"Why not? And you went to a great deal of trouble to secure my name, the least you can do is use it."
It was hard to tell in the dark, but Paisley could have sworn that he grinned at that, a quick flash of a smile, hastily tucked away. Then the moon sailed out from behind a cloud, and she saw that his face was just as grim and sour as before. Paisley bit her lip. Had she gone too far? Had she pushed her luck too much?
"What can ye do, then?" he said eventually.
Paisley fidgeted. "I... I can do anything, I suppose. If you give me a job, I won't come and play cards anymore. Not anywhere. I suppose you don't need a pianoforte player?"
Dominic eyed her, as if he thought she was joking but wasn't entirely sure.
"Nay. We daenae need a pianoforte player."
"Oh. That's a shame, because I'm rather good at it. I could do something else, though."
"Well, it'll be better than ye endin' up dead in a ditch somewhere," Dominic snorted.
That made Paisley go cold. She was just as good at simply not thinking about the things she didn't like. It was a skill, really, but it had its disadvantages. She'd gone out, night after night, playing cards for money, and dealing with angry, sour men who felt as if they'd been cheated out of more than just their money.
She knew well most of them only admitted her to the table because they were convinced that they would have a chance of getting her into bed. And, of course, they never believed for a moment that she had the smallest chance of beating them.
Men like that got extremely angry when they were corrected. It was really only a matter of time before Paisley made a mistake. She might slip while running away, or crow too loudly over her victory. Or perhaps she might do everything right, and she would still die anyway. Maybe they wouldn't find her body at all, and nobody would ever know what had happened to her.
At least I wouldn't have to marry the earl,Paisley thought. There was always a silver lining, wasn't there?
"I need a barmaid," Dominic said eventually, breaking into her thoughts. "I had one, but I had to send her away."
"Did she drop something? Was she rude to a customer?" Paisley asked anxiously. "Because I can be clumsy, I warn you. And sharp too, when people are rude to me."
Dominic stared at her. "She betrayed us. It's a long story. Daenae ask. I daenae hold with nonsensical questions, and I daenae much approve of gossip."
Of course, then Paisley wanted nothing more than to ask, but kept her mouth firmly shut. It wasn't surprising that he didn't approve of gossip.
Was he really considering giving her a job? Paisley had nervously asked for a job in a few shops and market stalls and was mostly laughed out of the door.
Few people wanted to hire a woman, and nobody wanted to hire anEnglishwoman. That was how she'd gotten into the business of playing cards for living, butthatclearly wasn't working.
Was there a chance she could do something else? What would being a barmaid entail?
Carrying drinks, probably,Paisley thought,and not minding if drunk men flirt with you. I could do that. I could wipe down tables, too.
She smiled hopefully at Dominic, meeting his steely gaze square on. Papa had always said that good eye contact was the best way to impress somebody, so she held Dominic's stare for what seemed like forever. Abruptly, he turned away, and her stomach dropped.
Did I do something wrong?
Then Dominic glanced over his shoulder, and she saw that he was smiling, albeit wryly.
"Well, I need a new barmaid, and I also needyeto stop botherin' me patrons, so ye're hired. The pay is bad, but it's regular, and ye will get tips, and it'll be less dangerous than that card nonsense ye were doing before. Ye start tomorrow. Get there for eight o' clock sharp, ye hear?"
Paisley wanted to shriek with delight. "I will, yes. Thank you, Mr... uh, Mr. Dominic! Thank you!"
"Daenae thank me. Ye are going to work for it. And I'm notmisteranyone. I'm just Dominic."
5
The Crown Inn was not a particularly nice place. As inns went, it was noisy, usually crowded, and tended to have an overwhelming smell of animals at the best of times.
It was, however, cheap.
Since cheap had been what Paisley was looking for when she first stumbled on the place, she was eager to take a room, especially since breakfast and an evening meal were included in the price, and long-term arrangements were permitted.
