"Ya ok? Need to sit down?" Joseph worriedly asked in a hushed voice as he guided Isabelle towards the market. She did not look unwell, but he still remembered the fuss those women had made at the shop when they realized Isabelle was out on her bleeding days. It made Joseph double guess his decision. Maybe his brothers were right; maybe he should not have…
"I am fine." Somehow guessing his thoughts, Isabelle squeezed his hand, inwardly marveling at this unseen side of her hooligan Husband. When worried, Joseph acted so cute and helpful; a total opposite of his usual dandy, aloof and bad guy persona.
Joseph was a bit skeptical, but trusted her for the time being. "If ya need to use the loo, lemme know." He once again whispered in her ear. The action brought a few glances from other passersby, yet he paid no heed to them. He was not doing anything heinous to his Wife; and he was capable of being a menace to public morals if he wanted.
Anyway, his only worry at the moment was his Wife, who thought working and shopping on her bleeding days was a good idea. Same as the brothers, the other women were unable to convince Isabelle that staying home was best. On the contrary, Isabelle convinced them that she was fine and could handle herself. The only upside was that she would return to work in two days.
"Sure. I will let you know." Isabelle cheerfully said, letting his hand go to cling on his arm.
Like that, they finally reached David's stall.
"Good to see you acting so harmonious!" David greeted the couple. "You coming to buy something?" He was aware of the plan the family had for the new plot, so he directly started making business. They were friends, yes, but he also had a family to feed.
"We came to buy lots of things today." Isabelle said, looking at Joseph to do his thing.
Joseph had actually written down the list of vegetables he wanted to plant. So, he pulled out a sheet of paper (gracefully donated by Felix) with very small and messy words written on it. "Yeah, let's see. Pepper, beet, onion, cabbage… We also need more cucumber… Sage, thyme and bay… And, tell me if you have any fruit plants."
David blinked. They were not joking when they said they wanted lots of things. "I only have seeds for beets, onions and cabbage. Because they are more sought after, I sell the bag at 1 coin each. But I can make a discount if you buy three: 2 coins and 5 dimes."
Joseph narrowed his eyes, thinking. They did not need that many bags since he could also collect seeds from the plant, but he guessed he could buy the three to experiment a bit. Although the soil in the new plot seemed more fertile, he had no idea if it was perfect for all the vegetables. So, most likely, he would have to sacrifice quite a few seeds to get a good harvest.
"Give me three of each." He finally decided.
"Right away!" David nodded, and took out a quite big bag; for a bag of seeds, that is. "Now, with the other plants..." He trailed off, searching around the stall at the many saplings he had. "Pepper… I have it this big." He showed a very small sapling. "Considering how big your family is, I recommend getting at least fifteen of these. I can give you a discount: 3 coins if you buy twelve."
David's words reminded Joseph that he really had to consider what to buy that would last them a good while. They were five at the moment, but they would be more with time. However, he did not think they would use that many peppers. "Gimme the twelve for the time being." No need to sweat about what was to come. He would leave that problem for his future self.
David took out eleven more saplings and put them in the squared basket Joseph had readied for them. It was long rather than tall, and he made it specially for carrying all the saplings.
"I ran out of cucumber. It's not that profitable, so I stopped growing them." David told them as he rummaged around. "But there's this plant." He took out a rather big sapling. It looked ready to plant on the ground. "It's called zucchini and is kind of the same as cucumber. You can use it in salads and it can even be pickled."
"How much?" Joseph had no idea how to care for zucchini, so he was a bit hesitant.
"It's already this big. 1 coin. But, same as the seed bags, I can sell it at 2 coins and 5 dimes if you buy the three." He took out two more plants. "Care's pretty much similar to cucumber, and the peat pots have the basics on it." Tapping the pot, David signaled what to do with the plant. "Also, best let them grow up, like cucumber."
Eyeing the drawings, Joseph nodded. It did not seem to require a complicated or specific care. "I'll take them." He decided. Due to the size of the zucchini plant, he put them in the basket he also carried, using the seed bags as cushion. At the side, Isabelle was counting the money she carried to help with the purchases. It was bound to be a big one after all.
"I don't have many fruit plants. Just these two watermelons, and, uh, strawberry seeds and this… I think it's a blueberry plant." David had to really scramble around to get the only fruit saplings he had. People tended to buy vegetables as they thought they were more important than fruits, that was why he rarely had fruit plants in his stall.
Joseph looked at the saplings and noticed the watermelon one looked like a vine, but it was not coiled around anything. The blueberry looked like a normal shrub. "Do they grow tall?"
"Not really. The watermelon vine can be left in the ground. Just make sure it has plenty of space to grow. Then, this blueberry is pretty much like a bush, you decide how tall and big you want it by pruning it, though it won't grow past your chest. And, strawberries are half the size of the blueberry." David explained.
"Get them!" Isabelle exclaimed. She was excited at the thought of having berries to eat.
David smiled at her enthusiasm. "Since these are the only fruits I have, I can give it to you at half the price. 2 coins for all."
Isabelle interjected. "Before you move onto the herbs, do you have hay seeds or something?" She was not going to forget about the unnamed colt's food.
"I don't, sorry. Those are normally sold at the place where you can get horses." David advised, getting a nod from her. "For the herbs, same as before, right? Two sage plants, two thymes… Hm, bay is actually a small tree, so one is enough. 1 coin for the five."
"Talkin' about hay, ya have any plant that can be made into flour?" Joseph asked. They were consuming a lot of flour, so he thought it would be nice to make their own. Or have another kind of flour for daily use and use the bought one sporadically.
"… I heard that rice can be made into flour; however, it's still expensive to buy here..." David recounted a bit of the gossip he had heard around. "There's also wheat, but the soil in this area is not good for it. That's why we can only bring it from outside."
Joseph frowned. Once again that rice was mentioned. He had money to buy saplings, yet no one seemed to know how to plant it. He was not going to spend his money in a very uncertain endeavour. "You got nothing then?"
"This is something I also heard in passing, but I've no idea how to do it." The older man crouched and looked among the small sacks of seeds he had until he found the correct one. "Corn. Something about letting the cob dry, then thresh and finally grind. You can only try."
"How much?" Joseph quickly inquired. He could try with a few cobs first. The rest could be normally eaten, so he was not making a big loss.
"1 coin, too. So… 17 coins as a grand total." As the adept merchant he was, David rapidly did the math.
The brothers had once again piled up some money to buy the saplings and seeds. From Lucas' game selling, to Ethan's tips at the restaurant and Joseph's lemon and orange selling. All in all, the three had gathered more than 12 coins. More than they had ever saved in their whole lives!
However… It was not enough for this purchase.
Before Joseph could think on what to leave behind, 5 more coins were added to the money he had on his palm. He looked up to see Isabelle's smiling eyes, which honestly told him to take the money and use it. Since he was not as proud as Ethan when it came to money, Joseph had no qualms in using what his Wife gave him.
If she willingly gave it, then there was no problem. So, he naturally paid the amount.
"Thanks for the purchase! If I get new things, I'll let you know whenever you come by." David promised. The couple thanked him and bid their farewells.
Carrying one basket on his back and the other in his arms, Joseph gestured at Isabelle to walk ahead towards the exit. The earlier they returned, the earlier she could rest. That was Joseph's plan. Plan that was delayed when Isabelle suddenly announced she wanted to visit Mrs. Priddy's shop when they passed by.
The first thing Isabelle noticed the moment she entered the shop was the wide variety of handbags on display; second, was the uneasy expression on Patricia's face. With good reason as Patricia had actually heard and seen when Mrs. Priddy ordered Cordelia and Amelia to start making handbags. No matter how much Patricia tried to advise them that it was best to let Isabelle know beforehand, the older lady ignored her.
"Is Mrs. Priddy at the shop?" Isabelle asked Patricia, not blaming the other woman. The now Mrs. Edris knew well how Mrs. Priddy acted.
Patricia nodded, ashamed. "Upstairs. In the last room. Would you like me to call her or…?"
"It is fine. I will go." Isabelle softly pressed a hand on Patricia's to stop the stilted words. "It is fine." She repeated, letting go until the other young woman nodded. "I will be right back." She threw over her shoulder at Joseph, then made her way upstairs and down the hallway.
Laughing came from inside the room, so she knocked and went in as soon as Mrs. Priddy's permission to enter came. The good mood and laughter died a quick death as soon as she appeared in the threshold.
The room was filled with stacks of fabric of different colors, boxes full of thread, needles and scissors. It was a very unassuming scene; the materials could be for handkerchiefs, pillow cases, curtains or anything else. Yet what Mrs. Priddy, Cordelia and another woman – Amelia, the coworker Isabelle never met – were sewing were clearly handbags.
"Oh… Isabelle! It's been a while." Mrs. Priddy tried to hide the item, action that was mirrored by Amelia, but Cordelia defiantly kept sewing the handbag while looking at Isabelle with a strange glint in her eyes.
Isabelle felt a prick of irritation at the blatant provocation, yet remained calm. She tried to brainwash herself, repeating over and over that she had no problems with them copying the design. It was not a secret after all. Yet, upon realizing she could have sold the design before they could replicate it, annoyance started brewing in her stomach.
Better yet, she could have simply told them not to replicate it!
Due to their greedy actions, the price for handbags actually fell and she had suffered a loss from the last batch of handbags. Isabelle bet other embroidery workshops were also replicating the design, making the item lose all value. In hindsight, there were many things Isabelle could have done better with the handbag matter. But it did not matter anymore.
It was a lesson she had to bitterly swallow.
Though, she would tolerate this blatant robbery no more.
"It has been a while, Mrs. Priddy. May I talk to you alone?" Isabelle gestured at the hallway, not wanting for their conversation to have such… unpleasing public.
"Yes! Of course!" Mrs. Priddy jumped to her feet and accompanied the younger woman, almost pulling Isabelle away from the shameless scene.
Once they entered the room next door, Isabelle went directly to the point. "The reason I came today, Mrs. Priddy, is because I want to quit."
"What? Why?" The shop owner immediately reacted, completely forgetting about what she had been doing, more concerned on the fact that she was going to lose her second-best embroiderer.
"I just got married, and my husband got a better job. So, I can easily focus on working the land and taking care of the family." There was no way Isabelle was sharing that she got a better job. Either way, there were half-truths mixed with white lies, so there was no guilty conscience from her part.
Mrs. Priddy deflated, bothered by the leave but still found no excuse to keep the younger woman. Not after what Isabelle saw. "Oh, such a shame. A nice woman tied to the kitchen and the house." She said instead, full of sympathy.
Isabelle smiled tight-lipped. What she did with her life, either staying at home or working somewhere, was her right, not something to be looked at with pity.
Not wanting to delay the conversation even more, Isabelle forced herself to continue with the original topic. "According to the contract, I can quit at any time if I do not have any pending commissions. You also do not have to compensate me anything. And, you do not have to pay me this month's salary because I did not embroider anything."
The older woman nodded. "Yes, that's correct. It's just… Are you really going?" She fidgeted, doing some last-minute retaining job.
"I want kids, Mrs. Priddy. So, I want to work hard for it." Isabelle beamed, taking great pleasure on the other woman's uncomfortable expression.
"Fine then. Just let me bring the contract to add your resignation." She said and walked out. Opening the door, Cordelia confidently stood right outside the room, not one bit bothered that she had been caught eavesdropping. Isabelle would have been impressed if she was not resentful for what Cordelia had tried with Lucas before.
Luckily, Mrs. Priddy returned not long later with the contract and asked the younger woman to write down her resignation at the end of it and to sign it up to make it official. Isabelle gladly did it with a flourish in her penmanship.
"Done. It was a pleasure Mrs. Priddy." Their ending was not ideal, but Isabelle did feel grateful to the woman who gave her a chance when she was in need. That was why she extended her hand towards the other, plastering a smile on her face.
Mrs. Priddy did not feel the same and ignored the hand, just reminding Isabelle: "Don't forget to return the box I gave you." The smile on Isabelle's face quickly disappeared after hearing those words. If it was going to be like that, then Isabelle did not have to be polite anymore.
After a hum, she strode out of the room, almost bowling over Cordelia who had the intention to stop her. Uncaring of the other woman's cry, Isabelle continued on her way down.
"Goodbye, Patricia and good luck!" Waving a hand in a devil-may-care way, Isabelle bid her farewells to the confused young woman and immediately walked out of the shop once she realized Joseph was waiting for her outside.
The beaming sun and cacophony of noises somehow allowed her to feel freer. As if the world was an even better place than the dank shop behind her.
"Ya good?" Joseph worriedly asked, noticing her ruffled countenance. He only wanted her to rest!
Isabelle blinked at him, mildly aware of her shaken self. So, she hooked her hand behind his neck and stepped forward to plant a loud kiss on his lips, getting reproachful looks and sounds from the passersby. Uncaring of others' sensibilities, she deepened the kiss, letting her tongue explore inside his mouth until he let out an appreciative groan.
As she pulled away, she nipped his lower lip and mischievously tugged it. Joseph hissed as he felt his skin breaking, but the hunger in his eyes, and the tightness in his pants honestly expressed his incensed nerves. The blood he tasted did not deter his lust. Oh, the things he would do to her once they were alone.
"I am excellent. Let us hurry home!" Isabelle replied to his question, a bit winded.
And, if she noticed Cordelia's scowling face peering from a window on the second floor, then with more reason Isabelle snuggled to Joseph's side, dripping smugness.
The couple arrived at the stable where they left the cart and horse. While Joseph loaded their purchases onto the cart, Isabelle looked for the stable owner to ask about hay seeds or stalks, or whatever he could sell so they could plant it to feed their colt.
"Good hay costs a bit…" The man with his crooked teeth hinted that if she wanted high quality hay, he could give it for a high price.
Interest sparked in her chest, but she did not want to fall for any trick. She had learned from Felix to not be so impulsive, plus her recent lesson with malicious owners, allowed her to be a little bit more careful and decided to call for Joseph. As the farming expert, it was only fair for him to decide if it was worth buying it or not.
Joseph looked down at the two options presented by the owner, grabbed Isabelle's hand and pulled her towards the cart without buying or saying anything anything. He completely ignored the owner's calls and Isabelle's protesting expression. Soon, the colt started to pull the cart with the third brother guiding it, leaving the gate and town behind.
Some time later, once they were in the open, with only grass and trees and the dirt path on sight, he stopped the cart.
"What are you doing?" From up in the cart, Isabelle asked her Husband, who marched into the bushes. She was still upset about the hay thing, but remained quiet as he asked her to trust him.
Minutes passed and there were no signs of his return, making Isabelle wonder if he had actually gone to relieve himself or something. As she debated whether to get down and follow him or stay at the cart waiting, Joseph appeared with a handful of grass stalks and offered it to the colt.
After sniffing it, the colt eagerly bit into the grass. In a matter of seconds, there was nothing left. It even brushed its muzzle against Joseph's palm, arm and chest, as if asking for more of the grass.
Isabelle blinked perplexed. "What did you give him?"
"The same thing that man wanted ta sell us." Joseph replied before venturing to the side of the road once again. This time, Isabelle just waited for him to return, and he did, with an armful of the same grass. "Been seein' it for years on the road. Never thought 'twas for horses." He explained, throwing the grass at the back of the cart.
It grew like weeds on the wild. Joseph reasoned it would not be that hard to grow it on the grazing area. He would just need to make sure the horse did not eat it all. Or, he could leave that task to Lucas.
With all their errands done, the two peacefully went back home.