The wisdom the Dalesman had shared with me played on my mind for days. I had left his house both disappointed with the fact he would not intervene and ask Taala to change her mind about letting me attend their post wedding celebration. I was also utterly disappointed with myself, even Eroforth seemed to detect that I was growing ever more attached to my childhood friend. We were not children any more, but men and women who had both seen our fair share of trials and tribulations, and I was becoming more and more moved by his. We are consenting adults enjoying each others company, talking, sharing good rum, good mead and mutual pleasure. And all was well with that, and would have remained so, had the foolish business of love not entered the fray and threaten to take hold of any good sense that I had thus far shown. But there it was poking and prodding me and becoming increasingly more difficult to ignore. It was time to steer my course elsewhere, the more time I spent, in his company, in his arms, the harder it was becoming to suppress this growing love within me. I was not afraid of what my love might do to me, but more so what it may do to him, for he would not want it and I may lose his friendship, a friendship I held so dear.
And I tried, truly I did, but the fate weavers had other ideas. I kept my distance, then I managed to lock myself out of my house, the wrong key, stuck fast in the lock and nothing could be done. I should have refused his offer to stay at his home for the night, an honest enough offer, for the poor man did not know the inner conflict that raged within me, and he is a kind man despite the rumours that can be heard on the streets of Bree about him.
And so there we were, speaking on many matters, the woman Ayla, whose indifference to their once strong friendship still did not sit well with him. And for all that this troubled him and he wanted to distance himself from it, he still forged a deal with Taala, that if she was to agree to my attendance of their celebration, he would concede to Ayla and her lover attending also. For all that was wonderful and most welcoming news that should have relieved me of the hurt and disappointment at being shunned , I was mindful of the personal cost to him. Even as I embraced him in thanks my conscience was pricked, was I being selfish?
He was tired, he was unwell, his head pounded from all that which spun around within it, most pressing the decision still unmade as to which book keeper to hire. I rubbed oil into his body, to soothe his tensions, whilst he told me of the two candidates he had shortlisted, the preferred, a woman of Gondor, intelligent, beautiful, professional and honest in her admissions that her previous employer had her keep some fanciful accounts that were not entirely legal. He told me of her story, a sad one to behold that moved me, how she had lain with her betrothed before their wedding night because he had answered the call to war and they may have never seen one another again, and indeed they did not, for he fell in battle whilst their child grew within her belly, and the grief of it all brought about more sorrow for she lost their child, a double blow. Ah, I know how it feels to lose a child, my heart truly went out to this woman I had not even met. Her father at least did not forsake her, but she felt that she needed to leave the bittersweet memories behind her, and hence ended up in Bree.
The other candidate, a family man, with a wife and two children, scrupulously honest, equally as experienced. Seaver asked my opinion, and I gave it, being an advocate of women and knowing it was move likely the man would find employment easier, I gave counsel that he should hire the woman, and he seemed to be settled on that
And that was not the only thing that was settled that night, for we fell back into our ways, and again, my visits after nightfall began, I had learned naught it seems...
