"Let me walk you home." Adris caught up to Agnes as she waited for the horse drawn carts to pass.

"Why are you bothering with me? Don't you have other women that need your attention?"

Like the ones watching them with green eyes.

"Jealousy, is that it?"

Agnes frowned at him. Did he refer to her or the maidens silently cursing her?
"If you speak of me, no. I'm not jealous."

"Then why did you reject my offer. Do you know what women would give to have a night alone with me?"

"Their souls I could imagine." Agnes muttered.

"So you are aware."

Agnes rolled her eyes.
"Please spare me." She couldn't get away from him fast enough.

"From what?" He asked following beside her.

Agnes sighed. If he had to know then she would tell him.
"Spare me from having unrealistic expectations that a man such as yourself would ever find me attractive. Spare me from raising my standard in men and making it impossible to find a husband and living alone and unloved in this bitter world. Spare me."

He stared with his lips pressed and his eyes solemn.

"Lord, to you sex might be all that it is. Sex. But I've seen what it does to those with weak hearts. That's why I hope to preserve my body for a man who truly wants to love me. Not a quick fuck."

The corners of his lips quirked up. He cupped her face, grazing his thumb on her lower lips.
Her heart jumped rushing blood through her ears and stealing all strength from her knees.
"You're wrong Agnes, sex isn't always just sex to me. I can throughly please and make you feel loved."
Agnes! Be strong!
She slapped his hand away and she might have as well slapped his face.
"I want someone who wants forever with me. Someone who loves me in every sense of the word not. Like what my parents had. I don't want someone like you who just wants to roll in the sack just for a good time. It's a shame. If you think that's what love is, then you haven't experienced true love, sir. So stop wasting both our times."

Agnes scoffed at the nonsense such a beautiful man could spew.
She meant every word. She refused to be a conquest to men who wished to play games.
She only hopes in future her head would be screwed on as tightly as it had been today.

***
"I thought you wouldn't come home after whoring at parties." The bent wrinkly old goat she referred to as grandmother said when she saw her.
She'd heard.

"Grandmother I still know no man."

She spat inches away from Agnes sandals.

"You lie almost as well as your mother. I guess she taught you something before she drowned my son."

She made it sound as though Agnes's mother had held her son's head under water during the tempest that destroyed their ship.

"Thank you." Agnes said only to spite to witch.

Her sandal flew at Agnes head and she ducked just in time.

"Where's my breakfast?"

Agnes exhaled and begged for patience, she'd expected this.
The hag still expected her to miraculously make her food though she didn't sleep in the house.

She went into the kitchen and laid out the borrowed food on a clean plate.
This would be enough to calm her grandmother while she started preparations for lunch.

Later she met up with Helen to press the olives they'd sell in the market that afternoon.

"I hope they'll be people in town today." Helen said from beside Agnes who just finished placing the last jar on the donkey cart.

"There was a good number earlier this morning."

"This morning? Errands for the old lady?" She asked.

"No. I didn't sleep at home."

Helen gasped, "You naughty girl. You sent me home only to get nasty. Tell me. With who?"

Agnes smacked her friends thigh.
"Idiot."

"Get your mind out of the filth. I just got spent the night away because Grandmother was asleep and I couldn't wake her."

"You mean she locked you out and made you sleep outside." Helen rolled her eyes.
"If she wasn't your only family, I'd have given her my piece."

"It's fine. Let's go."

The sun moved across the sky and taking the hours with it. And in all that time, Helen and Agnes managed to sell two out of twenty and two jars.

"I hate this."

"Maybe if you showed a little more skin," Agnes poked at her friends side.

"And what would Leo think of me showing his goods about."

Agnes laughed. "He'd say his soon-to-be-wife was brilliant."

"You will be at the wedding?" Helen asked.

"Of course. The old goat couldn't drag me away."

"I'd like to buy a jar please."

Agnes found Adris at their cart with an entourage of females.

Helen squeezed the blood from her left arm.
"From us?"

"No, Helen. From the donkey." Agnes smiled at Adris.
"You should get one for Lord Eros as well. We'll give you a discount."

Helen tugged at her arm dangerously close to dislocating a shoulder.
"You know him?" She said something between a squeal and whisper.

"No." She replied.

"Is this your friend?" Adris asked.

"Yes. Helen, this is Lord Adris."

Helen bowed. "Would you like to marry me? I mean would you see me married? I mean..."

"She would like to invite you to her wedding on the twelfth day of this month." Agnes came to her rescue.

"Such a shame to see a beauty taken off the market."

Agnes saw her friends mind work and she immediately stepped in.
"Adris, you'll have her cancel the wedding with words like that. Then you'll be responsible for her all your life."

Adris grin didn't wane but his eyes turned when they fixed on Agnes.
"Apologies. I meant this man is a lucky man. Agnes, I'll see you at the wedding."

"Wait!" Agnes called after him.

"Won't your friends want some olive oil? Its the best on the market."
And they did.
"Wow! The most handsome man is buying olive oil from us again." Agnes yelled at Helen.
"It's certainly the finest oil in all of Greece."

Adris narrowed his eyes at her seeing through her trick but choosing to say nothing even though his eyes were bursting with words.

"Lord Adris, we'll see you tomorrow?"

He bowed slightly and left before the influx of customers became overwhelming.

Agnes laughed all the way home with a bag full of coins.

"I can't believe it." Helen spoke.

She kissed the coin bag and thought of all the good things she could do with it.

"I can't believe you know someone like him. Should I get married?"

Agnes slapped her friends back.
"I'm joking."

"Don't even joke like that. With all those women behind him, do you think he'd have time for you?"

Helen hugged her around the neck. "You're right, Aggie. Now let's get you ready for my wedding. It'll be here before you know it."

The ladies took their share of the money and hid it. Giving only what they promised their parents to them.