Chapter 4 #2
He gave a chuff of laughter. "Aye, look at them. Lily-white and smooth as a baby's arse."
"Smooth as a baby's what?"
"Oh, I think ye heard. Nay working woman has hands like that. All the women around here have strong hands and calloused fingers, with dry, cracked skin from laundry and scrubbin'. Ye have never done laundry in yer life, I warrant."
Color rose to Paisley's cheeks. "Well, you wouldn't have noticed that if you had just given me back my gloves." she snapped.
He rolled his eyes, pulling the gloves out of his pocket and tossing them to her. "How much did a pair like that set ye back, eh? Or do I nae want to ask?"
Paisley didn't answer until she'd pulled the gloves back on. Then she could breathe a sigh of relief. "I don't know," she replied loftily. "They were a present from my papa."
"Papa," Dominic muttered to himself, almost as if he were trying out the word in his head. "It's pretty clear to me that ye daenae belong here. I wish ye well, lassie, but steer clear of me pub. Sorry if it's yer livelihood, but I suggest ye choose somethin' else."
"Well, give me a job then," Paisley said desperately, barely thinking about the words that left her mouth. "It's only fair."
There was a long, tense silence. The wind had picked up, ruffling the foliage and creating a gentle, insistent susurrus. Clouds were starting to move across the sky, blocking out the moonlight and starlight.
It was getting colder, too, and Paisley was not by any means dressed for the cold. Coming straight from the heated interior of The Sinner, she hadn't had time to cool down. Or rather, hadn't had time to notice that she was cooling down.
She certainly noticed now. The wind whistled past her, and Paisley's skin broke out in goosebumps. The patches of sweat soaked into her dress felt like ice against her skin, and she shivered uncontrollably. Dominic, on the other hand, seemed entirely unmoved by the drop in temperature.
He's probably used to it, Paisley thought enviously. She hadn't adapted to the freezing weather of the Highlands and was starting to think that she never would.
"Dae ye think I need a new hirelin'?" Dominic said at last, breaking the silence.
Paisley blinked. "I... I don't know. Do you?"
"Daenae answer a question with a question, lassie."
"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 an English woman. That was how she'd gotten into the business of playing cards for living, but that clearly 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 need ye to 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 not mister anyone. I'm just Dominic."