Chapter Nine
Elizabeth absentmindedly stared out her window, listening as rain pelted against the glass. She could only see the rain drops as they slid down the windows, but couldn't see much further, since it was pitch black outside. It was the middle of the night, and the castle was quiet. She rested her chin in her right hand, and her long fingers tapped against her cheek, as she tried to will herself to be tired. It was no use. Her mind was wide awake, full of ideas and plans to enact her next round of revenge.
It had been weeks since she brought down Thomas Drake, but he was an easy target. He was a simple servant, and it was easy tricking him to do what she wanted him to. But her next targets, Edward and Anne Hastings, were a baron and baroness who spent their time away from court. She wasn't entirely certain about how to bring the two people down.
With a frustrated sigh, she pulled away from the window and went to the trunk at the end of her bed and pulled out her black cloak. She quickly put it on and made sure to put the hood over her face, then made sure the corridor outside her room was clear before leaving the room.
She rushed through the corridors, knowing that the path she was taking would be lightly patrolled by guards, so she could mostly go through the halls undetected. She went down a flight of stairs, walking in an odd way, which made it so her heels didn't hit the stone steps. She could hardly hear herself walking, and she knew that neither could the guards, if any were near.
She left the palace and headed towards the brothel, where she'd meet with Amelia, or rather, Maud, who she was sure would be able to give her some useful advice. She cursed as the frigid raindrops hit the top of her hood and soaked through onto her hair. She was certain that she'd look like a drowned rat by the time she reached the brothel. She watched her step as she walked, certain that areas of the road leading to the village center would be slick and dangerous for her, especially because she had a tendency to walk a little too quickly at times.
It was only Elizabeth's second time going to the brothel, and she felt as though her stomach was doing flips inside of her body. She didn't know the proper protocol of a brothel, and wasn't certain if she was visiting too late. The rain came down harder and she shivered as a gust of wind blew through all the layers of warm clothing she was wearing. She quickened her step, but still remained cautious at the same time, not wanting to slip and break any bones.
As she grew closer to the brothel, she could see that it was the only building that was currently active in the town square. All of the others were quiet and dark, reminding Elizabeth just how late it was. She could hear the voices and music from the building as she neared the door, and she quickly threw open the door, immediately drawn towards the heat which radiated from the fireplaces placed around the room.
Elizabeth clenched and unclenched her hands, scolding herself for not wearing gloves. She continued to shiver, and was grateful for the fact that it looked like everyone in the large room was occupied with something, and wouldn't notice her lurking by the door. She silently walked to the door at the side of the room that led to the private chambers, then made her way to the end of the hall, where Maud's gold door stood.
She could see light escaping from underneath the door, telling her that Maud was awake. She prayed that she wasn't with a customer. While trying to ignore the moans that came from the closed doors around her, Elizabeth raised a frozen hand and knocked on the door, which immediately caused her to clench her teeth in pain. Her hands hadn't thawed enough yet, and she was certain that the motion had caused her knuckles to split open.
She stepped away from the entrance and waited for Maud to open the door. She glanced behind her, making sure that nobody was around, then turned back to the door, which still remained closed. She stared at it, willing it to open. She considered knocking on the door again, but then heard movement coming from the room. A few seconds later, the door opened and revealed Maud, who was dressed in a silk robe that didn't cover much.
Elizabeth blushed and looked down at the green hem of her gown.
“Elizabeth?” Maud whispered. “What are you doing here?”
“I couldn't sleep,” She whispered back, her gaze still averted from the scantily clad woman in front of her.
Maud glanced behind her shoulder at the nobleman who snored in her bed, then turned back towards Elizabeth, who was now looking past the older woman's shoulder, trying to see inside the room.
“I can...leave...if you're busy, of course,” She said awkwardly.
Maud tightened the tie on her robe, causing it to cover up more of her body, then shook her head.
“No, no," She said quietly. She stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her as quietly as she could, then motioned towards Elizabeth to follow her. The two women entered a room a few doors down from Maud's room, which was luckily vacant. The girl who usually occupied the room had gotten syphilis from one of her many clients, and had quit days before. Her position had yet to be filled.
Once the door was closed behind her, Maud turned to face Elizabeth, who kept shivering in the cold room. She immediately lit a fire for the poor girl, who was certain to catch her death if she wasn't soon around any warmth. After the fire was going at a strength she was happy with, Maud turned and faced Elizabeth again, who had removed her cloak and brought a chair closer to the fire, in the hopes of drying her gown.
“I'm sorry I didn't send word that I was coming,” Elizabeth said apologetically. “It was a last minute decision to come and visit.”
Maud pulled a chair over to the fireplace and sat across from the dark-haired girl in front of her.
“It's not a problem, my dear. We must find another place for us to meet. Do you have another house that we could visit?”
Elizabeth thought for a moment, then shook her head.
“The only house I know of is my own, and that would be a day's ride away.”
Maud nodded in understanding. “And it wouldn't be wise to take you away from court, especially with your progress with the king.”
Elizabeth raised an eyebrow, wondering if Maud knew about the recent events with the king.
“You're not the only one with spies around the palace, my dear. I hear the queen is quite angry with you.”
Elizabeth nodded and nervously picked at her nails. It was a habit that she had given up years ago, but had recently been picked up again, after her arrival at court. Her nails were constantly a swollen, red mess.
“It has been days since a servant discovered me sleeping in the king's bed. Of course, he immediately assumed that I'd become the king's mistress, and by the afternoon, word had spread around court. Now I've got people avoiding me, and people I've never seen before wanting to speak with me to see if I can give them favors. I hate it,” She mumbled towards her hands.
Maud stared at her sympathetically, although Elizabeth couldn't see it.
“The feeling will eventually disappear, and you will no longer care what others think about you. Once your mission is completed, you will hardly remember the shame and embarrassment you feel now.”
Elizabeth said nothing.
After a pause, Maud began speaking again.
“Why couldn't you sleep?”
Elizabeth was silent for a few seconds as she picked at the skin around her left pointer finger's nail. Her thumbnail pulled off a small piece of skin, causing blood to bubble out of the small wound. Her finger immediately stung. She clenched her hands and looked up at Maud, which revealed the dark circles under the younger woman's eyes. Combined with her bloodshot eyes, it looked as though the poor woman hadn't slept in days.
“My mind is constantly active. I have this voice inside my head, my voice, that keeps telling me that I need to be making more progress. Yet, all I've been doing is lying awake at night, seeing the queen's sad eyes filled with betrayal. I had thought her to be my friend, and I betrayed her. All I've been doing is pretending to be happy when I'm not. Night after night, the king begs me to lie with him, he tells me that he's unhappy with me because I won't do the one thing he truly wants. Night after night, I have to tell him, 'Not yet Your Majesty, not yet. Just a little while longer and I will be yours.' How am I to do the one thing that he wants, if I can hardly stand it when he touches me?” Elizabeth's voice quavered as she spoke, and she immediately stopped, not wanting to have anyone see her cry.
She turned her face towards her hands again and bit down on her bottom lip, willing herself not to cry.
“Child...” Maud trailed off and stood from the chair, then embraced Elizabeth as best she could. It felt odd for her to do so, since she had never had children or never been a person who loved touching people unless it was absolutely necessary. She always found her job as a prostitute amusing, since it required quite a bit of touching, even though she didn't like it.
Once Maud's arms wrapped around her, Elizabeth immediately let out an involuntarily sob, and the tears began pouring out of her eyes. She felt foolish and vulnerable, but she found that she couldn't stop. Maud was standing in front of the chair, and leaned down quite a bit, so she was able to wrap her arms around Elizabeth's torso. She gently rubbed the girl's back, although it was difficult, hoping that it was making a difference. She made 'shushing' noises, as she had seen others do to distressed people.
“I....just....want....this to....be....over,” Elizabeth sobbed between breaths. Her words were a bit garbled, but Maud nodded, showing that she understood.
“My dear, you must remember how happy you felt when you had Thomas Drake executed. He was a man who helped to murder your father and destroy your life. There are many others who did just as he did, and they deserve the same fate as Drake. I know you would be angrier if you gave up and allowed everyone to continue with their lives, acting as if they had never sinned.”
Elizabeth knew that she was right. All she had to do was continue to ignore all of the feelings that told her to stop her plans for revenge and live a calm, normal life. She knew that the part of her that was eager to get revenge on her enemies was much larger than the part of her that wished to stop.
She slowly got a hold of herself, and the tears ceased. Maud eventually pulled away from her and sat back in the chair, then waited for Elizabeth to speak again.
“I apologize,” Elizabeth said sheepishly, suddenly regretting allowing herself to show her vulnerability to another person.
Maud said nothing as she handed the younger woman a handkerchief. Elizabeth dabbed at her eyes and nose, then crumpled the handkerchief and placed it into her lap.
“The next people who I intend to get rid of are Edward and Anne Hastings. I don't know how to do it,” Elizabeth admitted. “I was hoping you could help me.”
Maud thought for a moment, her eyes closed as she concentrated on a plan. Suddenly, her green eyes shot open, and a grin lit up her face.
“Here's what we need to do...”
*~*~*~*
About an hour later, Elizabeth returned to the palace, grateful that it had stopped raining. Her cloak was still a bit damp, but she wore it anyway, knowing that it would still help to keep her warm. She hurried back to the castle, feeling much better than she had before. The two women had come up with an elaborate plan, one that she would enact days later, after she had caught up on sleep. She needed as much energy as possible.
Before leaving the brothel, Maud had informed Elizabeth that she needed to come up with another name to use when she went to visit her. The two decided that she would be known as Lucy Hastings, and would even wear a blonde wig to hide her dark hair. It would help disguise her just enough, so if she ran into anyone from court, they wouldn't immediately recognize her.
The new name and new hair made Elizabeth a little more excited than she wanted to admit. She felt like a proper spy, and felt much more important than she had before.
She made it back to her chamber before the sun came up, and was able to avoid guards once more. Once in her room, she took off her cloak and set it by the fire to dry. She poked at the dying embers in the grate, and piled on another piece of wood to make the fire stronger, then turned to her bed, ready to sleep.
Instead, she stopped in her tracks and immediately gasped. On her bed was Grace, who sat on the edge, her body trembling. Grace raised her head at the sound that came from Elizabeth, which caused her heart to drop. The serving girl's face was beaten and bloodied, her clothes torn, her left eye swollen.
Elizabeth immediately rushed over to her and knelt in front of her. She pulled a handkerchief out of a pocket in her gown, and immediately began asking questions. Meanwhile, Grace began to cry and mumble something about the king.
“Grace,” Elizabeth started as she dabbed at the corner of the girl's trembling lip. “Did the king do this to you?”
The question only caused the girl to cry harder as she nodded.
Elizabeth felt as though her heart stopped.
She removed her hand from the girl's face, then began to pull off her worn shoes. She stood up, then took her pillows and placed them so they created a comfortable resting place for Grace's back, so she could sit up in the bed without having it rest upon the hard, carved headboard. She gently guided the girl towards the pillows and helped to pull her under the covers.
After making sure that she was comfortable on the bed, Elizabeth poured the poor girl a glass of wine, then handed it to her. Once Grace had calmed down, Elizabeth began asking questions once more.
“What happened?”
Grace took a deep breath, then took a long drink of wine, making sure to be careful of her lip.
“The king summoned me about an hour ago,” Grace started shakily. “I went to his chamber, where he was pacing by the fire. Once he saw me, he immediately began to tell me that women cause him nothing but trouble and he....” She trailed off. “He mentioned you quite a bit. He seems quite angry with you.”
Elizabeth poured herself a glass of wine and took a long drink from it, knowing she'd need it to help get rid of the guilt she felt. Had she not forced the girl to become the king's mistress, the situation could have been avoided.
“I told him that he needed to relax and unwind and I...” She trailed off once more and blushed.
“And you took him to bed,” Elizabeth answered for her.
Grace nodded and hiccuped, then wiped a tear from her right eye.
“Everything was fine for a moment, and then he became violent. He hit me and choked me and told me that I was worthless. I told him that he was hurting me and pleaded with him to stop, but it was useless.” The girl shook her head sadly and tucked a strand of her ratty, red hair away from her face.
Elizabeth shook her head as well, unsure of what to say.
“Grace, I am...I am so very sorry...” She trailed off and looked down at her hands again, resisting the urge to pick at her nails.
“I agreed to our plan. Neither of us believed that the king would do something of this sort.”
Nothing Grace said would help to relieve any of the guilt Elizabeth felt for getting the young girl into the situation. She felt absolutely terrible.
“I must have been pretty loud,” Grace said. “The duke came running into the room and forced the king off of me. I took what I could of the clothes on the ground, and ran to your room. I didn't know what to do since you weren't there, so I waited here and you came back minutes later.”
“The duke of Reddon?” Elizabeth questioned.
Grace nodded, which caused Elizabeth to be worried.
She knew that the duke would be searching for Grace. He didn't seem like the type of man who would leave a wounded person alone. His conscious wouldn't allow it.
“I just...I wanted to let you know what happened. I wanted you to be cautious around the king. I don't want this to happen to you. I'm just a servant. It doesn't matter if I get beaten,” Grace said seriously. She took another drink from her cup, while Elizabeth glared at her.
“I don't wish to ever hear you say that again,” She scolded. “You're a human being, Grace. Nobody deserves to have this happen to them. I wouldn't blame you if you never forgave me,” Elizabeth said truthfully.
Grace smiled, which caused her lip to split once more. The smile immediately turned into a grimace.
“I truly thought that you wouldn't care,” The girl said sheepishly. “The servants at court don't have many kind words to say about you, but I'll set them straight. I have already forgiven you, my lady.”
Elizabeth smiled, although she knew it didn't reach her eyes. The fact that people at court didn't like her, bothered her more than she wanted to admit.
“Anyway,” Grace said as she climbed out of the bed. “I think I'll go get one of my friends to patch me up, and I'll return to my room. You look like you could use some sleep.”
Elizabeth started to protest, but Grace raised her hand and stopped her.
“I insist. I'll sleep better in my own bed, anyway.”
Elizabeth went to the chest at the end of her bed and pulled out a red cloak, which she gave to Grace.
“Wear this to keep you warm. If you need anything, please come to me. I would be glad to help.”
Grace quickly put on the cloak, then Elizabeth walked her to the door.
“I mean what I said,” Elizabeth said seriously. “Send for me if you need anything.”
Grace nodded, then Elizabeth opened the door, which revealed the duke of Reddon himself, standing right outside of her room.
He was frowning.
“Curious,” He started. “I saved a girl only minutes ago, controlled my friend's anger, then went to help the girl, only to find her missing. After searching the palace for her, I find her inside your room, when everyone at court knows that you would never help anyone unless it benefited you, Lady Elizabeth. Pray tell, how do you two know each other?”
Grace looked at Elizabeth in horror, while she tried to think of something to say.
“I...” Elizabeth faltered and trailed off.
A triumphant grin spread across Henry's face. Perhaps he had accidentally stumbled upon the type of information he had been trying to find ever since Lady Elizabeth had come to court.
“I had been on my way back to my room, when I happened upon Lady Elizabeth's room. I had accidentally woken her up because I was crying loudly, and she came out and saw my poor state and immediately brought me into her room so she could help me. I told her that I wasn't comfortable being in her room. I didn't want to get blood all over her fancy things, you see. But she insisted on me staying. She tended to my wounds and gave me this cloak,” Grace said quickly as she pointed at the cloak that she wore.
Henry didn't quite buy her story.
“Isn't the servants' quarters quite a ways away from Lady Elizabeth's chamber?”
Henry glared at Elizabeth, who was glaring right back at him. She didn't have time for his questions or suspicions.
“I was in such a state that I wasn't paying attention to the way I was going. I was running through the corridors, calling out for help. Nobody but the lady opened their door for me. I am so very grateful that she decided to help me.”
Henry looked between the two women, then looked back at Elizabeth, who was still dressed in her green gown.
“Do most women wear gowns like yours to bed, Lady Elizabeth?” He said with a grin.
Blast. She thought to herself.
“I fell asleep while reading,” Elizabeth hissed, hoping that her anger would help send the imbecile away. “Frankly, I don't appreciate your questions and your tone, Your Grace. Here, I woke up to find a girl badly beaten and sobbing outside my door, and you expected me to ignore her and send her on her way, because it wouldn't help me gain anything. You are rude, arrogant, and looking to find any shred of evidence to take to the king that will turn him against me. You may leave now, Your Grace.”
Henry looked at her in shock, his dark eyes wide. He began to stammer something unintelligible, then bowed, and stormed away from the women. Once they were sure that he was out of earshot, both Grace and Elizabeth burst out laughing, the sound something that pleased Elizabeth's ears. Here, minutes ago, both women had been sad and upset, and now they were happy.
“Thank you,” Elizabeth said earnestly, once she had stopped laughing.
Grace curtsied playfully, as a way of accepting Elizabeth's thanks.
“I shall leave you now,” She said. “You need to get some much needed rest. Those bags under your eyes are ghastly,” Grace said bravely. Seeing the surprised look on Elizabeth's face only caused her to smile harder, then grimace once more because of her split lip. “I'll be sure to find you if I need anything,” Grace reassured the lady in front of her.
Grace then left Elizabeth and went back to her own room, to sleep off the pain. Once she had rounded the corner, Elizabeth went back into her room and quickly changed into her nightgown. She fell asleep just as the sun started to rise, her dreams happier than they had been in a long time.