by Jessica Loft
“I’m so sorry my Lord!” Jasmine exclaimed, her words finally reaching her lips. “I should have been watching where I was going.”
Robert smiled down at the beautiful young woman, his hands slowly leaving her arms.
“You’re not alone,” he eased. “I wasn’t watching where I was going either. In fact, I’m pretty sure that I’m lost. You see I had snuck off to use the lavatory from the advisor, and somehow got very, very turned around.”
Jasmine’s eyes grew big as she realized who she was talking to. “You’re Duke Robert of Earlsbury.”
Robert nodded his head. “A pleasure my lady,” he greeted, bowing at his waist to kiss her hand. “And who might you be?”
She felt a crimson blush bloom into her cheeks as she felt his soft lips press into the back of her hand. For a moment, she forgot that she was a hand maiden, and the man in front of her was royalty. They were just two people trying to find where they were supposed to be.
“My name is Jasmine, my Lord. I am Lady Astrid’s head hand maiden.”
Robert’s eyebrows went up in surprise. True, she was dressed like a servant he supposed, but with her beauty and the way she carried herself, she could have easily passed as a Lady in disguise.
“A hand maiden you say? To Lady Astrid?” Robert placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, and leaned in a little closer.
“What is my future bride like?” He asked.
“You do not know sire?”
Robert shrugged his shoulders. “Only from what I hear from rumors. That she is as beautiful as she is cold.”
“You’re not wrong,” Jasmine blurted out without even realizing it. Her eyes went wide as she realized her mistake. “My Lord, please I didn’t mean”-
“It’s all right,” Robert assured her, his tone low and calming. He studied her face, his gaze traveling over her beautiful eyes, rosy cheeks, and then down to her lip, where a fresh cut still swelled. Gently he reached out and touched his fingertips to it.
“Did she do this to you?” He asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Jasmine opened her mouth to speak, but she wasn’t sure what to say. If she said yes, she could be committing treason. If she said no, he would press for a name. Not sure what else to do, she stepped away from Robert’s warm touch.
“My apologies Sire, but what matter is it of yours? You know me not and I am hardly a damsel worth rescuing.”
Robert’s mood grew dark as she backfired. He was only trying to help her. Still, her sudden pluckiness was rather adorable.
“I like you, Jasmine,” he said, a smirk on his chiseled lips. “I think you and I will be great friends.”
~
Jasmine walked numbly into the kitchen, not sure at all what had just happened. She was quite sure that the Lord and she were having a tender moment, and then suddenly she fired up and ruined it. It does not matter, she told herself. He is to be wed to the Lady Astrid.
“There you are!” Laurel shouted, rousing Jasmine from her thoughts. “The Lady’s bell has been ringing nonstop for ten minutes! Where on earth did you disappear to?”
“I’ll explain everything later,” Jasmine promised, flying into action. She pulled the silver tray out of the special cupboard and quickly loaded it with her Lady’s breakfast and morning tea. As she hurried to leave the kitchen and once again climb the stairs, Laurel came up to slide a piece of buttered toast between her teeth.
“Thank you,” Jasmine muffled, chewing on the bread as she hurried to her Lady’s chambers.
“Did you die on the way to getting my breakfast?” Lady Astrid asked, her tone full of disdain.
Jasmine bowed quickly, and sat her breakfast down before she explained. “No my Lady. I was distracted by Lord Robert of Earlsbury.”
Lady Astrid’s eyes went wide as she heard the news. “He’s here? Already? But the correspondence stated that he would not be here until after noon!” A shot of jealousy sped through her, and she suddenly narrowed her eyes and looked right at Jasmine.
“What were you doing with him?” She asked, her tone full of misguided accusation.
“He got separated from his advisor my Lady. He was simply trying to find his way back to him.”
The answer seemed to sate Lady Astrid for the moment, and her mind became preoccupied with other things. “Come, hurry, fetch my dress and do my hair whilst I eat.”
CHAPTER 5
2 Weeks Later
Jasmine giggled as she read the note Robert had left her, finding it both roguish and funny. As she suspected, Robert had disliked the Lady immediately. Where he was warm and understanding, she was cold and unforgiving. He likened her to a serpent, and she likened him to a beast. Just like her, he had made his dislike for the marriage known.
However, when he could, he would sneak off with Jasmine in the gardens, and together they would talk for hours. He told her of the far away lands he’d travelled to, his family, and his thirst for adventure. And she told him her desires to be loved and wanted, and not lied to.
“Who lied to you?” He asked.
A large part of her wanted to tell Robert the truth. The more she got to know him, the more she understood that though he was a royal, he had a soft and open heart. One that he was trying to protect from the cold clutches of Lady Astrid.
Still, she couldn’t risk the Lady finding out her secret, not until she had enough money saved, which was still very far away. She would miss Laurel and her family, and now she would miss Robert, but she refused to put her baby in danger.
Instead of telling him the truth, she simply shrugged her shoulders and explained that many people lied, and that it was upsetting to her. He had let the conversation drop, but Jasmine knew that he was sniffing something out, and that she had to be more careful.
Since then, she had tried to maintain correspondence as just notes, hidden in strategic places around the castle. Pulling the pencil and paper from her apron, she quickly jotted down a response, and slid it back behind the cupid’s statue in the hallway. It was one of their many drop offs for their notes, and the most frequented one.
“My my, don’t you look awfully happy,” Laurel commented as soon as she saw Jasmine walk into the kitchen. “Having another go at Duke Robert, are we?”
“Hush Laurel!” Jasmine scolded. “Don’t talk like that, people will think the worst!” The two women giggled, and together helped to set the table for the evening meal. On most days, Lady Astrid had Jasmine running ragged with errands all day long and late into the night. However, since Duke Robert had shown up, the Lady and the Lord had been, by protocol, forced to dine with one another and Lord Stephan in the dining hall instead of their separate rooms. Giving her time to sit down and dine with the other servants.
Though she felt bad that Lord Robert and Lady Astrid didn’t get along, she also enjoyed having the time to sit down and actually share a meal with her friends, instead of having to grab a bite here and there whenever she could. With the table set, Mildred set down a pitcher of fresh milk and bread, and James brought over a platter of baked fish with boiled potatoes. He had used one of the precious lemons from the royal pantry and spritzed it over the fish, making it smell exotic and delicious.
As they ate, Jasmine looked around at all of them, feeling oddly peaceful. It felt like how a family was supposed to feel. There was no screaming, no yelling, and no strangers trying to reach up her skirts while she brought them ale. She wished then that it could be that calm forever.
~
“No Clara, you don’t understand,” Lady Astrid whined, picking up one of the delicate pink macaroons that her friend the Duchess had brought. “He’s a bleeding heart, an absolute bore. He talks more to the servants than he does to me, it’s just ghastly.”
She took a bite of the delicacy as she picked up her golden bell and gave it a ring. At her side Jasmine appeared, holding the glass of cold lemonade with a straw in it at the perfect position. Lady Astrid simply had to turn her head to take a sip. Normally, Jasmine
didn’t mind her work, no matter how grueling it was. The moments where she was forced to act as a piece of human furniture though, those were down right degrading, and were what she felt most ashamed of.
Lady Clara’s eyes lit up with glee as she saw Jasmine suffer. She was just as cold and heartless as Lady Astrid, only nowhere near as beautiful. “I’m thirsty as well maid,” she said, knowing that Jasmine would have no choice but to obey.
She bit her lower lip as she waited for Lady Astrid to finish her sip. The pregnancy was wreaking havoc on her mind and body, and she was having a harder time than usual trying to keep her mouth closed. It was unfortunate moments like these where she felt as if she would rather be in the wilderness alone than at the beck and call of spoiled Ladies when she thought she might actually refuse their demands. Begrudgingly, she went to pick up Lady Clara’s glass when Robert’s gentle hand appeared and clasped over hers.
Looking up, she saw that there was fire in his eyes, one that burned of anger. Not for her, she knew, but for Lady Astrid. “Jasmine, dearest. Would you give us a moment alone? As a matter of fact, as the future master of this house, I must ask that you take the rest of the day off of your normal duties and tend to the kitchen’s vegetable garden.”
Jasmine looked from Lady Astrid to Robert, seeing the fury in both of their eyes. Whatever was about to happen, she knew she didn’t want to be there for it. Quietly she curtseyed, and nodded her head. “As you wish my Lord,” she murmured, all but running away.
As soon as she was gone, Robert turned towards the Lady’s both of them looking haughty and furious. He stepped up to their table and pressed his large hands into the stone top. “You two should be ashamed of yourselves,” he growled. “She is a servant, yes, but she is also a human being. She is here to see to your well being. She is not to be toyed with as if she were a thing, you understand?”
“Aye, my Lord,” Lady Astrid answered, her voice sugary sweet. “As the future master of this house, it is your right to give assignments to the staff.”
Her obedience surprised him. It was a first in their time together, and was rather alarming. Even Clara, the stuck up Duchess from France, was smiling up at him and nodding her head in assurance. Robert’s jaw ticked from frustration. He knew a coup when he saw one, and he was not in the mood to deal with devilish women.
“My Ladies,” he murmured in farewell. In his mind he had two women to care about, and neither were the stuck up royals at his back. He hadn’t seen Emma in over two weeks now, and he missed her. The ride would take twice as long, but he didn’t care. As for Jasmine, he would see to meeting with her when he returned in the evening.
CHAPTER 6
Robert held the little angel in his lap, where she sat in contentment. Her little back leaned into his chest and she grasped and played with his fingers as if they were the most interesting things in the world. He looked up at Shamus, smiling.
“Thank you old friend,” he whispered. “You have no idea how much I missed her.”
Shamus, standing guard at the caravan entrance, nodded his head. “If I’m being honest, I’m glad as well. She gets sad when she doesn’t get to visit with you every so often. She knows that you’re hers.”
“Has there been any luck at all with the witches? Or even the medicine? Any change at all?”
Shamus sighed, bowing his head. “Come on man, ye know there won’t be. With what they did to her-it can’t be undone.” He paused, taking a shaky breath. “But that doesn’t mean they’re not going to stop trying. Her mother, bless her soul, would have wanted it that way.”
Robert felt his heart fill with sadness, as it often did when it came to what Emma and her mother had been through. Things, cruel, deplorable things were done to them for sake of ‘science’. He detested that he hadn’t been there to save them, to help them. Rosalyn was already too far gone, but he wished more than anything that he could have saved Emma from her fate.
“Listen, Rob. There’s a lot te be thankful for. She eats now, heartily. More and more each day she can lift her spoon on her own. She’s walking now too. She even laughs sometimes, and rarely has to wear a diaper anymore. She’s a lucky lass, and it’s because of you.”
“Thank you my friend,” Robert whispered, feeling a well of tears forming in his eyes. Gently he picked up the little girl and turned her around, holding her tight to his chest in a warm hug. Her tiny arms hugged him back around his neck, and he felt an overwhelming wave of emotion wash over him. “I’ll see you soon, my little princess,” he whispered into her ear, kissing her cheek and her forehead.
Emma’s feet hit the floor as he put her down, and she took off toddling towards the basket of sleeping kittens in the corner of the room. With her distracted, Robert left the caravan’s tent, and stepped outside. Shamus waited for his wife to go in to look after Emma, then walked with Robert towards Nicodemus, who was waiting for him calmly in the forest. Robert had spent a lot more time with Emma than he had predicted, and now the sun was setting. It would be late into the night when he finally returned to Lady Astrid’s castle.
Robert climbed on top of Nicodemus, and leaned down to shake Shamus’s hand. “Once I am wed and everything is in legal order I will come back for her. You and your clan will always be welcome in my keep, if that is what you wish.”
“Remember Robert,” Shamus warned. “Emma be part gypsy. Te elders won’t give her up so easily. Ye may pay more than ye realize for her.”
“I’ll pay whatever is necessary,” Robert promised. “As long as she’s safe and cared for.” From his satchel he pulled out his usual sack of coins and tossed them down to Shamus. “You know I’m good for it.”
~
Jasmine woke up late that night, her brow covered in sweat. With summer now in full swing, it was nearly impossible to find sleep in a cool place. Her stomach felt swollen and bulky, and for the twentieth time that day she felt the need to relieve herself. Swinging her feet off of the bed, she grabbed her lightest shawl and her lantern, and went to use the lavatory. Though she felt much better afterwards, she still felt too uncomfortably hot to go back to bed just yet. In her bare feet, she journeyed through the servant’s passages until making her way to the garden entrance.
The night air felt cool and refreshing on her skin, and as she stepped into the garden, she breathed out a sigh of relief. Above her, the full moon smiled down on the land, lighting the night with a beautiful blue glow. Figuring she didn’t need it, she sat down her lantern and began strolling through the garden. With no one there to watch her, she was able to freely put her hands on her growing belly, and talk to the little one without worry.
“How are you in there my little love?” she whispered, her fingertips tracing over her stomach. “Is it nice and comfortable in there?” She felt a stir against her hands, and a wide smile spread across her face. Though there was no way for her to tell for sure, Jasmine was quite certain that she was having a bouncing baby girl. It was a feeling in her heart, one she was sure that as a mother, couldn’t be wrong.
As she continued to walk and talk, she began to feel increasingly better. The exercise was alleviating some of the pain and pressure on her lower back, and the cool air was helping her fever stay down. Everything was calm, quiet, and beautiful. Around her, several flowers were still in bloom, drawn to the heat of the summer sun. Roses, violets, and lilies all burst with color under the moon’s light.
As she made her way through the maze, she suddenly had the sense that she wasn’t alone. The thought that someone would be awake at this hour other than her hadn’t even crossed her mind, and she began to panic. What if they were waiting there for innocent women like herself? What if it were a rogue, just waiting to pounce in the shadows. She stopped, and slowly took a step backwards, thinking to head back towards the castle, when she heard a familiar voice.
“Who goes there?” Robert called from around the bend. “What purpose have you at this time of night?”
Jasmine stepped around the corner of the ma
ze to find him sitting on one of the stone benches sprinkled throughout the property. “It’s just me,” she replied, walking towards him. Immediately she could tell something was wrong. His shoulders were slumped in, and even from afar she could tell that his blue eyes had been leaking tears.
“What ails you, my Lord?” Jasmine asked. She stopped a mere foot away from him, and reached out her hand to rest on his shoulder.
“Matters of the heart I’m afraid,” Robert responded. He pulled gently on her hand, guiding her down to take a seat on the bench beside him. “Tell me my dear, why are you awake at this hour?”
“The heat,” she explained. “It became very uncomfortable in my quarters.” She looked into his eyes, and knew that there was something wrong. Not with the Lady or the matter of the impending wedding, but something else. Something that actually mattered. “What is the matter? Truly?”
Robert sighed. He wanted to share his secret, but he wasn’t sure how to quite yet. “I’ll tell you what,” he bargained. “You tell me your secret, and I’ll tell you mine.”
Jasmine’s heart fluttered. “What do you mean my Lord?”
Robert scoffed, and shook his head. “Don’t call me that, not here when we’re alone. You’re my friend in our privacy, not a servant. And you know which secret I am talking about. The liar. Who was he?”
Jasmine mauled over in her mind whether or not she wanted to tell the truth. On one hand it would be nice to share her secret, on the other she was worried that he might think ill of her for being so gullible. However, she really wanted to help him talk through his matters, and if this is what she had to do, then she would do it. Taking a deep breath, Jasmine told Robert the story of her lying Colonel and her too-trusting heart. She told him about the little girl, nearly five months old now, growing in her belly, and how already she loved the little life inside of her more than her own.
The entire time, Robert remained silent. He listened to her entire story, and only when she was done talking did he reach out and grab her hand. To her surprise, he apologized to her.
