Coined (Episode 40 - The Further Chronicles of a Young Lady (and her Maid))

Continued from Episode 39 - Assessed

Last time, Gwladys made a late night trip to an out-of-town antiquarian with 'Arry's newly found coin.  The antiquarian was a little coy about the history of the coin but offered to buy it, anyway.  When Gwladys spotted that he had added something to her drink, she created a distraction, added something further to her drink and swapped it with his.  Returning to the room, the antiquarian took a giant swig from 'his' goblet and promptly collapsed on the table!  Now read on:

 

Gwladys made her way, carefully, into the bedroom she currently shared with Aefelthrith.  Stockinged feet helped but so did the gentle rhythmic snoring coming from her roommate. 

She had just made it to her side of the bed when a dropped boot wrecked her endeavours.  Aefelthrith sprang up in her bed.

“Whassat?”  She looked blearily around her.

“’S’fine, go back to sleep” Gwladys hissed.

“Sleep? I should be so fortunate!” Aefelthrith snorted, “I have not slept a wink, I would have you know.  If it is not that damned infant crying, it is them… giggling”

“Must be difficult for ‘em, all in one room” Gwladys pointed out.

“There has been… creaking, as well” Aefelthrith looked at her companion, knowingly.

“Ah well, they’re only young, ain’t they?” Gwladys shrugged.

“I do not think it is an appropriate manner in which to carry on in someone else’s house” Aefelthrith said, primly, gathering the bedclothes around her in a defensive wall.  “Anyway, where have you been?”

“Been to see a man about a dog” Gwladys chuckled.

“A dog!” Aefelthrith looked horrified, “You are getting a dog?”

“Nah, ‘s’just an expression.  I’ve been makin’ some enquiries about summat ‘Arry fount in the gardin”

“Something ‘Arry found?  So that explains the embargo on doing anything in the garden!  What did he find?”

“’S’not important right now.  I’ll tell yer all in the mornin’” Gwladys yawned and crashed backwards onto the bed.

“Oh, do not mind me, I am, after all, only your business partner!” Aefelthrith snapped but the steady snoring from Gwladys put an end to her moaning.

* * * *

Unusually, the following morning, Gwladys was the last to get up.  She peered out from under the bedclothes, noticed the daylight through the grubby windows, cursed and heaved herself upright.  Prising her boots back on, and still fully dressed from the night before, she plodded down to the kitchen, where Dolly appeared to be on porridge duty.

“’Ere she is!” Dolly announced, cheerfully, “Was it a late one last night then, Glad?”

“In a manner of speakin’, yeah” Gwladys nodded and took her place at the table.

“You alright?  Nowt amiss is there?  Only you said you were goin’ to the ‘pothecary, which got us all a bit worried, you know?”  Dolly placed a bowl in front of Gwladys.

“Ta” Gwladys nodded, “Yeah, I did go to the ‘pothecary, but it weren’t ‘cause I were ill.  I needed a sleeping draught”

“If I have many more nights like last night, I will be in need of one of those, too!” Aefelthrith looked pointedly at Clarence, who blushed and busied himself with Henry.

“Weren’t fer me” Gwladys shook her head and set about her porridge.

“Very mysterious!” Dolly grinned.

“Alright, cards on the table” Gwladys put down her spoon and glared around the assembly, “I can see I’m not goin’ to get no peace ‘less I tell you all about it.  So, it’s like this.  ‘Arry dug summat up in the gardin the other day.  I didner know what it were, not properly, but I ‘ad my suspicions, right?”

“Might have known it had something to do with that child!” Aefelthrith muttered.

“’S’nowt ter do with ‘Arry, other than that ‘e dug it up” Gwladys snapped, “’E did the right thing an’ brought it ter me.  Right?”

Aefelthrith sniffed and looked away.

“Any road, I wasn’t sure what it were, but I ‘ad my suspicions”

“What was it, Glad?” Dolly looked concerned.

“It were a coin, but it weren’t like any coin what I’d seen afore”

“I don’t reckon it were real” ‘Arry chipped in.

“Oh, it were real alright” Gwladys smiled at him, “I took it to a bloke what I’d ‘eard about in the next town.  ‘E didner tell me exactly what it were but I could see ‘is eyes light up when ‘e ‘eld it”’

“Did he want to buy it?”  Dolly asked.

“Oh ar” Gwladys nodded, “’E made me an offer”

“Did he?  How much?”

“’Ang on, I’ve got it ‘ere, somewhere” Gwladys rooted in her pocket and retrieved a scrap of paper, “’Ere yer are” She passed the scrap to Dolly, who raised her eyebrows.

“Strewth, did you sell it?”

“Nah, I reckoned if ‘e were offerin’ that, it were worth a lot more” Gwladys shook her head, “Any road, I didner want it goin’ nowhere, not just yet”

Aefelthrith picked up the paper and stared at it.

“You turned this down!” She said, amazed.

“Like I said, I reckon we could do better plus I dunner want folk gettin’ wind of it, alright?”

“I am quite sure you know your own mind” Aefelthrith sniffed.

“You were chancing your arm going to see some strange feller in another town, at night!” Dolly pointed out.

“Yeah, werl…” Gwladys chuckled, “that were what the sleeping draught were for”

“How do you mean?”  Dolly frowned.

“Werl, I reckoned ‘e might try summat on, so, if ‘e offered me owt to drink, I were gonna put me potion in ‘is drink.  As it turned out, ‘e put summat in MY drink, so I put the sleeping draught in my drink an’ all and swapped the goblets while ‘e were out of the room.  Last I saw of ‘im, ‘e were out like a light on the table”

“You might have killed him!” Clarence looked alarmed.

“’E shouldner try stuff like that, not with unaccompanied ladies” Gwladys said, firmly.  “I don’t want none of this gettin’ out, alright?  No-one’s to say nowt to nobody”

“Fair enough” Dolly nodded.

“Any road, we’ve got work ter do!” Gwladys rubbed her hands, “Dolly, do yer think you an’ Henry can mind the shop fer the day?”

“Yeah, why not?  Could be fun!” Dolly grinned.

“Why her, why not me?” Aefelthrith asked, indignantly.

“’Cause she’s better at it than what you are” Gwladys snapped, “an, I’ve got other stuff fer you to do”

“Such as?”

“You, me, ‘Arry and ‘is Lordship ‘ere, we’re goin’ to do a spot of diggin’” Gwaldys cackled.

“Digging?”  Aeflethrith looked horrified.

“Do yer a world of good” Gwladys grinned.

This series can be found, in full, starting at Episode 1, right here on ABCTales.

You can find the previous adventures of Gwladys and Aefelthrith in both Kindle and paperback formats at The Chronicles of a Young Lady (and her Maid (link is external)