Emilie of the Royal Heart

Chapter 35: The Princess-to-Be, Sweeping the Mess Under the Rug

Lady Rebecca stared down at the ivory shards that fell soundlessly on the dense carpeting. Emilie thought they could at least be grateful that it wasn't any louder than the first crash. Rebecca opened her mouth and a tiny squeak came out before she pressed her fingers to her lips to quiet herself. She stood very silently and very still like this for several moments. The secondhand turmoil was digging into Emilie's chest, she couldn't bear watching Rebecca suffer in the aftermath alone. She stepped toward her and was going to reach out to touch her shoulder to comfort her, but Rebecca burst into action.

She crouched down and snatched up the broken pieces from the floor and then she pressed her back to the wall, right next to the short end of the shelf as though she feared her mother-in-law would step out of the room down the hall and this was her attempt to hide. Rebecca then, with great effort, sunk down onto her knees to hide even better.

"She is going to have me arrested," she choked from the floor, and her breathy voice went thinner and higher as she susurrated, "I'm going to have my baby in prison."

"Not so, not so," Emilie cooed, striding over to Rebecca. She wrung her hands at her waist because she too was scared of how the mother-in-law might implicate and deal with her, but she told Rebecca fervently, "that is not permissible by Fellen law. Firstly, I'm sure your husband would intervene in any sort of dispute, and secondly, in matters concerning precious property cannot be addressed by time served in prison. There is a whole matter of assessing how the property was destroyed, the intent behind the destruction, the financial standing of the owner, the relation of the perpetrator... truly, Lady Rebecca, she cannot send you to prison for this."

"She will do something," Rebecca's eyes widened in horror, and for a moment Emilie thought she was lost from the world for the moment, but then she shot a glance up at Emilie, "please, my lady. She cannot find out about this. Even if I blame it on a servant or someone else, she will know it was me and nothing good will come of it. I have a child on the way for goodness sake!"

"Can't your husband speak to her about it?" Emilie offered, gnawing on her bottom lip. She leaned over the top of the bookshelf and picked up the other shattered pieces. Delicately, she lifted up the clay statue and set it right. Thankfully, it was unharmed.

"He tries, but his mother is not understanding in the slightest. Nothing could convince her this wasn't my doing and nothing could convince her to be lenient. I don't... I am at my wit's end, Lady Emilie. I don't know what can be done."

Emilie closed her eyes and exhaled in realization. She swallowed. She knew what could be done. At least, she was pretty sure it could be done.

She didn't open her eyes as she asked Rebecca in a level tone, "she went in for a nap, yes?"

"Yes, but she is going to wake up sometime!"

"You think she's already asleep?" her eyes opened so she could peer sidelong down at Rebecca. The lady nodded.

"The woman is like a cat. She sleeps all day and night and she sleeps heavily. No doubt as soon as she laid down, she fell right into it."

"I..." Emilie began, but her words clung to the walls of her throat.

They didn't want to be freed. She understood. This would be taking quite a liberty. Emilie thought better of it, but then she glanced down at Rebecca again and the woman was sniveling with tears running down her cheeks. Emilie's heart melted. She sank down into a kneel to be at Rebecca's level.

"Lady Rebecca, I can save you from your mother-in-law's wrath, but you must promise -no... you must swear never to tell a soul what I have done. Will you agree?"