I was up well before dawn, writing a letter by the meager light of a candle, waiting for the call to gather for the day's work. Mother had already sent me her reply, which I glanced at as I paused with my quill above my paper. I chuckled as I remembered that she had referred to me as her "diligent, virtuous daughter".
Which virtue did having a secret affair with the king in the hopes of carrying his bastard heir count as? Certainly not temperance or chastity. I tried to think of one that I might exemplify, but couldn't remember the full list of the ten holy virtues. That would have required paying more attention to sermons, and less attention to Hayes the farm boy.
It had already been almost a month since I started the affair with the king, and I had been frustrated to see the blood spots last week, which had gone on for the better part of six days. The king had been supremely uninterested in me while I was menstruating, but my period had ended seven days ago and I was itching to find time with his royal majesty. He was finally back from his long hunting trip, and my stomach was tense with anticipation at finding him in his bedroom again. "My virtue is probably not patience, then," I muttered to myself. Did I have any virtues?
If the king wanted an heir, and all evidence suggested he must, then maybe trying to provide one for him counted as charity? My ultimate goal was to get a comfortable allowance of money so I could send some home to help with my parents' debt. That was definitely charity, right?
I looked out my small window at the faint light on the horizon, and decided it was time. I finished dressing, putting my apron over my dress, and stepped into the hallway. Around me, the other maids were getting ready. Most were bunked two to a room, with some of the young ones having three beds in one room, but I was one of a lucky few who got her own room. Apparently someone had put in a good word with the housekeeper or butler and gotten me a bit more privilege.
We gathered, and the head housekeeper gave us a onceover to make sure we looked immaculate. She paid attention to details of our uniform like she was a sergeant in an army. As she reprimanded one of the girls for having put on the apron slightly off-centered, I revised that last point - the average sergeant probably didn't take their duties half as seriously as Charlotte.
Our brave leader decided the staff was adequately dressed to clean a room, and she led us all up the stairs. Some of the ladies broke off to clean the main floor, and some followed us upstairs then turned to go down the guest wing. Five of us went into the royal wing, past waiting guards who gave us a nod of approval, and stopped outside of the queen's chamber.
The routine played itself out exactly as it did every morning, down to the minute. The sunlight reached halfway up the stained glass window, and Charlotte led the respectful charge. Two broke off to prepare the queen's seating room, one went to prepare the baths, and Charlotte and I moved swiftly and quietly into the queen's bedchamber proper. I pulled the curtains as Charlotte gently woke queen Rosalyn and started the process of dressing her royal body.
I turned my attention to the queen's bedding, as I did every morning, and aligned every inch of the royal bedding to its exact spot. The queen was nothing if not exacting.
"Maid," a woman's voice said behind me, and it took me a moment to realize that I was being addressed by the queen herself. I quickly stood and spun, dropping into a proper curtsey before the queen had to repeat herself. I kept my eyes down, but took in enough of the room to realize Charlotte was out for a moment.
"What is your name, maid?"
"My name is Arabela, your highness," I managed to squeeze out, voice squeaking just a bit.
"Arabela?" she asked, stepping close. "Very well. I know what you are doing, Arabela."
I glanced up and found the queen staring intently at me. "I'm, uh," I stammered, "I'm not sure what her highness means. I'm simply cleaning her chambers. If I'm doing anything incorrectly, I would be happy to-"
"Enough," she curtly cut me off. "I am busy, and I don't have time for coyness or beating around the bush. I know that you, maid, are having an affair with my husband Edward."
I stammered incoherently for a moment, mind reeling. This was not part of the plan.
"Silence yourself, girl," the queen ordered, and I did. "Better. I tell you this not because you are in trouble. To be truthful, I don't really care much one way or the other where the king sticks his cock. At least now he's not bothering me as often."
I glanced up at her again, and wondered what in the hells I was supposed to say. "I'm not sure what you want from me, your highness."
Her breath came out in a huff, and I winced slightly. "You're not the first girl he's had a dalliance with, nor the second. I doubt you're even the sixth or seventh. You can continue your silly little affair - as I said, I care not. But what I do care about is being embarrassed. Therefore, you will carry on your activities with absolute discretion. If I get a hint of any rumors surrounding you and the king, I will send you to the tiniest, rockiest corner of the kingdom to be forgotten about forever. Am I clear?"
"Perfectly, your highness."
"Good," she answered curtly as the door opened behind her. "This one is done here," the queen told Charlotte, not even turning to face her. "Run along."
I dipped into a deep curtsey and scuttled out of the room like a roach running from the light. I stopped once I was out in the hallway, the door safely closed behind me. I leaned against the wall and waited for my heart to stop hammering. "My virtue is probably not courage," I whispered, then chuckled weakly.
The queen could have had almost any punishment brought down on me, but instead she was choosing to ignore my actions. As long as they stayed covert, I reminded myself.
I stepped up to the other door in the hallway, quietly knocked and stepped in. There was only one other servant here, who gave me a nod and a smile. "His highness has already eaten," he informed me. "He has elected to wait on having his bath until later. He is in his chambers currently. I imagine he's still tired from the long ride yesterday."
"Ah," I answered, my mind working to catch up.
"I suppose he will send for us whenever he is ready," the man continued. "But his chamber will still need to be attended to."