“Yes, but… he’s not interested in me in the way you think, at least, not yet. He came to me for combat lessons, practice with a sword. I don’t know why he came to me when many others in the city could train him. Yet he seems glad I took him on and he’s paying me well.”
“And is he handsome?” Alice asked, flushing a little. She’d never married. No man had even been allowed to court her. Her mother had forbidden it. Such… excitement… would be too much for her. And in truth, it might be. Certainly, the trials of childbirth would have been brutal, if not fatal for Alice. But still, she’d been denied so much, so she had to live vicariously through others.
“Not handsome,” I said finding myself blushing a little more. “Butbeautiful, with delicate features and soft, caring eyes.” I wasn’t sure where that description had come from. It was true, but I wouldn’t usually have described anyone that way.
“Oh, youhavefallen for him, haven’t you?” Emri said with a laugh.
“You certainly speak of him as a lover might,” Alice added.
I laughed. This was all so new for me. I drew a long breath to calm myself.
“Perhaps, but I have no clue if he feels the same, and even if he did, the chances of a relationship would be slim. He’s a noble and I’m not. We might… have a little fun, but it could never go farther than that.”
“Trust me, girl, have some fun if you get the chance. Love, or even just the passing affections of something like this are… rare.” My aunt ended with a sigh. She spoke from experience.
She’d never married.
I’d gone to live with her when she was just sixteen. And having a baby in her life — even one that wasn’t her own — had made it very difficult for her to find a man to court her. She’d never complained about it, and it had turned out to be a boon when she’d been selected to be Princess Alice’s lady’s maid, since the position was for an unwed woman.
Still…
I nodded to her. Perhaps I would ask Leo if he’d like…something else. Or perhaps he might ask me first? I didn’t think it likely, but I could hope.
“What brings you to the palace?” Alice asked and I was caught a little off guard. I should have expected a question like this. I couldn’t tell them I was bringing Prince Victor’s mistress.
“I… just wanted to see you both. It’s been so long,” I lied. Ithadbeen too long. I should have come to see them on my own without having had any other reason to come, which meant I now felt horrible.
“It has,” Alice said with a smile. “I’m glad you came.” She sighed. “As you might have noticed, today’s been a rough day.”
At times, it was almost impossible to tell Alice was afflicted. Some days she felt well enough to walk in the palace gardens, though no farther than that. Today she seemed particularly weak.
Alice looked out the many windows streaming sunlight into her rooms. “Sometimes I think that we are connected, Tisi,” she said a bit dreamily. “Two parts of some whole. The world made me weak so you could be strong, as strong as a man, perhaps stronger.” She smiled, though it was tinged with sadness.
“I… I never knew…” I said softly. It was an interesting compliment, if a horrible thought. I certainly hoped that I hadn’t taken strength from another to become who I was. “If I could give you my strength…” I would help her if I could.
She turned to me, the sad smile growing bright. “Youdogive me strength Tisi. That’s the other reason I have this strange fantasy, because every time you’re here I always feel stronger.” She squeezed my hand again and oddly… itwasmore forceful.
“I’m… touched,” I said. “I’m glad my visits help.”
“They do,” my aunt said softly. “Very much.” I sensed a subtle admonition in those words. I shouldn’t be a stranger.
“I’ll come more often,” I vowed. Certainly, I’d be here at the palace much more often now, with Veora’s visits. “It’s a promise.”
“I’m so glad,” Alice said. “Now.” She perked up, definitely livelier than when I’d arrived. “What else is new in your life Tisi? You must tell us everything!”
So, I did. Though there wasn’t much new to tell. I didn’t feel comfortable mentioning Prince Victor, at least not yet, so not much else in my life had changed. Yet, when conversation turned from me to life at the palace, Prince Victor quickly came up. Alice was conspicuously silent, but my aunt had a lot to say:
“I can’t believe that man! He seemed perfectly respectable and reasonable, then suddenly he’s pushing his wife and family away and seeing this hussy! I don’t know who to blame: this new noblewoman, whoever she is, or Prince Victor himself for being so weak willed and lustful as to pursue her! It’s shameful. The man should be flogged for his infidelity. It makes me glad I never married. Men can be so… ugh! Just… like…Men!”
I couldn’t fault that logic. Certainly, the one man I’d thought I’d loved had broken my heart, leaving me after the war with only the words: “I’ll be back!” But Kel had never come back. He’d returned to Pearlia and apparently forgotten about me.
We continued to chat until the fourth bell, when I made my way back to Prince Victor’s rooms. Veora was flushed and a little disheveled, but she hid it well.
I walked her back to her house, then returned home.
When I arrived, Daz was there with an odd look on his face.
“You’d said you’d gotten a couple of new jobs, but I’d never expected…” He motioned to a small chest on the table. “Someone came by while you were out and dropped that off. There are twenty-four strips of silver in it! They said it was three months’ payment. What job did you get: guarding a prince?”
