maid to mistress

Not such a safe deal

I stared at Anthony in horror, what was that supposed to mean? Bad news? Is Eliza in danger? and if she is, is there really anything I can do to save her? Anthony must have seen the horror in my face and tries to lend me a reassuring smile.

"But don't worry I'm sure she will be fine", somehow I don't believe him and I'm pretty sure he doesn't even believe himself.

"Please you must tell me, what do you mean by bad news?" I plead.

"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about, forget I even said anything" He turns to walk away.

"Anthony please!" He stops in his tracks and reluctantly turns back to face me, I can tell from the mere expression on his face that what he is about to tell me is serious.

"Fine", he checks both directions to be sure that no one else is in ears range, and guides me to the side of a barn, "Prince Alexander is a s*x crazed psychopath, the only thing he enjoys more than s*x is torture. I've rode the horses outside his quarters and heard screams of pleasure very quickly replaced by terror and pain. He's a predator, loves to go on the hunt, to toy with his pray and when he's done with them he breaks them and throws them away. He is always given the most attractive maids to keep him busy but I've only known of two who have survived under his charge for longer than a few months, that's why your contract says that you can be moved positions, so that he can keep a rotation of staff."

A chill runs down my spine at such words, I have only one question: "And what happens to the girls afterwards?"

He takes a deep breath "some stay within the castle, demoted to the lowest positions the castle has to offer, out of sight and mind. I've tried talking to a couple of them but they are sworn to secrecy under the threat of death and most seem too traumatised to speak at all. The others are sent 'home', they leave the palace too injured to work or simply just disappear. I've heard a few rumours regarding deaths as well"

I begin to shake, my eyes moisten, and any colour I had to begin with has now drained from my face. "oh god".

"Look the best thing you can do for your sister is to warn her, he may be a psycho but he's also charming and his looks appeal to most of the female population" He says rolling his eyes, "if you tell your sister not to engage with him, to keep her head down and not give him the attention he seeks, I'm sure she will be fine, for now there's nothing you can do and we've got work to do"

I nod, worry still plagues my mind but he is right, there is nothing I can do now that wouldn't involve me running into the prince's quarters and making a scene.

Anthony leads me to the main stables building and I am introduced to the rest of the team, he really wasn't kidding when he said they don't get many girls. I seem to be the only girl here for the moment, with the rest of the group being well built, strong men. George was the first to make my acquaintance, a very tall stocky man with a thick short beard, he's the type of man that you wouldn't even think to start a fight with but he seems to be a big teddy bear at heart. Rodney was slightly leaner, still muscular but thinner than the rest, clean shaven and very defined jawline, his eyes the colour of the ocean on a summers day. Rodney's the romantic type for sure, he tells me of a girl he knows in the palace working under the queen that he is madly in love with but fears she will be married off to another. Chris is the lad of the group, a ginger with a real sense of humour, a little sexist for my taste but what can you expect in this current age, still a nice fella though. And then there's Cole, I cannot say that I am a fan of Cole just yet, a shorter man, attractive but closed off, he spends most of our meeting session in the door way, I don't like to assume the worst of people but I have feeling that he is not so fond of the idea of me being here on the team, I also don't feel too safe with him around. Call it being superstitious or whatever but I don't have a good feeling when it comes to Cole.

For the rest of the day we pretty much work our asses off , tending to the horses (a white mare called callie is my favourite thus far), cleaning the stables and replenishing food. By the end of the day we are exhausted and it's time to get some food and call it a night. By the time I return to my room it's already dark, I stink of sweat and my uniform is covered in god knows what. I strip off and hop in the shower and allow the warm water to envelope me. It's gonna be a lot of work working here but I'm very grateful for my post. I return to my closet to find a change of clothes for the evening. The door opens.

"God I'm exhausted!" Eliza proclaims as she closes the door and flops onto the bed.

Eliza! s**t I almost forgot, I need to warn her!

"Eliza, we need to talk!"

"Calm down will you? I'm tired, plus I've got some very exciting news" She lay on her bed a smile broadening across her face. "Today I saw Prince Alexander and can I just say he is hot! like easily the hottest man I've ever laid eyes on. And you wouldn't believed it but I think he likes me"

OH s**t!