The Traitor's Daughter

Chapter Nineteen

THIS CHAPTER IS ONLY HALF-EDITED. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Chapter Nineteen

After Elizabeth finished polishing the silver, the queen had her match all of her stockings, which she had conveniently mismatched minutes before. Elizabeth was forced to listen to the queen and Cecily, the favorite of the group, talk about baby names and whether or not the queen thought it was a boy or a girl. The queen of course, was certain that she would have a boy.

Elizabeth matched pair after pair of stockings, making sure that she didn't snag any of the delicate material. She was certain that if she did, the queen would likely ask her to make another pair for her, since the woman was being unreasonable enough already. She was halfway through the pile of stockings, when the king's page came into the room. 

The young boy bowed to the queen, then looked around the room. Once he spotted Elizabeth, he grinned, then approached her quickly. He held out a piece of parchment that had the king's seal on it. She looked up at the freckled face boy for an explanation, but he only smiled and shrugged.

"I don't read the messages, my lady," He said simply.

"Of course," She replied.

Elizabeth set aside the stockings in her hand, then took the parcel from the page's hand. She broke the seal, then scanned the contents, which informed her that the king wanted her to meet him in his apartments for supper. She looked up from the letter and met the queen's gaze, who was staring at her intently, wishing to know what information the letter contained.

"His Majesty requests my presence," Elizabeth said quickly. She watched the queen carefully for any sign of anger, but instead, the queen smiled.

"Of course," She said cheerfully. "We wouldn't want to keep my husband waiting." She held Elizabeth's gaze for a few moments longer, then nodded and motioned for the girl to leave.

Elizabeth curtsied, then left the room with the king's page and headed towards Owen's apartments, which were down the hall from the queen's. She clasped her hands in front of her stomach, her nails digging into the rough flesh on her palm. After polishing for an afternoon, her hands were no longer soft, but rough, which only helped to make her angrier. She continued to stay composed on the outside, but inside, she was still fuming and thirsting for blood.

The page led her into the king's presence chamber, where many of the monarch's privy council were gathered. They all watched her as she walked in, but she kept her eyes down, pretending to be modest and shy. The pair entered through another door, which led to the waiting chamber, where a handful of courtiers were sitting and chatting, all of them waiting to speak with the king.  They looked up at Elizabeth, just as the others had, and a few even called out greetings to her.

Finally, the pair chose from two different doors that each led to a different room. The page went first and announced Elizabeth's presence, then she entered into the king's bedchamber, where a table and two chairs had been set up and piled with food. Just as Elizabeth's mouth began to water, she immediately curtsied for what felt like the millionth time that day, then waited for the king to acknowledge her. The page left the room and closed the door behind him, which gave the two the privacy that the king desperately wanted.

"Sweetheart," He greeted cheerily. He approached the woman knelt on the ground before him, then helped bring her to her feet. He bent his head and kissed her lips lightly, then leaned back and examined her appearance. "I was wary of the queen's choice for her new ladies' uniforms, but seeing it on you has given me a change of mind. You look absolutely ravishing."

Elizabeth said nothing, knowing that eventually, her silence would notify the king that something was amiss.

He brushed his hand against her collarbone and the necklace that rested on it, then grinned.