Enough Of Louisa

Chapter Two

                                                                 'Louie'

Louie looks at the old woman standing in front of him gesturing for him to get in the huge bowl of water. Louie had never seen such a big pot and was frightened at the old woman's request. "A pot ? Do I look like a fish to you old woman? or do you suppose I float like the dead?,"

Being gracious, Tilde decides to ignore Louie's comments on her age; she indeed was old. "Louie... this is a bathtub and you're filthy so get in it and bathe young man."

"Bathtub?." Louie quips back with a confused look on his face. He scans the large room. It was much bigger than his boarding boat so the young boy was in awe. "I don't know how to bathe, Helen just sends me to play in the rain when I'm dirty."

"Oh my... I've heard it all," Tilde replies, nearly weeping for the kid. " Well Louie, come come let this old woman help you."

Louie steps forward slowly, still feeling distrustful of the woman before. Helena always advised him to never be alone with anyone in a closed room or alleys. He sensed that Tilde was not a danger and decided to listen to her.

Tilde reaches for his cap first and pops it off of his head. His dark hair that appeared rather short falls down to be beautiful curly locks of hair cascading down 'his' shoulders' Tilde realizes they assumed that Louie was a boy but had never asked the child. " Louie.." Tilde says softly, she knows the child has been raised roughly and did not want to press too hard. " Your names just louie?."

"Louie is short for Louisa." Louisa admits to Tilde, " Helena says it's best if folks assume I'm a boy... It's dangerous for traveling girls." Louisa quips matter of factly."

Tilde grabs a wet cloth and dabs Louisa face clean. " Well Louisa, you're most certainly safe at the duke residence. '' Now, let's get you fixed up and ready for supper."

Once cleaned up, Tilde tries to find something appropriate to dress her in now that she knows 'Louie' is actually a girl. But to no avail there's not dresses in the mansion that could fit louisa but she did manage to find a deep pile ribbon to tie Louie's hair with.

Thinking back to Louies shock at a mere tub of water, Her heart feels for the child. Despite Louis behavior this far she was still but an innocent child who had been subjected to a hard life. Tilde vowed to herself to dote Louie from that point on. But first she would need to get the child into shape with some rules.

" Here Louie," as she hands the little girl Richard's old shirt and trouser from childhood. "This'll have to do until the lord can get the tailor to make you some dresses."

" I like trousers just fine, Tilde." Louisa shrugs looking into the mirror at her clean appearance. Stepping closer she touches her reflection in awe.

"You look so much like your mother.." Tilde says

"Helena and I really don't have that kind of relationship.

We're just traveling buddies." Louisa replies. Walking to the door she struggles to open and then heads down the hall.

"Come along now Tilde, the duke ordered you to fix my supper." The young girl beckons from down the hall.

In the dining room supper is set and Louisa finds herself being a bit too short to reach. She then sees a rather tired Ricahrd enter the room. He scans the room slowly and sets his gaze on Louisa. Who had bows adorning her hair. Tilde who was standing to the left of the Louisa informs the duke of his nephew actually being his niece.