The Damsel

Chapter 8

Thanks for your patience readers, I have been awfully slow and for that I hope you will accept my sincerest apologies. This is just the start of the next chapter. I will post the rest if it as soon as it is finished. In regards to the next chapter, I have a question to ask you readers: should Mark [Sophie's father] tell Sophie all the details about her mother's death during the dance, thus ruining the dance for her or should he wait until after to tell Sophie the details. Comment and leave your response to my question regarding the plot of Chapter 9.

Thanks and Happy Writing! 

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Colin stared in disbelief at Sophie. When Jessica had told him that Sophie had wanted to dance with him, he never really believed that it was the truth. How could he believe that Sophie really desired to dance with him when she was the most striking lady in the kingdom and Colin was among the most common?  Not to mention the fact that Sophie’s arm was broken and would remain broken for several weeks if not months. How could she physically dance with him?

 Colin decided to ask Sophie the question that was plaguing him, “I beg your pardon your Highness, but how could you dance with a wrecked arm?”

Sophie smiled at Colin’s question and thought about her answer before responding, “You shall have to be careful with me I suppose.”

Colin looked away then for Sophie seemed to be staring right through him. Or right into him he wasn’t entirely sure. Never feeling more naked in his life, Colin decided that he and Jessica had to go.

“I think we should go now.” Colin whispered to the floor.  “The Princess needs to rest.”

Colin said no more and dragged Jessica out the door.

Jessica stammered as she was towed out, “Let go of me! I don’t want to leave yet!”

Sophie seconded that, “Yes, please do stay longer I do enjoy your company!”

“I am sorry your Highness but we have to be leaving.” Colin replied, closing the door to Sophie’s room.

Colin continued to drag Jessica until they were in the gardens of the manor, at which point he suddenly released her and walked off.

Jessica bolted after him, “What was that about?”

Colin didn't answer he only walked off.

"What right does she have to look at me like she knows me?" Sophie doesn't know anything about be or about Jessica. Inviting us over. I bet she just likes meeting with common people so she can feel better about herself." Colin fumed to himself as he stomped home.

Once he and Jessica had reached home, Colin immediately went to the pasture without a word to his mother.

"What happened Jessica? Colin seems angry." Cornelia asked Jessica once they were alone.

"I don't know Mama. The Princess asked him dance with her and then minutes later he bolted out of her chamber and dragged me along with him."

"Colin might have been nervous or perhaps he feels insecure around the Princess." Cornelia responded.

"Well I thought it was just plain rude! The Princess will never want to see us again now! He's ruined it for all of us." Jessica whined.

"Oh, hush, Jessica. I don't think that Princess Sophie is that judgemental." Cornelia comforted Jessica. "I'll ask him what's wrong when he returns from the pasture."

Out in the pasture Colin threw a stick out into nowhere. He berated himself, “You idiot, why’d you leave like that?”

Colin knew why because he was uneasy around Sophie, which meant he couldn’t think of a single intelligent thing to say, thus leaving was the only option.

“But it wasn’t.” Colin told himself. “I could have complimented the Princess. She is ill and is still the prettiest girl in the kingdom.”

Colin sighed and looked up at the sky. “What was there to be done?” Colin wondered. “I’ve ruined my chances of ever seeing the Princess again, not to mention Jessica’s”

“Colin!” His father, Noah, broke into his thoughts, his voice booming like thunder.

Colin straightened up, “Yes Father?”

“It’s time for dinner.” Noah spat. Colin barely heard his father, as he was already thumping away as he spoke.

Colin followed, very much aware of his father’s grisly mood.

Upon his entrance, Colin’s mother asked him about his sudden departure from the manor.  Noah was already sitting at the dinner table.

“I was just feeling a bit… tired.” Colin stuttered.

Jessica scoffed and rolled her eyes, “Doubt it.”

“Jessica! Stop it! Sit and eat!” Noah roared, his face blazing.

Jessica reeled back in shock; Colin and Cornelia froze, their mouths gaping. Noah returned to his soup without comment.

After a few seconds Jessica and Colin assumed their places at the table without a sound. Cornelia served the dishes silently.

The rest of the dinner remained so quiet that a pin could have dropped and everyone would have noticed. Noah was never this heavy handed; he was almost always calm in demeanour. Cornelia knew there must be something troubling him.

To break the silence, Cornelia asked how much milk the family could expect to sell this coming week.

Noah slammed his fist on the table, “That’s the damn problem. Everyone in town is staring to buy the Keller’s milk instead of ours. What does that leave us with Cornelia? Nothing! We’ll have nothing!” Noah wrung his hands.  

“There must be….” Cornelia began.

“No, Cornelia there isn’t. We can’t live off the few eggs we sell. We can’t!” Noah yelled.

After a few seconds, Noah began again, a wee bit calmer, “Colin will have to work. I’ll have to work. We’ll have to sell the cows. We’ll lose everything.”

Jessica piped up, “Surely, we won’t lose everything Papa.”

Noah clenched his fist again but there was no burst of anger. He took Jessica’s hand.

“We just might darling, we just might.”

Cornelia smoother her skirts and suggested that Colin get a job at the manor as a stable boy.

Colin dropped his spoon in his soup, “Mother, I think they are other jobs I could find.”

Noah added, “You could but the Duke will pay the best. He was this afternoon wasn’t he, calling after you and Jessica?”

“Yeah but…-” Colin was cut of my Jessica.

“But he’s afraid of Princess Sophie.”

“I am not!” Colin shouted at Jessica.

“Shush up now!” Cornelia scolded. “Colin, the manor will pay the best, you must go and ask tomorrow if there are any jobs open. I doubt you’ll see the Princess that often any way. She is still bed ridden isn’t she?”

Jessica nodded.

“Then it’s settled. Tomorrow Colin you and I will walk to the manor and see if there are any positions available, is that understood?”

Colin started to object but his father’s eyes silenced him.

“Yeah, sure, whatever.”