Jaime wasn’t mentioning the deal had included blowing Aleric for money. “It could be worse,” he stated in a neutral tone.
Lord Gautier sighed. “I don’t always eat with them, and I had to hear it from Regis after breakfast. He’s a bit disappointed in his son even if you’re not collared or being beaten. I think he’ll let things go as long as Aleric doesn’t seem to be abusing you. He’s not sure if you did anything wrong.”
“I swear I didn’t.”
“I’m not saying you. I’m simply repeating what I heard. The law says a lord can’t demand anyone release their slave except for special circumstances. Aleric hasn’t been abusing you, right?”
Cruel words wouldn’t kill Jaime, so he shook his head. Certain things would be too awkward to bring up or explain.
“You can tell me, and I’ll try to do what I can,” said Lord Gautier. “Aleric’s very hard to deal with, but I could talk to his Father. If he’s striking you or anything…”
“No, he hasn’t done anything except be a dick,” Jaime said without quite meaning to blurt the last part.
“He does have quite an attitude at times. What exactly did you do? Regis told me what his son said, but I don’t know if Aleric lied or not.”
Jaime explained what happened and left out the part where he’d agreed to service Aleric and sucked him off right there in the whorehouse. Lord Gautier nodded afterward.
“That’s what I heard. Partial freedom is unusual. That’s why I thought he was lying. What’s to keep you from running off if you go into the city?”
“A guard who’d tell the others and chase me down.” Jaime was pretty sure he could elude them if he ever had a real reason to get away. Then again, maybe not. “Being an aid isn’t so bad, I guess. It’s a roof and food although I’d rather be free. I drift around a lot.”
“Why?”
The lie slid out with no problem. “I used to live in Riverview in Moria.” He’d heard there were four villages with that name since it was such a basic one, so he’d twisted his background story a little more years ago to be safe. Of course, all four villages were by a river. “My parents died of a fever, so my Aunt raised me, and then she died.”
“Which Riverview?”
“It’s north.”
“What’s your last name?”
“Meyer,” said Jaime, giving the last name he’d had since he was seven. It wasn’t uncommon in Moria or Soleil. “It’s just me now…it was the only place I knew, but home didn’t feel like home, m’lord.” That last part was entirely true. With his adoptive Aunt and Uncle dead and gone, the village of Rhyo hadn’t felt like home anymore, and he’d never returned.
“I know that feeling. I’m not really a lord.”
“You’re not?”
“I used to be. I was the Earl of Monmith in Moria. I’m not allowed to return there, and even if I did, it wouldn’t feel like home anymore. Have you ever been there?”
“No. That’s…northeast, right?” Jaime had heard the name before.
“Yes. King Alton sacked me.” Lord Gautier sighed. “You might hear the story anyway, and I’d rather it not be twisted, just in case. I was with a distant cousin of the King many years ago. Matthew. We kept breaking up and getting back together. I’ll admit…he was good in the bedroom. That’s why I kept going back. Matthew decided we should get married, and considering the problems we’d had, I couldn’t see myself married to him.”
Jaime had a feeling where this was going. He’d never heard of anything involving a Lord Gautier and Matthew, and he assumed it was a rumor that had escaped his ears.
“I admitted I was only with him for the sex, and since we fought so much, I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life with anyone like him. We’d constantly fight, and what kind of home life is that? We had a huge argument, and I admit, I felt a bit bad because I’d been rather blunt. It hurt his feelings, but at the same time, I needed to be honest about things. When he left, I thought that was it, and perhaps it was for the best. We’d never work together. He went to King Alton and said I’d raped him.”
“What the fuck?!”
“That’s what I thought when guards showed up at my home one day. King Alton had me dragged before the court.” Lord Gautier rested his elbow on the table and covered his eyes with one hand “I’d never been so ashamed in my life. Everyone was looking at me like-like I was a monster, and I don’t think any of them believed I was innocent. They’d already heard Matthew and decided I was guilty. Queen Elsie looked like she wanted to watch me hang right there in front of everyone. The only reason King Alton didn’t hang me for my supposed crime was because Matthew had no proof. He’d said he’d been injured quite badly, and he’d gone to a physician right away. He had no visible injuries.”
“Why didn’t King Alton bring in the physician?”
Lord Gautier shook his head. “Matthew said the physician had disappeared and was too terrified to speak against me, being a higher-up. How convenient he ran off, right? It was rather like your issue. One man said this happened, and another denied it. The only one who spoke for me was a servant in my home who said we’d often argued. She said it never came to blows, and the last night she’d seen Matthew, he’d walked out and appeared fine. Only angry.”
A man who’d been raped probably wouldn’t have been able to walk out like nothing happened. Jaime had no experience withanything of the sort, but it didn’t take a genius to guess how agonizing such injuries could be.
“King Alton decided to sack me and banish me from Moria, so I lost my position. I came here and explained my situation to Regis. We’ve known each other for years, I’ve visited his court many times before, and he knows I’d never do such a thing. He allows me to stay. The rest of the court doesn’t believe I’m guilty either, so quite a few call me lord as a sign of respect because they don’t believe I should have been sacked over the word of a jealous man.”
