damage to his reputation when we sent the letter explaining the situation to his liege lord.

"That's it! I would have the man on a road crew for ten years. Wait, what about the Bastard laws? Wouldn't he have to do more if he actually raped the girl and she got pregnant?"

"He is only a Gentleman, not a true noble. So, only a small stipend or marrying the girl would be required."

This is the problem with separating judgment by class.

"Do you think we could lower it to five lashes if we removed the fine?"

"You could lower it to one lashing if you like, but you must start thinking of the consequences of your actions. I have come to know you as a man who cares for his people, so you will not like what I am about to say. The peasant is one man. Is sparing him lashes or a finger worth the ire of men with much more influence than you?"

"I feel it is unjust."

"Are you mistaking kindness for justice, My Lord?"

I wanted to say that justice is when the laws are the same for everyone. But as I thought about it, I almost laughed. This world was no different from the world I grew up in. People in power always got away with more. The only difference is that these people were honest about it. Sure, on Earth, they were willing to sacrifice a few to maintain the appearance of justice, but you would have to be an idiot to believe the politicians and wealthiest people there did not play by different rules.

He was right. My perception of justice did not mean I could ignore the laws of my new reality.

"Alright, I conceded to your point. Turner committed a crime and must be punished."

"Do not worry. Whatever punishment we give, your people understand that it would have been worse under anyone else."

He was right. Having lived in this world for almost four months, I was starting to see that fairness was a matter of perception, and what I considered just was often seen as overly merciful to my people.

"Alright, we will return to this matter in a bit. The messenger said that the headman and the accused would be here in about a bell. I have one more thing I would like to discuss."

I handed him the letter from Aaron's grandparents. His eyebrows rose as he read through the letter.

"Well, this will be interesting," is all he said.

**********

The gentleman, Harry, was down on one knee before me. His face was bruised, and one eye was swollen. The peasant, Turner, was on his knees and had his hands tied behind his back.

I kept my face stern as I said, "Gentleman, Harry, I have invited you to my land and treated you with hospitality and kindness. I am paying you more than the proposed price for your services. And instead of being grateful for my hospitality, you have abused it. You are a Gentleman, not some common thug who cannot control his appetite. You show disrespect not only to your station as a gentleman but also to your family and to Gentlman Sanders, who recommended you."

Looking at Turner, I said, "You, Turner of Melnon, have displeased me. You allowed your emotions to rule you. Acting like a savage, you beat my guest. It does not matter the situation. Violently taking matters into your own hands is against the law. My guest is the son of a Nobleman, and the punishment for such is the loss of the hand that was raised against him."

That, of course, was not exactly true, but I wanted it to seem extremely harsh.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Gentleman Harry, I should send you home with a fine equal to the amount I paid you. I should also write letters of complaint to both your father and my friend, the count."

The last statement caused Harry's face to turn pale.

"However, I am merciful. I will sweep this matter under the rug and give you the satisfaction for the violence that has been committed against you by allowing you to lash my peasant five times against his back. If I find that you have beaten my peasant excessively to the point where he is crippled, I will write a letter explaining this matter to your lord. A gentleman who cannot control himself is no gentleman. This I decree. Captain, make sure my orders are carried out."

I stood and left the hall without meeting anyone's eyes.

As I sat in my study, I was surprised to find that I was at peace with the situation. Did I like the fact that Turner would be lashed? Not at all. But I was still satisfied that I had made the best decision possible. I had ordered Maggie to be present and for her to bring her ointments. As soon as Harry was out of sight, she was to start administering to his wounds.

I was pondering whether or not the judgment would be satisfactory enough for Harry not to spread gossip when Benjamin came through the door.

"Well, how do you think I did?"

"It went according to plan. So I see no further reason to dwell on it. I did like the touch at the end where you threatened to write a letter if he attempted to kill Turner with the lashings. I believe that will help."

"I'm just glad I could skip the whole trial thing and proclaim my decision. I have had to flounder through some of my judgments, and I hope that I have gathered enough information to make the right decision. By the way, how is Edward doing down in Cofi?"

"He says things are calming down but doesn't much care for the position of headman."

"Well, unfortunately, he is the best I have got."

"Oh, also, I wanted to let you know that he sent a report saying that the young woman Kylie is there."

"What? Why is Kylie there?" I asked, concerned. That girl's unpredictability made me nervous.

“Apparently, she told him she was a good friend of yours from the village by the cove. After taking a tour of the village, she asked if she could help with the preparations for the apple harvest in exchange for a place to stay. Since the guilty have been moved to the road crew camp there were plenty of homes in Cofi."

What is that girl up to? She was so bent on blowing herself up, and now, all of a sudden, she wants to help pick apples? Something didn't seem right. Or was this job making me paranoid? No, Kylie makes me paranoid.

"So what about the camp?"

"The land is being cleared, and barrack style housing should be up in a couple of weeks. The plans you have laid out for it make it seem like a mini village if you exclude the security wall."

"Any attempts to run?"

"Where would they run to? Besides, there is not much difference between the life they were living and what you have given them, other than the fact that the work is harder and they can only see their families once a week."

"We have guards watching them, and they don't have rights?" I said, almost defensively. "I thought it was a harsh punishment."

"Oh, it certainly is for the peacekeepers and Jeffery's friends. But really, compared to the life of a serf, there isn't too much of a difference. Their situation could be a lot worse. I am sure that most of them thought they would die. Also, those who didn't kill anyone have the opportunity to receive… What did you call it, parole? You also haven't punished their families. Just like Turner, they know that they could have gotten much worse."

"Fine. Are we ready for our departure to the new Plimgus village?"

“Everything should be ready by tomorrow. About ten kilometers of the road have been improved in that direction, which should help on the way there."

"We may have to pull them off that project in order to help plaster and whitewash the manor. I know the Baron of Tine said they would be here in a month to visit Aaron, but if they arrive early, I want them to see a well maintained home."

"I do not doubt that they will be satisfied. The pictures alone will probably be impressive enough. But I do agree that your father did not spend enough time maintaining the manor.”

"What about your plan to build a guest house?"

"That will have to wait. Now that some of the rooms have been freed up, we can put them in those. I just hope enough armoires have been made by the time they get here to fill all the rooms."

"It is a shame you don't own a business in the capitol. All your inventions are so revolutionary." Benjamin said with sincerity.

"No, it wouldn't work. What we need are more people here. If we increase the food production and bring more people here, money will start moving into and around the barony, increasing tax revenue, and then we will become wealthy regardless of what we export."

I had been thinking a lot about this lately. Sure, there were some key things that I wanted to export exclusively, but I needed to remember the status quo. I could not rock the boat by hoarding wealth. Two years, two years, and I would have enough food to start increasing the amount of people.

"How can we get more people to move to our lands?" I must have spoken out loud because Benjamin answered.

"That will be difficult. People are a resource that nobody wants to give up. We don't have a slave market, and even if we did, good slaves can be expensive. You did well to purchase people from the debtor's prison, but if you go purchasing up all the people available, you are going to end up with other nobles asking questions."

I sighed. "We have some time, but we need to figure this out. Well, I am done with worrying about things for the moment. I need to go spend some time with Aaron before we leave tomorrow."

"As you wish, My Lord."

My guards and I made our way down the hall to Aaron's room. When I opened the door, I found Emily on the bed and Aaron toddling between the rocking chair and the bed.

"Hey buddy, nice work. I can see that you're improving in a few weeks if you-"

When he heard my voice, he turned to try walking towards me but ended up falling down on his rump. I shook my head, "Look, Aaron, that was terrible. Your problem is you are flat-footed. Your left heel should have come up, and then you could start the turn. This allows the ball of your foot to pivot. Here, watch me."

I executed a perfect turn, but when I looked down, he was stretching out his hands.

"You were supposed to clap," I said as I scooped him up.

Emily chuckled from the bed. "I am glad you are doing OK, Lord Amos. I was worried that you would be upset after the sentencing. The Captain said you had been trying to find a way not to punish Turner."

"I swear everyone around here gossips too much. And, yeah, I don't think he deserved to be whipped. He was just defending his daughter, after all."

"You shouldn't feel bad. It was nice of you to only let that man only whip him five times." Emily said, trying to cheer me up.

"So I've been told. How is the paper making going? Have you been given the latest reports?"

"Yes, but I don't know why you have them send them to me. All I do is look at them and pass them on to Jackie, and she reads them to Benjamin. I really feel useless."

"Because sooner or later, you will be back on your feet."

"I am back on my feet! I have been helping Grandma clean around the manor I am just sitting here because Nora needed a break. My arm is healed."

"I don't know. I read once that girls heal slower than boys. You may need a few more months." I said with a grin.

"Now, you're just teasing me. And it was lame. I give it a one out of ten."

I coughed, "Ouch. Anyway, back to your question about why I am having you do this. We will be building more pulp grinders, and you will have to manage all the people. Imagine a large room full of pulp grinders and drying racks. When we figure out the printing press, we may have one of those in there as well. You may be supervising it all."

"Amos, why are you doing this? That is a job for men. I don't know how to do this."

"It's called on-the-job training. But if you don't want to do it, I won't make you. I can have someone else do it."

"It's not that I don't like it, but I am just a… you know," she said in a quiet voice. "Besides. I will get married and have children. Then I will take care of them."

"If you don't want to do it, that's fine. When you are ready to marry and focus on raising children, hand it over to someone else. But if you enjoy it, find someone to marry who will enjoy it with you. You are a freeman now. You have wealth. When we get more freemen here, I am sure they will have sons. Heck, I don't even care if you marry a peasant or a serf. I will just elevate their status. But you better not try to marry some idiot just because he is handsome. Friends, don't let friends marry idiots. Especially when it's one of your best friends getting married."

Emily turned bright red at that and mumbled something I couldn't hear.

"What was that?" I smirked.

"Thank you, My Lord," she said a little louder. "You better not marry some stupid noble, though."

"Fat chance of that. They're going to force me to marry a noble, and you heard what I did to my soon to be ex-fiance. I am sure that my reputation is shot in the noble circles. Nobody is going to want to marry me."

"I would," she blurted out but then turned bright crimson.

I chuckled, "See, that is why you are my best friend. You know how to build me up. Whoever marries you better be an amazing man. Don't worry about me, Em. I am not sure I am ready to give up the bachelor life, and I am afraid that if I did, whoever I marry would want their own children to inherit the barony. I can't let this little guy get his inheritance stolen away from him. It's probably the biggest reason I can't think about marriage. Or maybe I am afraid of commitment."

That is what my sister told me. I never told her, and I certainly was not going to tell Emily that I was still struggling with the idea of me being happily married when I had taken away any chance of Nate having a family. He had wanted to have four children, two boys and two girls. He said I could be the crazy uncle who was always causing trouble.

"OK, enough of this. It is time to play with Aaron. OK, buddy, blocks or pans."

"No pans, please," Emily groaned.

"Pans, it is, buddy. Emily thinks we need to work on our musical talent."

Countess Cynthia Blackwell

"My Lady, our agent in Cofi sent a report with the last chalk shipment. Dust was killed during his assassination attempt."

I was not surprised that Dust had failed. It had been too long since he had left to assume anything else. It was surprising, though, that he had died. It should have been a simple matter. I thought he had failed and then fled.

"How?" I said

"Apparently, he was killed by a little girl who stuck his own knife in his back."

"Pathetic, but it interferes with nothing."

"Have we managed to persuade Duke Tomus?"

"He has decided to give his support if the price is right. Our promise to end the war while maintaining the conquered lands if the king is removed has given him the push we needed. Can we trust the Hitub?"

"As long as their government collapses, they will have no time to deal with lands they don't have control over."

"My Lady, I have been assured that their own government is about to collapse, and those that we have given support to will be placed at the head."

"Excellent. As long as we time the coup correctly, we will be able to secure the throne just as they are about to fall. They will, of course, eventually want some of it back, and we will make a deal," I said.

"It will happen within the year, most likely by next spring."

"Then I think it is time to prepare the Rabiss raid. They will land at the cove and head south through the swamps once word reaches the capitol that our people were left defenseless against the Rabiss slavers. We should be able to generate enough unrest to start the coup." I couldn't help but smile. "I think this will work better than the last idea of blaming the assassination of the Bicman family on supporters of the king. It weakens him, not just his support. Now leave me. I have a ball to prepare for."

"As you wish, My Lady"