Princess Rescue Inc (109 page)

Deidra
came in ten minutes later and scowled at the maid immediately. The maid
curtsied, instantly subdued. Deidra jerked her head to the door and then
waited, hands on her hips as the maid ducked her head and scooted for the door.
When she was out Deidra looked at the door. Ryans looked up and craned his neck
to the open door. “Is she gone?” he asked.

“Yes,”
Deidra replied, seething with rage. The slut! The two timing bastard! One
moment was all that was needed for him to get with the servants like mother
said! Damn him! Damn the man... She felt the hurt, the distant pain and fought
it down with anger and riotous wrath.

“Oh
thank god!” he said, rolling his eyes and putting the tablet down. “Gah! At
first I thought she was thorough but no one is
that
thorough! What a
flirt!” he said. “If anyone gives her a French maid outfit I swear I'll....” he
shook his head in disgust.

Deidra
froze, eyes glittering. Her fingers drummed on her belt. “And you of course...”
she asked, voice icy.

He
spread his hands apart, taking in her rage but ignoring it for now. “Who do you
think propped the door open? I figured out what she was up to after the third
artful bend and sigh,” he said shaking his head as she turned to look at the
door. The guard standing on the other side of it looked at her. She frowned and
kicked the gargoyle aside to slam it shut. “No. Thank. You,” Ryans said firmly.
“Hey why'd you shut it!” he demanded.

“Because
I don't want an audience,” Deidra growled. He spread his hands again.

“Look
honey, nothing happened. Honest.”

She
scowled. “You wanted...”

“Um,
no you're putting words in my mouth,” he said, rising and trying hard to get a
lid on his own growing temper. She glared up at him. He glared right back. “I
did
no
such thing. I just
told
you I was the one who
opened
the door!”

“Why
didn't you kick her out!” she demanded, chin out.

“Because
I was having fun watching her get nowhere and get all pissed off about it!” he
said, throwing his hands up in disgust. She blinked at him as his voice rose.

“Watch
your tone,” she growled.

“Hey
you started it. Well, technically the little trollop did. I sure as hell
didn't!”

“I...”
Storm clouds raced through her body. She was enraged, enraged by what she'd
seen and yet not seen. That little slut and her...

“Why
are we fighting over this?” he demanded. “I did
nothing
wrong. I sat
there,” he pointed behind him to his chair. “And minded my Ps and Qs while she
worked. I kept three feet away from her at all times.”

Doubt
began to creep into Deidra's thoughts. Still she wasn't done. “And you didn't
think for an instant of how lovely she was, or what she would be like in
bed...” she asked sarcastically.

“Well,
come to think of it, I was wondering what you'd look like in that dress,” he
said, turning away. She gasped, eyes flickering in rage and then in doubt and
finally confusion. He turned to her and snorted. “Though a French maid outfit
would definitely look better on you than that thing. That thing was a tent even
though someone tailored it to supposedly look sexy. Maybe for your culture but
definitely not mine.”

She
blinked at him and then her eyes narrowed. “So you weren't attracted to her...”

He
shook his head. “I told you. No. Thank...”

“You.
I get it,” she said, not quite sounding like she believed it, but starting to
lighten up.

“About
damn time,” he growled. Her eyes glittered again. She lifted her chin to him,
now ready for battle once more.

“Want
to tell me again why we're arguing about nothing?” he asked. She looked at him.
When he didn't break his intent gaze she looked away and bit her lip. “This a
trust issue? Jealousy? What? Did you set me up with her? See if I'd stray?” he
demanded. “I did. Nothing. Wrong,” he growled. “Hell, okay yeah, I looked but
that's it. I couldn't help it but when I realized what she was up to I
immediately put a stop to it!” he said, voice rising in anger.

She
shook her head, but suddenly another thought came to her. Did the wench think
of this on her own or did someone put her up to it? Who? She could now think of
why. She turned to her intended. “I, no, I didn't though someone else may
have,” she said.

“Right,”
he drawled.

“I'm
telling the truth!” she said, suddenly hurt. Didn't he trust her?

He
glared. “Shoe's on the other foot now huh?” he asked softly. She bit her lip.
“Kind of hard to feel like someone's telling the truth, to trust them when all
you have is their word. Of course I made certain I had a witness, though I'm
curious as to what he'll say about all this...” He shook his head. “I can
imagine all sorts of stories getting around right about now,” he sighed.

Finally
Deidra broke down, sitting in the chair. She hid her face, trying hard not to
cry. He sighed and reached out and rubbed her shoulders... After a moment she
turned and hugged him. He sighed and hugged her back. “Yeah, trust,” he said.
“I told you, I'm not the type to stray. Though if you want a threesome...”

She
gasped. He chuckled and then laughed. She glowered up at him. He grinned down
at her in a not too serious leer until she poked him, blushing.

“Better,”
he said. She snorted softly. “You're sure though...” His voice changed to a
teasing note.

“I'm
sure,” she snarled. He chuckled again, softer this time.

“Pity,
I was looking forward to sitting back and watching you two go at it,” he said.
“Two falls out of three? Winner gets all?” he asked ingeniously. “I'm sure
you'd take her in a fair fight... but from the look of her the little slut is
experienced and might go both ways. I bet she's got a talented tongue she could
use on you...” She growled and then finally chortled a laugh and hit him to
shut him up. He hugged her again.

“You're
sure? What about the French...”

“Oh
shut up!” she said, laughing and dashing tears. He chuckled. “Okay, maybe the
maid outfit,” she finally said. He rumbled a surprised laugh. Finally she
pulled him down to kiss her.

“All
forgiven?”

“Nothing
to forgive,” she admitted. “Just don't let it happen again,” she growled. He
nodded. He made a mental note to leave the moment a maid arrived from now on.

  <==={}------------>

The
maid Ezmerelda scowled at her mistress and shook her head. Serena's lips
thinned in a disapproving frown as the maid continued past her. The maid looked
over her shoulder briefly. She caught her mistress's slight glower and
immediately bit her lip, paling slightly, head down, hands together. She
curtsied slightly and then continued on her way.

Serena
gathered up her dress and followed. The maid would pay for not getting the
male, she thought darkly. Ezmerelda was usually efficient about such things;
she'd never failed her before. She'd have to make it up to her mistress and
she'd better do it properly, the duchess thought grimly. She'd need her riding
crop or the whip to ensure that, she thought, turning in place to return to her
quarters. It had been some time since Rojer had pleasured her. The maid would
do. Yes, after she was suitably punished for her failure, yes she'd be
pathetically eager to make up for her transgression and would be ready. A
little pain always did inspire the little slut to greater efforts after all.
Yes she'd do indeed.

  <==={}------------>

Perry
grimaced and rolled his shoulders. The Gunny hid a smile. “Penny for your thoughts
Lieutenant?” It was getting damn cold outside at night. This was supposed to be
early fall, they were just starting the four month season. He wasn't looking
forward to winter now, not at all. He wasn't looking forward to going outside
at all for perimeter walks.

“No
I wasn't thinking I was getting to old for this,” Perry said shaking his head.
The Gunny smirked. “Just that sitting in that chair is damn uncomfortable,”
Perry growled, rubbing the small of his back.

The
Gunny snorted. “Try lying in muck for hours on end, picking branches and
creepies out of your shorts, hHoping a predator doesn't think you'd make a
tasty enough lunch.”

“Um...”

“Or
out with the road crews bustin' your ass,” Paris waved. “In the snow to boot.”

“Yeah
well, pass,” Perry grinned and then sobered. “Any more drug related issues?”

Paris
shook his head, glad that had passed. “Not in a week. It looks like things have
run their course, making an example out of some of the worst offenders probably
did it.”

Perry
nodded. He hated drumming good kids out of the service but it had to be done.
“That it did. I hope.” He indicated the seat next to him.

“Yeah,”
The Gunny sighed, sitting down next to the lieutenant. “We've got them so busy
they don't have the time to screw around or cause trouble.”

“You
hope,” Perry retorted, shaking his head. “Never underestimate someone's ability
to get into trouble.”

“Yeah.
They're building up a head of steam for their off time. Hope the shore patrol
and the bailiffs are up for it.”

“Me
too,” Perry said shaking his head. They'd let the kids go on leave a few times
over the summer and each time had been worse than the last. At least no one had
gotten killed. Some of the bar fights had been pretty spectacular he'd heard,
the gaijin trained soldiers had done well to hold their own in the brawls. Not
that he was going to pat them on the back for their lack of discipline. “Then
again, since they were in the field building roads and bridges, they were
building up quite a nest egg. I'm curious if some will save it or blow it in
the taverns.”

“Bit
of both for the good ones. Everyone needs to blow off steam now and again,” the
Gunny shrugged. He looked around then leaned over. “We're counseling some of
the smarter ones and I think it's taken here and there. Ticundus has figured it
out. Lad's a sharp one, he's invested well.”

Perry
nodded. “Good for him.”

The
Gunny leaned over to him. “Are we on track for going home sir?” he asked
quietly.

“Yeah,”
Perry breathed. “We hope.” He was seriously tired of being here now.

“What
the hell is Ryans going to do when we leave?” Paris asked.

“Hope
for the best plan for the worst?” Perry answered, shaking his head.

The
Gunny grunted. “He'll have a tiger by the tail you know.”

Perry
gushed a sigh, slumping. “Yeah, I know.”

  <==={}------------>

“I
see the border lords are wasting no time exploring,” Deidra scowled, tossing a
paper she had been reading down onto the desk. Jericho was after her mother to
make good on a greenhouse for his vineyards. Pemerson had raced home to get his
men moving on expanding the border before anyone else. Pemerson was a fool, and
the people who he had sent out were double fools. Many would perish with little
food when the snows came and they had poor shelter. She laid even odds that the
baron would be begging for support come midwinter or early spring. Fat lot of
good it would do him or his people, they were too far out and there wasn't a
decent road to send a relief convoy to them until the spring. And then the
spring thaw would flood the rivers and possibly make some of the bridge
crossings inaccessible for weeks.

“Interesting
news?” Ryans asked.

“Gold
has been found in a mountain stream.” She shook her head. “They didn't waste
any time. Snow is coming soon,” she said. By her reckoning in less than two
months. Perhaps sooner if this cold weather held.

“Gold
in them thar hills!” Ryans said. She blinked at him in confusion. “Sorry, old
Earth reference.”

“Ah,”
she shrugged it off.

“You
know, it wasn't the miners that got rich off finding gold,” he said looking out
the window.

“It
wasn't?” she asked, now thoroughly confused.

He
shook his head. “No. It was the people who sold the dream. The outfitters and
riggers. They charged an arm and a leg to set up each miner with the basics,
and even with luxury stuff. And don't get me started on the service economy in
the mining towns! They robbed the miners blind!” He shook his head.

“Bad?”
she asked.

He
wrinkled his nose. “Oh yeah, everything cost like crazy. Miners would pay for
drinks in the taverns and the barkeeps would spill the gold dust, and then
sweep it up later. But one of the biggest problems were the bandits.”

“Ah.
I hadn't thought of that,” she replied and then grimaced. She toyed with that
idea, she'd have to get on to mother about sending more sheriffs or even guards
if they started receiving reports of theft. Perhaps they should do so now? She
thought about it and shrugged.

“Yes,
with the potential for easy money comes the grifters and thieves. They'll swarm
to mining towns. They'll cheat people out of their hard earned money, or rob
them.”

“So
security's an issue,” Deidra sighed.