Chapter 13

I can’t remember scrubbing in a bath as hard as I scrubbed to rid any and all remnants of Pierre’s coupling with me.  Even my encounter with Abigail paled in comparison.  My body felt like I’d rolled in a puddle of thick, evil mud that dried and caked on me before I could reach water to rid myself of it.  I bathed fully before calling for a fresh bath and bathing once again.  I was given little resistance from the staff about this odd request.  I assumed they attributed it to my being of foreign roots or just didn’t dare defy the queen no matter how shaky a ground she was presently on with her subjects.  If it emphasized that I didn’t belong, I didn’t care.  All I cared about was getting every tiny speck of Pierre off me and out of me and I wouldn’t stop washing until I was confident I’d accomplished it.

I couldn’t blame Luthias for his inability to hold me close while Pierre’s sexu