The Detective's Damsel

i.

A PIERCING SCREAM tore through the air, shattering Corinna's focus in one fell swoop. Her arm caught the side of the ink jar, the thick black liquid seeping into the cracks of the parchment on the desk. She set the quill down and sighed, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. This was the second time in a day Adel had thrown a fit.

Corinna stood and smoothed the wrinkles on her waistcoat, fingers lingering on the edge of the desk. She had been so close, just a few more moments and she would have finished. Now her draft was nothing more than a dripping black mess that would soon seep into the wood...and possibly get her in a bit of trouble.

Maybe the constant interruptions were a sign from above; maybe she wasn't cut out for a career in writing. Her husband, Niklos, certainly took every moment to tell her so.

When Corinna entered her room, she could hardly recognize it. Her four-poster bed, dresser, and chaise were hidden under piles and piles of her clothes. Dresses of silk and velvet paisley, pinafores, strings of lace, silver and gold threads draped over every available surface. Bonnets, headdresses, and fur jackets. Jewelry glimmered from all over her dresser; rings, earrings, necklaces of all materials and lengths made the room reminiscent of a dollhouse. It was sheer chaos. Corinna could hardly recognize Adel sitting in the midst of it all. In fact, Corinna could hardly see the floor.

"Oh good, you are here," Adel said from the floor, her strawberry blonde head hung in defeat. But defeated by what task? Clearly, the task was not cleaning.

"No one informed me of the redecoration," Corinna said, unable to help a lilting smile at her servant. While she normally despised trespassers in her private quarters, she had to admit that the new arrangements were quite...entertaining. The distraction was not worth ruining her draft, however. Adel was indeed a servant, charged with fulfilling Corinna's every need. However, Corinna was almost certain that Niklos had merely hired her so Corinna would have someone to babysit. In fact, Niklos had trouble understanding that Corinna might have literally anything better to do.

Adel looked up, vibrant blue eyes rimmed with red. Even in distress, Adel was gorgeous. From her heart-shaped face to her smattering of freckles... she was practically an angel sent from Heaven. But if she were an angel, surely she would have helped Corinna escape her castle and marriage already.

"It's a disaster!" Adel cried, a sudden burst of energy seemingly uncharacteristic of such a small woman. Adel was several years older than Corinna but never failed to surprise her in terms of energy.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean," Corinna murmured, somewhat amusing herself. The walls had always been colorful and vibrant (more a sign of the times than personal taste), but the room itself was usually pristine, causing Corinna to wonder why Adel had chosen to clean a room that hardly looked inhabited. Adel often went on fashion induced tirades, but usually regarding her own clothing.

"I'm afraid I got rather bored in the kitchens," Adel explained. "I've been trying to arrange your clothes, but it appears I do not know the difference between lavender and indigo!" The last word was ejected with such force and repulsion that Corinna was surprised she hadn't gotten saliva all down her pinafore.

Suppressing a childish grin, Corinna knelt down next to her counterpart, placing an awkward hand on her arm. All the attempt achieved was more sobbing.

"I appreciate the gesture," Corinna began, "but I assure you I can arrange my own clothing."

"But then you wouldn't need me!" Adel yelped as if even the thought caused her pain. The truth was that Corinna didn't need Adel. She also knew that the only reason she was still around, aside from keeping Corinna "busy," was because Niklos was taken with her. Then again, Niklos was easily wooed, but Corinna could never say such things aloud.