The other room was a slightly smaller bedroom but had two beds in
it for Elizabeth and Marina. They weren't nearly as large as hers, but, by
testing one, she knew they would be comfortable.
She returned to the sitting room and looked around. There was a
large fireplace on one wall, flanked by windows on each side. She went to
one and looked out. The beautiful rolling hills for which Bernodia was
famous spread out before her. She could see a sparkling lake nestled
between some wooded hills, and a rolling meadow not far from the castle.
The beauty of it took her breath away. She was determined to ride there as
soon as she could.
As she turned back into the room, the picture above the mantle
caught her eye. She went over to it and stared intently. It was a painting of
her own mother, painted when she was much younger. She felt the
homesickness that she had thought she had put out of her heart wash over
her. She breathed deeply to swallow the tears that were pressing their way
to her eyes. She was so caught up in the moment that she didn't hear the
footsteps behind her.
"Do you like it?"
She turned to see Alexander standing behind her, smiling as usual.
"Mother had it hung there. She loves your mother very much, and it is one
of her prized possessions."
Louise didn't answer directly, but turned back to the picture and
away from him to blink back the tears.
"It's all right, I guess," she answered tersely.
"The servants will have all of your things here momentarily. Dinner
won't be ready for a couple of hours. Would you like me to have something
light sent up for you?"
This is the one thing she hated most about Alexander, and had since
they were young. Nothing she did seemed to ruffle him. He always
remained calm and gentlemanly, even when she treated him harshly.
For as long as she could remember, her mother and Lady Margaret
had met to visit and vacation every summer at Walsken Manor. It was
halfway between their homes and was where her mother grew up. Her
mother had always insisted Louise come along, and Lady Margaret always
brought Alexander.
But when she turned thirteen, she had rebelled. She hadn't seen
Alexander for four years now, and she decided he hadn't changed a bit. He
was still the same self-confident, arrogant boy she used to try to fluster. But
he had never showed any outward sign of being troubled, even though she
had played every conceivable mean trick on him that her young mind could
contrive.
She was still determined he wouldn't get the best of her with his
calm manner. "No, I don't need any food. I can do quite well without help
from the likes of you."
He bowed slightly and, again, he had that almost-grin that she hated
so much - the one that seemed to smirk at her. "Yes, Your Highness.
Perhaps you are beyond help."
He turned and slipped from the room while she was still
contemplating what he had said, and deciding what she could throw at him.
Again she felt he had gotten the upper hand, and her ego was still smarting
from the fall by the carriage. She would get the best of him yet. She didn't
know how, but she would.
By the time dinner was called, she was famished. She was sure that
Elizabeth and Marina must be, as well, but she considered that they had
slipped out of the room a couple of times, and were gone for some length of
time. She was sure that Alexander had provided some food for them. But
she was not about to lower herself to allow him do something for her.
She was seated directly across from Alexander at the table. As she
tried to elegantly wolf down the dinner placed before her, she could think of
nothing else but eating. But, as she started to get her fill, she realized that
all eyes were upon her. Duke Reginald and Lady Margaret looked
concerned since she ate so much so quickly. Alexander sported an amused
smile. She was sure he enjoyed her hunger since she had refused his offer
earlier.
It was then, as she saw the distinctive cup he used, the one with his
name emblazoned on it, that she thought of a way she could wipe that smirk
off of his face. If she could just get something nasty in it, she would see
him lose his composure. But what? She would have to plan it carefully.
The thought of him choking and gasping at the dinner table was so delicious
to her that she suddenly felt happy for the first time in a long time.
She was no longer hungry, she was slightly rested from her long trip,
and she had a dark, happy plan. She chatted happily with Duke Reginald
and Lady Margaret.
"I want to thank you for putting that picture of Mother in my room."
Lady Margaret smiled. "Alexander thought you might like it since
you are so far from home."
She scowled at Alexander. He had said his mother had it hung there,
and Louise had also presumed it had been Lady Margaret's idea.
Alexander's expression didn't change, even as she glowered at him. Now
she really couldn't wait to teach him a lesson.
"And how was your trip here, Your Highness?" Duke Reginald
asked.
"Quite uneventful - long, tiring, dusty."
"Lots of beautiful country, though," Lady Margaret added.
"Yes, but I'm glad it's over."
She wanted the conversation to be over, too. She wanted to get back
to her room to start planning her course of action, but she couldn't leave
until her hosts signaled the end of dinner.
The meal truly had been wonderful: roast mutton cooked over a spit
to take away the grease; thick, grainy bread with dark gravy poured over it;,
and hot rolls full of melting butter. And when she thought she couldn't eat
another bite, there was a custard for dessert that just melted in her mouth.
The food was much different than at home - much fresher and more
delicious.
Finally, Duke Reginald signaled the servants to take it all away, and
she knew she could politely excuse herself.
"If you will excuse me, I think I would like to get some rest."
Duke Reginald nodded. "By all means. And we want you to know
we are very pleased that you can spend the summer with us."
She tried to force a smile, but it would hardly come, especially when
she saw that smirky grin on Alexander's face. Someday she was going to
slap it off. But she just curtsied slightly, and started to her room.
"Oh, by the way, Your Highness," Duke Reginald said, stopping her.
"We thought you might like to see some of the countryside tomorrow.
Alexander said he would be glad to take you."
She looked over at Alexander, his expression still unchanged. She
thought, "I bet he would." But she just said, "That is very nice."
She headed up to her room. Now she was angrier than ever. Spend
the day with that egotistical, smiling statue? She couldn't think of anything
more torturous than that.
Chapter 4
Teaching Alexander A Lesson
The bitterroot juice in Alexander's milk at breakfast the next
morning didn't turn out nearly as well as Louise had planned.
She arrived at the dining hall early and worked her way to where
Alexander sat. She poured the juice into his milk. It was the worst,
nonpoisonous substance she could think of. She had taken bitterroot juice
when she was sick. It was supposed to cast off all illnesses. She felt that
the only reason it could possibly work was that no illness could co-exist
with such a rotten-tasting medicine.
She was trying to conceal the small flask and get back to her seat
when Alexander walked in. He eyed her suspiciously, but said nothing.
When they finally sat down to eat, she kept an eye on him, but tried not to
draw attention to herself. Finally, he took a drink of milk. His eyes
widened slightly, and then he swallowed a couple of times. He glanced over
at her, and she stifled a laugh. Then he continued eating, acting as if
nothing had happened.
He didn't choke, he didn't gag, he didn't even ask for a new glass of
milk. He was calm and unruffled. By the time she walked from the dining
hall, she was fit to be tied. She
would
see him get ruffled before she left if
she had to hang him to do it.
For the next month, her antics escalated. She forced Elizabeth and
Marina to help her. They were reluctant and tried to beg out of it, but that
only made her angrier. At times she was sure that they warned him ahead of
the event, tripping up her plans, but she couldn't prove it. Furthermore, she
had to have an escort on her rides around the countryside. She could either
remain indoors or tolerate his company.
After nearly a month, she was running out of sinister ideas to
antagonize him. Up to that point she had avoided visiting any of the towns
in Bernodia, thinking they weren't worth her time, especially if it had to be
time spent with Alexander. But when he invited her to ride to a mountain
village, she happened on a plan to embarrass him, so she agreed to go.
It would be a long day's journey there and back. Alexander had a
nice picnic for them packed in his saddle bags. Her saddle bags contained
some dried meats, cheese, and breads for her to snack on during their return
trip.
Her plan required a bribed servant, a chicken fed with fermented
grain to produce a drunken stupor, and a few moments without Alexander
watching her. She asked him to slip back in and get her some extra water.
She demanded that Marina and Elizabeth watch for him and stall him on his
way back to the horses. While he was gone she quickly retrieved the bird
from the servant, yanked out their wonderful picnic, and stuffed in the
drunken chicken. She threw the beautiful ice-wrapped roast beef, the cake,
and the soft rolls into a horse stall.
When Alexander returned, she stood there, innocently smiling. He
looked suspiciously at her, so she realized it wasn't smart of her to be
smiling, since she never smiled at him. She tried to transform back to her
usual scowl, but it was painfully hard with the secret locked in her heart.
Soon they were off. The day was hot, but the trail through the shady
forest was quite pleasant. The path snaked steeply upward at times, and the
horses strained under their loads. Alexander's horse, Lady, was a beautiful,
silver mare. He liked to talk about her. He had trained her himself from the
time she was a young filly. She seemed as fond of him as he was of her,
and she would nuzzle him for the treats he always carried for her.
Her own horse, Rusty, was a gentle, but strong, roan gelding.
Alexander said he had chosen that horse for her because of his steady gate
and calm spirit.
They plodded silently along. The first few times Alexander had
taken her riding, he had attempted to make conversation, but her constant,
venomous remarks had soon discouraged him. She had informed him that
she wished he was totally out of her life. For a moment the smile was gone
from his face, and his eyes betrayed a hurt that made her wish she had never
said it. But he still just acted the gentleman, and she kept hating him even
more. Strangely, though, the silence nagged at her, and she wished he
would talk to her again.
As the sun mounted in the sky, the secret she carried started burning
in her. She didn't want anything to ruin the surprise. She was so afraid the
chicken would come out of its drunken stupor and squawk, ruining
everything. She wanted it to be the perfect moment, when he reached in his
saddlebag for the food.
Finally, she could stand it no longer. "Alexander, is it lunch time
yet? I'm hungry."
Alexander smiled as usual. "There is a nice glen by a lake about a
half mile further up. We can stop there so our horses can have water."
That was Alexander - always thinking of his horse. They eventually
arrived in a beautiful meadow with a small stream running through it, a
stream that emptied into a crystal clear lake. She was always amazed at
how well Alexander seemed to know every inch of the land they traveled.
He unsaddled the horses, hobbled them, and set them to graze in the
meadow. Finally, the moment came that she had been waiting for. He
reached in his pack and took hold of the drunken chicken. He pulled it out
and, for the briefest moment, Louise thought she saw a look of astonishment
before he regained his composure. It was so slight, that if anything, it just
angered her more.
It didn't take a genius to know what had happened. The bird
smelled like it had drunk an entire wine cellar. Alexander held it up, "So
much for lunch. I will need to talk to the cook. It looks like she marinated
the chicken, but forgot to cook it. It's still raw."
Louise found herself almost laughing, but she didn't want him to
have the pleasure of hearing her laugh at one of his jokes. She then realized
something else that wasn't funny - they didn't have any lunch at all. In
playing a trick on Alexander, she had unwittingly played one on herself.
This made her mad at him again, though she knew it was her own fault.
Alexander didn't say anything about it, but, instead, reached in his
other saddle bag and pulled out his own dry food that was originally meant
for their trip back. He brought it over to her.