The gentleman nodded, and frowned “what would that do?”
I cantered my head side to side “It’ll make her imputant. She’ll have no way to trap, or attempt to bully me into something. It’ll frustrate her.” I grinned a bit. “The final bout she’ll almost demand I make another ludicrous bet, it’ll have to be another lordly bet enough to get her money back, and embarrass me just as much as she embarrassed herself. It could be enough to hurt her in the long term if she loses.”

The gentleman looked awfully grave at that “I see, it’s a shame she’s bringing this on herself.”

The next day I was busy, up to my arm pits in horse manure. Even a few horses can make a mess of things in short order, and the livery had a few clients. Also lords, and ladies tended to not come within ten feet of that much horse dung.

The bitter want to be baroness Lady Rebecca nevertheless showed up, and I made it incredibly inconvenient for her to talk to me by unloading a wheelbarrow full of the smelly stuff on top of a newer pile. She had another sack of coins, and I smirked when she tromped up the pile of crap, and asked in a stilted “would you like to make another bet?”

I shook my head “No bet” I said, and made my way off the pile, and back into the livery to continue mucking. The look on her face as I passed showed just how much she resented me at the moment.

She persisted “I’m talking real money here, an amount so high that your little commoner mind couldn’t wrap around it.”

The corner of my mouth twitched in a half smile “And if I lose you will ruin me? As you have sworn to the four elements? Have me emptying chamber pots, and likely any other demining task you can think of.”

She palled once again “what? What?!” Her mind was starting to boil to come up with some sort of cover.

But before she could spit anything out I said again “No bet, sorry” and for good measure, the manure I was digging, and loading missed the wheelbarrow, and landed on her boots causing her to storm off.

The bitter lady's antics over the last few days had only served only to worsen her reputation, even the other knights, and nobles were telling her that she was stepping over lines, all this had the effect of making her even more bitter.

By the time of the main event came the following day she was in what could be a blind rage if she was actually fighting with me. We were both in the Inn, and she was staring at me, and if looks could kill, hers would have destroyed an entire city. I simply smiled at her. See smiles, and being happy can be the best insult to a person like her.