A Powerful Little Love

Chapter 1

She laughed as she reached the doorway, chasing the little girl out into the gardens. The smell of fresh lavender wafted her way as she meandered through the wet sheets that were hanging to dry. Batting the last sheet away she followed little Pauline who was now skirting round the garden towards the front of the house, giggling as she went. A happy day mused Amorette as she caught sight of Pauline. The child tried to scamper away upon hearing Amorette's approach but a cacophony of chuckles filled the glade at the front of the house when Amorette lifted Pauline into her arms, dancing to the tune in her head as she began to sing...

"Lavender's green, dilly, dilly, Lavender's blue.

If you love me, dilly, dilly, I will love you.

Let the birds sing, dilly, dilly, and the lambs play.

We shall be safe, dilly, dilly, out of harm's way.

I love to dance, dilly, dilly, I love to sing.

When I am queen, dilly, dilly, you'll be my king.

Who told me so, dilly, dilly, who told me so?

I told myself, dilly, dilly, I told me so..."

Amorette had given no thought to the quality of her singing as she had sung in English and the little child in her arms knew it not, and Elise the maid had heard it too many times to care. There was no one else around to have taken notice of it. No thought had been given to her clothing either. She wore a simple ivory garden dress, and her mousey brown hair was gathered in a simple plat at the nape of her neck. She hadn't even thought to put on shoes and felt no regret as the cool grass was a fresh cushion to her feet. She let Pauline slide to the ground and as she leaned down the bottom of her corset pinched the top of her thighs. She paid it no heed though, and brushed some of the dirt from the child's face.

It was Elise who made Amorette aware of the riders. She came running from the house, skirts flying and decorum left behind. "Madame! Amorette! Amorette! Riders!" Later on, Amorette would laugh at Elise's momentary slip. Her companion was all formality and etiquette and the use of her Christian name was very rare indeed. She knew that the moment had called for it though. Unexpected visitors were extremely rare in her secluded little world just outside Provins. Amorette had spun around where she stood to observe that four riders had just turned the bend in the road and were cantering towards them. Amorette knew that there were several sets of pistols buried somewhere within the house but she had not one about her person in that moment. She did not even have a knife or weapon of any kind should she need it. She thrust Pauline behind her into Elise's arms and brought her hand up to shield her eyes from the sunlight and it was then that she realised weapons were not likely to be needed. The riders were musketeers. Blue cloaks flowing behind them and hats pulled over their eyes, it wasn't until they were passing the gate that Amorette saw him.

All sound escaped Amorette in that moment. The sound of the horses, the whimpers of Pauline and Elise's calls for her to move back were lost to her. All that she was aware of was the pounding of her heart. Amorette felt her ears begin to burn as all the blood rushed to her face. A cloud of dust encased her as four horses skidded to a halt. Despite the tired, frustrated scowl and streaks of dirt that made him almost unrecognisable as the man she once knew; Amorette had to concede that Athos always did look remarkably well astride a horse.

A whispered snarl was what brought her out of her reverie. "Athos she better not be who I think she is!" Amorette would have thought the man Spanish by his looks if he had not spoken fluent French. Thinking she hadn't heard him, he doffed his hat and nodded a greeting to her, a gentle smile gracing his face. He looked as if he were about to speak again, but Athos got there first.