The Duke’s Daughter

Jon had been dating Gertrude for the last few weeks but he didn't really feel like he had gotten to know her at all. It was like anytime he asked her a question it circled over to him talking about himself instead, He looked into the mirror and thought to himself, tonight. I need to really get her to open up with me tonight. He splashed a small dash of the cologne she bought him on his face and then after making sure his formal uniform and medals looked perfect. He took a few deep breaths and then headed over to pick her up from the palace. He walked out front and hailed a cab, "I need a cab for the evening, any chance you are free?"

The cab driver smiled and said, "Sure I can work a few hours. Do you mind paying half up front? I charge twenty-five an hour. If you need the three hours, that's seventy-five. If you need four hours, that's one hundred."

Jon whistled and said, "Sorry to bother you, I don't make that much in a day myself."

The Cab driver laughed and said, "No no, that's the going rate for a cab, what I meant was, I would charge one hundred for five hours, for four hours, I only charge twenty an hour."

Jon thought for a moment and said, "I'll pay half up from if you'll do three hours for fifty and four hours for seventy-five if I need the extra hour."

The cab driver said, "So you'll pay thirty upfront? Deal." He held his hand out and Jon gave him thirty Sprite. "Where to?"

Jon smiled, "To the Palace, the former Windsor Embassy." As they moved quickly through the streets to the palace the driver was very chatty talking about a wide range of topics and asking questions about his plans for the evening. Once they arrived at the palace Gertrude came walking out wearing a black silken dress that didn't leave much to the imagination a style made popular by Empress consort Teslaimia with a black hat with white long formal silk gloves and a white veil arranged up to look flower-like. She also wore white high heels and had white lace stockings. Jon stared at her with an open mouth as she walked up, "You look beautiful." He remarked softly with his deep voice.

She gave him a sultry smile and then mentioned, "I was afraid I was overdressed but you wore your dress uniform, so now I feel at ease." She allowed Jon to help her up into the cab and then asked, "Where are we headed?"

Jon smiled as he climbed in with her, "I thought we would go to a nice place I know that has good food and great music." Jon looked over at the cab driver and said, "Poulet et Gaufres on Fifth Av, please."

The cab driver asked, "The place across from the Duke building?"

Jon nodded. The Cab pulled away quickly and they were soon riding through the streets. Jon looked at Gertrude gave her a smile she asked, "Why are you being so secretive tonight, Jon?"

He shook his head and asked, "I guess you have probably been to a lot fancier places as a Duke's daughter?"

Gertrude shook her head and said, "I was sent off to work at the palace when I was still a very little girl. I have been a palace servant most of the life I can remember. As a child in the Duke's house, we were taught to be seen and not heard. I only ever really spent time with the servants. You could say, that in many ways I was well prepared for such a life even as a child." She smiled, "As a knight, you probably saw more social functions than I have been to, honestly."

He smiled not taking the bait to talk about himself as the cab pulled up in front of the restaurant. Jon climbed down and then helped her down holding out his elbow for her before walking to the door at her pace a doorman was waiting to let them both in, from inside they could hear strings and a piano playing a beautiful soaring music piece that was loud enough to be heard but not loud enough to bother the conversations at the tables.

They walked up to a small podium where a man in a tuxedo smiled, "Sir Jon Alexander and the lovely Lady Hassard, please, come this way. We have a table for you in the corner."

Jon pulled out a chair for Gertrude and allowed her to sit and then took his own seat. The man in the tuxedo looked at her and asked, "Would you like me to hold your hat for you?" Gertrude removed her hat and gave it to him. He took the hat respectfully and headed back to the front handing her hat to one of the staff.

Gertrude watched the exchange with great interest as Jon's voice cut through her thoughts, "Don't worry, it will be back once they are sure we are ready to leave." Gertrude blushed slightly realizing she had jumped into investigative mode without consciously thinking about it. Jon asked, "How did you get involved with Emily?"

Gertrude's eyes locked on to Jon with laser-like focus, "I'm sorry?"

Jon smiled and said, "When you were talking with Andrew the other day, it dawned on me that I did know you. Maybe you forgot since it was such a brief meeting. I went with Emily once to the Embassy. You were there with another woman and her butler. You were giving information about the Windsor Kingdom."

Gertrude looked a little shocked and didn't answer him at first. She spoke almost too softly to be heard over the music while slightly concealing her lips, "I met Emily at the palace in Windsor County when I was fourteen years old. I was assigned to change the bedding in her room. She sat and watched me work for several weeks. Never once speaking to me, she just watched me work. One day out of the blue she spoke out, 'I want you to work for me. You'll earn more than a maid and be able to work against the ones that forced this life on you.' just like that. For months she didn't ask me to do anything above what I was already doing while making sure that I was paid twice as much as any other maid. I thought maybe she just wanted me to be her play friend or something, but then one day she placed a dagger in my hand and said to me, 'Kill the fat baron by stabbing him, leave the dagger in the Count's guest room.' She told me it was poisoned so all I had to do was stab him anywhere just once and pull it out."

Jon didn't blink as he listened, he spoke softly, "Were you able to do it?"

She nodded, "It was much easier than I imagined. When I returned to my room after leaving the dagger I felt sick and cried, but no one ever talked to me about the incident. It was like the palace just continued to run like normal. I changed the bedding just like always and everyone ignored me just like always."

Jon nodded and then took a drink acting normal a smile on his face like he was out to dinner with the woman he loved. He had a hard time asking his question, so he took a breath and tried to leave the emotion off his voice, "Am I just an assignment?"

Gertrude stared at him afraid to speak. She took a drink and said, "That's not fair, no matter how I answer that you already suspect me, I can only be a liar or a terrible person."

Jon sighed and hung his head, "So I am just an assignment. It wasn't enough for them to break my heart once, they sent you to make sure the job was done? "

Gertrude spoke up, "Jon. Look at me, we have been dating for a month now, if I wasn't interested in you, would I still be dating you? Any useful information would have been taken weeks ago. Am I not allowed to date simply because of my job?" She looked at him sternly.

Jon leaned back with his arms on the table one hand on his wine glass, "Do you sleep with all of your assignments?"

Gertrude leaned forward and pointed at him, "Do you murder every enemy you meet?"

Jon leaned forward himself and pointed back, "What do you want from me?"

Gertrude looked at him with a tear in her eye, "I thought, I was on a date with the man I like, but it seems that's not the case." She stood up abruptly and started to walk out.

Jon sat there staring for a few moments and finally realized she wasn't waiting for him to catch up. When he saw her leave without her hat he swore softly and got up to follow after her. The man in the tuxedo had the hat in his hand as Jon started to pick up the pace to chase after her. By the time he got to the street, the cab driver was pointing down the street to the left. Jon rushed over to the cab and said, "Can you catch her? She is in heels, she'll hurt herself walking all the way home."

The cab driver said, "Don't worry, I'll catch up to her." Once Jon climbed on board he took off at a good clip they saw Gertrude turn down an alley so the cab driver called out, "Hang on!" He turned so fast the pedicab had one of its wheels lift off the ground. Gertrude had stopped and turned around, her makeup was ruined by tears as she stood there looking defeated.

Jon hopped down and ran up to her placing the hat on her head and arranging the veil so it covered her tearstained face. She sobbed out, "Why did you follow me?"

He pulled her into a hug and said softly, "I'm sorry, I was a jerk. Can you give me another chance, please?"

She pushed him away and said, "Why, so you can insult me some more? So you can hold my job against me? So you can treat me like a stand-in for your Empresses? What have I ever done to you to deserve the way you treated me? I spent time with you, made you feel good? Well, fuck you, Jon. You don't need to see me home. I can take care of myself."

She turned and walked away quickly, her high heels tapping loudly echoing through the alleyway. Jon waited until she disappeared and then climbed into the cab. The cab driver said, "I don't want to get into your business, pal, but when a woman is in that kind of mood, you need to give her a chance to cool down. It sounded to me like she has been burned before by someone else, and was kind of taking it out on you."

Jon looked at him, "Do you think?"

The Cab driver nodded and said, "What I would do if I was you, tomorrow, you show up at her workplace with flowers. If you still have a chance the other women that work with her will talk her into it. If you have no chance, well the worst that happens is you impress the other women there and maybe someone wants to hook up, yeah?"

Jon chuckled, "I don't know. I think I may have crossed her bottom line. Take me home, I've got a lot to think about." He handed the cab driver the other thirty Sprite. "Thank you, for the advice."

*****

The next morning Emily was looking at a few reports when she saw Gertrude with black bags under her eyes come in with Roland and Jamie, "You look like crap, Roland, Jamie, please wait outside for a moment." Once they left the room, Emily said, "Speak."

Gertrude handed her report over which Emily placed aside, "You've been crying, from the looks of it, most of the night. I don't want to read your report about it, tell me in your own words."

Gertrude took a seat in front of Emily and sat in the chair with her knees under her chin holding herself in a ball, "I got too close to my assignment and he outed me. I panicked and lost control of the situation."

Emily sighed, "You aren't a machine Gertrude, do you have feelings for him?"

She nodded and started to cry again, "He thinks I am a slut or a whore now. He asked me if I sleep with all of my assignments."

Emily picked up the report and read through it, "Jon Alexander? You were still looking into Jon? Why? I didn't ask for this?"

She wiped her eyes, "I was worried that he might hurt you or Mia because he was dumped..."

Emily rubbed the bridge of her nose and shook her head, "Jon... He isn't that kind of man. I wish you wouldn't have done this, but it's done now so I guess what we need to do is help you recover your relationship. If I am not mistaken about the man, he'll come to find you today. Don't chase him away with that temper of yours, Gertrude. Jon isn't some country hick virgin, he's slept with half the beautiful women in the city, so don't you dare face him with shame over what you have done for your job or for pleasure. You are excused, if he doesn't come to find you by noon, make him a lunch and go see him at the Airship port. Send the other two in and take the rest of today off."

Gertrude nodded and then left.

*****

Jon was sitting in his office brooding over whether he should go find Gertrude or not when a knock sounded on his office door and his secretary spoke, "Sir, you have a Miss Gertrude Hassard here to see you."

Jon sat up straight and started to clean his office like a madman. After he was sure it was clean, he looked into the window at his reflection and then cleared his throat making his voice sound deep and controlled, "Send her in." Jon sat on the edge of his desk trying to look ultra-cool as she walked in. Jon looked at his Secretary and said, "Thank you, Elsa, that will be all."

Gertrude was carrying a lunchbox and gently set it down on Jon's clean desk without looking him in the eye, she said softly, "I thought you might be hungry." Jon looked at her closely and noticed the black rings on her eyes and pulled her to him and kissed her aggressively. She made a noise of surprise before returning his passionate kiss.

Jon broke from the kiss and said in a softer tone, "I'm sorry, you're right. I am a jerk. I don't think I have ever really said this to a woman before but here it goes... Gertrude, I love you. I want to keep seeing you until you decide I am way too much of a jerk for you to stay in the same room with, I don't care if I am just an assignment or some guy you thought was handsome enough to go on a date with, I just want to be around you as much as you'll allow for as long as you allow it."

Gertrude tried to stop herself from crying and instead of answering him she just kissed him hard once again as he held her tightly. She managed to choke out between kissing and sobbing, "You are a jerk, a big mean jerk!"

Jon held her in his arms, "Will you allow me to have a do-over for last night?"

Gertrude nodded.