Princess in Trouble (complete)

9 - Invaders

A door being thrown open with a crash was followed by the sound of a sobbing baby which came closer and closer, then a voice— again, HIS voice, "You've neglected your duty! Still lazing here are you? You should be with my baby— she is YOUR charge! Who do you think you are? Certainly not a good nanny but a rotten one!"

The pain he had suffered from every terrible thing that had happened to him in the past week was being off-loaded on Vondra to cover the way his bruised but disobedient heart truly felt about her.

His mind warned him to reject her, she could only bring more heartbreak. How can I allow my heart to be broken again... more loss would kill me... I must protect my baby, SHE is not my responsibility...I don't believe Marie is even a name of hers...

Jolted awake from her reverie by his loud, rude words, Vondra refused to open her eyes. She felt exasperated but too well trained to jump up and out of the bath. Just as she'd been able to control herself when this man had her woken at the farm-inn, she would control the situation now.

Opening her eyes, she saw the Prince holding his baby. She could smell vomit from where she lay and knew that something else merged with the smell. The child needed her breechcloth changed.

Tonja, Esme, and Jean stood behind the Prince with towels and clothes.

Vondra decided she was over being treated like a slave or low-class servant, and said, "Thank you, ladies. You've treated me as though I am a princess and you've even come to dress me. The towels, please— bring them around at my head."

"Wait!" the prince commanded, "Marcina will join Marie in the bath. She vomited her milk, all of it, and needs cleaning up." He looked down at his embroidered vest and said, "As do I. It stinks." Looking down at Vondra, he blanched, she smiled at him... but was it in jest?

Circumnavigating the bath, he handed his screaming baby over Vondra's head and into her arms, clothes and all. Stomping around the bath, he pulled off his vest and threw it on the floor before wiping vomit off his chin and flicking it to the floor. Folding his arms over his bare chest, he turned back to face her.

She chose to take her eyes off of him and put her attention on Marcina. But her mind disobeyed her so she filled it with negative thoughts, His bare chest! —How dare he! I'm not his wife or his sister, not her mother, not really a nanny. He might be a prince but he's way out of line! I'm not wanting to be anywhere near him— I'm over him.

Looking at Marcina whose eyes were on her face, her heart melted. Screaming her lungs out, the baby flailed her two clenched fist around in the air.

Undressing Marcina in the soiled and now saturated gown would be difficult, so Vondra waited, talking in soft tones to her, lowering her own face closer to the babe's.

Looking up into Vondra's eyes, Marcina's sobs diminished and ceased. Vondra kissed her cheeks, one at a time.

Rearranging herself to turn around yet keep Marcina at her chest as a cover for her nakedness, Vondra, sitting sideways on her legs, looked up into the prince's eyes, and said in soft tones, but with venom, "I might make a rotten nanny but you make a rotten father. I say you should leave now, Sir, or stay and take some lessons as to how to bond with your baby."

Rising a little, she turned again, taking Marcina with her, now sitting with her back to him. She untied the breechcloth and lifted it up and over the side of the bath, dropping it to land in the floor tray.

The prince, taken aback with Vondra's words, stood in silence. His arms still folded, he glared at her as she struggled to remove the gown from his baby. Bit by bit, she rolled it upwards before undoing the neck ties and lifting it up over her head and sending it to join the breechcloth.