Love has no bounds but the bounds of time

Love has no bounds but the bounds of time 

By Mercy Cooper

There absolutely cannot be enough time in a night. Who said that a day should be 24 hours? Who decided that a ball should only last till morning? He looks absolutely stunning tonight and what do I look like? The man I’m here with says I look beautiful but I doubt my real love would think that. He cares more about what’s inside..at least I hear that he does. 

The prince smiles and I want very badly to run up to him and kiss him–of course I restrain myself. Yes my dear, my true love, the one who gave me purpose is the prince. I’ve never been more desperate for something in my life. The man I’m with at the ball is rich, handsome, and most would say he’s kind but that means he lacks much brains. 

The ball room is lit with candles but remains a dark glow that draws in those looking for love. That is me tonight. Before this night is over and I must go, I need to dance with him. I need one dance with my prince. I imagine the dark room is a forest, the columns and walls are trees. The prince is a star and I just need to climb the tallest tree to grab him in my thin fingers. I just need time. Once he sees me, he’ll want me right? 

I talk a step closer to him. Then another, trying to maneuver around all the couples dancing. Someone clears their throat behind me. 

“Yes dear?” I ask the man who in fact brought me here tonight. Poor chap must think I like him or something. 

“The waltz is on. I would like nothing more than to dance it with you tonight,” he says, his chin pointing up. I don’t try to hide the grimace on my face. I take one look over my shoulder at my prince before allowing myself to get whisked away by poor John. He is a rather ugly man, I think to myself as I study his face while dancing. His eyes are rather far apart and his brows are far up on his head making it look like he is always asking a question. Supposedly he’s madly rich but not as rich as a prince is. 

“Did I tell you, you look beautiful tonight?” He asks in his fast, blunt, manner. 

“Yes, you did. Already,” I responded, wanting to see him squirm. I bite a corner of my lip in anticipation but he does not look fazed so I turn my head  in indignation.

“Good. Yes, good. Well I plan on us leaving in an hour. How does that sound?” he asks again, a bead of sweat appearing on his neck. Suddenly I’m glad I’m wearing gloves. 

“You don’t want to stay longer?” I ask all smiles, manipulatively. 

“No, an hour is a perfectly practical amount of time,” he responds and I just want to knock him out and hide his body around this place to give myself some more time. I’m running out of time. I need to talk to my prince now! Then he’ll tell me I’m beautiful and I tell him he’s the first person to ever tell me so. I’ll never have to leave this dark castle again–I’ll live here and be married to him. John turns me in the dance and I catch a glimpse of my love. Time. I need more time. 

After what felt like the amount of time for my soul to get sucked away, the waltz is over and I tell John I simply cannot have another dance without drinking something first. 

“Well, so be it. I need to relieve myself anyways,” he tells me, walking away to the water closet. Honestly the way he talks sometimes…My prince definitely never talks like that. 

I walk over to the drinks table and stare at him some more. He is ravishing and just there so close in grasp, talking to someone or another. His crown looks huge. He must be strong if he can wear it for so long. He’s perfect. I just need to think of a way to get his attention. Someone slides a glass of spiked punch in my hand. I give them a look like, why would you do that when I didn’t ask you to? But I stop myself from saying such things because I think of a plan. I simply drop the glass out of my hands. 

I pose myself now–oh I look stunning! Everyone gasps at the sound of shattering glass as the punch and fruit once inside, now drip and swim around on the lavish floor. His eyes, his eyes fall on me–I swear. They looked my way and I practically melted..but then they left me. I need more time…

John is still in the line for the water closet upstairs, I see him waiting there. 

“Now presenting, her gracious Miss. Hughes of royal house Lamoet,” an announcer bellows to the crowd as a gorgeous woman walks across the ballroom. She has an older man escorting her–the duke. She’s single that means..just like my prince. I turn to look at him. He is staring at her and her blonde hair, curled and luscious in its concoction on top of her head. The duke and her are brought to the prince and the red gown she wears sways left and right.  She courtesies before him and kisses his hand. I bring out a bottle I always bring to parties in case I want to go home early. Ipecac causes vomiting. Oh splendid.

The first thing I need to do is take out the help. I carefully sneak around and find my target. A woman serving drinks to the guards. Killing two birds with one stone, perfect. Some soldiers rally around one area and drink. Oh splendid. I walk over there, bottle in hand. I slip a bit into a drink, one sitting on the table. I walk over to the woman first. 

“Boss told me I can take over here. Enjoy yourself,” I tell her, handing her the cup. 

“Thank you,” she takes a deep sip of the drink, brushing sweat off her brow, “I beg your pardon asking ma’am, but are you new to working here?” 

“Oh I was just hired last week,” I told her. 

“Still you’d think I’d recognize you,” she says, her accent strong, “Eh, I guess it’s just your so dressed up, I didn’t recognize you is all!” She drinks from the glass again, gladly. 

“Well, enjoy yourself too!” she says then excuses herself. I handed a guard a drink a minute later, a laced one. I keep my eyes on the maid as she walks around to the food table. As she is about to take a delicacy, she covers her mouth with her hand. Splendid, just splendid. Soon everyone I serve a drink to is running around to find something or somewhere to vomit. Every guard in the ballroom is either lined up at the water closet door or gone completely. John is not going to be getting through that line anytime soon. 

Now I just have to deal with the woman in red. The prince still looks infatuated with her. Every time she moves, his eyes move to match her and now she dances with the duke like a dove. I’m sure he’ll ask for the next dance if her whole dance card is not already filled. He probably filled all of them. I need to act fast. I walk over to the other punch table now, waiting for the dance to be over. 

Soon it is over and I put my ipecac away, no need for it now. With few help and no guards, I can carry out the rest of the plan myself. 

“Miss. Hughes, could I have a word?” I ask her as she holds a cup of punch, the red staining her already ruby lips. 

“Do I know you?” she asks, her voice kind and soft.

“I have word of your father,” I told her, tears springing to my eyes in a great act of solemnity. 

“What, what news,” she asks, grasping my hands. 

“Who are you? What is this?” the duke asks as he comes up to me now.

“Don’t worry, she has news of my father,” she tells him, looking back. 

“Can I tell you in private, miss?” I ask choking on my words as I swallow hard. If only my acting teacher could see me now, she’d pass me. 

“Of course, of course!” she says shaking her head, her own eyes very foggy. 

We cross the ballroom, finding an empty drawing room. Before I close the doors behind us I see the prince and he stares at the door, wanting another peek of Miss. Hughes. 

“Seems, you’ve captured the favor of the prince,” I say, leading her to the elegant couch in the middle of the room, in front of a fireplace. 

“Oh, James, no, no. We have been friends since childhood. He probably is just surprised by how I look now,” she looks into the fire in front of her, her eyes still wet and dreamy, “But never mind all that tomfoolery. What about my father?” She turns now demanding to know earnestly. It almost makes me giddy that my plan has worked so well. Still, time..I’m running out of it. 

“Oh, breathe a bit first,” My fingers traced a gold candlestick, letting my fingers wrap around the handle. She turns back around, setting her hands in her lap and looking back down at the fire. 

“Thank you I just don’t get how something could have happened! He just got back to full health!” 

She wipes tears away with her hand. I hold the candlestick behind my large dress and walk over to the couch. I kneel in front of her, taking one of her hands. I allow one tear to slip down my cheek. 

“Oh no dear,” she says, wiping the tears from my cheek. She holds my face in her hands, “It is very noble that you care so for your master. Your kindness will be rewarded.” Her smile is genuine and lovely and so I don’t have a choice in hitting her over the head. She is in perfect distance now and so fate has decided I will be with the prince. I hit her hard enough that she will be found alive in an hour but not before I have my fun. 

I carefully rip her dress from her body and I turn to the clock. John will be down in the wash room in probably 40 minutes. I take my dress off and slip her dress on my own body leaving her like a white rag on the couch. There’s a mirror I cross over to in the room. 

“Oh you are gorgeous, quite gorgeous,” it’s a good thing we look rather alike, almost identical and I style my hair in 3 minutes to look just like hers. I find a blush in the pocket of my new dress and apply it. Now we look just alike. If the prince likes her, he will like me. Time..I only need twenty minutes to make him fall in love with me. I slip my old dress on her and leave her there for when she comes to. 

When I leave the room, I catch more stares now that I’m supposed to be Miss. Hughes of the royal house Lamoet. The duke finds me before I can reach the prince.

“Madam, what did that woman have about your father?” he asks. 

“Oh, she said that one of our barns caught on fire but that no one was injured,” I told him, sighing in relief. He does as well. 

“Then what was she so worried about?” He asks with a smile on his face. 

“I don’t know. Poor thing just collapsed after she told me. I laid her down in a drawing room by a warm fire. She will be quite alright.” 

“Oh good,” he smiled again, “You should go talk to the prince now, shouldn't you. Catch up on old times?” 

“I think you are quite right!” I tell him excitedly. I wrap my arm around his–this was it. The moment I come face to face with my true love. John still has two people in front of him until he reaches the washroom and I have all the time in the world now. 

When the duke brings the prince and I together again, I can’t help but just stare in his eyes. This is how it was supposed to be. No time restraint now. He’s here. I’m allowed to be here as Miss. Hughes which is better than being worried about getting arrested. 

The guards come into the palace looking for who spiked all the drinks. I tell one of them there is a suspicious woman in the drawing room. The guards find the ipecac in one of her dresses pockets and they take the guilty woman away, who fainted after her actions. John comes to the realization after he relieves himself, that the girl he brought to the ball was a criminal. 

***

My prince and I have a happily ever after and yes he was as lovely as I thought he would be. I am never stressed about time again. I can live happily with no worries as I never leave my castle and I still keep a bottle of ipecac as my good luck charm. James and I will live here until death do us part because love has no bounds but the bounds of time. I have broken those bounds and won my prize.  

We have all the time in the world.