Nicole sat at the writing desk and cursed when the pen scratched across her careful letters. “Sophia! Can’t you—”
“Someone is here.” She had received tongue lashings from Nicole several times, both the verbal and literal varieties. Her hasty entrance and interruption would earn her another. Sophia didn’t worry about it, though. Louise had been urgent when she sent her.
“How do you know?” The quiet clip-clop grew steadily louder until Nicole could hear it for herself. “Claudette, find Louise and return here. Make sure she’s dressed like a lady.” There were many days Louise dressed in rough clothes to help Sophia with chores that required more than one pair of hands. “Embroider, appear as though neither of you has a care. Sophia, come with me.”
Claudette fled to the kitchen while Nicole and Sophia descended the rarely used main staircase and entered the foyer. Sophia had only gotten around to cleaning it twice. She and the sisters used the backdoor from the kitchen.
Nicole touched her hair, earrings, necklace, and smoothed her skirts. Once satisfied she was decent, she nodded to Sophia, who opened the door.
The man on the steps wasn’t well dressed and had mud on his boots and trousers. “Pardon, may I speak with the Baron?”
Nicole stepped forward. “I’m afraid you’ve missed him. He has gone hunting and won’t be back until the day after tomorrow.”
The man’s brow creased. “That’s a long hunt.”
Nicole waved it off. “He likes the harts of the highlands.”
He nodded at that. “They are the best sport. Very well, I have a message for him.” He produced a sealed letter and offered it to Sophia.
Surprised, it took her a moment to put out her hand. Understanding what was required, she carried the letter to Nicole.
“May I impose on you for something to eat? If I leave soon, I can make Lyon before dark, but I’m not supplied for that leg of the journey.”
“Of course. I apologize for not being able to host you. If you follow Sophia, she will see you get what you need.” Nicole remained in the entry as Sophia led the man into the kitchen.
“I have bread baked yesterday.” She took a breath to offer him cold chicken, but the words stalled when he took her hand.
“Is he really hunting?” The young man sported a deep crease in his forehead.
“That is what Mademoiselle said.”
His eyes narrowed and he released her. “Tell them they are very welcome, chaperone or no.”
“I will.” She stepped away to pull the cloth covering the roasted bird’s remains.
“And I thought you were beautiful before.”
Sophia smirked. A well-fed man was always more pliable. “Help yourself and I’ll send you off with the rest.”
She left him to his meal, climbing the stairs to deliver the message to Nicole.
“Are you sure we can’t attend? We must know someone who can present us.” Sophia walked in while Claudette was speaking.
“What about Aunt Thea?” Louise suggested.
“She’d die before her carriage arrived.” Nicole held the open invitation.
Claudette tapped a finger on her lips. “Aunty May.”
“You think she could remember our names?”
“Aunt Doris.”
“Dead,” Louise said.
“Dead?” Nicole and Claudette gasped.
Louise looked at her sisters, uncomfortable with their staring. “Yes, she died the spring before last.”
Sophia cleared her throat. “Our guest tells you to be welcome, without chaperone.”
Nicole’s eyes narrowed and her lips thinned to a line. “I’m skeptical, but we don’t have much choice. Why couldn’t father have arranged marriages for us like other ladies? Has the courier left?”
“No.” Without asking leave, she bolted down to the kitchen. The young man wiped his fingers on the cloth that had covered the chicken. Waving his hand over the remains, he chased away flies.
“You’ve finished?”
He moved closer. “With the chicken, yes.”
Sophia watched him approach from her peripheral vision. Making quick work of the remains, she stripped the meat and folded it in the already greasy cloth before handing it to him.
“Not what I seek.” He pushed the bundle aside and pressed his chest to hers.
“You wouldn’t rather eat elsewhere?” She continued to look at him through her lashes.
“The proper ladies are always well attended, but they are always busy.”
“So am I.”
“No one calls you now.” He slipped a hand around her waist, fingers splaying over her behind.
“You must hurry to reach Lyon.”
“True.” He tipped his face down to hers, brushing her lips with his own. “I must be brief.” He gripped both hips and lifted her to perch on the table.
Sophia threw off feigned coquettishness and spread her knees, allowing him to step between. She wouldn’t turn down a chance to scratch the itch that came from sexual frustration. Louise was wonderful, but nothing quite compared to a thick hard cock. As he revealed his, she admitted it was one of the more impressive she had seen.
He wasted no time, plunging into her and pulling her knees over his hips. Grasping her hair, he kissed her, using his tongue as he did his cock, thrusting.
Not to be outdone, she ravished his mouth equally, their teeth crashing occasionally in their haste and desperation.
His thrusting picked up tempo just as the heat build within her. Being stretched over the thick rod impaling her did exactly what she hoped, kindling a fire that would roar to life soon.
Following his grunt, she felt him throb inside her and to her dismay, he set her back on the counter. His member slipped from her, leaving a milky trail in its wake.
“My thanks, Cherie. I wish I could stay longer.”
Her fingers tried unsuccessfully to finish what he had begun and she fumed as he walked away. Anger fueled a different fire and she jumped down, whipping her skirt back into place. With heavy steps, she made her way back to the parlor, alerting the sisters to her arrival.
The sisters weren’t there, something she would have noticed if she hadn’t been blinded by fury. Their voices came from another room, one she’d aired out and dusted only once, unused. Together they bent over a chest, unfolding and shaking gowns of varied sizes and styles.
“This won’t fit any of us,” Louise said with a laugh, holding it to her body. The skirt ended just below her knee and was far too slender for even Claudette, the slightest of them.
“I remember that one.” Claudette reached out for it. “I wore it to Uncle Henri’s wedding. You were too small for a gown.” The middle sister shared a smile with the youngest.
“Yes, yes. Very pretty.” Nicole tossed silk and velvet aside. “We need something we can alter to fit.”
“Yes, Nicole.” They both turned from the child’s dress back to the gowns.
Nicole spotted her first. “Sophia. Come. Can you make this...less heavy?” The brocade would be ideal in colder months but horrid in the summer sun.
Sophia had never sewn more than simple mending, replacing torn stitches or closing a hole. “I don’t know.” Taking the gown, she turned the inside out. “Oh. I can remove this.” She pointed to the bodice. “Make it just a skirt. You could wear it with a different kirtle.”
“No, that won’t do.”
“Oh! Yes!” Louise took the brocade and paired it with another gown. “And add this.”
Sophia stood closer, running her hand over Louise’s. “I can do this.”
“But what of this?” Claudette took both dresses and swapped them, the heavy kirtle over the lighter skirt.
“Yes, I can do that.” Sophia was confident she could replace the stitches she removed.
“I don’t like that.” Nicole wrinkled her nose. “This?”
The girls spent the rest of the day mixing and matching garments. Before they’d settled on anything, Sophia carefully snipp
ed the threads holding the gowns together. It made playing with various combinations much easier.
By the time anyone noticed they were hungry, Nicole started picking nits.
“I don’t have jewels to match that. Are you sure they aren’t too old fashioned?”
“There’s nothing we can do if they are.” Claudette held the pieces of her future gown. “I’m sure they’ll suffice.”
“How long will it take to prepare them? It will take most of the day to reach Lyon.”
Sophia spread her hands in a helpless gesture. “I don’t know.” After the first one, she’d have a better idea.
“Well, get started. Louise, is there anything to eat?”
The youngest raised her eyebrow. “Who would have prepared anything? We’ve all been here.”
“There is broth and bread.” Sophia was keen to deflect Nicole’s ire from Louise. “I will fetch that before I begin.”
“No, get started. We will find what we need.”
Sophia’s eyes widened as they followed the eldest sister from the quickly darkening room. Louise’s mouth hung open a crack.
“I’ve never... This must be important! I will come back and help you.”
Sophia squeezed her outstretched hand. “No. It is late. Sleep and help me in the morning.”
“What would we do without you? Would I be fetching letters and stitching through the night?” She hugged Sophia tight. “I’ll miss your warmth beside me tonight.”
“As will I.” Sophia reluctantly let the woman go. Lighting a lamp in the growing gloom, she sighed heavily. It would take many long nights to finish all of this.
Determined to prove herself, and keep her promise to Louise, Sophia threaded the first needle and pricked her finger. Cursing, she could see that her fingers would be numb by morning. Undaunted, she put two pieces together and started stitching.
***
With help from Louise, she was able to prepare three gowns in time for the gathering. Luckily, everything fit reasonable well. Alterations would have to be done upon arrival. With the exchange of a ring, they were able to hire a hack and his carriage. Nicole bemoaned the loss. “That was in mother’s family for two hundred years. By God, one of us is getting a husband out of this.”
They carriage ride was a new ordeal for Sophia. Louise drew the curtain over the window and kept the vampire next to her, out of sunlight coming through the crack Claudette required.
“I’m sorry, Sophia. I get so ill if I can’t see out.” She made a point of blocking as much of the sliver with her body as she could. It sufficed. Although she was very hot, Sophia wasn’t burning.
“Mademoiselles Beauchamps,” Nicole announced as she descended from the carriage.
“Welcome, Mademoiselles! We didn’t expect you. How many? Three?” The butler paused, looking over his shoulder to the house. “We don’t have three rooms.”
Nicole stopped further explanation. “That is fine. We would share, please. We must chaperone one another.”
He nodded, looking past her to Sophia still in the carriage. “Of course. Follow me. The maid can go with the carriage to the back.”
No one paid her any more mind and she, gratefully, rode into the shade of the manor. Standing on the running board, she reached up to take down the trunk with their gowns.
“Allow me, oh.” The hack watched in wonder as she hefted the trunk toward the back door.
“It isn’t heavy,” she assured him. It probably would have seemed so to him but gave her no pause.
In the kitchen, trunk in hand, she looked for the least active servant. She was also dressed more finely than the scullions and cooks. “Pardon. My mistresses just arrived and are on their way to their room. Would you show me the way?”
The head maid nodded and turned toward the back stairs. “Of course. They are sharing a room?”
“That is what I was told.”
“This way.”
They left the stair and took several paces through a hallway before the maid opened a door. Inside, the three sisters inspected the furniture.
“Thank you.” Sophia bowed her head to the maid before hauling her load into the room.
“Let’s get started.” Nicole opened the trunk as soon as Sophia released it.
When Nicole left the room with Claudette, Sophia relaxed for the first time in hours. Tending to three women, their gowns, their hair and cosmetics was exhausting.
She let out a long sigh and Louise hugged her around the shoulders. “You did great. Everything is going to go fine. Nicole will snag a husband and we’ll all be better for it.”
Sophia ran her hand along Louise’s arm. “You should be out there looking for one too. Even with a husband, Nicole isn’t going to be able to keep you and Claudette long.”
“I know that. I just...don’t know what to do out there.” She looked at the door as though it might bite her. “Mother died before she could teach me any of that, and father wouldn’t see me as more than a girl. Then I worked for Nicole and Claudette...”
Sophia stood and took Louise’s hands. “You will be fine. Be yourself. Listen to what they have to say and respond. If they don’t start talking, ask about them. Everyone likes to share their interests or strengths.”
“I wish you were the one wearing this.” She ran a hand over her repurposed dress.
“I can’t. I’m the maid. One maid for three ladies. No doubt the other servants wonder how I’m going to manage. I’m going to join them once I see you off.”
“I want to go with you.”
“No! Louise, stand tall.” She lifted the woman’s chin until her nose pointed up slightly. “Take a deep breath.” Sophia waited for Louise to comply. “Now tell me who you are.”
“I’m Louise Beauchamp. I am the youngest daughter of Louis and Evelyn.” She grinned at the end. “That wasn’t so bad.”
“Now go!” Sophia pushed her out the door and into a young man in the corridor. She ducked behind the door to peer around it, hopefully avoiding his notice.
“I’m sorry, mademoiselle. Are you well? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
Louise’s cheeks, painted a light pink, turned bright red. “No. I’m not hurt. It was my fault.”
“Nonsense. A lady is always graceful. It was my clumsy feet. Come, let me apologize with refreshment.” He wrapped Louise’s arm over his own and led her down the stairs to the party.
Sophia gave herself a moment alone in the fancy room allotted them. The bed was more than large enough for three and a trundle was tucked beneath, she discovered
Her keen ears caught voices in the hall, many conversations on a myriad of topics. Her French failed her and she could only comprehend a few exchanges. Although she wasn’t spying, per se, she would keep her ears peeled for anything that might help the sisters land their catches tonight. When it grew quieter, and all the sound came from the floor below, she ventured out.
Rather than descending to join the other servants, probably all in the basement, she found a dark corner within sight of the grand staircase and the foyer where her charges milled among the other beautiful ladies and gentleman.
Nicole would be relieved to see that her dress not only fit in but was the height of fashion. Her choice to lower the neckline and layer her skirts followed the trend of the other women. Far from being too heavy, her velvet was paired nicely with many of the jackets worn by the men. Sophia spotted her, laughing at the words of a man she spoke with. His voice dropped and Nicole stepped closer. The man couldn’t look down her cleavage any better than that. Would he press his advantage? Nicole would handle herself whatever he said or did. It was Louise that Sophia worried about.
Scanning the group, she found Claudette as well, whispering with a group of ladies and spurring them to laughter. The peals were cut short by the approach of a man. He would take one of the women away and another would take her place. One came for Claudette, and he led her out of Sophia’s field of vision.
Louise was still nowhere to be seen, a
nd Sophia started to worry. Maybe, if she went downstairs, the other servants could tell her. She had spotted men and women with trays moving through the crowd and it stood to reason that they came from the kitchens.
She didn’t reach the back stair before facing Nicole.
“What do you think, Charles?”
Sophia tilted her head, not understanding.
The man with Nicole grabbed at Sophia’s skirt, lifting it.
“Excuse me.” Sophia yanked the fabric back, glaring indignation at him.
“Bring her to my room. There will be less fuss that way.” Under her breath, low enough that he wouldn’t hear, but Sophia could, Nicole threatened her. “If you fight us, I’ll expose you. Plenty of fire to be had.”
Sophia gasped and stiffened, but neither prevented the nobleman grabbing her and tossing her over his shoulder like a sack of flour. She screeched when his hand connected with her upturned bottom.
“Yes, yes, she will do very well.”
Sophia couldn’t see where Nicole led him, but it was in the direction of their rooms. What did the couple have planned for her? As long as it didn’t involve fire or sunlight, she could endure almost anything. Too much pain, however, and she would succumb to her instincts, likely killing one or both of them. That, in turn, would lead to her death. The best way out of this was to try to bear it.
Charles dropped her on the bed and removed his belt. He looked around the room, snapping the leather as he did.
Nicole came to Sophia’s side. “Once he defiles you, I will go to his father for compensation. To avoid that, he will marry me.”
Sophia shook her head. Could that work? She wasn’t about to let him rape her in any case, but he had a solution for that.
“Ah, here. Get those clothes off her.” He tugged at Sophia’s dress and more quickly than she thought a pair of humans could, they had her down to her skin. The belt lashed her wrists together and with the tie from the bed curtain, he pulled them above her head, leaving her on her toes. Charles pulled on the rig, making sure she couldn’t break free.
Sophia surreptitiously tugged as well, gaining enough slack to put her weight on the balls of her feet. The leather would take most of her strength to snap, but the silk tie was much less sturdy. Knowing she would be free in an instant, she could face what came on her terms.
The Beginning Page 4