*~*Forbidden Lust*~*



*~*Chapter Six*~*



The next morning, one of the royal maids named Adèle came in early to prepare Beatrice's riding clothes. She was ordered to wake Beatrice when the clothes were set out, but it took her a few minutes of courage to actually approach the bed and tap the princess' shoulder. "Highness? Highness...."

Beatrice stirred, turning away from Adèle. She mumbled something inaudible that sounded almost like Andre. Adèle leaned in closer, wondering what Beatrice was mumbling. She whispered lightly. "Highness, you're riding with Joseph today. You must hasten to rouse, I sill have to dress you. Highness..." She placed her hand on Beatrice's nearest shoulder, shaking her gently.

Beatrice rolled over, unconsciously flinging her hand towards Adèle's face. She rose, looking shocked at her maid who was kneeling on the floor, clutching her face. "Adèle! Oh, I'm so sorry! Did I hurt you?" She held out her arm and aided the shaken maid to her feet.

"No, miss, it's alright. I shouldn't have shaken you so. You had every right to strike me." She stood up, still holding her face in her hand. Beatrice could see a red handprint forming on her maid's cheek. She felt awful. She led Adèle to the bed, urging her to sit down. "Thank you, miss." She said shyly.

"Adèle, I apologize for hitting you. It was not my place. Go take a rest, I can dress myself." She let Adèle sit on her bed for a while longer while she readied a bath for herself. When she was finished, Adèle had left.

She busied herself with trying to put on her riding clothes, and realizing that she wasn't sure how to dress, she stumbled to the door and hollered. "MOTHER!"

Charlotte's hurried steps could be heard pounding up the stairs before Beatrice's doorknob rattled to open the door. She almost fell in, catching herself just in time to stand upright and see Beatrice standing in an awkward position, her clothes half on, somewhat wrinkled from her attempt to dress herself. "What happened to you? Is this why you screamed?"

"I accidently hit Adèle, so I let her take a rest. I can't quite figure out how to get this thing on..." Beatrice wrestled with her riding blouse, wrinkling it more in the process. "I probably should have called another maid." Beatrice didn't like the thought of having people dress her in the morning, but she now knew that was why they got paid, and without the maids dressing her, she would constantly end up in her current situation.

"Yes, you should. But it's alright. You have plenty more where this came from." Charlotte laughed. She peeled the blouse off her daughter, tossing it to the bed. She went to the wardrobe and pulled out another silk riding blouse, showing Beatrice the proper way to fasten the clasps and pull it over her shoulders without getting stuck. She then helped Beatrice with the pants, and stood patiently while Beatrice fixed her ragged-looking curls. Beatrice looked at her mother, and soon the two of them burst out laughing. They walked down the stairs together, joking and talking about the things they'd done when Beatrice was younger.

~_*-*_~

At the foot of the stairs, Joseph stood waiting. He paced, wondering what was taking so long to get Beatrice dressed. Just as he turned to face the stairs, Beatrice walked headfirst into his chest. He grabbed her to prevent her from falling, and looked down at the embarrassed smile slowly creeping to her face. "Well, that was quite an entrance, darling."

"Yes, it was." Beatrice giggled as she looked up into Joseph's eyes. She smiled, gazing dreamily up at him. After a moment or so, she realized that her mother was standing behind her, watching her intently. She cleared her throat. "Mother, which horses are ready?"

"Ruby is ready for Joseph, and you are riding Ciel." Charlotte smiled, noting how happy Beatrice was, not to mention how awkward it made her. As she showed them out, she reflected on her first few weeks with Armand.

~_*-*_~

Beatrice and Joseph were now riding in the 20 acre field behind Chateau LeVerre. Upon nearing the fence at the far end of the field, they dismounted and tied the horses to a post. They strolled aimlessly through the field, marvelling at the beauty of the landscape. Spotting a nearby willow tree, they headed in that direction only to spot a lovely lily patch a few feet away.

"Lilies!" Beatrice gasped as she ran headlong for the patch. "I haven't seen lilies in this field in ages!"

"Maybe it's a sign that you're truly happy for once." Joseph's deep voice trailed behind her as he strode gracefully towards the flowers.

"Maybe." With that said, Beatrice sat down and began to sing an old lullaby that her mother sang to put her to sleep.

In the field the lilies grow,
Knowing what the children know.
Laughing, playing, running free,
Lilies are so sweet to me.

"Maybe your name should have been Lily, seeing the way you love them so much." Joseph clapped at her beautiful song.

"It is, Joseph. Don't you remember? My full name is Beatrice Lily LaVerre." She smiled as she srtoked the petals gently.

"Of course! Now it seems like so long since we were children." He smiled, kneeling by Beatrice and watching her graceful hand.

Just then, Beatrice felt something twist in her stomach.

~_*-*_~

"NO! There has to be a way...I need to find some way to get her mind to bend...To get her to see me...as who I was." Andre paced feverishly around the darkened room, hair whipping around behind him as he did so. Slamming his hands on the table beside him, he sank into a chair. Something strange was coming over him, and he couldn't shake Beatrice from his mind. He refused to believe he loved her, but something subconscious was telling him different. He held out his hand slightly, and caught the single tear that fell from his crystaline eye.

Staring at the drop of water in his palm, he felt himself anger again. He stood, donning his coat and hat, and stormed out the door.



To Forbidden Lust
Back to Mind Games
Forward to Shattered Glass