"You're welcome, mi'lord." She kept her gaze averted until he was past her, at which point she looked out to watch them ride out to the fields, completely bewildered. "What on earth do you suppose that was all about? I could'a sworn I was in trouble, but that all ended rather pleasant like." She shook her head. He had kept calling her 'my lady,' and what had earned her that was well beyond her.

"Oh hun, he's going to take you with him." Her mother had picked up on the tone and look. "Probably to be a maidservant to his wife, but I know that look, he wants to bed you." She got up and went over to Jo and grabbed her sleeve at the shoulder to tug her up. "We should get you cleaned up before he returns."

"Bed me?! Mother!" She was understandably shocked. "What a shameful thing! Bedding a married man I'm not the one married to! And I don't even know who he is!" Her cheeks turned beet red, but she allowed herself to be brought to her feet and followed her mother indoors.

"Look, so long as you do what you're told, you'll have a roof over your head and food in your belly, and that's more than I can promise you." Anna softened a little. "This is an odd form of blessing, Jo, so take what you can get. We are too far from the convent to send you there... What did you think would become of you after your father and I pass on? This is good, so for once don't question it, because you can't afford to mess this up. Now, wash up!"

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The sound of horses caught the attention of the workers, but most kept on with what they were doing. They couldn't waste the daylight and the good weather. Joseph had just placed another bundle onto the back of a wooden cart when he heard his name called out.

"Eh? That's me, who's asking?" He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his sleeve and looked in the direction of the prince and his men. Quickly sizing up the apparent importance of the gentleman, given his clothing and number of guards, he muttered out a quick apology and gave a stiff bow. Although, unlike the women Edwin had run into earlier, Joseph stood back straight again. He could be respectful, but he had some sense of self worth as well and recognized that.

"Ah, pardon me, mi'lord." It took him a couple of seconds for what was said to register with him, as it was all very unexpected. "Oh, you're here for Jo? Well, by all means, it would be an honor, sire. I uh... don't have much to offer for a dowry... see, that's why she's still with us. It isn't that there is anything wrong with her, sire..." His brain scrambled to think of anything worth value while his mouth kept moving. What did they have left that would be compensation for taking on another mouth to feed? "We have the milk cow, if you like, sire.."

Thankfully his son had come over out of curiosity by this point and had actually caught what was going on. He placed his hand on Joseph's shoulder. The poor man had spent far too many long years out in the sun and was a touch confused, not to mention it was an altogether unusual situation.

"Father, I believe the gentleman wants to take care of the dowry himself, and give you a gift." Besides, the milk cow technically belonged to him and his wife, not his parents, and he wasn't about to let it go due to a misunderstanding.

"Well, that's different," Joseph muttered to himself. "If that's the case, sire, we could use an ox. Or, if that's too much, a hen would be very appreciated." He was quick to add on the second offer as he wasn't wanting to scare the suitor away when he hadn't been expecting to be able to marry his last daughter off to begin with. Honestly, he was willing to bargain right down to letting his daughter go for free, as that was still a better deal than having to send a dowry with her. But he wasn't going to say that outright unless it looked like the prince was going to leave without her.

(sorry for taking so long. I think my cold or flu or whatever it was is almost gone now, though, so yay :) I have a clear head again!)