Dear friends, welcome once more to The Pig & Pipe, where the adventures of Alehouse owner Stefan Alwin and his fellow villagers continue with today’s episode. If you missed last week’s opening episode try this link.

She looked up at him, knowing she might be in trouble. Bart was normally the most pleasant of men, but you never could tell with a drunk man what he might do next. Still, she knew better than to show fear.

“Ye’re a coward then,” she sneered. “Then get yer cowardly backside out o’ my sight.”

“But…”

She shoved him aside. He was a big man, so she had to push hard.

He stumbled, slipped in a puddle of spilled ale and landed smack on his backside. His head hit the corner of a table on his way down.

“Ow!”

Linna swept past him heading straight for Alwin. She slapped her hand, palm down, on the bar. Which managed to get his stare lifted from her bosom to her face. “Betty forgot to pay ye.”

Linna lifted her hand away to reveal and small pile of dirty, worn, silver pence.

“That’s not necessary…”

“Are ye giving away food for free then, Mr. Alwin?”

The man’s face grew red. “But…”

“I’ll take no ‘buts’ from the likes of him or ye.” She thrust her thumb over her shoulder to indicate Bart where he still sat moaning.

Alwin’s gaze narrowed and focused straight on the bruise near her temple. He didn’t even look away when his hand covered the coins. “If you insist, Miss Fielding. But I still owe yer da, one shilling for the new shoes he made me.”

It was a lie. All of it. Since her father’s accident, he’d not been able to manage small work like cutting or sewing leather, and he was not able to see well enough to do fine work such as tooling. He hadn’t made a new pair of shoes in more than five years.

“So ‘tis I who owe your family money.” Alwin bent, reaching under the bar for his till. When he stood lifted his hand away from the pennies then placed a bright, shiny, shilling on top. “Ye’ll do me the kindness of taking the pennies too as a deposit on the belt yer da will be making for me.”

In all of this his gaze had never wavered from her bruise. She wanted to cry. She wanted to rage, and throw all his damned money back at him. But she couldn’t. He’d tied up his charity in a neat little lie of a business exchange. Nonetheless she glared at him. “I’ll let him know.”

Alwin smiled. She’d always liked his smile but she didn’t want to like anything right now. “Goodnight.”

She was halfway to the door before she heard him call out. “Wait!”

“Why?”

Alwin made her wait for an answer. “Jemmy!” he called for his younger brother.

“Aye.” Jemmy’s voice came from an opening into the back of the building. Then his face showed. “What is it.”

“Take care of our customers, while I walk Linna home.”

“Ye actually want to walk with that female?”

“I don’t need anyone to walk me home.”

“Apologize, to Linna, brother.”

Jemmy rolled his eyes, as he approached the bar. “Sorry, Linna.”

She shrugged and hurried toward the door. She was out and would have run for home if Alwin hadn’t caught her by the arm.

“There’s no hurry, Linna.”

“That’s Miss Fielding to you.”

“As you wish.”

“And you can just go on back to your alehouse. I don’t need or want your company.”

“But.” He grasped her hand, forcing her to stop or fight him for it. “I want your company.”

Linna’s jaw dropped. “You…What?…You want…? Are ye moon mad?” She cast a quick glance to the sky where clouds scudded across a large full moon.

Stefan smiled at her. This is going to be more difficult than I imagined, but I’ve got to make her listen to me. I may never get another chance.