Masterful Trickery

XVI. Prison Spectacle

Three years ago...

"You must know that the garden is not entirely the best place to hide, yes?"

Alex whirled around in surprise and found the very person she was running away from merely moments ago. Her heart began pounding against her chest once again, both from the surprise and disbelief.

"I heard lovers are seemingly victorious in hiding in such places," she said, taking one step back for there was no other way. They were surrounded by tall, well-trimmed sham bushes and he was blocking the only way out.

Alex was trapped.

Ralph chuckled, nodding his head. "True, but you must also know that you have been avoiding a Town Guard for almost the entirety of the evening, yes?"

Alex groaned. "I believe I was indignantly running away, my lord."

That elicited yet another chuckle from him. His smile was gentle. He took one step toward her.

At that point, Alex was considering her options. She could easily bring this man to the ground and he would never have to wake up until the wee hours. But that might land her and her cousins in trouble. This was not a lone road they could easily run away from, after all.

Or she could stay and provide Ralph Everard a little of her time, satisfy his curiosities and be on her way.

"This is perhaps the best time to yield, do you not think so?" he asked, his voice low and his smile seductive.

Alex took in a lungful of air and sighed. Aye, it was best she yielded.

For now.

*****

The iron door creaked loudly when Peters pulled it open. Alex was nonchalantly checking her dirty nails with a bored look on her face despite the rampage inside her chest.

The Guard smugly smiled as he mocked a bow with a wave of his hand to say, "Your private chamber, milady."

Alex managed to pull a wide, sweet, mocking smile and a curtsy. "Why, thank you, kind sir!"

Peters straightened and waited until Alex walked into the cell.

The smell of filth inside was stronger. She could almost picture every moment every prisoner spent inside and she was close to dreading her time here as well.

Alex did her best not to flinch when the cell door banged close behind her.

"Someone shall come to discuss matters of import to you soon," Peters said from outside the cell.

Alex turned, maintaining a defiant, proud smile on her lips. "Truly, guv? Or didye mean someone will come te kill me?"

The smile on Peters' face disappeared and he frowned. "No one will come to kill you."

Alex shrugged and pretended to look around her cell. "Tell me one thing, guv."

"What?"

"What's me crime, eh?"

Peters scoffed. "You are a bandit. That is sufficient enough to allow you a space in this cell."

"As I've said, guv, ye have te prove I'm a bandit first."

Peters stared at her for a long time before he shook his head with a hint of a smile that told Alex he knew what was to become of her fate and it was not good at all.

"When will ye serve me food?" she taunted.

Peters turned around and left, leaving Alex alone in her tiny cell.