Before You Go

19

Mary's Point of View
I laid in the middle of a field of flowers. I feel as if I never get any time to breath and be alone with my thoughts. "M'lady we really must be getting back." My maid said "Why? I just want to be out in the fresh air for a little longer." I said "You have matters to attend to." She said "Like talking with the women about dresses and boys? No thank you." I said "M'lady you must be nice to the women of court, the think you are stuck up and all you want to do is read books." She said "First of all the fact that I like to read should not make them like me less, perhaps if they educated themselves they wouldn't be so comfortable with their simpleton lives. Second, they are just annoying." I said "M'lady you must pretend you like them at least." She said "Most of them have slept with my ex-fiancé, and they won't let me forget I couldn't keep his attention." I said "M'lady every woman at court is trying to bed Francis, you can't take it personally." She said "Let's go." I said with a sigh. "Is this really how you chose to spend your birthday?" She asked "Yes, but now I have to go back for my birthday celebration." I said "Well the dress picked out for you is simply gorgeous." She said "Yes, I get gown after gown while people starve." I said "M'lady you do all you can for the less fortunate. The people know that and you are loved for your beauty and kindness across all lands." She said "Thank you." I said. We walked back towards the castle. I don't want to go back. Francis and I are fighting. I found a book of poems in his rooms. To Olivia. He says he doesn't love her, that he never did. But judging by what was wrote in his letters he did, maybe still does. Perhaps he should have told me this before we slept together. We went up to my room. I stripped down and she helped me out on my corset. She tied it right but she knows that's what I want. She then helped me into a blue and white gown. My hair was wavy and put half up half down. I looked over at the gifts Francis had delivered for me. I'm not speaking to him. He lied to me. "Are you ready to go m'lady?" She asked "Yes." I said, I stood up and we walked out. "Mary." I looked up and saw Francis. "Leave us." I told my maids and guards. They walked away. "What?" I asked "Mary those were from when I was young, I was naïve and I thought I loved her." He said "Why did you keep them if it was a mistake?" I asked "I don't know Mary, I don't know." He said "You can keep your gifts, I don't want them." I said "Damn it Mary, I apologized, I bought you gifts. Do I need to beg?" He asked "No, when it is proven to me that I am the only one who has your heart then and only then will I accept your apology." I said "Why do you make this so damn difficult?" He yelled. "You always knew I was different from the other girls." I said "I'm sorry." He said, I continued to walk. "Don't push me away, it does no good for either of us." He said, I stopped walking but didn't answer. "Please just put on a smile and pretend to be happy for tonight, it's your birthday." He said, I looked back at him. "I don't want to pretend to be happy when I'm not." I said then continued walking.