The Girls from Downstairs

Eleven: playing with poison

“Harlow!”  I groaned.

“What do you want, Adrian?”

“I’ve been asking for you all morning!  Where have you been?”

I shrugged.  “Gee, I don’t know.  Probably in the kitchens, where I usually am?”

“Why would you be down there?”

“Because I’m the chef’s apprentice!!!” I snapped. 

“What lit a fire under your meat?” he asked.

I rolled my eyes.  “What do you want, Adrian?”

“It’s the first day of courting.  We’re supposed to have breakfast together and I’m supposed to show you somewhere secret and special to me.”

“Yeah, there are three issues with that.  One; I already ate.  Two; I know all of your ‘secret’ spots.  Three; our ‘courting’ is fake!!!”

He narrowed his eyes.  “You’re only moody because Felix wants Esmerelda.”

“No, that couldn’t possibly be it.”  I flipped around to face him again, taking care to whip his face with my hair.  “And by the way, yes that was sarcasm.”

He crossed his arms, smirking.  “If you don’t follow this rule by rule then I’m afraid our deal is off and I can’t - no, I won’t - help you win over Felix.  I can find someone else and marry her before he does on my own.”

I frowned.  “Good luck with that.”

“As you said, Harlow, you’re a chef’s apprentice.  I, however, am a Prince.  I can have any maiden.  You, however, only have luck.  Unfortunately the only luck you’re getting is by pretending to be courted by me and you’re throwing that away.”  I stopped.  “Do you want Felix or not?”

I groaned.  I hated this prince!  Really, truly I did! 

Turning around, I made sure to knock his shoulder as I passed him on the way to the second dining hall.  “I’m not staying with you all day.”

“No one says you have to,” he smirked.

I sat at the table, doing a double-take at the food that littered the wooden structure.  Adrian sat next to me, smiling at my reaction.

“I thought the prince was supposed to cook the meal on his own?” I asked.

He smirked.  “Surprised?  I’d like to think that I’ve watched you and Will enough to know what I’m doing in the kitchen.  They were all simple meals.”

“Yes, but... wow!  Adrian, there’s everything here that a person could ever want!”

He shrugged.  “I know.  Dig in.”

My eyes narrowed.  He wasn’t eating yet; something was up.  He must have poisoned the butter, or put a sleeping pill in something - something to embarrass or kill me!

“Adrian, why aren’t you eating?”

“I believe it is customary for the future princess to eat first,” he explained.  The smile on his face didn’t help make my decision.  He sighed.  “At the same time, Miss Stubborn?”

Together we both picked toast and raised it to our mouths.  I stared Adrian down until he sighed and finally took a bite, eyes rolling.  He laughed when I continued to hesitate.

“What do you think happened?  I poisoned the food or something?!” he exclaimed.  My mouth opened and closed, hesitating to answer now.  It made him laugh harder.  “This is too good!  You think I would poison you?  Of all people!  Ha!”