[i]Portston[/i] [color=tan]"How will I greet him? Just come up to him and say 'Hello, do you recognize me?' Or 'I am relieved that you have returned alive?'"[/color] Olivia whispered to Darma as they stood outside the Black Raven. Her words sounded awkward and strange. "Are you serious? You have spent so many years imagining meeting the Duke's son and you're hesitating now?" Darma whispered back in a slightly exasperated tone. She always spoke informally with the Count's daughter when they were in their secret trips to the town. [color=tan]"I am [i]not[/i] hesitating. I just want to at least make a good impression. I want him to take a liking to me just like Richard did,"[/color] the blonde argued. Darma rolled her eyes. "There is no sense comparing him to his dead brother. Come on. If he likes you then he likes you. If not, we will return to the castle. There's so many of your father's men lurking about I am afraid they will gag us and throw us back to the castle even before we can take one step towards your prince." She reached out and took her mistress' hand and pulled her towards the door of the tavern. [color=tan]"He is not a prince. He's a duke,"[/color] Olivia corrected as she let herself be pulled along. As both women stepped into the tavern, they were met with a barrage of noises from tankards being slammed onto wooden tables to raucous laughter to screams of pleasure coming from the second floor of the establishment. Olivia pulled off the hood of her cloak, unafraid of being recognized (except maybe for her father's men, which Darma assured her were not in the tavern). The youngest daughter of the Count had been forbidden to mingle with commoners that no one knew who she was. When asked, she always claimed to be a distant relative of a baron down south. Several heads turned towards her. She was pretty, after all, with her hair braided and fashioned so that it framed her heart shaped face. She scanned the room and her eyes fell on a blonde man who was staring straight at her. Her heart skipped a beat. There he was. Paul Cranston. "Go," she heard Darma whisper encouragingly to her. Olivia took a deep breath and walked straight towards Paul. Once she was at his table, she smiled and curtsied. [color=tan]"I am pleased that you have finally returned, my Lord,"[/color] she said, wondering if he would recognize her. --- Sophia snatched the coin purse and walked away. She silently cursed her life for putting her in situations where her dignity was put on the line. [color=lightgreen][i]What dignity?[/i][/color] she asked herself. She had stopped being worthy of respect the moment she had opened her legs to different men. Even she couldn't look at herself in the mirror at times. She focused her mind on the money. What was dingity when you're starving? As long as she was paid, she was willing to do anything. She'll make sure that her sisters are provided for and unharmed even if it meant selling her body to every single man in the town. She turned and headed back to her house to make herself a little more presentable. The old, stained dress that she had on would not catch the attention of a noble. "From now on, the only cock that finds comfort in that well used hole of yours ... is that hanging before the Noble thighs of Paul Cranston." Sophia stopped, the familiar hesitation overtaking her. Should she really go through with this? Was it a good idea? Will she really be able to pull it off? What if Paul Cranston didn't fall for her tricks? What if he found out that she was a spy for the Count? She took a deep breath to calm herself and focus on what was important. Pleasuring a single man for a hefty amount of money, it really wasn't such a bad deal. What was it to her if the Count wanted to know everything about this man? Just as long as he fulfilled the end of his bargain then it'll all be worth it. She reached into her pocket and withdrew the coin purse Crone gave her. [color=lightgreen][i]There will be a lot more of this when I succeed,[/i][/color] she thought and then nodded, slowly regaining her confidence. Why had she hesitated? This was what she had been hoping for. A chance to earn a bit more, a chance to make her life and that of her sisters' better. Unaware of what she was getting herself into, she murmured a silent thanks to what she thought was a little blessing sent her way. There would no longer be frequent trips to married men's houses in the middle of the night. The tax collector would have to visit the whore house if he needed his itch scratched. As soon as she got home, she headed straight to the small wooden box where she kept her presentable dresses in. She pulled out a pretty blue dress out of it. If she was to seduce a noble, she'd have to look sweet and pretty. Men always found it more exciting to bed the sweet and innocent. Several hours later, she stepped out of the house after painstakingly making sure that her whole body was scrubbed clean, particularly the areas that Paul would be using excessively. In a pretty blue dress and her long dark hair braided neatly down her back, she headed towards the tavern. She stepped into the tavern and immediately zeroed in on the heir to the Duchy. A young blonde girl was with him, innocent and pure. It would be easy to snatch the man's attention from her. She strode purposefully towards the table of her target, swiping a tankard off the serving tray of the tavern maid. She took a swig of the ale and pretended to trip as she passed by Paul. She angled her body so that she fell on the man, her breasts brushing across his cheeks as the ale in the tankard she was holding spilled on his shoulder and across his chest. She pasted an innocent smile on her lips as her cheeks turned pink with feigned embarrassment. She quickly righted herself and bowed her head at the noble. [color=lightgreen]"Forgive me, my Lord. I was momentarily unsteady on my feet."[/color] She lifted her eyes shyly and when they landed on the mess she made, her embarrassment turned into a horrified expression. [color=lightgreen]"I have soiled your clothes."[/color] She bowed her head low again. [color=lightgreen]"A-allow me to make ammends, my Lord,"[/color] she hurriedly said.