My Dearest Hortense,
I appreciate your faithful home keeping, as our party chooses to extend our hunting expedition by six days. As we slept, Knight Captain Robute dreamt of a sweet river valley ruled by the King of Stags. Golden fur, mighty horns, destined to rule any hunting lodge upon which he be mounted. This morning, when we spotted an impressive fawn of just such a monarch, heading towards the petit Ardens River, just two day's ride to the east, we knew it to be a sign from the Lady, and will be following.
Yours Faithfully,
Vicomte Saludard de Breva
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As she laid the letter across her husband's conference table, the not-so-faithful Vicomtess looked to her peers, and now, co-conspirators. "If this werent exactly what we need, I would be furious right now. Ladies, we have time, time to solve problems which most certainly need solving. Our Husbands will be away another few days, but Seneschal Guillaume only until evening. This letter gave me pretext to send the nosy rat to negotiate a combined military expedition my husband is planning with the Baron d'Gerevian. He was only to eager to go poking around another castle on our Lord's behalf."
Vivienne nodded. "The biggest problem is that we don't know the biggest problem we have. That footpad could have been in the pay of any number of spymasters. Gerevian, the Duke, our own husbands...he could even be a freelance looking for an earful to sell to the highest bidder."
Lady Aurelie smiled, a wry smile that reminded Hortense ever so much of a similar smile the night before, propriety be damned, and added, "the last case is probably the best; I think most spymasters would dismiss what happened last night unless it came from a most trusted source. I would deny it myself if I didn't feel so damned good."
That brought a shy smile from Hortense and an understanding chuckle from Lady Sama, the latter or whom replied. "We can't just wish for best case scenarios though. We must prepare for someone to hear what happened and believe it."
Vivienne, ever pragmatic took the conversation back into hand, "If the footpad goes elsewhere, it's at most a flimsy pretense for war. Our Husbands will be back in less than a week, undoubtedly be enraged by the scurrilous allegations about their marriages, and kick in the gates of whatever provincial backwater cocksucker raises a banner over this."
"Unless it's the Duke," Hortense added grimly
"Unless it's the Duke," Vivienne agreed, slightly pale.
"If it's our Husbands, Lady Aurelie ventured, " we can probably convince them to drop it and believe us. They may not let us have another Salon, but they will let us pretend it never happened."
"No." Lady Sama, this time
"No." Vivienne and Hortense agreed.
"No, I suppose I wouldn't be able to pretend either. In that case we need either lots of hope, or highly loyal guards, I think. Guards who will safekeep us even against the Vicomte's wrath."
"Money?" Sama asked, "I have saved a lot more than my husband thinks,"
Hortense shook her head, "Money is good until a soldier has it, or believes he won't, or believes he can get more. Just ask the Republic of Verento."
"We need them complicit," Vivienne stated. "They need to know that if they break with us, they are as fucked as we are."
"I can handle that," Elise enjoined, speaking up for the first time this meeting. "My grandmother taught me a ritual that will bind them from turning to other men against us. Three nights from now is a full moon, and perfect for it."
"What sort of Ritual?" Lady Aurelie asked.
"Well, one that will make them complicit, as Lady Vivienne says. It may break some laws of the province, but not the laws of nature. The guards may see us as we saw each other yesterday"
Lady Aurelie bit her lip uncertainly, a look that Hortense found unintentionally quite appealing, and Lady Sama played nervously with her beautiful hair. Vivienne and Hortense locked eyes, for once in unspoken agreement. None of them had been prepared to go this far, but they had tasted freedom, and needed to taste more.
Slowly they nodded, and looked to the other women, who slowly nodded in turn.
"Our people are suspicious of magic. If we are to convince the guard and servants to commit to a ritual with us, they must have some of the same motives we do, and feel that they owe us their loyalty. Any ideas, ladies?"
Aurelie spoke up. "Perhaps a feast gets out of hand. Would it be possible to provide enough of that wine for the castle?"
Elise nodded and replied, "I can bring more tomorrow night."
Hortense snapped herself out of her reverie, "the seneschal is back tonight and would absolutely forbid it. He must be kept away."
Lady Sama did not take long to answer, "We could kill two orcs with one trebuchet shot. Accuse the Seneschal of assassinating the Vicomte during his hunt. How many people know of the delayed return?"
"Only Guard Lieutenant Aloise."
"Can he be won over?"
Vivienne replied this time, "He has always carried a torch for Lady Aurelie. Her status as a Baron's niece is just low enough that he could hope for her, and he always hated the Knight Captain."
Aurelie blushed a little. "Do you want me to seduce him? Like in one of those naughty little books the priests are always telling us to burn?"
Elise looked up with those strange purple eyes, "the ritual requires certain partners to be chosen. Stoking his fondness would not be a bad idea."
Aurelie looked down at slightly shaky hands, her bravery from the previous night less apparent. "He is handsome, but I don't know if I can. It was the Vicomtess challenging me that gave me the courage to act last night."
"Then she will help you build the courage again." Vivienne's tone brooked no argument. "It must be done before the Seneschal returns. Then Hortense can announce the terrible news, with horrible tears in her eyes, and promise a feast to celebrate the Vicomte's life and her pregnancy with his heir tomorrow." At Hortense's shocked look, she added, "again, a claim to buy time. Lady Sama will use her husband's assets to bring an excellent feast to go with the magical wine. I will pick Elise's brain about this ritual. Hopefully, we can have the castle entirely in our command by the time our husbands return."
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An hour later, Hortense was still struggling to command Aurelie's nerves, as the little blonde apologized for hesitation in the face of their plan. "I'd like to sleep with him, I really would, but the stakes are so high. What if he spurns me?"
Hortense looked at the petite blonde incredulously. Golden blonde hair topping green eyes, high cheek bones, and a frame just barely large enough to hold curves. Aurelie looked at her with eyes that conveyed both a terrible vulnerability to stir the protective instincts of any man who looked at her, and an eagerness to please that could get anyone in trouble. Hortense planted a brief but passionate kiss upon her lips. "No man or woman in the realm could spurn that look. You can do this."
"You'll be close by in case you need to step in?"
Unsure what she would do even if needed, Hortense nevertheless told Aurelie what she needed to hear. "Of course. I will listen at the door of your bedchamber."