Chapter 4

Lisette and Truda were all aflutter when Charlotte returned to the house. They did not even berate her for having been gone the whole afternoon. And Gudrun only gave her a cursory glance when she sidled into the kitchen to help prepare the evening's repast. Elke took Charlotte aside. "They have received an invitation from the palace."

"The palace? How do the stepdaughters of a mere baron warrant an invitation to the palace?"

Elke furiously peeled potatoes, as she was wont to do when excited. "The prince has returned home from abroad and is in need of a wife. The king and queen are holding a grand masquerade ball in one fortnight, and have invited the daughters of anyone titled." She gave a disdainful sniff. "Not that anyone would mistake those two bad-mannered females for nobility."

Charlotte giggled. It was true that her two stepsisters had turned out to be inelegant young women, lacking in even the most basic of social skills. Their months of lessons with the old woman had not given them brains. They could not hold an intelligent conversation, and though they dressed elegantly, their lack of grace became apparent when they moved. They could not sing or dance with any felicity, or even paint a decent watercolor. Gudrun had held a couple of cotillions to introduce them to eligible males, but their raucous laughter and coarse manners were enough to dismay even the most desperate of men. Try as she might, she could not believe any man would want to touch either of them with the love and tenderness she had experienced with Mina.

She paused in her washing of the turnips. "Then I too am invited to the ball."

Elke stared at her. "Oh mistress Charlotte, you could not go to such a ball, as much as you deserve it. They would never let you go, and what would you wear?"

"I have a dress of my mother's. Gudrun never found that one." Charlotte's eyes misted with tears. "You remember the dress, don't you Elke? All silver and white voile. The lace overskirt was covered with seed pearls. She wore it for my seventh birthday."

"Oh yes. Your mother looked so beautiful."

"I will wear the dress and go to the ball too."

Laughter startled them, and then Gudrun's raspy voice mocked them. "I can just see it now. You, a mere servant girl, introduced to the prince."

"I am not a servant, stepmother. I am my father's daughter, and I have as much right to be there as Lisette and Truda."

Gudrun looked at her. As usual, she made Charlotte feel like an insect under scrutiny. "Very well then," Gudrun said. "You may go if your chores are finished and you do indeed have such a dress. Of course, you'll need all the accessories too. Slippers. You can't dance in clogs." With that, she swept out of the room.

Charlotte looked at Elke in disbelief. That had been entirely too easy. Her stepmother was never that agreeable. It made Charlotte suspicious. "I don't trust her."

"Just as well that you don't." Elke gave her a big hug. "And don't you worry, we'll find what you need to go with your dress. You'll not disgrace your mother or your father. God rest their souls."

Soon the masquerade ball was only a few days away. Gudrun and the other two had kept her more busy than usual, but Charlotte had found the time to alter her mother's dress, and had managed to buy some silver ribbons for her hair. One of Elke's friends who worked for another family had borrowed a pair of shoes from the daughter of that household, unbeknownst to that daughter. They were not a perfect fit for Charlotte, but were still better than Truda's oversized shoes or Lisette's smaller ones.

"Oh, you are the vision of your poor, dead mother," Elke told Charlotte as she put the finishing touches on the voile dress.

Charlotte looked in the mirror. She smiled in delight, for she did indeed look very fine. It had been months since she'd worn anything other than the plain attire of a servant maid. She removed the ribbon from her hair, letting red-gold curls flow down beyond bare shoulders. "Do you think I can leave my hair loose for the ball?"

"Tis not proper for a young woman to do so," Elke said. She lowered her voice. "Only strumpets do that."

"All right then, you can put it up. It's a good thing Gudrun did not let you go. I would not trust myself to her lady's maid, even if she would consent to it."

"Well, well, what have we here?"

Charlotte turned to find her two stepsisters watching from the doorway. It was the first time they had ever come to her room since she'd been banished to the servant's quarters. In the dim light they appeared even more like haunted wraiths, with their skeletal bodies, pale skin, and black hair. Lisette, the older one, grinned evilly.

"What do you want?" Charlotte asked.

The two sisters slowly flanked Charlotte at the mirror. Elke backed away. She'd felt their wrath more times than she cared to count. Charlotte felt nervous, but refused to let it show. Lisette began to stroke her hair.

"Don't you look pretty. Hmmm, I never knew how soft your hair was."

Trapped between them, Charlotte felt her skin prickle with unease. "What do you want?" she repeated.

"Why, we just wanted to help you. The ball is only a couple of days away. Do you have everything you need?"

"Thank you, yes. Please leave."

Charlotte turned to escape from between them, and as she moved away she felt a tug on her dress. Before she realized what was happening, Truda shoved her forward. As she fell, Charlotte heard an ominous ripping sound as the delicate voile of her skirt tore away from the waistline. Little seed pearls popped against the floor. Elke gasped.

"Oh my, I am so sorry," Truda said. "The heel of my shoe was caught in the hem of your dress."

"I'm afraid mine was too," Lisette said. "What a shame. It must be that the dress was so old. The material was just too fragile."

Kneeling beside a weeping Charlotte, Elke glared up at the two sisters. "What have you done?"

"It wasn't on purpose," Truda said, her voice dripping with feigned regret. "We only wanted to help."

"Please leave us," Elke said.

With a swish of their taffeta skirts, the sisters turned to leave. "Oh, look," Lisette said as she paused beside Charlotte's bed. "Why, these appear to be the shoes that Ursula misplaced. How fortunate that you found them." She smiled, and it was enough to make one's blood turn cold. "I'm going to be seeing her this evening. I'll return them for you."

"They are the most evil creatures I've ever known," Elke said after they'd left. She stroked Charlotte's hair. "There, there, mistress Charlotte. I am sure we can fix the dress."

Charlotte sat up and angrily pushed her away. "There's no time before the ball. I hate them so!"

"What are you going to do?"

Charlotte felt her anger drain away. "There's nothing I can do."

"It's not like you to give up like this."

"I'm not giving up, but I just can't fight it anymore. I'm resigned to my fate."

"Tis not right. You're the daughter of a baron. You shouldn't be scrubbing kitchen floors and waiting on harpies."

Charlotte stood and replaced the tattered dress with her normal attire. "Can you take care of my chores this afternoon? I need to get away."

"Of course. Will you be back before nightfall?"

"I don't know, Elke. But I can't bear to see any of their smug faces."

Charlotte stopped by the kitchen to grab some bread, wurst, and cherry brandy before leaving the house. She did not notice the beauty of the day as she fled to the only safe place she knew. She was crying as she stumbled into the crumbling ruins and then into the arms of Wilhelmina.

"Charlotte, my love, what's the matter?"

Sobbing, Charlotte melted into Mina's strong arms. She smelled of leather and sweat. "My life is a nightmare."

Mina led Charlotte to their favorite rock. She took the brandy from the rucksack and opened it. She made Charlotte drink from the bottle. "Tell me what happened."

The fiery brandy made Charlotte cough. She felt its heat course through her veins. "You'll think I'm being silly."

"No I won't. Tell me."

"You might have heard the king and queen are having a ball."

Wilhelmina frowned. "Yes."

"They want to find a bride for the prince."

"So I've heard."

"Our household received an invitation. I really wanted to go."

She felt Mina tense up. "Oh, don't worry. I wasn't going because I was interested in becoming a princess." She smiled as she lightly stroked Mina's cheek. "I just wanted to dress up and dance."

Wilhelmina took Charlotte's hand and kissed it. "What does that have to do with Gudrun and her daughters?"

Charlotte sighed. "I had an old dress of my mother's that I altered to fit me. I was putting the final touches on it today when Truda and Lisette came to my room. They claim it was an accident, but they tore the skirt. It's unrepairable."

"Surely you have other dresses?"

"Not anymore. Not since my father died."

Mina took Charlotte into her arms and kissed her throat. "Mmmm, you are beautiful without all that finery."

Charlotte felt the familiar heat warm her blood. She tipped her head back, giving Mina easier access to her neck. She moaned deeply as Mina's hands travelled up her arms and across her breasts. She could feel her nipples strain against the fabric of her chemise. Almost frantically, she unlaced her blouse and pulled it over her head. There'd been many a night since that first time that she'd relived the moment, wishing and hoping Wilhelmina would make her feel that way again.

Mina took her hands and pulled her up so they stood in front of the rock. She reached around, undoing the fastenings to Charlotte's skirt so that it pooled around her feet, then pulled her chemise over her head. She quickly untied the ribbons on her stockings and pulled them off as well, leaving Charlotte completely exposed to the warming rays of the sun.

Mina spread a blanket over the pine needles. "Lie down," she said, easing her to the ground. Mina knelt above her, the passion smoldering in her eyes.

Charlotte felt the blood rush to her cheeks. She'd dreamt of being with Mina like this again, but now she felt a little scared and unsure. With a deep breath, she covered her breasts with her arms and crossed her ankles. *

"No, none of that, my sweet," Mina said, fondling her collarbone before carefully taking Charlotte's wrist and pushing her arm away from her breast. "You're beautiful, and I love looking at you." She moved the other arm as she leaned over Charlotte, feathering kisses up her neck and to her lips.

The familiarity of Mina's soft kisses relaxed Charlotte. She closed her eyes, letting Mina's mouth soothe and warm her. When the kisses turned more fervent, she forgot her embarrassment and pulled Mina to her, holding her tight, tangling her fingers in Mina's hair and returning her kiss with an ardor stronger than she'd known before.

Mina's sure hands caressed Charlotte—down over her hips, across her stomach, up her inner thighs. She cupped Charlotte's breasts, tenderly teasing the hardened nipples, until Charlotte was again squirming, aching for more.

Charlotte gasped for breath, breaking the kiss. They stared into each others' eyes, and then Charlotte urged Mina down to her breasts. Mina obliged, tenderly suckling first the left, then the right. Charlotte arched up and automatically spread her legs. Mina moved quickly between them. Charlotte arched against Mina's hips, enjoying the pressure of Mina lying against her, pressing into her.

Mina began kissing her way down Charlotte's body, bringing up both hands to caress and tease Charlotte's breasts. She grasped the nipples between her fingers, squeezing them and sending pleasurable jolts through Charlotte's body, down between her legs. She moaned loudly and pushed up against Mina more urgently. She felt as if she was on fire, burning from the inside out.

"Please, please... Mina!"

Mina was nibbling her tender flesh now, licking and kissing and planting teasing bites as she moved down Charlotte's body. Then her chin was pressing gently but firmly against Charlotte's most intimate spot. Her tongue flicked.

Charlotte gasped and tried to sit up. "What... What are you doing?" Her primal self fought with her reason. Wilhelmina's mouth felt so good, but it couldn't be right. Not down there!

Mina looked at her and smiled reassuringly. "Just lie back, darling. Close your eyes. I won't hurt you."

"But—"

"Trust me."

Charlotte lay back, breathing deeply, trying to think about the way the sun shone above, the way the birds sang, the way the breeze tickled the leaves in the trees. Anything but the way Wilhelmina's mouth and tongue moved against her. Her body trembled. She clutched the blanket. She closed her eyes tight.

She felt a warm wetness against her most intimate and private spot, and it sent the heat of a royal fire through her. She cried out even as she opened her legs wider to Mina, involuntarily bending her knees and bringing them upward. Mina grasped her ankles and pulled them down, then held her legs firm against the blanket.

Mina was gently licking up and down, probing and examining with her tongue, her hands and fingers playing and fluttering across Charlotte's skin. Every nerve in her body seemed to be alive. "Mina!" she gasped. "Oh, Mother in Heaven—" Her hands alternately grasped the blanket and Mina's hair.

She was sure she couldn't withstand any more heat—it was going to burn her until she was a giant ball of fire, just like the sun. She squirmed, writhed, and arched under her lover's urgent ministrations, until Mina started to focus on one spot between her legs, licking and sucking until the world itself seemed to turn upside down. The sensations flowed through her body like a flood, rising and falling from her toes to her head and back again. She screamed again and again, gasping for air until she thought she would faint.

A flock of blackbirds flew from the trees as if shot from a cannon.

"I don't want to leave you," Charlotte said as she snuggled into Mina's arms. The sun was beginning to set, and she grew cold. Mina grabbed her cloak and pulled it over them.

"You can't stay here after dark. It's not safe."

"Take me home with you."

Mina's grip tightened, then relaxed. "I... I wish I could, but that is not possible. Not yet."

Charlotte looked up at her. "In all this time, you've never told me where you live. Or even your full name."

"That's not important."

"Do you have something to hide? Are the shire's reeves looking for you?" She briefly wondered if she should be wary, then shook her head. "I wouldn't care if they were."

Wilhelmina laughed. "No, I am not some rogue hiding from the sheriff. I told you when we first met that I too like to get away from my daily life. My parents would marry me off to some old landowner if they could, but fortunately my brother is enough of a worry that they forget about me most days."

Charlotte sat up. "You have a brother?"

"I don't want to talk about him, especially now." She kissed the tip of Charlotte's nose. "Let's not spoil a lovely afternoon."

Charlotte stood up and stretched. She smiled when she saw the expression on Mina's face in response to her nakedness. She felt wonderfully wicked and free. As Mina reached for her, she danced away.

"I guess I should get dressed and head back to the manor." She sobered. "How can I face them?"

"You'll not let them get the upper hand." Mina helped Charlotte into her clothes. "I want you to be back here in two days. Promise me."

"Yes, I promise."

"Good, now go home."

"Just one more kiss."

Mina laughed and took Charlotte into her arms. One kiss led to another, and suddenly the sun had moved behind the pines. Charlotte pulled away reluctantly. "I'd better go."

She turned away to hide her tears. Their parting was always bittersweet.