"No soap!" Oscar demanded.

"We'll need the soap to get you clean, but we'll let you soak a good long while so you don't have to worry about it taking your skin off. I want to see what handsome young man lurks beneath all that grime."

"No soap!" Oscar insisted again. "I'm 'andsome enough already."

"Oh, Oscar, you'll feel so much better once that grime is off. You have no idea how much better. I promise it won't hurt you, every bit of your skin will still be there." She thought for a moment. "I'll get Mama to find you a cookie to go with that sandwich."

"No soap! I'll run hammer and tack to Portside! Oi!"

Sileas looked at Wulfsen helplessly. If an offer of a cookie wouldn't change his mind, she had no idea what would. "Three cookies and a cup of milk?"

"No. Soap." Oscar said stubbornly.

Sileas sighed. "Mama just simply won't allow a grimy, stinky young man in the kitchen or dining hall. It wouldn't surprise me if she asks Wulfsen to post a guard to keep such people out.  Six cookies and two glasses of milk."

"I'm bloody well keepin' me skin! Struth! No soap! Blimey!"

"And I promised it won't steal your skin." Sileas stood and turned to Wulfsen. "I don't know what else to do. Mama and Papa never had to bribe me to do anything."

"Soap eats skin! Honest guv!" Oscar insisted.

Wulfsen frowns. "It sounds like the boy had never touched soap in his life."

"He probably hasn't. Oscar, I promise that soap does not eat skin. I still have all of mine." Sileas feared she had made a mistake. Maybe it was naive of her to believe all these children would want homes.

"Yor lyin'!" Oscar protested.

"Oscar, you can come out and look for yourself. There is skin on me, everywhere it belongs."

"Yer can't fool me! Right!" Oscar shouted.

"I'm sorry that you think I'm trying to fool you. I'm sorry I was mistaken that you'd like a home and a good life. I'm..." Sileas lowered her head, "I'm sorry I tried to force my dream for a family on you. We'll return you to Portside tomorrow unless you want to train to be a squire." Her shoulders slumped. "You don't need to worry about taking a bath or me forcing any sort of attention on you."

"I want ter keep me skin! Blimey!" Oscar said, sounding miserable.

"As I said, you do not have to worry about me trying to impose being a family on you any longer. I gave you your two choices. Unfortunately for you, being part of a family requires being clean." She glanced at Wulfsen, "Why don't you take him to bed down with the squires and all, and I will see you in the morning. I'm bone tired and looking forward to a comfortable stationary bed."

"Sileas..." Wulfsen frowned. "Maybe things are moving too fast for the boy."

"Forcing what I want for him is no better than what was done to me when I was his age. I won't lower myself to that level. It needs to be his choice, his decision."

Wulfsen's frown deepened. "The Spensers did not force a decision out of you either. When they adopted you, weren't there some things you were not used to that they had to be patient about? Like your habit of stealing food?"

"I know they didn't force a decision, and yes, they had to be patient with my penchant for stealing. But Oscar needs a bath so he's not full of grime and stench. Mama gave me a bath right away, so he's already had longer than I did. Who knows what critters are on him right now?"

"If he's only afraid of soap maybe we can just dunk him in the pond for now." Wulfsen said. "He's from Portside, he must know how to swim."

"The Mermen..." she reminded Wulfsen. "That's why I didn't mention the pond." Just the idea of one of those horrible men getting close to Oscar sent shivers down her spine.