Book Two
All The Queen’s Women
by
Michelle Kopra
Steampunk Romance
10,500 words
Copyright 2012 by Michelle Kopra
http://www.michellekopra.vpweb.com
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Cover art by Michelle Kopra
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Chapter One
England
Lilly leaned over the edge of The Gypsy, enjoying the stray breeze, while taking in the sounds of London below. Closing her eyes, she smiled to herself. London was home. The way Cardiff never was. Maybe it was because she could be herself, and did not have to be afraid of the grim looks, or the fear that someone would discover her secret.
“Lilly?” Penny called as she came above deck, dressed in brown bowler hat, matching smoking jacket, tutu and striped stockings. “There you are. Going down to town?”
Hitching the sack on her shoulder, Lilly nodded. “Got a new dancing outfit I need to pick up.”
“Shall we go together? I’ve been craving fish and chips.”
“Sorry love. I got a few errands to run.” Lilly brushed a kiss on the girl’s soft cheek.
Penny’s face fell. “Oh, right, well then, never mind then.”
“I should be back in a few, maybe we can meet later for chips?” Lilly hoped to appease the sweetest girl on The Gypsy.
“Yeah sure, go on, I got some work to do, eh.” Penny gave her a smile that never reached her eyes as she turned and headed back down below to her quarters.
Lilly watched Penny go, tempted to chase after the girl. Instead, she headed down the ramp.
“Morning Lilly!” Constance waved.
Lady C and Lord Colin walked up the sidewalk, fresh from their honeymoon. Lilly watched them, happy and jealous at the same time.
Longing filled her for the girl with long red hair and eyes as green as emeralds. Closing her eyes, memory of long locks hovering over her, the girl’s laugh, the girl’s kiss on her lips. And the memory of their parting on a cold rainy day.
“Where ya off to, Lilly?” Constance asked, but Lilly could see Constance only had eyes for Colin.
“Bit of shopping, ta.” And she was off.
Yes, she was shopping. She really did have a new outfit that had been waiting for months for her. However, she had another reason to leave The Gypsy alone.
An hour later found her in a woman’s bar. Its dark and smoky, music playing softly as women talked, danced, and kissed in the shadows.
A dark haired woman slid up next to Lilly. “Can I buy you a drink, love?”
This was why Lilly was here; to feel skin on skin, the kiss of soft lips, and the touch of breast against breast. She needed the taste of a woman on her tongue. Lilly always knew she preferred women to men. That was why she could never marry the man father planned for her. He had spoke of love an acceptance for all. That is, except for his daughter, and her love of women.
Banishing the thought from her head, she smiled into the face with soft brown eyes. She stroked the cheek and looked forward to a few moments of kissing and cuddling in the rooms above the pub called “The Arms of the Temptress.”
“How about a drink, and perhaps a dance later?” Lilly nodded to the floor where other women embraced in a slow dance. Some wore dresses, while a few had on trousers, jackets, and hair hidden in top hats.
In the darkness, a laugh echoed across the pub. The sound of it turned Lilly to stone. That laugh she knew better than the back of her hand. It drifted again towards her. Memories of people playing guitars on the streets of warm and sunny Spain...and Isadora.
The woman tugged at her arm, breaking Lilly’s reverie of the past.
“Sorry love, I’ll have to pass.” Lilly removed herself from the stranger’s grip.
“Another time.” The woman shrugged and moved down the bar to the newest member to come in.
Following the sound of the laughter into the back of the pub, she arrived at a section where curtains draped around large booths. The Arms of the Temptress was all about privacy for its patrons. In one of the booths sat a group of women, laughing and toasting a woman with long red locks.
“So I that’s when I taught him the difference between men and women.”
Everyone laughed.
“You didn’t mention the part where I rescued you from him and his friends later that night,” Lilly said as she ducked around the curtain.
The group of women whirled toward her with gasps and mutters, but all she heard was the crash of Isadora’s drink against the concrete floor.
Isadora stood up, the other women forgotten, and walked toward Lilly. The two women inspected each other for a second, the sexual tension already unbearable. For a brief moment, Isadora came so close, that Lilly thought Isadora would kiss her. Instead, Isadora reached back and brought her fist forward, connecting with Lilly’s jaw.
“Bitch!” Isadora spat.
Lilly did not argue. Lowering her head, she turned to leave the pub, forcing herself not to rub her sore mouth.
Behind her, a grumble made her pause and a smile tug at the corner of her lips.
“Stop, damn it.” Isadora’s heels clicked against the floor. “Why do you always walk off? Just once would you face me, hit me, yell at me, anything! J-just don’t leave.” This last bit she said with a hint of vulnerability in her voice.
Lilly paused, tilting her head slightly but her shoulders still hunched defensively.
“C’mon Lilly.” Isadora took her hand, turning her around. “Can we go somewhere to talk?”
Isadora motioned upstairs. Against Lilly’s better judgment, she let Isadora tug her up the dark staircase, down the narrow hallway lined with doors, and into a cramped and windowless room.
Isadora moved to face her. “So, where the hell have you been?”
Lilly shook her head slowly, fighting the desire to kiss those soft lips.
“You know why I left.” She crossed her arms tightly over her chest, remembering the betrayal that sent Lilly running, and eventually joining The Gypsy.
“I should go.” She turned towards the door.
“No!” Isadora jumped in front of her, putting her hands on Lilly’s shoulders. “I’m sorry I overreacted. Don’t go.”
A single touch turned into a caress, the caress turned into an embrace.
Lilly closed her eyes and bit her lip, loving the feel of Isadora against her. Unable to resist, she slipped her arms around the thin frame, leaning in closer to inhale the scent of Isadora’s skin. Memories of laughter, their laughter, filled her mind.
“Oh Lilly.” Isadora laid a trail of kisses along Lilly’s cheek, down the sensitive spot of the neck under the ear where she sucked and bit on the flesh. “How I have missed you.”
Lilly’s body reacted. Leaning her head back she sigh as Isadora continued kissing. Her hands moved in circles down Isadora’s back.
“I didn’t want to go,” she murmured.
“No, the queen took you away from me,” Isadora said with a hint of a sob, and then tightened her hug. “I have you back again, and I’m never going to let you go.” Isadora’s kisses returned to Lilly’s mouth, parting lips with hers, tongues danced together. Isadora pulled her closer and kissed her harder.
The kiss was like a spell, as long as Isadora kissed her, Lilly could barely think, all she wanted was Isadora’s tongue in her mouth. Isadora began undoing the buttons on her blouse. Lilly did not stop her; instead, she moaned and ripped at Isadora’s blouse. Eager to touch the large, pale mounds. She pinched the pink nipples, making Isadora gasp.
The two girls fell onto the bed, still kissing, breast rubbing against breast, while hands tore off the bottom halves of their outfits. Once naked, and legs entwined around each other, Lilly’s hands explores Isadora’s flame haired sex. Rubbing the sensitive nub, desire rushed through every nerve of Lilly’s body as Isadora’s desire grew more vocal.
Isadora’s warm fingers covered her mound, rubbing with urgency, until they slipped within her silken folds. Gasped, she had forgotten how good Isadora made her feel. Lilly held on until she felt Isadora lose control, and then she arched her back as the orgasm shuddered through her.
In the afterglow of their lovemaking, they remained entwined, kissing gently. Lilly was afraid to speak, afraid to break this bubble of contentment she found herself in. For now, she just wanted to be in Isadora’s arms, and pretend everything was all right.
A beeping sound went off in the pile of their clothes.
“Sorry love.” Isadora kissed her then broke free, reaching for a small brass box that was buzzing. Isadora spun the gold knobs on it and sighed. “Duty calls.”
Lilly leaned over her, interested in this new device. “The queen has the most interesting toys.”
Isadora flinched. Moving the artifact away from Lilly, she laughed. “Top secret. You know how the queen is.”
Lilly kissed Isadora’s neck. “I’m needed on The Gypsy.”
Isadora pulled Lilly into another embrace. “Will I see you again?”
Lilly shook her head. “Honestly, I don’t know. We have our orders. If we don’t leave tonight, I am sure we will tomorrow.”
“We could just go, and find a small cottage far away from all this, you and me.” Although said with a laugh, Isadora’s eyes were serious.
Lilly kissed her, but remained silent.
***
“There you are,” Sera called as soon as Lilly was back on The Gypsy. “Penny said you went off on some secret mission.”
The two girls went below decks to Lilly’s cabin.
“Nothing so secret, just getting my new costume.” Lilly hooked the outfit on a nail on the wall. “Seamstress had to redo the whole thing, boring afternoon, to be honest.”
Lilly never had to lie to her mates before. Guilt took over, guilt and fear. If they knew, would they be so happy she was on board with them? Or would they look at her with disgust she saw from her own family?
“What did you do today, Sera?”
“Gertie and I went into town. Showed her my favorite old haunts for finding men, but she too wrapped up in that lord of hers.”
“Oh! What lord?”
Sera snorted. “You mean you haven’t noticed?”
“No, what?” Lilly smiled. Sera’s silliness was infectious.
“Lord Barkley and Gertie have a thing going on.”
“What kind of thing?” Lilly asked, surprised she never noticed anything between the two.
“Not sure exactly. I wouldn’t say he’s courting her, but you can feel the tension whenever they are together.”
Lilly laughed and shook her head. “Only you, Sera. Focus on your own love affairs, girl.”
***
The dinner bell rang twice, waking Lilly from a light slumber. She had been dreaming of Spain, and her friends she left behind: Diego, Mama Esposita, Effie, and Gina. She fled Cardiff, and found a niche for herself as a spy for the queen in London. After a year, the queen sent her to Barcelona to take a position as a ballet dancer. Her roommate, Isadora Lopez, taught her about life in Spain, and how to love another woman.
Sitting up, she remembered why she left Spain, and Isadora. And why she jumped at the chance to join The Gypsy.
The stiff routine of a ballerina had been replaced by the fluid movements of a belly dancer. She loved the feel of her body as she shimmied across the stage, and the look of awe she received from the onlookers. She checked herself in the small mirror on the wall. She pulled her thick, black hair back into a loose bun, and scrubbed her pale face. Lilly grimaced at the freckles all over her cheeks and nose, and then left the room to go down to the dining hall.
The cheery voices and smells of food greeted her upon entering the room panels with wooden panels and gaslight sconces that cast a golden glow over the happy faces.
Petyr and the twins were in the midst of a beer-drinking contest in one corner, and Sera was working her charms on Will and Damian. Constance and Colin, both wearing shiny new rings, snuggled together, while Penny and Gertie chatted away at the closest table. Lilly took a seat with them.
“Thanks, Cook.” Lilly nodded to Cook, who placed a plate of steamy hot food in front of her. Chicken, potatoes and carrots, her idea of comfort food.
The girls chatted happily through the meal, until Lord Barkley appeared in the doorway, nodding to Lord Colin. Lilly saw the change in Gertie from happy and relaxed to tense, but not in a negative way. She could feel the attraction emanating from the girl. Sera had been right after all.
The lords left the room. Constance stood up, making a noise to get everyone’s attention. “Oi, oi!”
Laughter filled the room.
“All right folks, we leave in the morning,” Constance announced. “The mission has changed. We are now after the man with the scar.”
“Do we have any leads?” Lilly asked. “His name, perhaps?”
Constance shook her head. “No, nor any information on the double agent. However, the queen is sending is someone who has seen this man. With her help we hope to find him, and then the double agent.”
“Who is she?” Penny asked.
“Here,” Colin said, coming back into the room with Lord Barkley, and the queen’s informant.
Heat filled Lilly’s cheeks. She felt a little lightheaded seeing the long curly red hair, and the green eyes of her love, Isadora, standing in the doorway.
Chapter Two
Spain
Lilly’s daydream of Isadora being on board The Gypsy with her had turned into a nightmare. A living nightmare.
“Isadora Lopez, the queen’s head spy from Spain, is joining us. She has the most information about the man with the scar.”
“It’s not much really, I only know his name.”
Suddenly she had everyone’s attention. Lilly bit her lip to hide her smile; she knew Isadora was loving it.
“Well, let me introduce you to the members of The Gypsy. Lords Barkley and Mandrake are our military advisors. This is Cap and Navi.” The boys nodded and smiled. “Petyr, Augustus, and Alfonzo. Cook. These are my dancers. Sera, Gertrude, Penny, and Lilly.”
Lilly nodded tightly, but to her shock and dismay, Isadora pulled her into a hug.
“No need to introduce us,” Isadora laughed. “We’re old mates.”
Constance smiled and nodded but not before giving Lilly a hint of a questioning look.
“Of course, well then. Welcome to The Gypsy!”
***
“I want you to join Isadora when we touchdown in Barcelona,” Constance told Lilly the next morning at a meeting in Constance’s cabin.
The cabin had never seemed so tight. With the lords, Isadora, Constance and herself, it was standing room only.
“Isadora tells me you worked together for three years there. So that makes you the obvious choice.”
Constance seemed angry by the lack of information.
“Of course, Lady C.”
“Good. Isadora has the last known coordinates of Herr Statz–that’s the man with the scar. I want you to talk to your old contacts in Barcelona, find out if they know anything about this man. Once we find him, we’ll find the double agent.”
“Yes, Lady C.” The thought of going back to Spain, and
to her friends, suddenly lifted her spirits. She couldn’t wait to see them again.
Lilly looked up to see Isadora smiling at her.
***
For Lilly, it was as if time has stood still. The Gypsy came in to dock at the port just outside Sant Pau del Camp.
“You have two days to collect your information and return,” Constance told her as Lilly prepared to depart. “If you’re not back in that time, we will come looking for you.”
Lilly shrugged. “You think I’m going to run off or something?”
“Lord no. You are my second Lilly, I trust you with my life.” Constance looked worried. “I’ve dealt with Herr Statz, and I don’t want you getting hurt.”
“Sorry,” Lilly said, and suddenly felt tension lift away from her. “I don’t know what’s gotten into me lately.”
Constance flicked a look at Isadora, already down the plank. “I’m sure it will pass.”
The two women hugged and went their separate ways.
***
“Diego might be at the café this time of the day. I’m pretty sure Effie and Gina will be practicing. I can’t wait to see Mama again!”
Lilly and Isadora walked up the Gran de Gracia in silence. Lilly wanted to soak in the sights, and pretend that the years since she last been here had just been a dream. Lilly realized the woman was not enjoying herself. Perhaps the expression on her face, or they way she bit her bottom lip.
Lilly took Isadora’s hand. Isadora glanced at her with a worried look, but Lilly smiled.
“I thought you would be mad,” Isadora finally said.
“That you showed up on The Gypsy?”
Isa nodded.
Lilly gave her head a little shake. “No, love. I am not mad. Surprised and confused. But I could never really be mad at you.”
Isadora sighed and smiled, her old, sparkly self returning. “I’m so glad. I had a feeling you never told anyone about us, so I wasn’t sure how you would react.”
Lilly opened her mouth, but Isadora waved at her to be quiet.
“I know you, Lilly, better than I know myself. I know you love me, but you’re afraid to let people know who you are. Well, I don’t care, as long as we’re together.” Isadora squeezed her hand.
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