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for quite a long time. Even an old man like me can see that. They want to get
married but they can't, because Baron Jan would never stand for one of his sons
marrying a peasant. His wife is worse."
Vladimir rose in indignation, but Sir Miesko shut him down. "Sit down, Sir
Vladimir. I've known your folks for twenty years. They wouldn't even come to my
wedding, despite the fact that I'd been knighted only weeks before, because my
lady was still a commoner."
"Sir Miesko, you are talking about my father and my liege lord!" Sir Vladimir
said.
"I'm talking about an old acquaintance, and every word of it is true. You want to
marry the girl, don't you?"
"Yes! Of course."
"And you, Annastashia. You want to marry this impetuous young knight, don't
you?"
"Oh, yes!"
"Then keep him shut up while we work out how that can be accomplished."
"But she's not my daughter."' I said.
"She can be. Her parents are both dead. You can adopt her. Once she's your
daughter and heir, even Baron Jan isn't going to stop his son from marrying the
wealthiest heiress in the duchy."
"Oh, I know that your funds are low now, but I've seen what you've accomplished
in a few months at Three Walls. In a year, you would have been the richest man in
Poland. Even without you, what you've started there will get fabulous wealth. Any
man with brains can see it."
"So Annastashia gets the man she wants, Sir Vladimir gets a wife of his choice
and more wealth than he's ever dreamed of, and you, Sir Conrad, get an heir who
can carry out your plans."
There was no arguing with his reasoning, so Sir Miesko got out parchment, pen
and ink, and drafted both a letter of adoption for Annastashia, and a will for me,
in which I specifically gave my blessing on the marriage of my daughter to Sir
Vladimir.
"You really should get yourself a seal," Sir Miesko said. "A bit late now, though."
Everybody present signed everything, and Sir Miesko affixed his own seal and
promised to get the duke's seal on both instruments the next day.
As the party was breaking up, I announced that I had some presents to distribute.
I gave Sir Miesko and Sir Vladimir wolfskin capes like my own. "I've had a dozen
of these made up," I said. "I'll be giving them to the highest-ranking people who
show up at the fight. It takes six wolves to make one of these. I figure that if I can
make wearing wolfskin popular, it will give people more incentive to exterminate
the wolves."
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"Actually, wolfskin is a very sturdy and warm material. It has two different kinds
of hair in it. There are the long, stiff hairs you see on the outside and there are
shorter, finer hairs, much like wool, next to the skin. A wolf really does have
sheep's clothing, underneath."
"Lady Richeza, I couldn't bring your present with me. Indeed, you won't get it
until spring. But I've left the design of a complete home water-and-septic system
at Three Walls, along with written orders to build one for you."
"You'll have hot, running water in your kitchen as well as a new stove, a complete
bathroom, and a small, windmill-operated water tower." She was speechless.
Actually. I'd owed her something nice for a long while. That, and I needed
somewhere to set up a showplace for our plumbing products, and nobody missed
stopping at her house when they were in the area. I was a socialist becoming a
miserable capitalist.
"As to you girls,' I know what you want." I gave Krystyana, Yawalda, Janina, and
Natalia each a purse of silver. They each poured it out on the table and squealed
their appreciation.
I kept the purse intended for Annastashia in my hand. "As for you, daughter,
you've been sleeping with a man before wedlock, and you'll get nothing more out
of me until you mend your sinful ways!"
FROM THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF SIR VLADIMIR CHARNETSKI
For weeks my soul had been troubled. All things for me were reaching a climax,
great forces were moving about me, yet there was nothing I could do to affect
their resolution.
My friend Sir Conrad was going to his death, and in his dying I would be failing in
my oath to the duke to protect him with my life.
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