Always Kensington

III

Exquisite tranquility enveloped my surroundings as the morning breeze greeted me with the first touches to a new day. My head was still foggy, and my wrists ached. A reminder of last night's fiasco. There was a soft tap on the door, "Madam Chloe, your breakfast is ready, may we enter?" I reached up to my eyes, pulling off my eye mask to be greeted with darkness and a sliver of light coming from the curtains of the south facing terrace doors. My eyes dragged along the hand painted walls to the window facing the rose garden to find it open, explaining the faint scent of English Rose. One of the maids must have come early in the morning to open it. I always enjoyed waking to rose filled breezes during London's hot summers.

"Come in," I answered, stretching out on the bed. I wrapped myself up in the silk sheets, groaning with exhaustion. "Fiona," I addressed the head maid of the house, "Have you seen Roman?" I buried my face in the many pillows before running my fingernails through my hair.

"Yes, Madam Chloe, Master Axel is in a meeting, but he said once you are done with your breakfast to find him in the garden for a rematch on croquet." I sat up quickly, trying my best to shake off my exhaustion. I tucked my hand between the sheer curtains of the bed, stepping out onto the heated flooring. "Madam Chloe, you must eat your breakfast before you leave, Master Axel asked me to report to him if you do not."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," I shook my head, "It sounds like you're threatening me so early in the morning Fiona." "I don't like being told what to do...Fiona," I sang. A soft hum filled the room as the busy maids came to a standstill. They all became nervous in mere seconds. Fiona was stunned. She stood there, frozen in fear.

And there I go, getting into a bad mood so early in the morning.

Roman always says he has never met a woman more hot headed, that is, before he met me.

My mother used to tell me my short temper was never going to help me find a man.

I never believed my mother could be wrong.

I guess there's a first for everything.

"I'm only teasing you, Fiona," faking a smile, hoping that would ease the nervous air. It did. "I am going to eat, but I would like to start my day with a good morning walk." I shoved open my south facing terrace doors, walking across the terrace. "Feel free to trudge along the breakfast trolly, if you like," I waved my hand to them dismissively. The guards lined along the perimeter bowing at my approach. I heard them speaking into their wrist walkie talkies, alerting guards in the vicinity of my approach. I imagine they were escorting gardeners from the rose garden and all gardens in the area, allotting me the same path I took every morning.

"But Madam Chloe! Your shoes, you're barefoot and in your nightgown still," Fiona and the maids were running about like headless chickens trying to gather my shoes and a robe. I walked down alongside the cascading landscape of water fountains and as I came to the grand fountain I arrived to the top of the brick narrow staircase that led me down through a plethora of green trees and hedges galore to my favorite place in the estate. The maze. The feeling of fresh cut grass was a sensation like no other, and the sight of the pleached, manicured 10-foot hedges, the Kensington estate maze.

"Madam Chloe!"

"Madam Chloe!"

"Hush now," I shouted. I turned back to them, "You will ruin my morning with all your shouting." They all went silent, quickly bowing their heads and apologizing. They surrounded me, helping me into my robe, another tying the robe, another placing my shoes on me and while the rest readied my food on the trolly. "You all may go now." They didn't dare argue. They gave their finishing touches to my breakfast before bowing and running back up the brick stairs towards the estate. I'm sure it was well spread throughout the estate that the Queen had made her morning walk to the maze. I'm sure that news made its way to Roman by now and he would be planning to make his way here.