You Have My Heart, Lady Illea (A Lady Illea Novel)

Chapter Five

  My memories of my mother are as few as the number of people that actually like Constance Kennedy. Kidding, but the statement remains true. I only have the memory of the last day I spent with her. We were baking a cake and I was mixing the frosting all wrong and she laughed. Then she told me a story, put me to bed, and that was it.

That was the last I saw of her.

   Except that night I heard a voice talk to me in my dreams. It was like a prophecy of some sort. That I'd be drenched in jewels and dress in fine silks. Which, technically I did ever since I entered the selection. But there was something else that I had drilled in me ever since then.

    That love destroys people and it destroys happiness. All love does is cause incurable wounds and once you give someone your heart they're free to hurt you as you please. I have that to blame for my indifference towards love and my refusal to be open to anything. Truthfully, I wouldn't know if I loved someone because I had trained myself so well to ignore the feeling.

   Peeling my eyes open the first thing that came into view was a girl with a pointed look and I raised eyebrow. I jumped and a searing pain shot through my back and that was when I realized my head was on a pillow and I was lying on my stomach.

"Don't move stupid," she said and pulled the cap off a tube. "I honestly don't know what my brother sees in you."

"Princess Rosie" I wanted to say but the sound didn't come out.

   Immediately I panicked.

"Don't say anything either!" she chastised me. "You did some serious damage to your vocal chords. Just try and chill for a moment so I can explain."

I could speak.

   I watched as Rosie casually worked with medical tools as if she'd been doing it her entire life.

"You know, I always knew my mother was a cold hearted bitch." she took out a needle and I was surprised to see how blase she was. I like the sound of her voice. It had this sharpness to it with a slight drawl on her vowels. "I just didn't think she'd be able to sit through all that."

She's Queen, I wanted to say but decided against speaking.

"Anyway you screamed so loud your vocal chords have turned to shit and you're gonna have to wait a while before you can speak again. Doctors orders. Luckily he was able to do that work on your throat while you were knocked out.."

   Instinctively my hand went to my throat. She didn't really seem to care I was panicking. Instead she stuck a needle in my arm. And it hurt like Hell.

"That's for the back pain." she commented. "Anyway my brother is pretty bent of having you stay. He jumped onto the platform to save you. Against our parents' orders."

   Carefully she put the empty syringe down and thoughtfully unfolded a small towel. "He must really love," she whispered. "I've never seen my brother that way before."

   It seemed she recovered herself just as quickly. She flipped ehr hair, cleared her throat and continued.

"Like I said there's a full blown investigation going on and some girl got sent home. Beverly I think" she shrugged with indifference. "I always thought she was a tramp. No difference now. You'll be on a bed rest for a while. You also can't talk for four weeks. If you do I'll kick your ass. I didn't slave over a doctor for three hours for you to screw my work up."

     I was itching to speak and say something to her. First and foremost I wanted to know why she was so educated in the medical field. I didn't think a princess could be so skilled. 

"I always wanted to be a doctor." Rosie continued. "It's why I was away so long. I stood at my grandparent's old vacation home after a nasty fight with mommy and daddy dearest over which wealthy royal I should married and got my degree early. The university is close by down there." She handed me a cup of water. "But I missed my brother. I missed my pain in the ass little siblings too. So I came back. I came back to this."

   Rosie rolled her eyes and stood up heading for the door.

"Get some sleep, it's late." She flashed me a grin. "I'm not going to tell my brother your awake. It'll be our little secret."