Page 78 of The Tsarina's Favorite
“I promise.While I appreciate the access to the room and fire, what will you say if anyone should find me outside of my cage?”
“That I saw no reason to cage you!It’s not like you piddle on the rugs.”Her eyes widened as she stared at me.“You wouldn’t, would you?”
“I should be offended by the suggestion except that you present a rather useful alternative to expressing my displeasure without having to speak to anyone.So I suppose it depends on how happy you keep me.”
“For the sake of my rugs then, I must endeavor to keep you well occupied and contented.”
“For the sake of your rugs,” I agreed.
We fell into embarrassed silence, her cheeks warm as she cast her attention down to the floor, my gaze also directed to the same bit of knotted fringe as she continued to hold my hands.
“I’m sure the tsarina wouldn’t mind it though if you told her I damaged several of your rugs,” I said.
“I will be certain to relate to her all the damage and difficulty keeping you in my apartments offers, just in case she gets it into her head to be jealous.”She released my hands and then wound the chain on the collar so that she could tie it up again.“I did ask about getting the collar and leather bands removed, but she resisted me on so much, I did not want to jeopardize the victory of getting you up here by making a nuisance of myself on other things.I probably should have not asked and just done it.”
“I am grateful you tried,” I assured her, “but I am not disappointed.”
“I’ll be smarter about it in the future.”She took my arm then and tugged me farther into the room towards the fire that called to me like a siren to a sailor.“I didn’t know what you might like for furniture.Your tailfeathers and wings won’t allow for a chair which I find the most comfortable for fireside sitting.But a bench might work.”Indeed, a chair flanked the hearth, and a tufted gilt bench occupied the prominent spot in front of it.“Do you want to try?”
“Would you consider me ungrateful if I preferred sitting on the cushions on the floor?”
I couldn’t explain it, but I could no longer justify the luxuries of tufted benches or giltwood chaises or armchairs.They were not made for me.Perhaps I had been relegated too long to cushions and baskets to enjoy the stiff propriety of anything I might sully by proximity.
“If that is the most comfortable, then please!”
I extracted myself from her grasp and moved the bench away so that I could have the floor expanse clear.Then I moved her chair closer to the fire.
“Oh, no,” she protested, “I will sit on the floor beside you.”
“You just told me that you prefer the chair.”
“But—!”
“I do not wish to hear it, princess.Sit.You are little enough.Though I sit on the ground, we shall still be at eye level.Please.”
She harrumphed all the way to the chair, flouncing into it with a great heaving sigh.And though I exaggerated about being eye-level with her while I sat on the floor, I did not exaggerate much with the chair swallowing her up.She crossed her arms as if much put out by my request, her skirts a billowing cloud of fabric around her satin shoes, which did not reach the ground.
I sat beside her, snatching one of the pillows off a nearby chaise so that I could adjust myself comfortably.
“See?”she whined from the chair.“You’re so far away!”
We were not separated to the extent she complained.She could reach over the arm of the chair and touch me if she wanted.
“I don’t understand why you’re being so stubborn,” she lamented.
“You’re a princess,” I explained.
“And as you’ve told me, that means nothing.”
“It means nothing when one speaks of something to stay warm, or having food to eat, or living in one set of apartments or another.But right now, it means you get the chair.”
“Kaaaaylaaaay,” she whined.
I crossed my arms on top of the chair arm and rested my chin on them.I stared up at her.
“Let me join you on the floor?”she asked again.
“No.”
