OLD VERSION! DONT READ!

/Chapter Seven/ Part Two/

The stable boy smiled wryly at me, “you are quite the cheeky one. Well, if you don’t want Alexander to know about your abilities then I advise you to be nice to me.”

“Is that a threat? I could very well have you put away for that boy!”

“The names Nathaniel, and if this is you being nice then you’ll have to try harder than that.” He was blackmailing me! Was he making a deal with me? The cheek of this boy, who the hell does he think he is?! “Oh, and you should be nice to my sister too, in the past she was very close to Alexander…” Beatrice.

I exhaled heavily in exasperation. I thought all my problems were over with, the Duke was at peace and my ‘mother’ wasn’t ordering me around anymore. I wasn’t going to kill Alexander and I was going to marry him just as planned and stay with him. My life should be blissful and almost stress free at the moment and now this boy is insisting that I do as he says? Well, Mercy Thompson no longer takes orders from anyone and neither will Mercy Mathews!

“If I were you I’d live cautiously from now on. There is not a chance in this life or the next that I will do what you say and if you even start to try and make demands then so help me you will know what real pain is.” I spat at Nathaniel. “Now, release me!”

“Fine,” he did making me fall.

“What on earth are you doing?!” Boomed a loud angry voice. I turned myself around to see who was shouting. To my surprise, it wasn’t Alexander. It was one of the male cooks.

“None of your business old man!” answered Nathaniel rudely.

The man shook the pot he held in his hand at the boy and began to approach him. “It becomes my business when you have hurt my lady!” The elderly man looked genuinely angry at Nathaniel. His face was red with rage. I didn’t know the workers cared for their clients; I remember Marylyn telling me how they didn’t speak ill of us but didn’t think one would care and come to my rescue.

“Good sir? Please calm down. He did not hurt me, I fell and he was about to help me up.” I quickly explained before the pot came into contact with Nathaniel’s face. I wasn’t sure why I was helping at first but after seeing Nathaniel’s scared face I had to stop the cook. I wanted to be the one who made him look like that.

“Are you sure my lady? I would be more than happy to knock this git into next week if you’d like.”

I smiled at his offer, “yes I am sure but thank you.” I got to my feet with the support of the wall and away from the scene. Something tells me that Nathaniel wasn’t too popular with the other servants.

I decided to go back to Alexander’s chamber to sit and massage the bottom of my foot. Alexander was still lying on his bed when I snuck in. I sat on the bed and began to rub the little swollen area. “What happened to your foot love?” I jumped at the sound of Alexander’s voice.

“Oh, I um, stepped on something sharp,” I explained, showing him my foot. He chuckled three times. “What is funny? That I hurt myself?” I asked feeling a little bit upset.

“I can, err, see your breeches.” He said, his face red with embarrassment. I looked down and noticed my dress had gone up when I lifted my leg. I quickly pulled it down. My face felt warm. “Give me your foot.”

I turned on my bottom so my feet were on the bed and he began to massage the throbbing area. At first it hurt but after a while the massage felt wonderful. “Thank you.” I breathed. “and I didn’t get to say, good morning.”

He smiled at me, “Good morning to you too,” he leaned in and planted a soft, gentle kiss on my lips making my heart flutter.

Several sweet moments later there was the sound of someone clearing their throat at the door and Alexander unwillingly broke our kiss. The Duchess stood in the door frame with puffy from crying and a straight face. She looked deathly pale. “My son, Mercy, please join me in the gardens. A man has come to read your father’s will.”