Skull and Dagger

“Are you mad?” Elizabeth demanded as Annabelle slung herself over the edge of her balcony.

“Not yet,” Annabelle retorted, “and as long as you continue to lower the rope, I’ll remain of good temper.” She grabbed hold of the makeshift rope she’d created through knotted bed-sheets and tested its strength once more.

Elizabeth whispered a silent prayer that she would escape this latest adventure of her mistress’ concocting. “It’s really not so bad,” she informed the blonde beauty even as she lowered the rope for her. “In fact, the company of a man can be most…enjoyable.”

“You’ve heard everything I have,” Annabelle retorted.

“This Parker Williams is nothing but a petty whore-mongerer!”

“Which will only make his that much more experienced in how to please you,” Elizabeth countered.

Annabelle gave her a dark look. “There is no way I’m going through with this idiotic plan of my father’s,” she insisted. She lowered herself further down the rope.

Elizabeth winced when she felt the knots strain with Annabelle's weight. “You never know,” she called down as quietly as she could, “he could be the one to finally win your heart…”

“Some stuffy, inbred, British Lord?” Annabelle rolled her eyes. “Hardly.”

“You’d rather have some idle, flaccid landowner?” Elizabeth retorted. “Or a dirty merchant?”

“Given the choices, I’d rather have nothing at all,” Annabelle declared. “Lower me further.”

Elizabeth let loose another coil, and Annabelle fell another few feet. The sheet stretched out dangerously. “I don’t think it will hold,” she commented just as Annabelle felt the rope give way.

Elizabeth scrambled to hold it, but the knot slipped and, with a little screech, Annabelle fell some fifteen feet to the ground…

**********
Coincidentally, just as Archer had finished his comment. The sound of her cry was easily heard by everyone at the dinner party, and they all turned to the window to watch in astonished disbelief as the young
Annabelle Sutton came falling down from the sky, landing in an ungraceful heap on the far side of the lawn.

“Simmons!” Henry called out to his butler, but his need had already been anticipated.
In a matter of seconds, half a dozen footmen had rushed to their mistress’ side, breathing sighs of relief at discovering that she was uninjured.

They attempted to extricate her from the tangled sheet, but her own wild thrashings only made the job more difficult.

Poor John got a hit in the nose for his troubles, and all the others winced in sympathy.

Annabelle Sutton had an unfortunate tendency to go for the nose, and it wasn’t pretty when she did it.

“Is she all right?” Elizabeth called down from the third story window where she and Annabelle had been locked for the night in a hopeless attempt to keep the younger blonde from attempting to escape.

“Fine,” Michael called up, giving her an eager smile.

Elizabeth was known for eagerly awarding men’s friendliness, and he wouldn’t mind one last shot at the brunette before she sailed away to England tomorrow.

“Get off of me!” Annabelle finally pulled herself free of the sheets and rose to her feet, fists ready to pummel any man that got within ten feet of her.

The footmen warily back off into a circle around her.
“You fools!” Henry cried out from the dinning room window, watching the spectacle on the lawn with embarrassment. “Grab her!”

The six strong young men looked at each other nervously, gulping at the enraged expression on their Master’s daughter’s face.

“O-On three.” Michael’s voice was shaking. “One, two…”

Annabelle tried to bolt, but valiant efforts on the parts of all the footmen finally got her arms and legs secured.

The six of them dragged her, still struggling, back to the dinning room where her father awaited.

“Do I have to keep you in chains?” Henry hissed, snatching her from the servants and marching her off into the hallway where all his guests wouldn’t be able to gawk at the spectacle.

Annabelle tried to pull free of his grasp, but it was like iron. “Not even that will get me on that ship tomorrow,” she retorted.

“You’ll be on that ship,” Henry insisted, “if I have to throw you over my shoulder and carry you myself!”

“You wouldn’t dare,” Annabelle retorted. “It would sully your precious reputation to be seen in public like that.”

“It would sully my reputation more should this marriage not go through,” Henry retorted.

“I’ll never marry Parker,” Annabelle insisted.
Henry’s eyes narrowed. “You stubborn little brat!” he hissed. “This is the greatest opportunity of my career! Do you have any idea what a noble endorsement will do for my shipping company?”

“You care for your businesses more than you do for your own flesh and blood!” Annabelle accused.

“That is it!” Henry roared angrily. “You are my daughter and will obey my commands!”

“I will not!” Annabelle retorted.

“Then I shall just have to make you…” Henry hissed angrily. “Simmons, get some rope!”