They Gave the Doomed Duke the Wrong Bride novel · Chapter 4 of 32

Chapter 4: Road Tax

"Put it down," I said.

The sergeant didn't look at me. He was enjoying Ned's face too much.

"Stay out of it, Duchess."

"Put the sword down, or I'll read your ledger out loud."

That made him look.

Every guard sergeant on the exile road carried a ration book. I knew because my father's office printed them.

So many sacks of barley per head per day, signed at each inn where the Crown paid for it.

His was sticking out of his saddlebag ten feet away.

I walked over and took it.

"Give that here."

I opened it and held it to his torch.

"Last night's inn," I said, loud enough for the whole column to hear. "The Crown paid for forty-four rations of barley, four of salt pork and a sack of oats for the horses. Signed by you."

The other carts were waking up. Faces at the canvas flaps.

"Forty-four rations," I said. "We got one ladle of water with barley waved over it. Where's the pork?"

"Lies," the sergeant said.

"It's your signature. Shall I show the magistrate at Fennick? He signs these too. He'd love to know where four sacks of the King's barley went between the inn and our bowls."

One of the guards by the fire coughed into his fist.

A woman two carts down said, "I smelled meat on their fire."

"So did I," said an old man.

The sergeant looked at the column. Thirty-one hungry people and a cook with arms like hams.

He looked at his twelve men, who suddenly didn't seem very interested in backing him.

He lowered the sword.

"Give me the book."

"In Fennick," I said. "In front of the magistrate. Until then, everyone in this column gets their full ration, and the boy gets seconds."

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