I trudged back to the embassy, weary and heartsick.
Satine answered the door. "Madame?"
I gazed at her. She looked like an angel. "My girlfriend just died."
Satine reached out to hug me. "I am so sorry, madame! Is there anything I can do to ease the pain?"
"There's a lot you could do," I murmured.
Satine helped me into the parlor and plied me with tea and crumpets. "Let me just wake up Madame Queen--"
I shook my head. "You don't need to. Just stay here with me for a while."
Satine looked incredulous.
I patted the sofa seat beside me. "I'm serious. I am lonely and in need of some comfort."
She took off her apron and sat ladylike, legs crossed. "I am so sorry for your loss, Madame."
"You don't need to keep calling me Madame," I said.
"It was part of our training," she explained.
"Well, don't call me Madame when we're alone, at least," I said. "There is no need."
"Very well...Rachelle." Satine smiled shyly.
I decided I really liked the name Rachelle. Especially the way Satine said it.
She clasped her hands and stared at the floor. "Madame--Rachelle--I noticed the way you were looking at me earlier."
"You did?" Like I couldn't tell.
She nodded. "I am not accustomed to such attention. I am sorry if I distracted you."
"What do you mean you're not used to people flirting with you? With your looks, you must be getting hit on by everyone."
"Not really. I spend most of my time in the embassy. There are not many men here. The only man that comes in often is the chauffeur, and I do not think he likes women very much."
"Well, *I* do." I twisted a little to face her. "Satine, have you ever had a lover?"
She blushed bright red. "Oh no, Madame, no, no. We are not allowed."
"Really? None of the people you've ever...uh, served, ever tried to get you in bed?"
"No." She raised her head a little. "And even if one did, I would not succumb to him. My mama warned me about men."
"Did she ever warn you about women?" I asked.
Satine smiled. "She did tell me to beware of beautiful women with short blue hair." She slipped her arm around my shoulders. "But I did not always listen to my mama," she whispered.
And wouldn't you know it, that was the moment Mia decided to come clomping down the stairs.
Satine sprang off of the couch. "Mierde! I am sorry, Rachelle." She tied her apron back on and hustled into the kitchen. I followed her.
Mia was standing in the middle of the tile floor, in a blue terry cloth bathrobe and pink bunny slippers. "Do we have any chocolate ice cream?"
Satine bent down to look in the freezer. "We have chocolate gelato."
Mia sighed. "I guess that's going to have to do." She pushed past Satine and dug out the carton of gelato. "Rachel, help me out here."
"Can I be of assistance?" Satine asked.
Mia shrugged. "Nah."
Satine gave me a helpless look and slipped out. I sat down with Mia.
"What were you guys doing?" Mia asked.
"I just came from the homeless shelter, where I discovered that my girlfriend had been killed by her psycho ex-boyfriend. So I came back and got cozy with the maid." No, I didn't say that. Instead, I said, "Just talking."
"I have a problem," Mia announced. "I can't decide who to take to the royal ball."
Royal ball. The words conjured up magical images for me. Majestic waltzes, savory little things on bits of toast, champagne, drunk debutantes bursting out of their bodices, cool balconies overlooking gardens, discreet rendevouzes in said gardens...
"I could take Michael. He's really cute, and his family is rich. Or I could take Kenny. He's a little antisocial, but he's a real sweetie." Mia absently snorked down a huge clump of gelato. "They're both commoners, though, so Grandmere will never agree to either of them."
I couldn't see what difference taking a commoner to a ball made, especially since the country was scheduled to get rid of its monarchy in a year or two. I said so. At least, the first part.
"You see," Mia said, "if I go to a ball with someone, that's okay. If I go to another ball with them, that's as good as getting betrothed. If I go with someone different, then I'm fickle."
"Why don't you take both of them?" I suggested.
Mia choked. A brown stream dribbled from her mouth. She wiped it off. "Are you nuts? I've seen way too many Disney movies to know how that would end."
"Yeah? How?"
She sighed. "God, don't you know anything? I'd pretend like I was only taking one, and then I'd spend the entire ball trying to make sure they didn't see each other."
"Well, why don't you tell both of them? I don't think they'd get jealous."
She snorted. "The society pages would have a field day." She waved her spoon in the air. "I can see it now. 'Royal Princess Two-Timing Future Husbands!' Yeah, good idea."
I shrugged. "Just trying to help."
Satine answered the door. "Madame?"
I gazed at her. She looked like an angel. "My girlfriend just died."
Satine reached out to hug me. "I am so sorry, madame! Is there anything I can do to ease the pain?"
"There's a lot you could do," I murmured.
Satine helped me into the parlor and plied me with tea and crumpets. "Let me just wake up Madame Queen--"
I shook my head. "You don't need to. Just stay here with me for a while."
Satine looked incredulous.
I patted the sofa seat beside me. "I'm serious. I am lonely and in need of some comfort."
She took off her apron and sat ladylike, legs crossed. "I am so sorry for your loss, Madame."
"You don't need to keep calling me Madame," I said.
"It was part of our training," she explained.
"Well, don't call me Madame when we're alone, at least," I said. "There is no need."
"Very well...Rachelle." Satine smiled shyly.
I decided I really liked the name Rachelle. Especially the way Satine said it.
She clasped her hands and stared at the floor. "Madame--Rachelle--I noticed the way you were looking at me earlier."
"You did?" Like I couldn't tell.
She nodded. "I am not accustomed to such attention. I am sorry if I distracted you."
"What do you mean you're not used to people flirting with you? With your looks, you must be getting hit on by everyone."
"Not really. I spend most of my time in the embassy. There are not many men here. The only man that comes in often is the chauffeur, and I do not think he likes women very much."
"Well, *I* do." I twisted a little to face her. "Satine, have you ever had a lover?"
She blushed bright red. "Oh no, Madame, no, no. We are not allowed."
"Really? None of the people you've ever...uh, served, ever tried to get you in bed?"
"No." She raised her head a little. "And even if one did, I would not succumb to him. My mama warned me about men."
"Did she ever warn you about women?" I asked.
Satine smiled. "She did tell me to beware of beautiful women with short blue hair." She slipped her arm around my shoulders. "But I did not always listen to my mama," she whispered.
And wouldn't you know it, that was the moment Mia decided to come clomping down the stairs.
Satine sprang off of the couch. "Mierde! I am sorry, Rachelle." She tied her apron back on and hustled into the kitchen. I followed her.
Mia was standing in the middle of the tile floor, in a blue terry cloth bathrobe and pink bunny slippers. "Do we have any chocolate ice cream?"
Satine bent down to look in the freezer. "We have chocolate gelato."
Mia sighed. "I guess that's going to have to do." She pushed past Satine and dug out the carton of gelato. "Rachel, help me out here."
"Can I be of assistance?" Satine asked.
Mia shrugged. "Nah."
Satine gave me a helpless look and slipped out. I sat down with Mia.
"What were you guys doing?" Mia asked.
"I just came from the homeless shelter, where I discovered that my girlfriend had been killed by her psycho ex-boyfriend. So I came back and got cozy with the maid." No, I didn't say that. Instead, I said, "Just talking."
"I have a problem," Mia announced. "I can't decide who to take to the royal ball."
Royal ball. The words conjured up magical images for me. Majestic waltzes, savory little things on bits of toast, champagne, drunk debutantes bursting out of their bodices, cool balconies overlooking gardens, discreet rendevouzes in said gardens...
"I could take Michael. He's really cute, and his family is rich. Or I could take Kenny. He's a little antisocial, but he's a real sweetie." Mia absently snorked down a huge clump of gelato. "They're both commoners, though, so Grandmere will never agree to either of them."
I couldn't see what difference taking a commoner to a ball made, especially since the country was scheduled to get rid of its monarchy in a year or two. I said so. At least, the first part.
"You see," Mia said, "if I go to a ball with someone, that's okay. If I go to another ball with them, that's as good as getting betrothed. If I go with someone different, then I'm fickle."
"Why don't you take both of them?" I suggested.
Mia choked. A brown stream dribbled from her mouth. She wiped it off. "Are you nuts? I've seen way too many Disney movies to know how that would end."
"Yeah? How?"
She sighed. "God, don't you know anything? I'd pretend like I was only taking one, and then I'd spend the entire ball trying to make sure they didn't see each other."
"Well, why don't you tell both of them? I don't think they'd get jealous."
She snorted. "The society pages would have a field day." She waved her spoon in the air. "I can see it now. 'Royal Princess Two-Timing Future Husbands!' Yeah, good idea."
I shrugged. "Just trying to help."