The Comte and the Peasant: Chapter Six
See, I told u guys I'd get the next chapter out soon ^_~. Hope you enjoy!
HYD does not belong to me. It never did and it never will.
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"What are you doing here?" Ruiz Hainault asked softly as he stared at Thadea. He unconsciously tightened his grip on her arm, and took a step closer.
"I…I work here now," Thadea replied in an equally low voice. "I was hired just today by Mistress Rosalind as a scullion." She glanced down at Ruiz's hand, which was still clasped on her arm, and felt a warm blush creep into her cheeks. The cool touch of his hand through the thin fabric of her sleeve was making her pulse race even faster.
"Y…you work here?" there was obvious surprise in the young lord's voice as he registered her words, "But why?"
"Because I wanted to repay you," Thadea answered mentally. But knowing that it would be far too forward of her to say such a thing, she replied instead, "Because I need the money."
Ruiz stood silent and Thadea wondered what he might do next. Certainly, he seemed more puzzled than pleased to find her in his home, and it wouldn't surprise her in the least if he decided to ask her to leave. After all, she had been the one who had caused the trouble between him and the future Comte de Champagne. Who knew what Ruiz thought of her after that horrible episode in the town square?
As the silence wore on, Thadea began to chew her lip nervously. She didn't know what else to say or do, with Ruiz just standing there staring at her. She wished he would say something, ANYTHING, to give her some clue as to what he was thinking. "Please God," she silently prayed, "Don't let him fire me!" She glanced up at him again and knew that she couldn't hide the desperation she was feeling. She didn't know what she would do if he told her to leave.
Unexpectedly, however, she heard a strange sound coming from the future comte's lips. At first, she wasn't quite sure what was happening, but then realized with shock that he was laughing! Caught off guard by his reaction, Thadea merely stood frozen in her place, her wide eyes locked onto his face. A strange feeling of delight filled her heart as she watched how his face lit up when he smiled. It was so warm…and happy…just like a little boy's.
"I suppose that was a silly question of me to ask," he said as he continued to chuckle, "but then again, I won't deny it shocked the hell out of me to find you here." He finally let go of her arm, and leaned back, studying her carefully. "My goodness, what a funny expression you have on your face. I suppose you didn't expect to run into me down here either."
Thadea blushed and gave him a sheepish smile. If only he knew how many times she had hoped to see him today! "You did give me quite a start milord," she replied, "I have to say I hadn't expected to find you in this part of the house."
Ruiz shrugged, as if he had been expecting her comment. "I like the kitchen," he stated simply, gesturing around the large room. "I suppose it's the warmth…the feel of this room that I enjoy." His tone became teasing as he said, "You don't have a problem with that do you?"
Thadea felt her blush deepen and looked down at the floor. "N…no, of course not milord. It's your house after all…"
Ruiz laughed again at her reaction, and Thadea felt her heart swell with pleasure. She was sure she had never heard anything more beautiful than the sound of Ruiz Hainault's laughter, and the fact that she was the one making him laugh only served to increase her joy.
"You are a funny girl Thadea Marcoux," he said as he tapped her playfully on the forehead. "Funny, but strange."
Thadea immediately looked up, the surprise clear on her face. He had remembered her name! The realization was almost too much for her to handle. The sound of her beating heart thudded in her ears, and she was sure it would burst out of her chest at any moment.
"Well, it's getting late, and I'm sure you must have a busy day ahead of you tomorrow," he said softly. Getting the hint that she should leave, Thadea bowed her head and gave him a low curtsy. More than anything, she wanted to stay and talk with him, to hear his soft voice and his soothing laughter, but she knew that this moment couldn't last forever. Her chance encounter with him was like a pleasant dream, and like any dream, it would have to come to an end.
"I…I apologize again for disturbing you milord. I shall return to my quarters now."
Ruiz gave her a small smile, "No need to apologize. I bid you goodnight."
Thadea turned and headed towards the door. "Goodnight milord," she said softly as she reached the doorway, "I hope you sleep well."
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A week later in Provins, Champagne….
"I'm sorry milord, but there still has been no sign of the girl. We have been scouring every inch of the marketplace and asking all the shopkeepers, but no one has seen her or even knows who she is."
Stefan Nicaise scowled at the two guards who stood before him. Every day this week, they have been bringing him the same news. There was no sign of Thadea Marcoux anywhere in Troyes.
"Are you two sure you have searched everywhere? The girl couldn't just have vanished into thin air," he said.
The two guards glanced nervously at each other, and quickly said in unison, "No milord. We assure you we have done a most thorough job in searching the city for the girl. We don't know why she hasn't turned up. Really, it is most strange…."
"Oh shut up, I don't care for your excuses!" Stefan said in annoyance. "You are dismissed. Get out of here and don't come back until you bring back some good news."
The two guards hastily bowed to the future Comte of Provins, and hurried out of the sitting room where Stefan was lounging with Aleron.
"I thought you said it wouldn't be that difficult to find her," Aleron teased. He swirled around the goblet of Pierrefitte he was holding in his hand, and stared as the red liquid swished in the cup.
"I'm in no mood for your smart remarks," Stefan muttered sourly. He frowned and poured himself another glass of wine. "If only we had had more guards there that day than those two incompetent fools. Then surely we would've found her by now."
"Well, things would be a lot simpler if Tiernan was still speaking to Ruiz," Aleron stated. "He had more than a dozen guards there that day. I'm sure if we asked Ruiz for help…"
"Yeah well, that's obviously not going to happen anytime soon," Stefan cut in. He sighed and shook his head in exasperation, "That boy can be so stubborn. Even though he knows he was wrong, he still refuses to go apologize to Ruiz. Honestly, sometimes, he can be so frustrating…"
"Well if I'm so frustrating, then why the hell do you bother hanging around me," a deep voice demanded from the doorway. Startled, both Aleron and Stefan looked up to see Tiernan Doumet stalking angrily into the room.
"Hey, don't be offended Tiernan," Stefan said with a laugh, "I'm just concerned about you and Ruiz. Honestly, don't you think you should pay him a visit and apologize for what you said to him? You admitted yourself that you regret what you did, so what's the problem…"
"I don't see why I should apologize to him," Tiernan replied stubbornly, crossing his arms and seating himself in a nearby armchair, "After all, he's as much to blame as I am!"
Aleron and Stefan both groaned in exasperation. "There's just no reasoning with him," Aleron sighed. Stefan turned to Tiernan and said, "Come on Tiernan, you've been moping about this place ever since you and Ruiz had that falling out. Now we both know you're not going to lighten up until you've talked to him, so why don't you call on him next week. Aleron and I will come with you if you want."
Tiernan looked half convinced, but still stubbornly refused to agree to anything. "I'll think about it," he muttered grudgingly.
"Come on guys," Aleron said, getting up from where he was seated, "Let's not talk about this anymore. The Provins fair is in full swing, and it would be a shame not to check it out."
Stefan agreed enthusiastically, grateful for the opportunity to get their minds off the dreary subject. "Come on Tiernan," he said, "There's going to be lots of pretty foreign girls there."
Tiernan hesitated, saying he didn't care for any foreign girls, but Stefan reached down and pulled him up off of the chair. "Come on man, it beats sitting around here all day. It's about time we had some fun. Now go!"
Giving him a playful shove, Stefan pushed Tiernan towards the door. Tiernan groaned, but didn't refuse as the two boys led him out of the house. He wasn't in the mood to go to some noisy, crowded fair, but knew that he needed something to take his mind off Ruiz…..and the peasant girl.
It had been a week since their chance encounter, and he could not get her out of his mind. Not a day went by that he didn't think of her, or wonder where she was. Perhaps, when he went to Troyes next week, he might run into her again. Tiernan allowed himself a small smile at the thought of that possibility. No matter what happened between him and Ruiz next week, he would make sure to see Thadea Marcoux again.
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The Next Week…
The comte's household was abuzz with activity when Thadea walked into the kitchen. She had just returned from visiting her family, and was surprised to see everyone running about as if the kitchen was on fire.
"Yeva!" she called to her friend as she rushed by, her dark curls flying wildly behind her. "What's going on? What's all the commotion about?"
"Oh Thadea! Thank goodness you're back," Yeva cried. She fairly shoved a dishrag into her hand and grabbed her wrist. "Come on, we have so much cleaning to do before she gets here! God, I can't believe they didn't tell us sooner about this!"
"Huh? Wha….? Who's coming?" Thadea sputtered in confusion as Yeva dragged her across the kitchen towards where the other two scullions were. Both were frantically scrubbing pots and pans, their faces strained, with sweat glistening on their foreheads.
"Why is everyone acting like the world is coming to an end?" Thadea demanded as she was handed a large cauldron to clean.
"Don't you know? Oh, I forgot, you weren't here when Mistress Rosalind told us! Lady Serafina Toureau is coming for a visit tomorrow! Oh god, and on such short notice too! Their messenger only arrived with the news yesterday, and the whole household has just been working nonstop ever since!"
"Serafina Toureau?" Thadea asked, "Who's she? Why is her coming so special?"
Yeva blinked in surprise and nearly dropped the pot she was holding. Looking at Thadea in disbelief, she said, "You girls from the country really don't know anything do you?"
Thadea felt her eye twitch with annoyance at Yeva's comment. "And just what is that supposed to mean?" she demanded angrily.
Yeva held up her hands and laughed nervously. "Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you Thadea. It's just that there aren't too many people who haven't heard of the Toureaus."
"Well tell me about them then," Thadea said, "Who are they?"
"Well, Lord Francois Toreau is the Comte de Ghent. Lady Serafina is his only daughter."
"Oh…" Thadea said, surprised that she had never heard of them before, "I guess that would be a pretty big deal wouldn't it?"
Yeva laughed, "The biggest. And not just because she's a future comtess either."
Thadea gave Yeva a questioning look, and she eagerly continued. "Lady Serafina used to be a playmate of Lord Ruiz's when they were children. She's incredibly beautiful you know, and it's well known that the young master has been in love with her since he was a little boy." Yeva sighed, her eyes sparkling. "I think it's so romantic, don't you?"
Thadea stood frozen, her mind completely blanking upon hearing Yeva's words. Ruiz…in love…with a beautiful comtess…? It seemed so unreal, and yet, she knew it had to be true. Who else would the handsome young future comte of Troyes fall in love with? Certainly not a commoner like herself or any of the other girls in town. And why should she care if he was in love with Serafina? It's none of her business anyway.
"Thadea? Are you alright? You look so strange," Yeva said as she studied her friend's expression. She couldn't imagine what she had said to make her react this way. "Did I say something to upset you? Oh I'm so sorry if I did! Please forgive me…"
"No, you didn't do anything wrong," Thadea said, turning away quickly. She blinked her eyes rapidly, trying to fight back the tears that were threatening to spill. No, she wouldn't cry. There was nothing to cry about! Why should it upset her if Ruiz is in love with someone else? She had no claim to him. She never did…
"I…I think I caught something in my eye," she stuttered, wiping at her eyes furiously with her hands. "I think I'm going to go and try to wash it out. I…I'll be back."
Not waiting for Yeva to reply, Thadea quickly turned and ran as fast as she could out of the kitchen. She couldn't stand being in there another minute. The commotion around her was almost suffocating, and she knew she had to get out immediately. Running down the stone steps and outside into the yard, Thadea stumbled along the grassy lawn until she had reached the old well. Her trembling knees finally giving way, Thadea slid down onto the ground, her hands clutching tightly to the stone rim of the well.
"It's alright," she murmured softly, "Everything's all right. It doesn't matter to me that Ruiz loves Serafina. It doesn't matter at all." She repeated it over and over again to herself like a mantra, her shoulders shaking and her breath ragged. "It doesn't matter at all."
End of Chapter 6
Sorry this chapter is so short, but I've started classes again and I don't have as much time to write anymore. Anyways, I know I said that Serafina would make her appearance in this chapter, but I think I'm going to have to postpone that to Chapter 7. Anyways, THANK YOU to everyone who has emailed and reviewed this fanfic and I hope you guys will continue to send me feedback J!