STRANDED

She walked past the duke,her eyes red and abruptly drained from the very waters that existed in them.Her sniffles went unheard,and the shattered pieces of her hope laid around scattered,tenebrously comprehending the harsh rejection she had just faced.

Once inside of the chambers,she collapsed onto the comfort of her bed,burying her head in the coverlet.Her happy days in the Dynevor's Estate were vastly different from that of the duke's estate.She was now confined with her conflicting emotions and the looming reality of the loneliness in the estate due to his coldness.

The days ahead of every wife to live congruously with their picture- perfect husband in a fairytale land had her hoping the same with the duke. Which had disappointedly resulted in her;the youngest and pampered daughter of the Dynevor's to live like a stranded orphan.

He left when and how he liked and had not dared to spare a glance at her or cared about her wellbeing.He also neglected the queen's wishes for a heir and only focused on busying himself with work;which meant staying away from his wife.

Every time she spent to sit at the dinner table made her yen for a company even if it was her mother's.

"The duke expects you to be served first,Your Grace."said the head maid.

"And when will he eat?"

"After you have left,Your Grace."

That was her life in the duke's estate.Having been locked up in her chambers and exposed to the duke's aloofness left her sulking in her room everyday. The duke only cared much about his business trips- sparing no eyes to his wedded wife.

She couldn't tell her mother too,for she only cared about the duke's status that could possibly push them from the peak of mere wealth to something extraordinary.

One night,as she was on with her usual routine - having her puffy eyes with her head buried in her laps and forcing her eyes to cry,she heard a soft tapping on her window.

She looked around her room,anxious to know if her room was haunted. The loud silence that greeted her kept her wondering if a scream from her room could be heard in the servants' quarters.

*Tap Tap*

It came in again.She looked around again as her hands clutched unto the safest thing she knew could help her. Her hairpin.

For a moment,she stood there undecidingly, unwilling to move on to check and put her life at risk.The duke was not around and she had no one to speak to. The servants whom she needed to send had also been spared a day off for rest. Suddenly,the tapping stopped and she was met again with the eerie silence and loneliness of her chambers.

"Lady Esmeralda --" a hushed voice spoke from within,buried deep in the darkness below the grounds of her window.She had to gather her courage to check who had dared to disturb her peace.

She had thought it to be a trap.

What if a man was waiting for her to cause a great scandal?

What if she was going to published on the headlines for meeting a man while her husband was away??

"Lady Esmeralda--" the hushed voice came by again and she rushed to investigate,only to find one of the maids from the Dynevor's Estate.

She waved her hands in the air,making it easy for her eyes to find her.The maid bowed quickly before tossing a piece of paper throw her window and scurried off the grounds of the estate.

Esmeralda unfolded the paper,her heart singing her fear in her ears.

Had her parents been kidnapped?

Had the estate burnt down?

She calmed down and laughed at herself for imagining the worst thing possible. The paper only directed her to a secluded tavern on the outskirts of the city.

Without hesitation,she mounted upon her horse and made her way there, anonymously dressed in one of her several disguises. Le Cygne Doré tavern was crowded with men;engaged in business minded conversations and smoking themselves off to their satisfaction.

Her eyes searched around the crowd and finally settled on the maid she was looking for.Dressed in tattered hand-me-downs and her sloppy blonde hair was the girl standing with a glass of beer swirling in her hand.

She gently placed her hand on her slouched shoulders to which she quickly turned.

"My lady." She bowed her head.

"Are you sure this place is safe?"

"Yes,my lady.Everyone is busy doing something else." She honestly replied.

The maid looked at her weirdly,her eyes searching her every move."How did you know I was the blonde one? My hair was dyed black." She looked at Esmeralda.

"Oh,that was easy."Esmeralda began narrating her observation.Her eyes lit up as she acknowledged how smart she was.

"When I saw you below my window,I recognized you to be the maid in charge of the kitchen.Mostly you had ashes on your forehead and coal stuck on your shoes because of your clumsiness in the kitchen.I also saw through your clothes..they belonged to my brothers and they were the only ones made by the seamstress."Esmeralda replied,impressed at her keen observation.

"Would you like a beer?" She asked.

"Listen Madeline,I cannot be seen here as the duchess.Now tell me why you wanted me here?" She agitatedly asked although nervousness was evident on her face.For some reason,she feared to know what would happen if the duke saw her there.

"Here!" She handed her another paper."Lady Georgina's henchman came there two days ago for a discussion about Eloise.She had travelled when he came so he asked me to give this to you." She pointed to the paper in Esmeralda's hands before leaning close to whisper.

"It was found under one of the logs in Eloise's home."

Esmeralda's eyes widened as she heard that.Her hands hurriedly unfolded the paper for her to be puzzled again.

"What is this?" She asked the maid."What is all this?"

The content of the letter made her more confused. In it was written,

"25/09/____

Kcolc s'apap ediseb

ereht em dnif xob kcalb eht ni