The Peculiar Princess

by Christina Graham Parker

  Lexy gave a short laugh, still shaken by Lukas’s words. “No, I don’t wish to eat with Lord Lukas in the dining room. I’ll eat with you and Ebbe.”

  Margaret’s eyes grew wide. “No, my lady. It would be—”

  “Entirely inappropriate. I know, I know. I’ve never been considered so inappropriate in my entire life. It’s a wonder I don’t embarrass myself by walking out the door.” Margaret didn’t respond and Lexy remembered showing up at her door in shorts and t-shirt. She sighed. “Can you have some food brought up to me?”

  Margaret nodded. “Of course, my lady.”

  By the time Margaret had returned with a tray, Lexy was ready to ask for help undressing and to crawl into bed. Too tired from the joint stresses of the journey, meeting her aunt, and the argument with Lukas, she found herself unable to stay awake long enough to eat.

  ****

  Lexy was nibbling on her third pastry the next morning when Margaret knocked on her door.

  “Good morning, Princess Lexy. I hope you had a good night.”

  For the first time in days, she’d slept well. “Good morning. Isn’t it a lovely day?”

  Margaret’s smile grew bigger at the unusual pleasant greeting. “Yes, it is.” She walked across the room and opened an unexplored door. “Your dressing room is in here. Lady Anne had several dresses made in the anticipation of your arrival. I trust you will find them to your liking.”

  Lexy stood and followed Margaret. “I’m sure I’ll like whatever Lady Anne provided.”

  The older lady dug through a wardrobe, found a dress, and held it out. “I believe this one will do.”

  Lexy sneered at the bulky, rose-colored material. What she wouldn’t give for a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. “Let’s get on with it.”

  But Margaret wasn’t finished yet. She continued pulling out clothes and underclothes and other items Lexy had no name for. Before long, the dressing room’s lone bench was covered.

  “I’ll just be a minute.” Margaret walked briskly out of the room.

  Lexy eyed the piles of clothes with unease. Much more than she’d worn while riding.

  Moments later, Margaret returned, bringing with her a metal dress form, and Lexy’s apprehension disappeared. She didn’t have to wear all the clothes at one time. Some would be left in the room on the dress form.

  It wasn’t until she saw the dress form open that she understood. She was supposed to wear all the clothes after all. Margaret hadn’t brought her a dress form. She’d brought her a corset.

  “No.” She shook her head. “I will not be stuffed in a cage.” No wonder women in the sixteenth century didn’t fight for equal rights. They spent their days fighting to breathe.

  “My lady, it’s not a cage. It’s a corset. Without it, the dress will not fit properly.”

  “Then I guess the dress just won’t fit properly. I’m not wearing a cage. Out of the question.”

  Margaret sighed, shook her head and walked out of the room. Seconds later, she returned with a still restrictive-looking but much more wearable corset.

  “I suppose it will do,” Margaret said, not even trying to keep the disapproval out of her voice. “You have your mother’s figure. Such a slight thing you are.”

  Margaret helped her into the floor-length shift, numerous petticoats and an ivory silk underdress before lifting the heavy outer dress over her head.

  Lexy’s knees gave under its weight. “You’ve got to be kidding. I can’t wear this all day. I’ll be doing good just to make it down the stairs in this getup!”

  Then Margaret did the unpardonable and held out a stiff ivory ruff much like the one Lady Anne wore the day before. Lexy knew she had to draw a line. “You can forget about me wearing that thing. There’s no way I’m going to wear a bib all day!”

  “But it is part of the outfit.”

  “It can stay here.” She cut off Margaret’s protest. “I know what you’re thinking, and I don’t care if it is entirely inappropriate. I’m not wearing it.”

  Margaret’s shoulders slumped in defeat. Lexy knew the poor woman didn’t understand, but the thing looked like it’d choke her. It would be bad enough getting through the day in what she already had on.

  Two uncomfortable-looking shoes waited beside the bench. Lexy kicked them out of the way. “I’m not wearing those either. I’ll go barefoot.”

  Margaret’s eyes bulged. “Barefoot? Princess Lexy, do you mean to give me an apoplexy?”

  “No. It’s just that the boots I’ve worn for the last two days caused blisters. Since we’re staying here for now, there’s no reason to put my feet through further agony. Besides,” she lifted her skirts and wiggled her toes, “with all the fabric I’m wearing, no one will know.”

  Lexy’s cheerful mood lasted through her hairdressing and further mumbled comments from Margaret concerning the impropriety of her dress. It lasted the three minutes it took her to make it down the stairs. Then it changed abruptly when she almost ran into Lukas, who was making his way back inside the house.

  His hair was tied back, and while he no longer wore the traveling clothes of the previous days, his outfit was still completely black. His knee-length pants, hose, doublet, and cape were all black. Only a glimpse of white shirt could be seen under the layers of dark clothing.

  He looked like evil incarnate.

  “You look well this morning, Princess Alexia.”

  But could evil incarnate cause her stomach to flip-flop by simply saying her name?

  “Thank you,” she whispered. He seemed to be in a better disposition, but she had no intention of staying in his presence long enough to find out.

  “I feared for your health when you did not appear for dinner last night.”

  His face is straight. He probably isn’t joking.

  “I can’t believe you’d think I’d want to spend time with you after your outburst yesterday,” she said.

  “Outburst? You cannot fault me for being forthright in my speech. I was merely giving you another opinion to think on as you made your decision.”

  There was no trace of sarcasm in his voice, but she still didn’t believe him. “I don’t need your help.” She stepped around him.

  He blocked her. “I am not certain you speak the entire truth. It would appear you need help dressing. Is not your outfit missing something?”

  She put her hands on her hips. “No, it’s not missing something. I refuse to wear that ruff thing. Besides, I don’t think you’re one to give fashion advice. Do you wear anything besides black?”

  Amusement shone in his eyes, but didn’t quite make it to the rest of his face. She thought for a moment, trying to remember if she’d ever seen him smile. How sad, she thought, to live with no apparent happiness, no reason to express merriment. Had he always been so angry and cold or had something happened to make him that way?

  She tried once more to step around him, and he didn’t stop her. When she left her room, she hadn’t had a destination in mind, but with the possibility of Lukas watching her back, she strode through the entrance hall and into the drawing room. It was empty, and as much as she would like to talk with her aunt, the solitude was welcome.

  Portraits lined the walls and she studied them, wondering if any of the people depicted could be relatives of hers. Perhaps not, she thought. Hadden House was probably the home of Lady Anne’s husband and not the childhood home of his wife and sister.

  She walked to a bookshelf covering one wall and inspected its offerings. A much-worn binding caught her eye, and she pulled it from the shelf. Teofilo Folengo – Baldo was printed on the cover. After flipping a few pages, she put the book back on the shelf with a huff. Too bad she didn’t read Italian. A slim volume from William Dubar appeared promising, but the English words looked odd. Determined to find something, she picked the next book on the shelf and continued her search for something to read.

  “Princess Lexy?” Margaret peeked into the drawing room. “Dinner is ready if you would like to come into the dinin
g room.”

  Lexy pulled her attention away from Fox’s Book of Martyrs and glanced at her watch. She hadn’t realized so much time had passed. She replaced the book on the shelf. “Thank you, Margaret. Will Lady Anne be joining me?”

  Margaret shook her head. “No, my lady. She has been out of the house all day. Business in the village has called her away.”

  Lexy swallowed her disappointment. “That’s too bad. I was looking forward to talking with her again.”

  Following Margaret to the dining room, she became even more thankful for the older lady’s presence. She needed a map to navigate the house. The endless hallways and numerous rooms were indecipherable. How much space did one need? Margaret pointed to an open doorway.

  Lukas, alone in the dining room, stood at her entrance. She took her seat across from him and tried to hide her unease. Which Lukas would join her today? The sarcastic one she was used to, the mannerly one she saw a glimpse of yesterday or the one filled with an anger that left her speechless?

  He bowed. “My lady.”

  “Lukas,” she said tentatively.

  “I trust you have passed a pleasant morning thus far?”

  “What? I mean, I have. Lady Anne has several books I’ve never read.”

  “I would suppose so. If the outdoors are more to your liking, I have heard her grounds and gardens are unparalleled.”

  A suggestion on how to spend free time? Was she dining with Lukas or some twin from an alternate universe? “Thank you. I might have to check them out.” She paused as a servant placed a plate in front of her. “I hoped to see more of Lady Anne today.”

  “I understand her to be detained in the village at present.” His voice was calm and pleasant. An amazing transformation from the night before.

  She offered a short blessing, and the two passed a few minutes in an almost companionable silence. Not long into the meal, she yawned and glanced at her watch. “I’m afraid I’m not yet over the time change or our journey. I might have to take a nap this afternoon. Although it is an unheard of luxury, especially this time of day.”

  He stared at her wrist with unmasked interest. “What is it you wear?”

  She slipped the watch off and handed it across the table. He would have never seen one before, and there was no need to be rude. “Here, you can look at it. It’s a watch you wear on your wrist. A wristwatch.”

  He took the watch and studied it in amazement, turning it over to examine in greater detail. “How remarkable. It is unlike anything I have ever seen.”

  It was odd, but pleasurable, talking to him without arguing. “It’s run off solar power. No battery or um…winding needed.”

  “Truly?” His eyes shone with interest.

  “Yes. And if you push that little button on the side there, it’ll light up.”

  Appearing for all the world as a five-year-old on Christmas morning, he pushed the button and almost dropped the watch in his plate. “I have never seen its equal. Does everyone have such things in the future?”

  “Most people have a watch, but the majority of them aren’t run by the sun. The light’s quite common, though.”

  He hummed in response, not looking up as he continued his inspection. “What an amazing timepiece,” he said finally.

  A thrill ran through her at his unguarded pleasure. “There are a lot of things you would find interesting about the time I come from. We no longer use candles and oil for light but have electric lights. You flick a switch and the entire room lights up.” She stopped. He’d have no idea what ‘flick a switch’ meant. “It’s like a button on a wall. And we have horseless carriages called cars.”

  He looked up from the watch and caught her gaze. “Most interesting. I would like to hear more about your time. I beseech you, though, take care with whom you discuss such things. Bixby would be quite put out to have you burned as a witch.”

  The truth of his words hit hard. She doubted she would find the experience much to her liking either. She needed to change the subject to something else, anything else. “Have you seen Ebbe today?”

  “He is in the midst of correspondence.” He handed the watch back to her. Their fingers touched for the briefest second, and her face heated at the unexpected sensation running through her. His eyes gazed with a curious light. “It was a pleasure admiring your wristwatch.”

  She took the watch and put it back on, careful to keep her head down. It wouldn’t do to have him know how his touch affected her. “No problem. The pleasure was mine.” When she looked up, Lukas was studying her. She cleared her throat. “You know, I think we just had our first civil conversation.”

  His gaze never left hers. “I do believe you are right.”

  ****

  She would be his undoing. He knew it. He quite forgot who he was with her around. When he looked in her eyes, he saw her truth and light. It made him hopeful, but the hope came with a sadness he could not explain.

  He knew not how to approach her, how to talk with her. She was like a heavenly creature on earth. And he was naught but a man, allowed just a brief passing of time in her presence.

  The one thing he knew with certainity was that he would forever be changed by her.

  ****

  After eating, Lexy discovered her fatigue vanished. Deciding to take Lukas up on his suggestion to visit the grounds of Hadden House, she made her way outside. Walking to the side of the house, it was apparent he had not been exaggerating his praise of the gardens. They were remarkable.

  A cultivated path led to a clearing and wooden bench. The fragrance of the flowering roses overwhelmed her as she sat down and took in her surroundings.

  With little care for the look of disapproval she’d get from Margaret, she dropped off the bench to her knees and prayed. She took all her doubts and questions to God, asking Him to direct her path. To show her the way in which she was to proceed. Was she to remain in Dresdonia just to help Ebbe, or was it to be her permanent home? Would she be able to stay in Dresdonia, or would the comforts she was used to make her unfit for life in 1580?

  Next she prayed for Ebbe, Margaret, Lukas, and Lady Anne, asking to be used in whatever way God wanted. Afterward, she yawned and put her head on the bench.

  ****

  “Princess Alexia?” Lukas’s voice penetrated through her conscience, dragging her away from her dream.

  She lifted her head and blinked. Shadows stretched before her. How long had she been asleep?

  “Here you are,” he said, walking to where she sat. “Margaret has been beside herself trying to find you. It is fortunate I came upon you first. I believe she would have lost herself completely had she found you sleeping in the garden.” One corner of his mouth lifted. “Barefoot no less.”

  She stood up and tried to straighten her dress. No help for the wrinkles, she decided, brushing the dirt from her skirts. “I must have been more tired than I realized.”

  “When you mentioned you would take a nap this afternoon, I did assume you meant in your bedchamber.” He didn’t sound angry or even sarcastic. Instead his voice held more of a teasing tone.

  “Why would I want to lay on a soft bed when such a comfortable wooden beach was available for a pillow?” She rubbed a stubborn spot on the gown. Margaret would have a stroke for sure.

  He held out an arm. “Come. Let us get inside before Margaret sees you.”

  She looped her arm through his, brushing his bicep with her fingertips. His arm clenched briefly at her touch, revealing what she’d already surmised. He was a powerful man, strong and dangerous.

  “Thank you,” she whispered.

  ****

  As it turned out, she was able to get to her room and out of her overdress before Margaret joined her. The older lady clicked her tongue at Lexy while she put another one on. Soon thereafter, she found herself back in the dining room across from Lukas, once again without her elusive aunt. She and Lukas spent supper rather amicably, leaving her to ponder the sudden change in his disposition. Afterward, he excused hi
mself to his chamber, and she passed the evening alone in her room.

  The next few days passed in the same manner, more or less. She spent time reading or in the gardens, and most meals were spent with Lukas. Lady Anne was almost never in the house.

  One afternoon, five days after their arrival, Lexy asked Lukas to walk with her in the gardens. He acted surprised but agreed, and Margaret was fetched to act as chaperone. A practice Lexy thought most archaic. She was twenty-five, not fifteen.

  “Have you seen much of Lady Anne?” she asked as they strolled past the bench she’d napped on.

  Lukas grabbed a leaf off a tree as they walked by, examining the veins as if they held some deep secret. “I have not. She seems to be quite busy with the running of Hadden House.”

  “But wouldn’t you think she’d want to spend time with a niece she thought dead?”

  “Family may not be as important to her as you might think it should be.”

  She snapped her head up to look at him, but his eyes were veiled. “What do you mean? Isn’t family one of the most important things there is?”

  The leaf fluttered to the ground beside him. “Not to some of us.”

  She stopped walking. “You don’t find family important?”

  He stared beyond her, frowning, before turning his gaze back to her and answering softly, “I barely know my family. I was sent to family friends when I was seven.”

  He sounded so sad and forlorn she almost reached for his hand, but stopped herself. “Seven? That must have been hard on your mom.”

  “My mother died giving birth to my sister when I was five.” His jaw tightened.

  She knew the pain and heartache she had gone through when her parents died, and she had been an adult. It was unimaginable to comprehend what it would have been like to experience it as a young child and then to be sent off two years later. “I’m sorry to hear that. Is it just your older brother, you, and your younger sister?”