Playing the King's ***

I left the party with my Mother and Father, who escorted me to my bed chamber.

"Thank you again, Blossom darling. If you had not complied I would have been very embarrassed and disappointed. It's clear that you were enthralled by the Count however; following him around all night! Good night sweetheart." my Father crooned, praising me for the first time in what seemed like an eternity. I'd always been the rebellious type, so little of what I had done before had best pleased him.
I nodded, kissed both of their cheeks and closed my bedroom door behind me, untying the bodice lace that was constricting me like a snake catching it's prey.

The young serving boy (younger than the other serving staff, but older than myself) would enter at around 11pm to collect my day's laundry. I had ten minutes to get down to my shift and prepare.
I tore the restrictive bodice away from my chest and breathed an exhausted sigh of relief. I pulled the undershirt over my head in a rather undignified fashion, and stepped out of the clogs, bustle and netting of the skirt. Gathering all of the clothing into a pile on the floor, I slid the shoes to the wall and proceeded to fold the clothing as the door creaked open after a meek knock that I somehow had not heard.

"Oh! Sorry Miss Arreton! I just presumed that since you didn't answer... I can come back..." the young serving boy said, clearly trying to avert his eyes in a polite way, though I saw them drift every now and again. I smiled warmly at him.

"Psh! Don't be foolish, and call me Blossom, please. I'm no better a person than you or anyone else, just because I Mummy and Daddy have a little bit of money. Come sit a while." I said, tapping my bed. He looked a bit sceptical at first, but I looked at him with eyes I liked to call 'bedroom eyes'. I had practised in my mirror and used them on Mother to get what I wanted a few times. Not that that was very often. It was a seductive glance, obviously altered depending on the audience. The boy closed my door ajar and sat next to me on my four poster bed.

Slinging my arms over his shoulders in a faux drunken style, he felt a little uneasy; I could tell. I smiled warmly again to ease his nerves. I didn't want to be a threat.

"What's your name?" I asked the boy, taking my arms down and brushing a strand of my hair behind my ear.

"Um, it's Ben, Miss- Blossom." He said, looking down when he almost said my alternative name.

"Do you ever dream, Ben, about what you're going to be?" I asked, tilting my head slightly, leaning closer and running one hand through his hair. He swallowed hard, afraid of saying the wrong thing I presumed.
"Don't worry, I won't breathe a word to any of my family." I winked.

"Well, I'll probably always simply be a servant, but I did once want to play piano. Just sit on a bench on a stage like those musicians you hear about now. Unfortunately I can't read music. I can't read at all." He frowned. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Shh. You won't be stuck here forever; just like me. I'm planning to escape tonight and I need your help. If I borrow your clothes to escape, and you stay in here, when my Mother returns in the morning she will lay you off for rule bending. I will wait in the bordering woodlands on my Appaloosa stallion, and before she sends out an Island wide search party you can catch up. We'll ride to the shore, sail to Portsmouth and make our way to the city - cart to cart. I plan to act, you plan to sing. It's fool proof!" I excitedly proposed. He smiled at my ambitious plan and did nothing but nod. I squealed excitedly, pleased that this was actually happening.
I became so ahead of myself that I planted a kiss on Ben's lips, taking both him and me by surprise.
I helped Ben remove his clothes so that I could steal some money and escape without being detected.

*****

I was dressed as a boy, and had a cap to bundle all of my hair under so that I would not be recognised walking through the house and grounds. I left Ben to sleep in my room with my shift to wear. He was just happy to have a comfortable bed for once...

I stepped outside of my door and felt an adrenaline rush, and breathed in nervously as I ducked out of view of people to avoid detection. Luckily, my parents were still entertaining guests, so I was able to walk all areas of the house without seeing them. I could not wait to escape their possessive grasp.
I made my way to my Father's office, where all of his books were stored in an extremely large library, and more importantly his safe. The room was still and empty, and I checked for any signs of life twice more before entering. I had observed my Father for a few days and worked out what the combination to unlock his safe was.
I flitted across the room hastily, worried about someone coming back. I looked around me, before taking out a few books that covered the door. Soon enough I found my way to the dial, and turned it to each of the numbers before it clicked open. Sure enough, there was a bag of coins (the value of which I was unsure of) and a stack of notes which would be worth a whole lot more even with just one. I took five of the notes, and opened the bag of coins to take two purses full; one for Ben and one for myself. I filled the small velvet pouches and drew the strings, before hearing approaching footsteps. My Father was on his way to check his study for the night.
I slammed the safe, clearly making more noise than I should have liked, returned the books and crossed the room to the window. I slid it open quickly and jumped outside, feeling my heartbeat pulsing but the cool, night air on my face calming me with every moment of freedom. I breathed in the scent of the outside world and then remembered myself, before making my way to the stables where my beautiful Appaloosa, Honey, was waiting for me.

I skipped through the stables to find her amongst the six other horses we owned and came across her having a drink from the tin bucket. Honey was stunning; my Father had given her to me as a gift so that he could take me hunting (he had always wanted a son, of course). I disagreed with chasing animals to their death, so I only ever gave Honey rides around the grounds, obviously with supervision. She was a creamy, honey colour, hence her name, and was dappled with beautiful dark spots along her back.
Of late, I had been pushing Honey to go faster and faster, in keeping with the demands of my escape. She had kept up and not let me down, the beauty, and I had worked out that she would be able to get me to the edge of the woodlands in about ten minutes. On foot it would have been around 20 or more.

This was where me and Ben's adventure began.