Untold Tales: Books 4-6

Chapter 2

2

"The Duchess is asking for you," Maria whispered as she passed me on the stairs.

I grimaced. "Thank you." As much as I didn't want to be called to wait upon the woman, it was better to know she was expecting me and turn up only a little after that. The alternative was to be punished for being late, even if it wasn't my fault. "Would you take this down to the laundry?" I asked, lifting the basket of dirty bed linen I was holding so she knew what I was talking about.

"Of course. You'd better get going." Maria took the basket from me and began to hop down the stairs. "Oh, and you might want to straighten your cap," she said.

"Thanks," I muttered, and fixed it. I hated that she was right and it had become unruly.

I half-ran up the rest of the stairs and down the corridor to the Duchess' room. I couldn't go any faster for fear she'd be able to tell when I stopped and berate me for being out of breath. That was yet another thing on the list of things the Duchess hated, and we were all here in order to make her life the easiest and most enjoyable possible.

I drew a calming breath and knocked on the door.

"Get in here," the Duchess barked.

I didn't need to be told twice, and pushed open the bedroom door, entering her private domain. The stench of overused perfume reached my nose. I pushed away the tickling sensation it caused and put a calm, and most definitely fake, smile on my face. She wasn't ever going to know she got to me.

"You asked for me, Your Grace," I said, dipping into a curtsy. I knew she'd be able to see me in the mirror, and it pleased her when we showed her the deference due to her station. Yet another thing we had to do for no reason other than her ego.

"I'm going out, and I need my hair doing."

I nodded, the reason why she'd called for me in particular becoming clear. For whatever reason, she'd decided I was the best when it came to teasing her curly blonde hair into something that could be seen as a reputable sign.

Silence filled the room as I pulled the pins from her hair and began to brush. If she wanted me to speak, or to get a musician in here, then she'd tell me. I'd long since learned not to ask her anything before she was ready.

I ran my hand under her hair, smoothing the way for the brush so it didn't tug on any particularly nasty tangles.

"I think an updo would be the best today," she said.

"Of course, Your Grace." I didn't curtsy this time, she wouldn't like it while I had hold of her hair.

My hands worked without much instruction from me, I'd done this so many times that it was barely necessary. Instead, my gaze roamed over the dressing table to see what had changed since the last time I was in here. This had become an odd game of mine I'd started as a way to test my memory.

Without meaning them to, my hands stilled as I caught sight of an official-looking invitation. The moment I realised what I'd done, I resumed work on the Duchess' hair, teasing it into a respectable bun so I could add the ornamentation she was fond of.

"You can ask your question," the Duchess said with a heavy sigh.

I paused for a moment, unsure if this was a trap, or if it was safe to actually ask. "I was just wondering," I started, my voice wavering ever so slightly. "What you'd been invited to, Your Grace. If I know, perhaps I could start thinking about ways to style your hair, if it would please you." The lie tripped off my tongue easier than I expected it to. I didn't care in the slightest what her hair would look like on the date in question. She'd no doubt rip apart any suggestion I had.

"Hmm." She didn't say anything else.

I knew better than to prompt her into a response. She either wanted me to know, or she didn't, all I could do was wait.

"I suppose it is better if you know, that way you and the other girls will know to be on your best behaviour." The Duchess sighed loudly, as if it pained her to be so kind to us serving girls.

I raised an eyebrow without thinking about it, then smoothed my expression out again. I looked down at her hair, wrapping one strand around another and using a pin to stop it coming undone.

"The Prince is coming to stay here. Just for the night. Matron will have all the instructions for you girls, so don't think you'll be getting off lightly," she warned.

Wait, the Prince? He barely ever visited his nobility this far out from the capitol. Perhaps it was too long a journey, or more likely, they were all as unlikeable as the Duchess and he was saving his sanity instead.

"I'll expect the lot of you to be on your best behaviour, of course."

"Naturally, Your Grace." I stepped back and dipped into a curtsy. "I'm finished, if you like it," I added.

She picked up a handheld mirror and used it to get a good view of the back of her hair.

"Adequate, but you should practice your skills more on the other girls," she instructed.

"Of course, Your Grace." I wanted to point out that I didn't have the time to practice on the other girls, we were all so busy with our chores, and the little time we could find for ourselves was over so quickly it wasn't even worth mentioning.

"Very good. I'll expect tea when I return at four. Inform the cook."

"Of course, Your Grace," I repeated, already annoyed at how many times I'd had to say those words since arriving in her chambers.

She swept out of the room, not even sparing a glance in my direction. I was fine with that. It was easier to be unseen in this house.

I listened for her footsteps to fade, then started clearing up the pins and other items. The Duchess didn't like being able to hear when we were doing things like that. I was almost done when my gaze rested on the invitation again. Though I supposed it wasn't an invite, but some kind of proclamation. I wasn't sure how that worked.

With a quick glance over my shoulder to check no one was watching me, I picked it up and read the words. Learning to read was one of the dim memories I had of my childhood, before I came here at seven.

His Majesty, Prince Raynor requests residence at your castle in three days time.

Huh. There wasn't anything particularly interesting about the note. If anything, it didn't hold enough information about the impending royal visit. Was someone playing a cruel joke on the Duchess? I hoped not. We were the ones who would pay the price if that was the case, and I didn't want that for anyone.

Footsteps shuffled along the corridor outside. I hastily put the invitation back in its place and hurried out of the room. I still had all my chores left to do, attending on the Duchess simply took time away from doing them, rather than meaning someone else was assigned the task. This was a thankless world the woman had created within her castle.

I sighed and resigned myself to another day working with no end in sight. That was my lot in life, and I needed to stop dreaming of a better one. Nothing was going to change.