46
"This is torture, sheer torture. It cannot be borne. I will die-"
"You are going to wear out the floor with your incessant marching," The tall man drawled.
Cecilia skidded to a halt with a flair of her green skirts and turned to glare at the speaker who dared to interupt her. Her hair that was meant up in an elaborate bun was now lopsided. Even Beth was languishing and had turned to fiddle with her mistress' hair in the mornings but her skills were limited and it showed.
The tall stranger was sat in a borrowed armchair reading one of the more sedate novels in his companion's collection.
Cecilia had hidden the truly trashy romance novels under her private inner things after the first time she had found one in his hands. The mortification was one she was not keen to feel again.
"We have been trapped here for nearly a month. I cannot and will not stay another moment longer. If Mariana serves up another one of her fish soups I will break her china on her face," Cecilia's lips were a grim slash upon her pale face.
The man just rolled his eyes but instead of going back to the book he closed it and gave her a piercing look.
"Madam, your mind needs appropriate distraction," He proclaimed sedately eyeing the red head's equally red face.
The girl had woken up with a thunderstorm brewing in her head and he had been prepared for lightening bolts she was about to unleash on them.
"How? We are trapped in this miserable inn. There is nothing to do. There is nowhere to go. On top of that this curfew and the suspicious night time activity has made it impossible for us to go out regularly," Cecilia explained as if she hadn't made the same speech many times before.
"At least you have stepped out for essentials. I have not even had that opportunity. I fear I shall lose my stunning tan hidden away in this room," The stranger's voice was deadpan.
"Now, now, no need to stretch the joke. I called it stunning as an afterthought once upon a time. Besides you were eavesdropping!" Cecilia replied with a flustered expression.
"It cannot be classified as eavesdropping if we are sitting in the same room with you only a metre away from me," The man said plainly although his face twitched as if hiding a smile, "As you always are."
"Someone needs to protect you. I cannot allow you to brave danger when you are injured," The redhead tried to explain away her stalkerish behaviour.
"I am sure Simon tires of accompanying me to the outhouse," The man replied, patiently, indicating he knew all her secrets.
"Hush, I saved you and I will keep you safe. I am honour bound," Cecilia was now truly embarrassed.
She had hoped he had not noticed how between the three of them he was never alone but obviously the plan was doomed to fail. From the corner of her eye she saw her companion had gone back to his reading.
Cecilia sat down with a solemness that did not befit her character on the matching armchair. The silence was deafening and that was what terrified her. Silence meant death. When the plague had destroyed her to the point of insanity it was the silence that had added to her pain. She had talked and talked and no one had replied because they were all dead. The silence gave her so much anxiety she felt she would burst.
Even now with so many people stuffed in one room she yearned for human contact that was freely given. All of her companions were forced to be in her company. Two because she paid their wages and the third because he had nowhere to go.
Worst of it all was that she missed him. The first and perhaps the last love of her life, Alexander. He had been her mirror if not in his looks but personality. He yearned the spirit of adventure just like she did and did not give a toss about her gender.
He had promised her they would travel, see the world, eat exotic food, meet the locals, wear their garb. When he had shunned her and pretended he had never offered her marriage it was not just his love for her that she had been deprived off but the life he had promised her. She needed a man to fulfill her dreams unfortunately and she had no inclination of going through the whole courting process again. The irony of it all was that was sat in a town not even on a map and she still was trapped.
Simon and Beth came in the room giggling amongst themselves removing her from her depressing thoughts. If it was anyone who's life was blossoming in the seclusion it was those two. Cecilia gave them a stern look. If they stepped one toe out of line she would not stop to chastise them publicly. Her eyes paused over Simon's weapon and she had a solution to her current boredom.
"Simon you need to teach me how to use your sword! Damian never has time for me especially with the baby on the way and I need to pratice before my skills turn rusty. A dagger is simply not enough," Cecilia stood up with a clap of her hand as if it were decided. Simon looked around the room hoping to commiserate with his companions.
"I could help you practice instead," The stranger said catching onto Simon's misery far better than his oblivious mistress.
"Are you certain? Do you even know how? I wouldn't want to strain your back," The red head was concerned but it seemed like the tall man was determined.
He laid the bookmark in the book gently and tucked it inside his coat. He was a graceful man with clever and precise fingers. Cecilia knew it was stupid of her to wonder if he knew how to fight. He was built for the job.
"It is as well as it ever could be. My movements have ceased to bother me much. I fear restricting my movement might hinder my healing instead of helping," The man give her a flicker of a gleaming smile as he took Simon's offered weapon. He examined it carefully, touching the points with a finger, before handing it to Cecilia.
"Good! I am pleased for you," The girl answered truthfully. To think she had assumed him dead when they had first met and now here he was full of life.
"I am not sure if I can teach you anything for I am still unsure of my prowess but I do know you're holding the sword wrong. A little lower on the handle please," The man interjected and all her charitable thoughts about him vanished.
Cecilia raised her eyebrows in complete disdain. Of course, he would start lording over her as soon as he could.
"No one has ever informed me that. I have been practicing with many accomplished swords persons," Cecilia's tone was biting.
"Maybe they were just being mindful of your feelings," The man replied carefully.
Beth had now hidden her face in her hands expecting another argument. Try as they might it was difficult for them to leave a conversation completely unscathed. They had a strange sort of personality clash they could not avoid no matter how hard they tried.
"Pfft," The redhead replied but she was willing to swallow her pride and learn.
She after all had nothing better to do. Her morning jaunt had only been three days ago and it would not do to put their position at risk with further appearances in town.
"What should I call you? I tire of calling you... Nothing," Cecilia asked as she fiddled with the sword. She showed him the new hand position and her teacher gave her an approving nod.
"Sir, as I call you madam," The man replied without ceremony.
He gripped the edge of her handle and let her ease into a familiar movement. Cecilia belatedly realised how his hands never touched hers as he asked her to use more force.
"No, we have been in close quarters for so long. I cannot abide by such formalities," The girl protested but her teacher was an unmovable rock.
"Understandable since you even call the crown prince by his name but I am not used to.. being casual," The dark headed man pushed back errant hair from his eyes as he watched her moves carefully from a distance.
"How do you know? For all you know you must have bandied about your friends calling them by their given names," The Lady asked mulishly.
"It makes me uncomfortable. I cannot deny my true nature. And besides I do not wish to be called by a false name. Until it is my own I will not find peace," Dark eyes met hers and she knew he was being sincere.
Cecilia was slightly disheartened by his lack of openess. The man was like impenetrable iron. He would reveal nothing if she did not interrogate him regularly.
"It's nothing against you if you are mistaken by my refusal. The society I come from is not as open as it is here," He offered apologetically.
"I understand your position," Cecilia swallowed up her ire that he thought she needed to be pacified like a small child.
It was true they were not friends but she was not so beastly that he had to worry about her tantrums. She asked, "What do you remember? Are you recalling things slowly or does it come in sudden bursts?"
"I cannot say. I feel like the pieces of my life that were stolen from me are slowly coming back piece by piece. And to answer your question I recently remembered people wearing vivid colours. Your people are very bland in comparison," The man nodded as if he spoke the absolute truth.
Cecilia looked down at her green outfit which matched her eyes.
"I wear many colours. My wardrobe is a peacock of colours!" The girl protested waving the forgotten sword in her hand. She also failed to notice all her companions take a step back.
"It is still rather plain. No prints, no pattern. All rather dull, no?" His brown eyes trailed over her outfit with a pinched expression before shrugging as if his observations were non consequential.
"Dull?" Her voice squeaked feeling mortally offended. Did he just call her fashion sense dull? "We have been acquainted for only a short while and I assure you it is much more varied than what you see. I only packed my practical outfits for this journey."
"Forgive me for offending your tastes. I had no intention to-" The words of the apologetic man were cut off by an interruption at the door. The handle rattled furiously and the door slammed open with a loud bang. All the occupants jumped up in alarm.
Sir Russell stood in their doorway revealing a very singed appearance briefly before falling face first on the floor before him.
---
*
