Janice awoke to the sound of a knock on her door. Slowly, she lifted her body from the bed and discarded the brown duvet that was draped around her body. She glanced at the clock on the brown-coated wall and realized she had slept for just two hours. Also, she noticed she was alone in the room, and she wondered where Jules had gone. Janice sighed as she remembered him mentioning he had some business to do. The knock sounded again, snapping her out of her thoughts. “I'll be with you shortly,” she said whilst yanking the robe that was hung on the chair next to her. Trudging to the door, she unlocked the door, and her head peeked out. Startled, her brows creased when she saw three women with wide grins on their faces, and each curtsied. They donned the same black fashionable button-down maxi gown and a French straw bonnet was on each head. Momentarily, Janice's eyes travelled to her right as the door leading to a room next to the one she was in opened, and a male servant stepped
“This feels so nice,” Janice muttered as she lay in the pedestal bathtub. She sighed as the heated water caressed her skin, and her eyes rolled into her head at the feelings it incited in her. The Lavender and chamomile essential oils the maid had added to the water were stimulating, and she enjoyed how they relaxed her tensed muscles. Janice had never thought she would experience this sort of luxury in her life. Though she wasn't used to this extravagance, she appreciates the flat she had rented and came to know as home. Her hand stretched out to snatch the stem of the wineglass, which was next to her in a tray that was placed on the small white coffee table. She lifted the glass to her lips and took a sip. It glided down her throat smoothly, and she marvelled at how excellent it tasted. She had searched through the wine collection of Jules, and the bourbon wine had caught her attention. It had always been one of her fantasies to drink bourbon whilst soaking in a bathtub wit
Jules opened his eyes slowly, and he saw it wasn't morning yet. But, he couldn't tell what the time was since the alarm clock was at the other side of the nightstand. Also, he was feeling too lazy to swivel his head to glance at the wall clock. Perhaps, it was midnight because the moonlight was at its peak already, and the brightness illuminated the room. A smile formed on his face as he glanced at the warm body cuddled next to him. She was bare and had slept soon after their lovemaking last night. Jules twirled a white strand of hair that was spread on the pillow in his finger, and he couldn't stop grinning at how her body moulded perfectly into his. He had never gone back to the same bed again with a woman because he was frequently with different people, and the first time he met Janice; he hadn't stopped thinking about her. Jules doubted if he would ever stop. He sucked in a deep breath as her hand clutched his member. She stroked it for a while, then squeezed. But not en
Even though her mind was far away, Janice answered all the questions the dowager queen had thrown at her, not evading any. “These are all the preceding royal families.” She continued as they moved to another section of the castle. Janice assessed each picture of the royals the Queen pointed to and noticed they all had uptightness about them. More so, she glimpsed the same grimace and forced a smile on each face, and wondered if it was the pattern they used in taking pictures. Janice had seen the same expression on the Queen's face in the picture that was in the drawing-room. “Next we move to etiquette.” She stated, swiping at the pages of the books with her as they walked back to the dining hall. It could house more than a hundred guests. A large rectangular table was in the centre and ten maids were busy arranging golden ceramic plates, cutleries, and paper towels on it. Janice had no problem with eating etiquette. She was familiar with all the rules, and she could recite each
“Janice!” Maggie called out. “I might have to leave you to go to the town square alone.” “I'll be with you in a minute!” Janice yelled as she did the button of her dress. The ladies had heard of the famous fundraising event for victims of natural disasters that often happened during this time of the year and decided to attend after receiving permission from the Queen. Also, Maggie was invited especially to grace the event as the newest addition to the royal family and a guest speaker. Janice barely found something decent to put on, since most of the clothes in her bag now seemed a tad tight for her growing bump. “I'm not even big yet, and none of these fits again!” She groaned, tossing a gown she had tried in the box next to her. She plucked a gown she borrowed from Maggie's closet and donned it. “This is better.” She mumbled, swirling in front of the mirror. Janice was glad she could fit into Maggie's dress, and it surprised her since the latter was bigger than she. “You look l
Janice awoke the next afternoon to a soft kiss on her cheeks. Her nose flared at the familiar musky cologne that wafted to her nostrils. She opened her eyes slowly and let out a sigh as she spotted Jules at the foot of the bed. His hair looked dishevelled, and she noticed he had discarded his tie and jacket, leaving only the inner shirt which was rolled. “When did you arrive?” Janice murmured, groggily, whilst sitting up. She braced her back with a pillow and groaned as she kneaded the muscle at the back of her neck. She had met with the Queen earlier before she came back to bed to do some training on how to maintain an excellent posture. Five heavy books were atop her head, and each had toppled to the ground the moment she took a step forward. The queen had hissed, scolded, and insisted she did it over again, even though Janice had looked like she might pass out from standing for too long caused by the rigorous activity. It had taken up to two hours for her to get the book to
Janice galloped as fast as she could on the mare she had seized from the stable. She was glad the black stallion, Dillon, which she had seen Jules ride often, hadn't knocked her down as it was in the same place. But it had wanted to create an alarm, which made her jet off as soon as she got there. Also, she had glimpsed the castle guards pointing torches to where she was. And she believed they saw her. That damned horse! It was just like the master Janice mulled. Her stomach cramped, and her hands gripping the rein of the mare seemed like it would fall off at any time. Janice felt like stopping, at least to fill her lungs with air. But she knew the guards following her trail would catch up with her in no time if she did. “I should have taken the car.” She groaned. She figured it was a bad idea and would have got caught if she had gone in Maggie's car. Before her take-off, she had been anxious about getting married to Jules. Heck, she had even imagined what would happen in the
Jules pinched the bridge of his nose as he passed by the narrow hallway. He halted, and his ears twitched as he heard murmurings from the maids in the kitchen about the disappearance of his bride, and he doubted if it would ever stop. He was aware of everything going on in the castle, and even in Cherview as a whole. Also, He knew it would stop only when Janice comes back. It was already a month, and he hadn't heard a word about her whereabouts, not even from the costly private investigators he had hired. It looked as if she had disappeared from the surface of the earth, and he doubted if he would ever find her again, much less see his child born. His chest tightened, and he clenched his hands at the thought of losing his heir. If he hadn't been tired that night, he would have noticed her going out because he was not a heavy sleeper. More so, Jules believed Janice might have added something to his food to make him that sleepy the night she had fled. His eyes rolled when a maid t