A Tale of Two Kingdoms Ch. 02

"Now, have you told anyone you were coming here today?"

"Do I look like a fool to you?" her eyes narrowed at his telling look. "No, Lukas -- I did not tell anyone that I was making a midnight assignation to a breeding ground for vice and sin."

"Vice and sin," he muttered on a scoff. "Well at least that's something-"

"Oh, except for Aunt Sophia's maid...she caught me as I was about to leave and insisted she accompany me to be safe. I couldn't stop her," she insisted.

"Well at least someone had sense enough to think about the decency of the situation, however misguided. You didn't tell her why, though?" he peered at her with hard eyes.

"No-oo."

"Ysabel -- this isn't a game! You must tell me : did you mention Damon?"

She frowned. "No -- no I didn't. What's this about, Lukas? Is it a secret?" she laughed then and he didn't return the gesture.

"He's not known by that name. Only to a few and by that I mean a few," he emphasized. "You must not mention that you-"

Ysabel held up a hand. "Alright, alright -- as if I would repeat tonight's events to anyone. But tell me - why is his identity a secret? What-"

He shook his head then. "No. That I cannot tell you and won't so don't bother asking again. Come, we have to get you back. As if I need this," he shook his head and she felt acute hurt. "Don't look at me like that," he sighed. "I've barely slept in the past forty hours. Let's just get you home."

*

After Aunt Sophia's aunt had trundled drunkenly into the house via the servants quarters and before she joined her, Ysabel turned to her brother on the doorstep. It was still dark outside and Ysabel had no clue of the time but it felt like weeks has passed since she had left this place with Sophia's maid at her heels. "I'll see you tomorrow, then -- promise you'll come."

"I promise," her brother raised a brow, "now-"

"wait," Ysabel shook her head. "There's one thing I need to know or I'll never be able to get to sleep and I doubt I shall ever see the man again to ask," the thought led to an unpleasant sinking sensation in her stomach. "The bracelet -- why does Damon still wear it? Do you know?" her voice trailed off in some wonder. "Ha! You do, you're smirking. I think it's lovely that he still wears it after all this time! Oh, try as I might I just can't reconcile that...that harsh man with the boy who promised to send me sweets!"

Ysabel vaguely mused about how odd it was to think that that commanding, mocking -- devastating -- man had personally picked out his favourites and sent her some to sample every so often. Had he thought of her as she thought of him whenever she received them - a slender, slightly pathetic creature with hands too big for his frame? She smiled slightly then. No doubt he had thought he was doing a grubby little urchin a favour by absent-mindedly obliging her long ago demands. And he wouldn't even look at me when I left, she thought...and promptly shook her head at her stupid, girlish thoughts. Why would he? She had only been any other girl to him.

"Just get in, will you?" her brother was impatient now and half turned to leave. "The thought of you wandering off so recklessly and your actions tonight trouble me. You've...changed. We'll talk about it tomorrow."

"Today you mean," she said quietly, much sobered by his words.

He looked at her over his shoulder, unamused. "Get to bed."

*

"He was handsome, of course. But something about his humour didn't sit well with me."

"Now you're just being silly."

Ysabel glanced at her step-mothers frustrated face.

A young man had just been over to see Dana. It was true, he had been very handsome...in an inoffensive way, Ysabel mused dismissively. He had also been well mannered and quite taken with her step-sister; but as with all of the other men she had been introduced to thus far, Dana had been far from impressed.

At that moment, she shot out of her chair. "Marriage isn't something you can be unsure about!" she began to pace the large dining room filled with morning sunlight. "I won't just pick the next man who happens to walk through the door because you're too ashamed of the possibility that I'll end up an unwed crone!"

"Oh!" her stepmother gasped in outrage and Ysabel's father shot the two women an impatient look.

He didn't tend to get involved very often in their little arguments but their stay in the royal city was clearly starting to get to him. He had always preferred their village and his simple duties as the local physician.

"I'm going to go and check on Madsen," Ysabel called to the room at large but no one batted an eyelid at the statement.

*

"How can you say that? You know I care about you-"

Ysabel halted before the entrance into the dinning room and stared at the firmly shut doors but none the less she clearly heard the whispered declaration and feeling a desperate urgency, pushed the door open.

She stared from her brother to her step-sister in horror. Her brother's hand quickly slipped away from Dana's face to clench at his side.

"Where is everyone?" Ysabel asked dazedly.

"They had some invitation or another and dashed off," Lukas lifted his shoulders.

"How -- long have you been here?"

"Not long. I was looking for you...but I must get going, I'm afraid. I'm sorry," he walked toward her.

"I was in the gardens. With Madsen. There's a stream at the bottom and-" Ysabel's babbling was halted by her sisters firm words.

"I'm going to have a nap. See that I'm not disturbed until dinner," Dana said in a tight voice.

Ysabel watched the retreating form of her step-sister with slightly sick eyes before turning shakily to confront her brother.

"Don't say anything -- don't tell father," Lukas ran a hand through his blonde curls.

She felt the deepest of hurt and didn't quite know why. "How could you?" she said in a low voice.

Striding up to her quickly, Lukas put a hand on her arm. "she's no blood relation -- it's not...bad. Stop staring like that!"

"As if that matters! She's such a -- oh, God!"

"I have to go," he shook his head. "Promise me you won't say-"

"As if I would," Ysabel bit out, feeling ill. "Go away."

"Oh, hell!" he caught her arm again, "Please, Ysabel..."

Pulling away from him and shaking her head in dismissal, Ysabel turned away and exited the room quickly.

*