Pauper Princess

Chapter Six

By the time Elizabeth had finished dancing from foot to foot and wailing too loud to hear anything else, Miss Lancing had already helped me into my nightgown. I stood before the mirror twirling, excited by the way the fine material flared out at the movement.

"I'm telling Father!" Elizabeth blubbered, crying out theatrically as Miss Lancing pulled her nightgown on and secured Elizabeth's nightcap to her head. "I'll tell him, I will!"

"You go right on ahead and tell him," Miss Lancing told her. "You will see him at dinner tomorrow night."

"I will tell him now!" Elizabeth sniveled, trying very hard to sound threatening as she marched towards the door.

Miss Lancing did not even turn to look at her as she pushed my hair behind my ears and pulled my own nightcap over my head. "If you take one step out of this room, you'll feel the length of my cane."

I heard Elizabeth come to a sudden halt, but it was me who spoke up. "You have a cane?"

Though she did not answer aloud, Miss Lancing raised her eyebrows, and I accepted that as a yes. I wasn't sure if Elizabeth saw the movement or not, but she did not take another step towards the door.

Instead, she offered one last quiet complaint. "That is my nightcap she is wearing. And my nightgown."

Miss Lancing looked over my shoulder at her. "Now, Elizabeth. I will explain this one last time. Your father feels you need to be socialized. And he feels to do so aggressively is the best approach. Everything in this room- your toys, your dolls, your books, your furniture. They do not belong to you. Your father bought them. They belong to him, and he can take them away if he so pleases."

"He does not wish to take them away," Miss Lancing went on. "But he has deemed them to be there for both you and your new sister. They are no more yours than they are Amelia's. You share the clothes. You share the books. You share the dolls. And you will share the bed. Now, it is nearing six in the evening, and I will not have you two up past bedtime. You missed out on an evening story by misbehaving. We can try again tomorrow. Climb in, now."

Elizabeth made it to the bed quickly, eager to claim her spot first. I did not note aloud that her father had expressly said I got to choose first- I had never actually slept on a bed before. I did not know which side was best.

As I neared the bed, as well, Elizabeth frowned. "Governess, where are my dolls? I always sleep with them."

Miss Lancing pulled the blankets back for me as I hefted myself onto the tall mattress. "They were removed. Your chambermaid kept that one just next to you on the bed because she said it was your favorite- the rest are in the daytime nursery. They were moved to make a spot for Amelia on the bed, as well."

"But I need them to sleep."

"You will sleep fine with the doll you have,"

Elizabeth made a face. "Her name is Rose. And she does not sleep in bed with me. She gets tucked into the cradle. That is why I need the nine others on the bed."

Miss Lancing pulled the blanket up over us, and handed me my own doll that I had been gifted- I had left it in the daytime nursery earlier. I took it gratefully, deciding that Elizabeth was foolish to want to tuck hers away elsewhere. It made for a swell sleeping companion, and tucked just right beneath my arm.

"The evening nursery is for resting, dressing, and washing," Miss Lancing reminded Elizabeth. "You do not get to bring toys in here. You may each have one doll in bed at night- no more, no less. Distractions are not welcome in this room."

Miss Lancing did not seem to notice Elizabeth's huff. She just picked up the candle on the bedside table and moved it to the larger table near the middle of the room. "Now, you girls say your prayers. Beginning tomorrow night, we will say them all together before getting into bed. Amelia, the chamber pot is at the very end of the bed on your side if you need to relieve yourself before dawn."

And then she was gone. The door was shut, and I was left in the faint glow of candlelight with Elizabeth.

Part of me was prepared for a full-on attack. I was sure that I could take on Elizabeth in a scuffle, even if she was a bit larger than me. But Elizabeth stayed stiffly on her own side, as still and straight as a board.

Finally, her voice cut through the darkness. "You are the girl who stole Father's moneysack."

"So what if I am?" I wasn't afraid of her. But I was a bit frightened of the thought of Miss Lancing hovering nearby with her leather strap, so I kept my voice low.

"So you are a thief, and I shan't have a thief in my home."

I couldn't help it- I had to throw in the insult. "Our home you mean, Princess. You heard them. I own half of everything you own. Didn't even have to steal it. I own half of your books, half of your toys. Perhaps I will shave your doll's head in the night- after all, I own the top half of her. You can keep the bottom half, though. My doll has a prettier skirt, anyway."

Elizabeth's fists clenched so tightly that I heard her knuckles crack. "If you touch Rose, I will-"

"You will what?" The silence stretched on as Elizabeth tried to think of a realistic threat.

I sighed. This was getting us nowhere. "I do not wish to be here, either. I did not ask to come here. Your father demanded it."

"Well, I demand that you leave at once!"

I turned my head to look at her, but could not make out her expression in the darkness. "Go demand that of him then. I will not. I will not risk a caning for the likes of you."

Elizabeth exhaled sharply. "Nor I for you. You are naught but a thief. They aught hang you. I do not care what anyone says- no matter how they dress you up, you are a street urchin and a pickpocket. You look as one, too. God graced you with plainness so the world would know you were bound for nothing."

Her words made me grin- I could hear the irritation in her voice. She meant everything she said, and was furious that nobody else seemed to agree with her.

I agreed, though I would never say it aloud to her. And I did not even mind it. Her words fell a bit short though- I was not just any thief. I was a good thief. A great one.

At least... I was when I was not being caught with my hand inside a nobleman's pocket.

"Then it is decided, Princess," I taunted, turning my back to her and ignoring her demands that I stop calling her 'Princess'. "Neither you nor I will risk leaving this bedroom. So stop going on about it- you sound a fool. Goodnight."

Elizabeth did not respond, and I could almost feel the waves of anger rolling off of her. Unable to resist, I threw one more jab in. "Do not let the bedbugs bite. I can feel them crawling out of my skin and making their way to your half of the bed."

And that was how I not only got to sleep in a big, cozy bed for the first time in my life, but I also got it to myself. Elizabeth and her doll chose to spend the night on the floor.

I was sure it was a first for both myself and the noblechild.