"Jane M. Lindskold - A Touch of Poison" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lindskold Jane)

through a middlemanтАФfifteen years before.

Their economic rivals had taken enormous pleasure in Greene Reid's "losing" his inheritance to another
sharp operator. How father and son had laughed when two years later Greene had publicly purchased
the holdings from the middleman, having carefully allowed for enough time to pass that no one could
classify these profitable lands at the lower rate reserved for inheritance.

Greene Reid had risen to the ranks of the Opulent with that purchase and had never left themтАФnot even
when pirates had taken one of his best vessels, not even when foot maggots killed most of his swamp
slaves, not even when he himself had been laid low with a hacking cough and had been unable to give his
complete attention to managing his properties for the turning of four full moons.

Careful attention to detail, relentless labor, and a canny sense for what would turn a profit were only part
of the reason for his success. The other reasonтАФ and one that many of his competitors in this
slave-holding nation could not understandтАФwas building intricate ties of loyalty and alliance between
himself and his vassalsтАФfree and slave alike.

Slaves were, in many ways, easier to manage, for they could always be offered credit toward their
eventual freedomтАФor that of their childrenтАФas a reward for faithful service. Unlike many slave owners,
Greene Reid never reneged on such agreements, never created reasons to remove credit from a slave's
account or arbitrarily punished a slave financially.

An erring slave was offered a choice between physical and financial penaltyтАФand an astonishing number
chose the lash rather than losing a chance to buy freedom.

Free servants were more difficult to reward, though financial bonuses worked with them as well. Even
better, however, were those little kindnesses that a rich master could grant so easilyтАФand with so little
cost to himself.

Such had been the case with Adalia Baker. When her husbandтАФone of his sailing mastersтАФhad
contracted a late autumn fever, Reid's obligation to Adalia ended with the payment of her husband's
death bonus. However, he had taken the trouble to offer her work on his estate, had arranged for her
infant son to be cared for in the nursery with the other children who lived in his household, and so had
earned her best efforts.

Adalia had accepted her promotion to chief baker with decorous gratitude that didn't conceal a slightly
malicious sense of triumph. She had been too well-mannered to say directly that the chief cook had been
conniving against herтАФwanting the position for a grandnieceтАФbut Reid had listened to his steward's
report of the situation.

Cook had been warned and Adalia promoted. Reid considered the sumptuous baked delicacies that
graced his tables reward enough for this coup of household management, but he was to learn that
morning that his devotion to justice had also earned him his life.

The Supreme Affluent of Waterland had broken off a corner of pastry dripping with deliciously
almond-scented filling and was raising it to his lips when a trembling female voice ordered:

"Stop."

Reid did so automatically. Looking up from his account books, he saw Adalia Baker standing in the