AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Her face flushes, and her hands begin to tremble. "Only once, milady."
I could hear the words that she didn't say. That once had been enough. I wonder how James had let that kind of behavior occur in his castle. As far as I had seen he had always treated the palace staff with utmost courtesy and respect.
I hoped that hadn't changed.
The girl quickly finishes her measurements and is out the door before I can say another word. I cursed slightly at her quickness and obvious fear of me.
I look around the room, wondering if she had forgotten that I needed a dress to wear for the day, when she appears again. She carries with her a gorgeous sapphire blue gown.
"Will this be alright?" she asks, a slight twinkle in her gaze.
I eye her. "What are you thinking?" I ask, a small laugh in my voice at the impish side that has all of a sudden appeared in this timid girl.
"Nothing of course. I just know that this is the King's favorite color," she says with a small grin. "I think milady would look ravishing in it," she says. "I’m thinking blue for the dinner tonight as well."
It was easy to read between the lines of what she was saying. She meant I would look good for James.
I wasn’t sure that I was even in a fight for James’ attention...only that I wanted to be. I guess I could use every advantage I could get. And I did remember that he had always been obsessed with me in blue...
I put on the dress, suddenly not feeling like such a fish out of water here. Looking in the mirror, I see a woman that belongs in the 1400s. It reminds me of how much I had loved getting dressed up for special occasions growing up. I look like that girl...with the exception of the new dark shadows that are always present in my eyes.
That, I was afraid, would never go away.
The girl had been kind enough to get two servants to come up and help me with my hair after she had left. I had never been good at doing the elaborate updos that were so popular at this time, so I was grateful for the help. I listen as the two girls that had been sent chattered as they did my hair. From the gossip that was coming out of their mouths, they weren’t afraid to talk in front of me. I tried to document everything they were saying so that it could help me fit in more in this time again.
They left the room as soon as my hair was done. I couldn't help but admire how I looked. I looked like the old Juliet Caris.
I wasn’t sure how long James was going to take, but I wanted to leave his rooms, either to find him or to try and talk to other people in the palace to find out more about Francesca.
Suddenly I thought of the old woman who had helped me yesterday. While it was clear that she hadn’t been thrilled to help me, she had seemed like she knew something about my past. Maybe I would start there.
I wandered over to where I remembered the kitchens had been. Sure enough she was in there with a few other servants. The kitchen was bustling, I assumed for preparation for the banquet that night.
When she saw me, it seemed like she knew why I was there. She shoos the other servants out of the kitchen and turns to me. I wasn’t sure what exactly to say. I remembered that accusations of witchcraft were not taken lightly during this time and anything out of the ordinary could be seen as such. I would need to be careful of the questions I asked her.
"Can I help you?" she says, her face a blank mask.
I was still debating how much to say. “Did you know my mother?” I ask.
"Before she disappeared?"
The way she said disappeared makes me more suspicious of how much she knows.
I nod. “How long did you know her.”
Her eyes flash, again signaling that she knows something. "Since I was a wee girl," she replies.
“Can you tell me about her?" I ask.
After a pause, she nods stiffly.
"Your mother was the same as you, she has a wandering heart," she says.
"Wandering heart, what does that mean? And what do you mean “she has?” Isn’t she dead?"
"The only person who can answer your question is a woman in the neighboring village. Her name is Isabelle. Many think she's crazy, but I think that it would benefit you to talk with her," she says vaguely, turning back towards the stove to signal that she was done speaking to me.
My heart leaps in my chest. This was something. Something for the first time. I want to ask a million more questions, but I didn't want to push my luck after again she has been so helpful. I leave the kitchen quietly, my mind whirling at the idea that my mother could still be alive...and that she could be just like me.
