Kenneth Woods had been considering taking on a boarder for a long time. Then he and Dale had fallen ill as Winifred Sanders had. Then there had been the death of his son... Time had passed. Kenneth decided it was time. His boarder doth approach.
Kenneth held open the door and followed the man inside.
Kenneth hadn't asked any questions. He wasn't in a position to be making demands. He was uncertain of the man's rank. Uncertainly Kenneth gave the smallest of bows. Hopefully it would be enough to placate the man if he were not a peasant, and not enough to humiliate himself if he was.
Kenneth could think of no polite way of asking the man's rank. It hadn't come up in their scrolls. Kenneth felt a rush of gratitude toward Winifred for teaching him to read and write.
As this was the first time they had met in person, Kenneth introduced himself.
"I am Kenneth Woods. I am pleased to be sharing a home with ye."
"Martin Sumner," the man replied stiffly.
Sensing the man needed space more than friendship, Kenneth decided to let him be.
Kenneth and Martin both being working men weren't likely to bump into each other overly much. Martin didn't seek Kenneth out his first day off either. He started painting.
Kenneth wondered if the man be shy, thought Kenneth beneath him, or simply liked to keep to himself.
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