Lady Claire dabbed the glass stopper from her perfume bottle into the valley between her breasts while her maid finished winding jet-black hair into a complicated series of coils on top of her head. No matter how she tried, she would never have the coveted curls that her wretched stepdaughter had. When Claire married Andrew it had been under the guise that she would be a good mother influence on Lady Caelyn. If Claire had her way, Caelyn would have been sent off to the convent to have an education leaving Andrew to attend to his beloved country estate while Claire had the wealth of his London home and all the lovers she could spare. But Andrew would not send Caelyn away. The world revolved around that girl for him. Claire grew more and more to resent her red headed stepchild as a reminder of the plans she could not continue. Returning for her scheduled visit to Norfolk had brought an unexpected surprise. Count Adhemar of Anjou was their guest. A sly grin spread across her face thinking of the darkly handsome man. What a coup it would be bed him under her husband's roof. She readjusted her bountiful chest to the point of being obscene in her dark violet dress. Tonight her bed would not be lonely. Caelyn stripped her clothing off and stepped into the marble tub in her privy. Her father had an architect design a system where once the water was no longer in need for a bath all one had to do was pull out the marble stopper and the water rushed down a gutter outside the room and down the side of the house. Caelyn's maid had poured some lilac scented oils into water and the scent filled the room as Caelyn stepped into the tub. She closed her eyes and let her muscles relax from a morning of riding. Behind her closed eyes another set of eyes began to haunt her Adhemar's eyes. Her eyes snapped open and she sat up. "I'm sorry m'lady, I didn't mean to startle you." her maid Gwen had entered the bath. Caelyn settled back into the tub letting her hair hang over the edge so Gwen could begin to wash it. "You didn't startle me Gwen, I guess I startled myself." Gwen poured a pitcher of water over Caelyn's hair and began to rub lilac scented soap into the wet locks and lather it up. "How would you like to wear your hair for dinner?" Gwen asked. "Which way would aggravate my stepmother the most?" Caelyn giggled with Gwen. "Well if you wanted to truly aggravate Lady Claire, then I say leave most of it down. You know how she covets those curls of yours." Gwen said with a conspirator sigh remembering the time Claire had almost succeeded in cutting all of those glorious red/gold curls off "Well then, let's let it curl shall we?" Caelyn said as she stepped out of the tub and wrapped a linen towel around her body. "And I've laid out your green dress. Lady Claire is wearing violet." Gwen told her as Caelyn sat down at her dressing table and began to towel dry her hair. Caelyn sat as Gwen began to arrange the riotous curls down her back. Now not only would she have to suffer sitting with Adhemar through dinner she would have to suffer her stepmother as well. Caelyn knew that Claire was only pleasant to her while her father was around. The few times they were alone she did her best to cut Caelyn to the core. She shuddered at some of the things that Claire had submitted her to. Adhemar got momentarily lost as he tried to make his way down to the parlor. He heard a woman's voice and wondered if it be that bedeviling red head. He paused momentarily as the scent of lilacs invaded his senses. "Ah Count Adhemar." Lady Claire smiled seductively as she crossed the parlor extending her hand to him. Adhemar looked at Claire and felt his body stir in only a way that a woman such as Lady Claire could make a man's body react. He took her hand and kissed it as she curtsied. "How nice to finally make your acquaintance. Your reputation precedes you." she batted her eyelashes at him. "And you yours." he said briefly. "Adhemar, here you are." Lord Andrew bellowed as he entered the parlor. "Good to see you up and about." Claire snapped open her fan and made a small sound as her husband entered the room and interrupted them. Thee two men embarrassed briefly and the separated. Andrew stepped back, keeping his arms on Adhemar's shoulders and looked him over. "How are you feeling? Things healing well?" "Yes sir they are. Just some soreness in the ribs when I move too much." "Then I take it you'll be leaving us soon?" Claire moved next to Adhemar and put her hand on his arm. "You can't leave so soon, we've only just met." "I am sorry m'lady but as soon as I can. I have things to attend to back home." he said "And of course there is always the tournaments." "Surely you can't be ready to go back to that dreadful sport after what happened to you." Claire pouted. "As you can see," Andrew smiled, "My wife is not fond of the tournaments." Adhemar looked at Lady Claire and wondered if Lord Andrew was aware of the rumors that he often heard among the knight who jousted. Lady Claire stepped up to the men. "I think we should go into dinner." "Where is Caelyn?" Andrew looked around the room. "Caelyn?" Adhemar questioned. "Andrew's daughter who will be late for her own wedding." Claire looped her hand through Adhemar's arm; "That's if she could find a man to deal with her.... quirks." The three went into the dining room and took their places at the square wooden table that Andrew preferred over the long formal table. "Andrew, we should be at the formal dining table. I'm sure Count Adhemar would prefer that one. The servants were bringing out the first course when Caelyn entered the hall. Adhemar felt everything else in the room go out of focus except for the beautiful creature standing in the entranceway. Her copper hued hair touched with gold fell in a cascade of curls over her shoulders with the front pulled back and held in place by a gold clip with pearls and emeralds adorning it. She wore a dress of green silk with a sheer insert of gold in the front that stretched down between her breasts. The same sheer material was used on the sleeves, which were fitted to her well-toned arms and flared out at the wrist. "It's about time you joined us Caelyn, we were about to start without you." Lady Claire's terse comment brought Adhemar out of his perusal of her body and he stood up. "My apologies Mother." Caelyn said the last word with a modicum of sarcasm. "What kept you this evening daughter." Andrew pulled the chair out for his daughter and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I'm sure she was changing out of those ridiculous clothes she insists...." "No matter." Andrew cut his wife off drawing angry looks from her; "she is here now and we can eat." Andrew sat back down. "Adhemar, it's been a long time since you've seen Caelyn." Caelyn kept her vision focused on the carafe of wine that sat on the table between she and Adhemar. She dragged her eyes from the ruby colored liquid up until she was looking at him straight in the eye. A shock ran from her heart down to her stomach at the intensity that he was looking at her. She feared he would give her small secret away. "Well if a long time means since earlier this evening, then yes it has been." Adhemar raised his glass; "But I must say that I enjoy this matter of dress much better." Caelyn cocked an eyebrow and raised her glass in mock salute while Claire's jealousy began to gnaw in her stomach. Through out dinner, Lady Claire spoke at length of the social scene in London. Caelyn looked at her father and saw that he was only half listening while Adhemar seemed to be trying to follow along. "You'll have to forgive me Lady Claire, but I have long been out of the social arena in London. My duties to the King have kept me quite busy." "Oh that is correct. It was said that Prince Edward sent you back to the front lines after you refused go up against him in a joust." Claire leaned forward on one arm, her chin propped in her hand. Caelyn saw that Adhemar's jaw clenched at her words. "I did not want to harm a royal Lady Claire." he said tersely. "Well apparently Sir William Thatcher thought differently." she wave her hand off as if dismissing what Adhemar said. "Well Sir William took a great chance and obviously it paid off well for him." Adhemar answered." You've been quiet Lady Caelyn. Are you feeling alright?" Adhemar leaned back in his chair and changed the subject. Caelyn put her goblet of wine down and folded her hands on the table and leaned forward. "I'm fine Count Adhemar. I was just listening to my mother recounting all the news of London." Claire could have thrown a glass of water at her stepdaughter. "There is no need for sarcasm young lady. If you have nothing nice to add to the dinner conversation, then you can remove yourself from the table." Caelyn stood up and placed her napkin on the table. "Father, Count Adhemar." she nodded in each of their directions and then left with a silent nod to her stepmother. She could hear her stepmother voicing her disgust in Caelyn's actions as she left the dining room. Caelyn knew the speech by chapter and verse. "Caelyn will never find a husband." "Caelyn is rude and irreprehensible" on and on Claire would go. Ever since Claire married Caelyn's father she was constantly reminded of how Caelyn would never be a "true" Lady and should just throw herself on the mercy of the convents. The only happiness that Caelyn had was when Claire was off spending the season in London for when she came back to Norfolk, even the servant's smiles would disappear at the demands that were put on them. Caelyn left the house by way of the kitchen and could smell the apple and raisin tarts that the cook made for dessert. They were her favorites. "Cow will probably eat hers and mine too." Caelyn kicked at a stick as she walked out into the one place that still belonged to her mother, the garden.