Chapter 14

Laurel sat in the carriage for a few minutes looking at the door to the old townhouse, taking a deep breath she opened the door accepting the grooms hand down "I have no idea how long I will be, I may not get past the front door, so just wait for a moment, if I get inside go for an ale or something" Laurel told the driver with a grin, the driver chuckled this was a woman who understood a man needed his pint of bitters during a long day.

Laurel marched up the steps and banged the door knocker, the door was opened by an elderly butler who was moving very slowly, putting a bright smile on her face Laurel didn't give the butler a chance to shut the door. Walking into the house Laurel still smiling told the butler she was calling on Lord Roundmoore and no he wasn't expecting her but she was sure he would see her. Laurel heard a voice yell from a room demanding of the butler to know who was making all that racket in the hall, Laurel smiled again at the butler who was just standing staring at her then turned and went into the room she had heard the voice come from. Laurel blinked as she walked into the room, it was so dark in the room she could barely see, it smelled musty, old and of sickness. The first thing she did was go pull open a pair of drapes sneezing as the dust came flying down on her, then she pushed open the window.

"Here now, who are you, what do you think you're doing, damn woman shut the window and drapes you're going to give me the death of pneumonia" Lord Roundmoore yelled. Laurel still sneezing turned with a frown " you're r going to catch your death of dust and cobwebs not pneumonia, good grief how many years has it been since this room has been cleaned" said Laurel as she walked over to the big old wingback chair the old man was sitting in, she looked at his leg propped up on a stool and the glass of wine in his hand. "Get out whoever you are, it's none of your business the way I choose to die" Roundmoore yelled at her, Laurel chuckled " you're not dying your just old and like to yell lot" turning to the butler who was standing in the doorway a grin on his old face, Laurel asked him to bring hot tea and two cups. Roundmoore yelled "here now you have no right to order around my people, get out of my house so I can die in peace" Laurel ignoring the old man set her pack on a chair. "You maybe old and mean but you're not on your way out unless you want to die, look at yourself, I bet you drink all day, eat fatty horrid heavy meals, never get out in the fresh air and walk around, what you're doing is killing yourself."

Roundmoore sputtered, tapping the stool with his cane he yelled "the old sawbones who comes to bleed me, curse him, says there is no cure for the ailment in my leg says it's killing me." Laurel leaned down and started to unwrap the bandage around the old man's leg with a comment if he hit her with his cane she would just hit him back with it. Laurel looked at the old man's leg that was terribly swollen and discolored from midcalf to his toes, she glanced up as the butler returned slowly pushing a tea cart. Laurel reached out and took the wine glass from the old man and handed it to the butler "no more wine or liquor for at least a month" she told him, which made the old man start swearing at her again. Laurel told the butler she wanted a basin with hot water and at least five towels, then going into her pack she took out several small packets of herbs, sprinkling some in a cup of tea she stirred it for a few minutes letting it steep. Handing the old man the cup of tea Laurel in a no nonsense voice told him to drink it, he grumbled back that she was probably poisoning him. Laurel laughed "I wouldn't do that because you have something I want, so that would defeat my purpose." Lord Roundmoore snorted "knew it, what is it you want girl" Laurel laughed "you did not know it so don't go blustering at me, drink all the tea don't just sit staring at it like it will bite you, it will help reduce the swelling in your leg and clean out your system that's full of the wrong things."

Glowering at Laurel the old man quickly drank the tea making faces at the taste, the old butler returned once again, pushing a cart with a basin of hot water and towels on it, Laurel smiled her thanks then dunked one of the towels in the hot water, using her finger tips she pulled it out and let it drip for a moment and cool slightly, when she wrapped the towel around his leg Roundmoore howled like a wild man once again swearing at Laurel, then she wrapped a dry towel around the hot one to hold in the heat. His curiosity getting the better of him Roundmoore asked Laurel what it was that he had that she wanted. Laurel chuckled as she went over to pull open another set of drapes, jumping back as the dust went flying she bumped into a piece of furniture, Laurel blinked with a sneeze, with a look of surprise she carefully touched the white front of the furniture and heard a musical sound, she touched another, then another with a grin. "Here now get away from that harpsichord it was my sainted mother's most prized possessions" yelled Roundmoore, Laurel almost giggled at the thought of the old man having a sainted mother, she probably was having put up with him.

Laurel turned and smiled "so that's what it's called I've never seen one before, it has wonderful tones" going back over to the stool Laurel carefully took off the towels, gently touching his leg she slowly eased the pain out and took down some of the swelling not wanting to do anything drastic that might make the old man wonder. After Laurel put another hot towel on his leg and rewrapped it Roundmoore grumbled at her "what would you know about tones, I bet your tone deaf as a toad, you still haven't told me what you want." Laurel laughed "I didn't know toads were tone deaf considering that they sing to each other in their own way and I am definitely not a toad or tone deaf." Snorting Roundmoore snapped "prove it" Laurel grinned at him and unstrapped her lute from her pack, she saw his look of surprise at the old lute. Laurel sat down in a chair across from the old man and played her lute for him then added a song for good measure.

Roundmoore grinned at the butler who was standing at the doorway "girls got music in her soul, haven't seen that since my blessed mother passed on." Laurel set down her lute and took the towels off the old man's leg "it's looking much better already, once the swelling has gone down a bit more, you need to start walking around get the blood moving in your legs again and DONT let that quack bleed you, all that does is make you too weak to get about." Laurel wrapped up her lute and strapped it to her pack "here now girl you can't go yet, play the damn harpsichord for me." Laurel looked at the harpsichord, picking up a towel she went over and wiped the dust off the seat, almost choking as she started sneezing and sneezing "you really need to get this place cleaned, this is so bad for your health" she told him in between sneezes. Laurel sat down and let her fingers touch the yellowed keys of the harpsichord, she closed her eyes and felt the magic flow through her fingers, ohhhhhhh she thought this is wonderful letting the music caress her like a lover.

When she was done Laurel just sat for a moment with a soft smile on her face, getting up she went and sat back down across from the old man "I am going to leave the packets of herbs for you, only a pinch in a cup of tea three times a day anymore than that and you will be spending most of your time at the chamber pot." Roundmoore cackled, Laurel chuckled then got serious "I am the person trying to buy Zinmer from you, you never go there all you do is raise the rents several times a year, your fields lay barren, the tenants are unhappy and will soon start moving off the land if something isn't done, the small village has already lost half its people who have gone to find work elsewhere. I love Zinmer and live in the old stone cottage in the forest, I want to make it happy again, I can fill the forest with my music but I want to make all of Zinmer sing."

Roundmoore snapped "I have never raised the rents." Laurel frowned "then your agent is robbing you because the rents have steadily gone up over the last five years from what the farmers tell me." Roundmoore glowered at Laurel "and what's so important about Zinmer to you girl?" Laurel with an earnest look on her face tried to explain "I lost my parent's when I was very young, a tinker took me in and let me travel with him during my growing up years we traveled all over the country rarely staying in one place for long, except during bad winters then we might stay for three or four months, when he died I was all alone, I knew nothing but traveling the roads selling my songs and music, then one day as I was traveling I found Zinmer forest as I stood in the forest I knew I was where I belonged, I've been there for over a year now. I came into an inheritance and want to make Zinmer mine, I want to call Zinmer home for the rest of my life."

Roundmoore frowned at Laurel "I will think on it, come back tomorrow and maybe I will have an answer for you, maybe not." Laurel had to be satisfied with that she could see by the stubborn look on the old man's face that he had said his last on the subject for the time being at least he hadn't yelled no at her. Laurel smiled "then I shall see you tomorrow, get someone in here to clean up and don't forget to walk around, not too much today but add a little more time each day." The old butler shuffled along seeing Laurel to the door, she smiled at him as she went out the door "the herbs would also help your aching joints" then with a grin she left.

When Laurel arrived home the first thing she did was ask for a bath to be prepared, then went over the notes that had arrived for her, one was from Revanche saying they would pick her up for a night at the opera that Saturday, if she was available this evening Carolyn was having a small dinner party at her home, he would pick her up if she could attend. The next was from Tetly telling her she was now the proud owner of four ships, Laurel laughed, who would have thought the singer Laurel would ever own ships of her own. Laurel quickly wrote a note to Revanche saying she would be happy to attend the dinner party, and then sent a note to Tetly just saying Lord Roundmoore wanted her to return tomorrow.

Laurel was about to get in her bath when she looked at the maid Betty "do I have anything that's right for a small dinner party?" Betty tisked looking over Laurel's clothes "the blue velvet skirt and jacket with the satin blouse will do for something small and private in a pinch, do you have hair ribbons to match?" Laurel frowned shaking her head "not to worry, I will send one of the footmen running down to get some" Betty said then left, coming back a short time later to help Laurel wash her hair.