With the name of Jesse Thomas Cromwell, he definitely belongs in the world of Renaissance Faires. Playing old instruments of yore and singing ballads and bawdy tunes puts him on stage. This is Jesse’s favorite pastime, and things are going well until bagpiper James opens up a competition on a neighboring stage. Jesse becomes louder and bawdier until security comes and kicks him out.<br><br>Later James finds Jesse and apologizes for the ruckus. Together with a young lad whose faire gear was stolen and James’s niece, or maybe now nephew, they hatch a plan to get back into the Ren Faire. There are signs James isn’t altogether straight, but can Jesse answer that question in a satisfying way? Especially when they just might get thrown out of the faire again?

The Troubador

“She took my fucking van!” James shouted to the roar of the thunder above, drowning it out. The skies cried large dolloping tears of sympathy. I was already soaked, but I could swear I was getting even wetter. I turned around, whistling idly, and walked back inside to the relative safety of the barn.


When James came back in, he’d been crying. You could tell, even though there was still rain dripping off his now soggy hat and hair. Alan pointed it out to me, tugging at my sleeve and nodding. He cut his eyes at me and I could see the pain in his eyes. Of course I immediately went to James and took him aside to tell him it would be all right, that we’d manage.


“All my clothes are in my van. My money, everything. But you know what’s worse?”


By then I had led James over to some other hay bales, in the near privacy of an empty stall. We sat down, I with my arm around him. Wet and soggy, just like me.


Chapter 14