(A/N: Thank you all so much for the reviews, all save Maeve who just tries to annoy me. Please continue you reviewing, and I'll keep the chapters coming!)
Conversation between Tessa and her governess friend Mimi:
"So darling, I heard that you were
employed be the Baron and Baroness of Pirates Swoop for a period of time. How
was that?" she said with slight mockery in her voice.
"Well," began Mimi in a slightly
huffy voice, "I have never in my life met such a pair of young twins so
out of control. I suppose the oldest one, Thom, is alright," she said with a
bit of a sniff, "but the youngest were so wild! You'd think that they'd never
been put under a restraint in their life!" she declared.
Tessa patted her friend's hand
sympathetically. " How was the famous couple?" Tessa inquired.
"Well," she began with the tone of
someone carrying the air of great gossip with them, " The lady knight is fairly
well mannered, but has the temper of a bull!" Tessa put a hand to her collarbone
and shook a bowed head as Mimi went on. "And the husband! He definitely has a
fancy for her, but my, he's quite a player. I wouldn't trust him around my
daughter as far as I can throw him!"
The two servant/governesses
continued on with their gossip as they unpacked Tessa's belongings. Mimi was
idly looking out the window when some movement caught her eye- a young copper
haired noble girl and a young palace servant were both giggling while putting
some pansies in the ground, occasionally tossing a bit of dirt at each other.
"Tessa," Mimi started, "What did you
say your mistress looked like again?"
Tessa beamed with pride and
continued to put items away in her closet. "Oh, she's a pretty little lass.
She's short, with red blonde hair, sea-green eyes, pert nose, and a pretty,
full, rosy mouth. Wish that she had more of an interest in being a lady though.
I had to force her into her blue gown this morning."
Mimi's eyes bugged out as she
continued to look at the scene in front of her. "Tessa, come here!" she said
urgently.
Tessa looked up at her friend with a
small frown. "Why," she said striding toward the window.
Before Mimi could reply, Tessa
caught a glimpse of what Mimi had been looking at for the past few minutes.
"Ooww, I'll skin that girl alive!"
she threatened as she charged out of the room.
* * *
Nadia giggled some more than laid
back in the grass for a moment, and Luna joined her.
"I had know idea that this kind of
work could be so much fun and so, so.." she trailed off.
"Satisfying?" Luna finished for her.
"Exactly!" exclaimed Nadia as she
sat up to push another pansy into the ground. "I can't believe mother and
father never let me do this at home. Gardening actually has a rather soothing
effect."
Luna smiled at the lady next to her.
Then Luna's eyes drifted past Nadia and suddenly her smile faded.
"What?" questioned Nadia, looking
over her shoulder. "Oh no," she said softly. Tessa was charging towards them
like an angry bull. Upon reaching them, Tessa made no effort to be kind,
gentle, or open-minded. She immediately grabbed Nadia up by the elbow; yanking
her to her feet- hard.
"What in the name of the Mother do
you think you are doing?" Tessa roared like the pages training master. Even
Luna on her patch of grass cowered in fright.
"G-g-gardening," she whispered
softly.
"Gardening? GARDENING? YOU ARE A
NOBLE! GARDENING IS MEANT FOR PEOPLE LIKE, PEOPLE LIKE HER!" Tessa yelled
angrily, pronouncing each and every syllable in like a word in the sentence,
and pointing at Luna. "You are coming back to the room with me. And you," she
said, turning an icy glare towards Luna, "you need to remember your status!"
she finished in a deadly whisper while dragging Nadia off without even letting
her say goodbye.
* * *
"I want an explanation, right now
young lady, as to why you disobeyed me." Tessa said in a more inside voice.
Nadia, now over the shock of being yanked through the palace, was able to
answer more calmly.
"I didn't disobey you," she said
neutrally, "you told me to go look around the palace."
"You knew what I meant!" Tessa
snapped back, her voice rising again.
"Obviously not, or I wouldn't be in
this situation."
Tessa smacked her lightly across the
face. "Don't get pert with me young miss. You knew very well that I meant you
should be getting acquainted with the young men of the palace."
"No, besides, you said it was
imprudent for a girl to do just that without being formally introduced at
court." Lady Nadia replied coolly.
Tessa ignored the last part. "I
ESPECIALLY don't want you hanging out with servant riff raff. You are from a
family of high breeding (Nadia snorted at this) and you should act that why. I
am putting you on restriction. Until tomorrow night, you are not to stray from
outside this room unless you are accompanied be me." And with that Tessa
stormed back into her own living quarters, leaving Nadia to sit on the sofa
with her head in her hands, trying to calm herself down.
"If being a noble is supposed to be
so wonderful," she thought, "then why do I feel like such a caged bird?"