Somewhere Weaknesses Are Strength

Two weeks.

That's how long it had been since Hayley hurt Sebastian. Everyday of those two weeks was hard. Sebastian would stay in bed. She only dressed on the day that Taylor came in to inspect her wounds. Aside from that, she remained naked in bed. Hayley took off from going to work to stay with Sebastian, to try to make her feel better. Nothing seemed to work. No matter how much Hayley offered her, how much pampering she got, Sebastian remained sullen, eyes focused on the wall when she wasn't asleep. Hayley would kiss her before each meal to get her to eat, because she simply wouldn't eat when she was in her scared state. Every night, Hayley would hold Sebastian close and try to keep from crying.

Hayley couldn't take off anymore, though. She needed to go over the finance sheets that had been kept while she was at sea. The finances were probably fine. Everything at her business was fine. But she had to make sure.

Bankruptcy wasn't in her future.

Early that morning, Hayley woke, checked Sebastian's wounds while she was asleep, and left to her study before Sebastian stirred. Holly would take care of her for the day. The handmaid had strict orders to take care of the princess from the moment she awoke until Hayley was done with her work.

She also had orders to attempt to get Sebastian out of the room, possibly get her to the table for dinner that night.

Hayley was putting a lot of trust in the handmaid, but she felt the girl could handle it.

When Sebastian finally awoke, the sun streaking across her face from the window, she found Hayley's side of the bed empty. Confused by the lack of red-headed pirate in the bed, Sebastian pushed herself into a seated position, eyes gazing around the room.

Empty. Completely empty.

For the past two weeks, Hayley had been in the room when she awoke, either in bed watching her or sitting next to the bed watching her. It was strange not seeing her there. Sebastian felt alone, abandoned even. Hayley wasn't in the room to give her a morning kiss before breakfast.

Maybe Hayley was bored with trying to gain her trust. Two weeks was a long time, and Hayley had done so much. Sebastian hadn't responded at all to any of Hayley's attempts. Not the bathes, the new dresses, the exotic treats. Nothing. No doubt she was frustrated by now.

Did she not care about Sebastian anymore?

Sebastian shook her head. This was ridiculous. She was looking for the affection of a woman who beat her for trying to leave. There were men who beat their wives, and she vowed she would never find herself in that situation.

But it had been two weeks, and Hayley had kind of been justified. Both of their lives were at stake because Sebastian was alive. As long as she was still alive, they would be in danger.

Still, Sebastian shouldn't have cared whether Hayley gave up on her or not. Hayley could have decided she wanted another play thing and left Sebastian that morning to find an actual island girl, and Sebastian shouldn't have been hurt. In fact, she should have been pleased.

So why couldn't she make the throb in her heart stop?

It was the same feeling she got when she heard Hayley cry at night.

God, she was being ridiculous. This woman was willing to put her life on hold to readjust her to life, and she was acting like a spoiled brat. It was okay to be upset, but it was time to get over it.

A good ruler could see when they were wrong.

Sebastian needed to apologize for her behavior. She was truly sorry for trying to escape. Not because Hayley beat her, but because Hayley had been trying to keep her safe and she was too blind to see that. She was also sorry for her behavior over the two weeks. She should have handled herself differently.

Now, she just needed to find Hayley.

Movement outside of her door caught her attention. Sebastian perked up immediately, assuming Hayley would come through the door. As the door opened, Sebastian's hopes were dashed. Her pixie-like handmaid stepped through the doorway, a tray of food balanced in her hands. Holly halted when she noticed the upright princess.

"You're awake," Holly stated.

And sitting up. Hayley said Sebastian was avoiding getting out of her fetal position at all costs. Sebastian was clearly sitting up at that moment.

"It is morning," Sebastian replied.

Sebastian was talking, too? Did Hayley give her misinformation?

No, no, she couldn't have. Holly had seen Sebastian curled in the fetal position under the large down comforter. She had seen the lack of response that Sebastian had given the lord of the house.

What happened?

"Right," Holly nodded. Her smile returned to her face, the shock of seeing the princess up wearing off. "The chef made eggs, bacon, and biscuits for breakfast."

She crossed the expanse of the room and placed the tray on the bedside table. Sebastian gazed at the contents of the tray. True to Holly's word, crisp bacon, perfectly cooked eggs, and soft biscuits adorned the plate. For the first time in two weeks, Sebastian was starving.

There would be nothing left on the plate by the end of this.

"Eat up," Holly chirped.

Sebastian nodded, grabbing a fork from the tray and beginning to eat the eggs on the plate. Noting that Sebastian was eating without Hayley around, Holly grabbed a set of clothing from the wardrobe and laid them on the vanity. Sebastian watched Holly while she setup the vanity with proper makeup and brushes to prepare Sebastian for the day.

"Where's Hayley?" Sebastian asked.

If anyone would know, Holly would.

The silver handled brush almost fell from Holly's hand at the sudden question. She placed the hairbrush on the vanity and turned to the princess, who had created a sandwich out of the biscuit and bacon.

Sebastian was eating on her own and asking for Hayley. Something drastic had changed in her mentality. This wasn't the same girl who had been sitting in bed yesterday.

Well, Holly's job would be easier than she suspected today.

"She's in her study going over finances," Holly answered,

"She's here?" Sebastian asked.

Maybe Hayley hadn't abandoned her after all.

"Mistress Williams should be home all day. You're free to do as you please until dinner. Mistress Williams requests your presence at the table."

Sebastian nodded, relatively pleased. Hayley was here. She could apologize, but she didn't want to have to wait till dinner to do so. Waiting would only cause her to feel worse about the situation.

"When you're finished eating," Holly continued, "I'll dress you, and you can decide what you would like to do for the day.

"Can I see Hayley?"

It was worth a try.

Holly was taken aback by the request. That was the last thing she expected Sebastian to ask for today. An extra pillow was the largest request Holly was expecting. Hayley must not have been anticipating it, as well.

This wasn't a request Holly was told how to handle.

"I don't think Hayley would allow it," Holly answered.

"Oh."

That answer didn't please Sebastian in the least. She wanted to see Hayley. Now. Hayley hadn't even kissed her in the morning. That was a routine of theirs that wasn't meant to be broken.

Sebastian liked Hayley's kisses. She could admit that. Seeing Hayley first thing when she woke up was another ritual she had come to enjoy.

She had been up for at least ten minutes, and she still hadn't gotten either of those things.

That didn't make her happy.

"Is there anything else you would like to do today?" Holly asked.

"Not really," Sebastian sighed.

"There's got to be something that you want to do," Holly pushed.

Sebastian stared into the eager face of her handmaid. Before her attempted escape, she had promised herself not to make things difficult on Holly while she was in the residence. Holly had enough on her plate, and she only had one real day of hands-on training in the field of being a handmaid.

The princess figured she could make an attempt to leave the room.

"I suppose we could go to the library," Sebastian said.

Holly's orders for the day certainly were going far more smoothly than she anticipated. Even better, they were going to the library. Holly couldn't think of a better place to spend time.

"We'll go to the library then," Holly confirmed.

The sudden sparkle in Holly's eyes did not go unnoticed by Sebastian. Holly's whole demeanor seemed happier. What about the library would cause a handmaid to be happy? Sebastian had seen the library for a moment on the first day. Shelves of books, cushy chairs and couches, desks, small marble statues and busts filled the silent area. Holly didn't seem to be an art aficionado, so the statues and bust wouldn't intrigue her. Sebastian assumed Holly didn't sleep on the couches while off-duty. That left the books, and handmaids weren't normally able to read, unless their masters were kind enough to get them training.

Would Hayley have done that for Holly?

"Can you read?" Sebastian asked.

Light pink colored Holly's cheeks. Her smile faltered. The young handmaid ducked her head. A quiet "yes" barely met Sebastian's ears.

"How did you learn to read?" Sebastian asked.

Holly must have had a life before becoming a handmaid, one Sebastian was not aware of. Maybe her parents taught her to read.

"Mistress Williams provided me with education," Holly answered.

Or Hayley could have been nice enough to provide the young girl with education.

"Why?" Sebastian asked.

There had to be some reason behind it. Was Holly her ward, posing as a handmaid to avoid rumors? Was Holly really Hayley's sister? Were Holly and Hayley together?

Jealousy flared in the princess at the last thought.

"I'm sure you don't want to hear that story," Holly said.

"I would like to."

She would like to know why a pirate provided a handmaid with education.

"It's not a very long story," Holly started, "I grew up on a farm. A few seasons of bad crops put us in debt. We were going to sell some land for money even though we didn't have much land to begin with. Mistress Williams must have heard about the dilemma because she showed up at the farm, looking for a few more members for her house staff. She offered my parents a good deal of money to take my sisters and me. One of my sisters was too young to leave, but my oldest sister and I agreed to go with Mistress Williams. When the formal agreement was planned out, Mistress Williams included a promise of formal education. Mistress Williams always stay true to her word."

"Your parents sold you?" Sebastian asked.

"It was for the best. It's not like we were forced into it either. I think my sister and I are much happier here."

"You must have been upset at the time."

"For awhile, I was. But I got over it."

"Were you ever upset with Hayley?"

"Why would I have been upset with Mistress Williams? She was kind from the very beginning. I owe my education entirely to her. Without her offer, my parents wouldn't have a farm."

Shocked, Sebastian stared at Holly. Hayley helped Holly's family and provided the girls she took with education. She gave them a purpose beyond working on a farm. She saved Holly and her family.

In a sense, Hayley had done the same thing for Sebastian.

And that realization made Sebastian feel worse.