Cinderella

Little Secrets

"Mariette."

She paused mid-stroke. She had been diligently scrubbing Alex's upper body of all dirt, having had him remove his shirt once she was sure it wouldn't exhaust his energy. "Did I hurt you?" she asked gently.

He shook his head, put grabbed her hand and pulled it off his skin. "There is just...something I think we should talk about."

His eyes were solemn, but he was blushing furious red, and Mariette became instantly, insanely curious. "What is it?"

"Do-do you know what these men intend to do to you?" His face was blazing red, and his hand that held hers was slick.

"Generally," she mumbled, embarrassed. She hadn't had a mother to explain these things. She knew only that she bled sometimes from a private piece of her, and that that piece was also involved in the birth of a child.

His face a blazing red that worried Mariette about his health, he began stuttering, "I-I think it's best i-if y-you know that w-when a man and..."

"Stop," Mariette said quickly, putting a hand over his mouth. "Don't. I know you feel that it's your place to explain these things to me, but it isn't. I don't intend to...to let these men have their way with me, so this is unnecessary. Don't worry about me, Alex; I can take care of myself."

He looked at her sadly. "Mariette, I don't think that it'll be a choice."

Mariette huffed and sat back on her heels, crossing her arms. "I'm not as helpless as all that, Alex. I'm not as weak as I look."

Sensing her lie, he whispered, "Yes, you are. Poor Mariette..." He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. "How did you end up in a mess like this?"

She started to cry then. Small, shameful tears rolled silently down her cheeks. Around them, she whispered, "It was those damn shoes, I swear it. And the fact that you don't have half a brain. Really, Alex, did you think I was the only one in the kingdom with dainty feet?"

Together they began to laugh, if only to chase the sadness and fear away. For a few moments, she forget where she was, and everything was normal again, until a gruff voice asked, "What's this laughter about?"

They both stopped and Mariette turned; the captain was there and he was frowning, watching the pair of them.

"And why," he continued, anger smoldering beneath his calm voice, "is he half naked? I asked you to keep him from dying, not entertain him."

"Captain, he was positively filthy," Mariette told him calmly to mask her fear. "When was the last time he had a wash?"

Nearly growling, the captain replied, "It doesn't matter. A bath is not necessary to survive. Step away from him, Mariette. Obviously, he is well cared for. I think you'll be due for another visit with our patient next week."

"Next week?" Mariette gasped, unable to help herself. "The prince's condition is dire! He needs constant attention. If left alone for a week...Captain, I fear he will be dead."

Bluntly, he stated, "And so will you if you continue to defy me. Get up. We have some business to attend to."

Hastily, Mariette rose, adjusting her skirts and sighing despairingly when she realized how dingy they'd become--her once flowing silver dancer's clothes were now nothing but a dull grey rag. "Captain?" she asked boldly as he led her from the tent. "Is there somewhere where I could...well, you see I need a wash as well..."

The captain snorted. "We don't bother with such trivial things. But for you...there is a lake, a mile or so from here, where we travel to get water. If you'd like, we can go there now."

"'We', captain? Are you joining me?" Mariette's heart stuttered a little.

The captain slid his arm around her waist. "Of course. I couldn't leave you alone, what with such an opportunity for you to escape. Not to mention that I wouldn't want to miss such fortuity."

"Fortuity, captain?" Mariette breathed, walking slower as she absorbed his intent.

He rolled his eyes at her, and answered, "Of course. Don't pretend to be innocent. You aren't a court lady or suchlike--you're a maid. You know about these things."

But she didn't. she didn't know at all, and she was almost wishing that she had listened to Alex. "Captain...I'm not...I mean, I..."

"Hush, Mariette," he commanded abruptly. "I'm coming with you and that's that."

Mariette bit her lip. "Can-can we ride there? By horse, I mean? It's something I've always enjoyed, riding that is."

The captain nodded. "But we'll have to double-up. Isaac," he barked, and the man Mariette had ridden with the day before perked his head up from a plate of what Mariette could only describe as meat, though the tinted grey shade looked less than healthy.

"Yes, sir?"

"Ready one of the horses--the white, preferably; he's better with combined weight."

Isaac nodded and scurried away.

"You have a white horse?" Mariette asked timidly, glancing up at him.

The captain smiled down at her and pushed a stringy bit of dark hair out of his face. He would be handsome, she thought, if he weren't where he is.

"Your prince was riding it."

Mariette frowned. "My prince?"

"Mariette, you are beautiful, but the look he gave you...I can no longer believe that you were nothing but a future sister-in-law to him."

Mariette swallowed heavily, wondering what he planned to do because of it. "It seems as if you've figured everything out."

"Not everything," he replied, shaking his head. "I can't understand one thing. Why do you hold him at arms length? He is a wealthy man, and being with him would put you in a position of power, even if you were simply his mistress."

Mariette couldn't decide whether or not to tell him about Winslow, and so she told him a partial truth. "He was cruel to me, once, and I have not been able to overlook it. Also, he is uncomfortable with my occupation."

"Which is?"

Mariette smiled a little, remembering. "I am a gypsy. But I only dance. The fortunes are told by the more experienced women."

Suddenly, the captain burst into loud, obnoxious laughter. "Here you are, trying to convince me of your innocence, when all along you've been agypsy? Mariette, I look forward to unraveling your secrets. All of them."