“I’ll let you be on your way then, of course,” said Claud. “But I hope any misunderstanding has been cleared up and we can be friends. Nothing more, just friends,” he hastened to add.
Again I felt only astonishment. Had the man never had a true friend in his life? He should know perfectly well that he and I could never be friendly now. Not after his treatment of Mathilde. But I said nothing, just turned and started for the castle. After a moment I heard his footsteps resume and when I reached the castle door and turned back, he was already out of sight, lost to the night.
Chapter 8
My mind had been so full of my encounters with Joe and Claud that I had bypassed the kitchen and gone straight to bed. If I had gone in and spoken to the other servants I would have had some warning. But I didn’t go in and so was totally unprepared for my meeting with Gretchen the next morning.
Gretchen’s appearance in the princesses’ suite was my cue to depart so I moved towards the door with my usual head nod to the governess. This time, however, her hand shot out and grabbed my arm, preventing me from passing her in the doorway.
“Just who do you think you are, woodcutter’s daughter?” she whispered angrily. It was clear that to her this was the ultimate insult and also that our cold but peaceful truce was over. I glanced with concern towards the twins but they were too far away to hear, dragging their feet as they moved towards their desks and began to get out their books. Gretchen saw the direction of my gaze.
“You may have the royal family under your spell but don’t think the rest of us are fooled,” she snapped. “And they’ll forget you just as quick when we get back to Arcadie. At the Summer Palace there are plenty of people actually worth their notice. People like my brother and sister the Baron and Baroness.”
I couldn’t think what had brought on this attack and until I could work out what was going on I thought it safest not to respond. So I wrenched my arm out of her grip and almost ran from the room and to the sanctuary of the library.
I had only been in the library long enough to catch my breath and calm my outraged thoughts when Mathilde rushed in.
“Is it true?” she asked.
I panicked, my mind switching gears. I hadn’t expected her so soon, I’d thought I would have more time to work out the right words before I had to tell her about Claud.
“Look Mathilde,” I began desperately and then realised she was almost bouncing in her excitement. This was definitely not about Claud. “Wait, is what true?” I asked, confused.
“Everyone asked me if it was true because they know how close we are and so I told them that of course it was. You should have heard me defend you, I mean why wouldn’t it be true when you’re Companion, I said. Practically like one of the family. But I do think you might have told me. I thought we were best friends!”
“Stop, stop!” I cried, interrupting the flow of her words. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Is what true?”
“That you call the prince ‘Max’, of course,” she exclaimed.
The many events of yesterday had driven Max and my overheard conversation from my mind but now I remembered Nikki’s curious eyes and listening ears. Gretchen’s change in attitude began to make sense. I nodded affirmation for Mathilde, not sure what to say.
“I knew it,” she exulted. “You do realise only his family and closest friends call him Max! The royals really must see you as one of them. My best friend!” She suddenly remembered my perfidy. “But you might have told me!”
“Sorry,” I apologised lamely. And then, “I suppose the story made it to Gretchen somehow?”
Mathilde nodded and looked contemptuous. “She likes to pretend she’s so far above us and would never stoop to our level but I know the queen’s seamstress tells her all the gossip.” Now Mathilde looked concerned. “The way Nikki told the story it sounded like you were, well, flirting with the prince and I suppose stupid old Gretchen wouldn’t like that.”
“I wasn’t flirting!” I cried, incensed. And then wondered, a little uneasily, if perhaps I had been. I groaned and put my face in my hands. These were dangerous waters.
“It’s just that there’s no-one else his age for him to talk to,” I said, trying to defend myself.
“It’s totally understandable,” said Mathilde loyally, “You’re just as beautiful as all the girls at court.” This was the third time someone had commented on my looks in the last twenty-four hours. I should have been flattered but, judging by the uneasy look on my friend’s face, my life would be less complicated if I was excessively plain.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Nothing,” she replied. And then, after a pause, “there’s nothing wrong with a bit of flirting, of course. All the girls do it, even the maids, if they get the chance. He’s the prince after all, and so good-looking! But usually he doesn’t respond much. And from what Nikki said… And you’re so pretty, and the Princess Companion. But everyone knows you’re a woodcutter’s daughter…”
Her voice trailed away but I understood what was unsaid. The other servants, and people like Gretchen, would accept my short boost in status as long as I seemed to know my place. And with the prince I had somehow crossed a line.
“Thanks for the warning, Mathilde,” I said, “I understand. I need some time to think about all this.”
She nodded and moved away to begin dusting the shelves.
I pulled myself up onto one of the window seats. I’d reached a crossroads then. I was pretty sure I could pacify Gretchen and keep all the staff onside. I would just need to show them that I knew and respected my true station. That would mean no more special projects like the doll tower, though. And I would have to go out of my way not to connect with the royals. I would have to avoid Max.
I could see the advantages of that course – it would probably be the best way forward if I was hoping for some sort of job at the palace at the end of the winter. But I still only considered it for about a minute. I had left my home for an adventure, not security, and I always had my aunt to fall back on after all. Plus, I felt committed to my personal project of princess improvement. And that was without considering Max who, truth be told, was the most exciting part of my new life. Avoiding him didn’t even feel like an option.
So what was my way forward then? How did I make sure the next two months at the castle were livable? I sat, deep in thought.
“Mathilde?” I finally called out.
“Yes?” Mathilde popped out from between the bookshelves and hurried back over.
“You said that the royals are treating me like one of them. If I choose to accept that and embrace my new role how will the servants react? I know you’ll stick by me but what about the others? Will they freeze me out?” She was silent for a moment, thinking it through.
“Everyone’s had the chance to get to know you. To see that you’re not stuck up like Gretchen. I think most people will accept it. But you’ll have to stop visiting us in the kitchen in the evenings.” Mathilde looked sad at this thought. “As long as you don’t start ordering the servants around, they’ll follow the lead of the royals. Not Gretchen, of course.”
She rolled her eyes and I sighed. No, there was no way Gretchen was going to accept me.
Mathilde still looked sad so I reached for her hand to give it a squeeze. To my surprise she stepped away.
“I guess we can’t be friends any more either,” she said.
“Don’t be silly!” I said, strongly. “I’m not giving up my best friend.”
This earned a smile.
“We may not be able to hang out in the evenings but you can still come here in the mornings, right? I’ll be relying on you to keep me up to date on all the news.”
Mathilde nodded and looked relieved.
Our conversation had completely driven Claud from my mind but I now thought of him guiltily. What sort of friend was I if I didn’t say anything? But somehow I couldn’t work out the right words. The more I thought about it, the more I realised that nothing
concrete had happened. Nothing that Claud couldn’t explain away. It would be easy for him to suggest that he was simply being polite and that I had wrongfully read more into it.
I still had no idea what he was doing in the evenings. If I followed him and saw him with Nikki that would be concrete proof. Then I could say something to Mathilde. I was glad to have a plan, and gladder still that I had an excuse to put off the conversation with Mathilde.
Throughout the day I found my mind returning to Claud. I couldn’t shake the memory of the darkness I’d seen in his eyes when he realised I wasn’t falling for his charm. Something told me someone should be watching Claud and the sooner Mathilde realised the truth about him, the better off she’d be. Tonight was the night.
With this thought in mind, I dressed in my darkest dress. Just like the night before, I walked straight down the stairs and outside. But this time I turned away from the stables and slipped into the garden. Claud’s path the night before had been towards the forest, along one of the tall hedges. I positioned myself behind it, out of view of the door. I then proceeded to wait. And wait. And wait.
I was wearing my boots but my feet were starting to ache from standing so long without moving. And the cold had long since seeped through my cloak and into my bones. I was now shivering constantly and spasmodically a deeper shudder would shake my body. What had seemed a great idea inside the castle now seemed foolish. What if he didn’t come out tonight? I could freeze to death waiting for him.
I blame the acute physical discomfort for distracting me so badly that I didn’t hear the footsteps behind me. I did, however, feel the hand that landed on my shoulder and roughly spun me around. I was too shocked to scream. Instead I wrenched myself away and took one stumbling step backwards, only stopping when I recognised my attacker.
“Max??” I whisper hissed. “What are you doing here?”
“The real question is what are you doing here?” he replied, matching my whisper but looking exasperated. “You’ve been out here for ages and you’re freezing, I could feel your shivers through your cloak.”
“How do you know how long I’ve been out here,” I asked with suspicion.
He pointed towards one of the castle windows. “I saw you come out of the castle.”
I realised that although I was hidden from the side door at the bottom of the servants’ stairs, I could be seen from any of the windows along the front of the castle.
Before I could ask again why he had come out, Max continued. “And you still haven’t answered my question. What are you doing out here?”
I opened my mouth and then closed it again.
“That’s right,” said Max grimly, “It’s way too cold out here for you to fob me off with some excuse. I want the truth.”
There was just enough light from the castle for me to read the determination in his eyes. But I only had a second to wonder how I could possibly explain the truth when I heard a door open and light shone through the hedge. I stiffened and raised my finger to my lips, staring wide-eyed at Max. He looked confused but stayed silent.
Carefully I tiptoed closer to the hedge, straining to hear any tell-tale sounds. There were no voices but I could hear one person heading away from the stables towards the forest. The trajectory of the footsteps convinced me it must be Claud.
Ignoring Max, I began to creep along the hedge, mirroring the person walking on the other side. After a moment I felt Max fall in silently behind me. I was annoyed – there would be no way to avoid telling him the whole complicated saga now. But at the same time, I couldn’t help but feel relieved. There was now also no chance of my finding myself alone in the night with Claud.
When we reached the end of the hedge, I paused. The person I was following didn’t hesitate but strode towards the forest. We were now out of reach of the castle lights but there was enough light from the moon for me to see the dim figure of a man. It looked like Claud but I couldn’t be completely sure in the darkness.
The equally dim figure of Max now grabbed my arm, trying to tug me back towards the castle. I shook him off and started quietly after Claud. In a few more steps he would be hidden amongst the trees and I didn’t want to lose him.
I heard a soft sigh and then Max followed me. I moved across the open ground trying to be silent and quick at the same time. I felt horribly exposed now that Claud was hidden in the trees and I was without cover. The tension was rising with each step and I had to force myself not to panic and break out into a run for the trees. I also had to restrain from reaching out and clinging to Max. I was now doubly glad for his reassuring presence beside me.
In spite of my fears, we reached the trees without being accosted. No sooner had we stepped under their leafy cover than we heard the soft murmur of voices.
I knew it! I thought. Claud is meeting someone out here.
I strained to hear if the other voice was Nikki’s. But we were too far away for me to recognise it or make out any words. I crept closer. As I moved, I pulled the hood of my cloak low, hiding the white blob of my face and my unhelpfully golden hair.
I continued to slip from tree to tree until I was close enough to see two figures. It was definitely too dark amongst the trees to distinguish Claud’s face but I could now recognise his voice. However I was surprised by his companion. The second voice was masculine and spoke with a faint accent.
“You promised me gold.” That was Claud.
“You’ll get your gold when we get our information.” That was the other man.
For a moment my mind was blank, trying to assimilate the unexpected words. Then I realised the nerves I had felt before were nothing. At least, they were nothing compared to the paralysing dread that was now flooding my body. I slowly, quietly turned my head to look at Max. He wasn’t looking at me, he was staring at the two men, but seeing the outline of his figure somehow increased my terror. Unwittingly I had led the heir to the throne away from his guards and straight into the hands of two men of unknown villainy.
“I’ve given you information, I want my gold and the safe passage out of the kingdom you promised.”
“We need to know more about the royal family than the servants can tell us. You said there’s a new Princess Companion. Get close to her. Find out what she knows.”
I could feel rather than hear Max’s body stiffen.
“I’ve already tried. She’s suspicious of me, wouldn’t give me anything,” said Claud in a surly tone.
“What?” His companion’s voice rose slightly. “Someone’s suspicious of you?”
The second man was standing with his back to us so we could see what Claud could not – the stranger’s hand moving towards a lump at the small of his back.
“No, no, she’s just suspicious that I’m two-timing one of her friends. A maid. I am, of course.”
Claud gave a quiet chuckle and after a moment the other man joined in, his hand slowly drifting back to his side.
“Well, see what you can get through the friend then.”
“Alright, I’ll give it another week but then I’m out of here.”
“Fine, one week and then follow the instructions we gave you. We’ll get you out of here.”
“And I’ll get my gold?” Claud sounded suspicious.
“Yeah, yeah, you’ll get your gold. Just make sure you get something good. You know what sort of things we’re looking for.”
There was a mutual exchange of farewell grunts and a handshake. Then the stranger began to move off through the woods, away from the castle. Claud stood in silence for a long time, gazing off in the direction the other man had gone. Finally he seemed to notice the cold, shivering and rubbing his arms. He turned back towards the castle and I suddenly realised our mistake. We had missed our opportunity to sneak away. We were now standing between Claud and the castle and if he came forward only a few steps he would see us.
In my alarm, I took an unthinking step backward. My foot landed on a twig and the sound of it breaking felt like a cannon blast ripping through t
he forest.
Chapter 9
Claud’s head snapped towards us and in the same instant Max took off running towards the castle. I stood frozen in shock and watched Claud dash after him. Max had only a few steps head start and was hampered by the trees and the darkness. He hadn’t made it far when Claud threw himself forward and tackled the prince to the ground. There was a brief scuffle and for a moment I thought Max might throw him off but then both men rose slowly to their feet, Max with his hands held above his head.
Once they were both upright I could see why. Claud had a gun and it was pointing at Max’s chest. They were both panting and staring at each other. I wondered, in a panic, what Max had been thinking. And then, for the briefest second, his eyes flicked towards me and I knew. Max had run back towards the castle but he had run at an angle so that the pursuing Claud had bypassed the spot where I stood frozen. In the split second after I had stepped on that twig, Max had moved to protect me. To keep Claud from finding both of us.
The realisation galvanised me. Thanks to Max’s quick thinking Claud was unaware that there were two of us in the forest. I couldn’t let that advantage go to waste.
“Spying on me, were you?” Claud spoke. “I can’t let you go back to the castle now, can I?”
Max said nothing. In the darkness it was unlikely that Claud had recognised Max. I had no idea what would happen if Claud realised who it was he held at gunpoint. I supposed that depended on who he was working for and what they wanted. For now he seemed hesitant to shoot, probably afraid that the gunshot would be heard from the castle.
I began to move through the forest, testing each step before committing my weight, trying to avoid any more treacherous twigs. Luckily I didn’t have far to go. I crept to within a few feet of Claud, took a deep breath and lunged forward. With both hands I grabbed his right arm and used all my weight to pull it down. The pistol went off but the bullet lodged harmlessly in the base of a tree. Claud swore loudly and swung his left fist around, punching me in the face. The explosion of pain caused my vision to black out and I slumped down. But somehow I managed to maintain my grip on his arm, my dead weight only pulling the gun further towards the ground.
The Princess Companion: A Retelling of The Princess and the Pea (The Four Kingdoms Book 1) Page 8