Pawn (Episode 4 - The Further Chronicles of a Young Lady (and her Maid))

Continued from Episode 3 - Stew

The story so far:  You can find out how our two heroines came to be where they are today by reading The Chronicles of a Lady (and her Maid) either here on ABCTales or in book form(link is external).  In brief, after a series of adventures, at the end of the last series, 'Ethel' and Gwladys ran away from a life of servitude at the Inn, run by her former Lord along with his partner (and their baby), to take their chances on the road (much to Gwladys's chagrin).  After a night camping out in a forest, they entered a small town and Gwladys wasted no time in getting rid of their illegally acquired coach and horses.  Now with a place at an Inn, the problem remains  -how to fund their life on the road?  A pawn shop run by 'Anty Marj' seems to be the short-term answer:

“I’m not at all sure I like it, in here” Aefelthrith said as she looked apprehensively around the shop’s gloomy interior.
Every wall seemed to have a stuffed animal of one sort or another attached to it. Owls peered, deer frowned and fish observed, glassily.  The overall impression was of having been in a road accident and waking to find the contents of a zoo checking if you were still alive.  Other than the stuffed animals, the rest of each wall was heavily draped in some form of dusty and decaying material.  At the end of the shop was a long and ancient wooden counter, partitioning off an even darker and more foreboding section.
“SHOP!” Gwladys yelled, at the top of her voice.
“Did you have to do that?  You scared me half to death!” Aefelthrith snapped.
“Orl right, orl right, keep yer wig on!” An ancient female voice grumbled from the gloom.  Eventually, a curtain, that was indistinguishable from the general darkness behind the counter, parted to reveal a tiny old woman, apparently dressed in the same material as the curtain and almost bent double, shuffling forward.
“Yerrrs?” She said, addressing the floor.
“Leave this to me” Gwladys whispered to Aefelthrith, “Har you the proprietor?” Gwaldys asked, in her best ‘posh’ voice.
“It’s my shop” The old woman nodded, “that’s why I’m behind the counter and not where you are.  Whatd’yerwant?”
“My Lady” Gwladys gestured toward Aefelthrith, who looked astonished, “Hwishes to secure a loan hagainst some objects of value she possesses”
The old woman looked from one to the other of them, for a while, frowned and then said,
“Yer what?”
Gwladys marched over to the counter, bent down and yelled in the woman’s ear,
“SHE WANTS TO PAWN SOME STUFF!”
“Orl right, orl right, I inna deaf yer know!  Wochyergot?”
Gwladys gestured to Aefelthrith, who rooted around in her bag and produced the ring that had formerly graced her ‘Lord’s’ hand, before he accidentally cut it off when signalling his men to charge the enemy.  Gwladys placed it on the counter in front of Anty Marj, who peered at it, suspiciously.
“Coo” She said, eventually, “it’s a big bugger innit?  I’ll ‘ave to tek it in the back an’ ‘ave a proper look” She went to pick up the ring, but Gwladys was too quick for her and she slammed her hand down on top of the jewel.
“HI don’t think so” Gwladys said, firmly.
“Canna see prop’ly, not in this light” Anty Marj whined, “need to gerrit under me glass”
“Then bring the glass, and a candle, out here” Gwladys instructed, “the ring stays here”
“Worrappened to trust?” Anty Marj grumbled.
“It got robbed down a side alley and took up with Suspicion, instead” Gwladys glared at her.
“Orl right, ‘old yer ‘orses” Anty Marj shuffled away, through the black curtain.
“What do you think you are doing?” Aefelthrith hissed at Gwladys.
“Negotiatin’, isn’t that what yer wanted?”
“But…but…if you upset her, she may not give us any money!”
“Gerrawaywithyer!” Gwladys chuckled, “She inner gonna let summat like this go, not without a fight”
A shuffling sound indicated the imminent return of Anty Marj.  She reappeared through the black curtain, this time carrying a large magnifying glass.
“Right, less’avealook then”
Anty Marj peered at the jewel for quite a while.  Eventually, she looked up and said,
“Orl right then, what were yer ‘opin’ for?”
“Dew yew have a slate?” Gwladys asked.
“Yerrs, somewhere” Anty Marj rooted around under the counter and eventually produced a slate tablet.  Gwladys scratched a number on it that Aefelthrith, despite her best efforts, could not see.  Anty Marj studied this for a few moments, her eyebrows shot up and she burst into laughter.  She shrieked, she pounded the counter, she gasped for breath and wiped her eyes.
“Oh gawd!” She exclaimed, finally, “I do like a good larf”
“Hi am not in the habit of joking” Gwladys said, imperiously.
“Oh, come on, you’ve got to be pullin’ me leg, ain’t yer?” Anty Marj shook her head.
Gwladys glared at her.
“I canna give yer that much” Anty Marj shrugged.
“Hit is worth many times that value” Gwladys drummed her fingers on the counter.
“Werl, that mebbe so, I dare say, but who’s gonna pay that sort of money for summat ‘round ‘ere if ‘er” She nodded at Aefelthrith,  “dunner redeem ‘er pledge, eh, tell me that?”  Anty Marj glared back at Gwladys.
“Have yew a counter offer?” Gwladys wiped the slate clean and passed it to Anty Marj.
“Werl” Anty Marj chewed her lip and eventually scribbled something on the slate.
Gwladys picked up the slate and frowned.
“Why do you insult me in this way?” She sighed.
“No’ an insult” Anty Marj shrugged, “fair offer, that”
Gwladys drummed her fingers and frowned.
“Right, this is it, take it or leave it” Gwladys scribbled a number on the slate.
Anty Marj studied the figure, raised her eyebrows, threw the slate back on the counter and said,
“I’ll leave it, ta”
Anty Marj turned around and began to shuffle off, again.
“Gwladys!” Aefelthrith hissed, ugently.
Gwladys held a hand up and shook her head.  She picked the ring up from the counter and said,
“Shall we depart, m’Lady?”
She turned on her heel and began to stride toward the door, winking at a confused Aefelthrith as she passed.
“I’ll tell yer what…” Anty Marj said, over her shoulder.
“’Ere we go!” Gwladys whispered and winked.
“’Ow about…” Anty Marj wiped the slate clean and scribbled another figure.
Gwladys turned around, slowly, and sauntered back to the counter.  She picked up the slate, frowned, then turned and held the slate up, so that Aefelthrith could see it.
“Oh!” Aefelthrith gasped.
“Hright, we have a deal” Gwladys announced.
“Good, I’ll get yer cash” Anty Marj shuffled back through the curtain.
“That much!” Aefelthrith looked astonished.
“Shh, not bad, eh?” Gwladys whispered and winked.
“OH BUGGER!” They heard a shout from behind the curtain, followed by a heavy thump.
“What was that?” Aefelthrith asked.
“Dunno, hope she’s not tryin’ to pull a fast one” Gwladys frowned.
They waited, and waited, nothing happened.
“This is gettin’ past a joke” Gwladys fumed, “I’m goin’ to see what’s goin’ on”
 Gwladys nimbly sat on the counter and swung herself over.
“Gwladys!” Aefelthrith hissed, “You’ll get us in trouble and then we won’t get the money”
“’Old on, I won’t be a moment” Gwladys edged through the curtain.
Aefelthrith looked, panic-strickenly, from the curtain to the shop door and back again.
“Gwladys, what’s going on?”
“Can yer get over that counter, d’yer reckon?” Gwladys shouted.
“Erm, possibly” Aefelthrith looked at the counter, dubiously.
“Then yer’d better get yerself over ‘ere, sharpish”

You can find the previous adventures of Gwladys and Aefelthrith in both Kindle and paperback formats at The Chronicles of a Young Lady (and her Maid)

Now read Episode 5