The Heiress by Jude Deveraux Page B

“You leave Frances to me.”
    â€œAnd may God have mercy on her soul,” Tode said under his breath so she could not hear him.
    Quietly, Frances listened to what Axia was saying. Her room, half again the size of Axia’s, had walls covered with drawings and paintings of herself, each of them expensively framed.
    â€œYou want me to be you?” Frances asked, her nose in the air. “I am to risk my life as every criminal in the country tries to take your father’s gold?”
    Axia gave a sigh. “You know my father would not send me across the country if it were not safe.”
    Frances gave her a little smile. “Safe for you perhaps, but if I am the heiress, what of
my
safety?”
    â€œSafety? You act as though brigands with swords will attack this caravan. You know that tomorrow my father is sending new men to escort me. Escort
us
. No one will know us. And the few here who do will say nothing. No one
cares,
” she said with bitterness. Besides, she knew full well that she would give Tode enough money to pay all employees well to say nothing.
    Axia continued. “Frances, this is to be no passage of a queen. You know how cheap my father is; all of England knows of his stinginess. Our caravan will no doubt be so poor no onewill know of the wealth that is my father’s. They will think I—you—are an ordinary merchant’s daughter, no more, no less. It is your one chance—”
    â€œCease!” Frances said, putting up her hand. Walking away from her cousin for a moment, she looked out the window, and when she turned back, her face was hard. “You always
do
get your way, don’t you, Axia?”
    â€œHow can you say such a thing to me? I live as a prisoner.”
    â€œPrisoner! Ha! You don’t know what prison is until you’ve been poor. As my family was and still is. But you, all your life you’ve had anything for the asking. Whatever you want, all you have to do is ask your father for it, and he gives it instantly. And here on this estate your word is law.”
    Axia kept her fists clenched but said nothing. Everything Frances said was true: Axia knew nothing of poverty. While the world hungered, she lived in splendor, yet ungratefully, she wanted freedom. Frances always knew what to say to make Axia feel guilty.
    â€œAll right, I will let you see what it is like to have no power,” Frances said when Axia did not respond.
    Axia nearly choked at that. “Power? Do you think I have power here?”
    Frances laughed. “You are queen here, yet you do not know it.”
    â€œIt is you who flirts with the gardeners, teases the grooms, who—”
    â€œIt is all I have! Can you not see that? You do not even have to say, ‘Open the door,’ for it to be opened for you. You do notsee that everyone is aware of who you are and jumps to find favor with you.”
    â€œI live as economically as possible, while I have heard of—”
    â€œHeard of! Oh, Axia, you are so naive you think fairy tales are true. All right, we shall see how you will do as a commoner, but I warn you, once this is started, we will play it to its finish.
I
will be the Maidenhall heiress until we reach our destination. If you come to me a week from now or even a day from now and tell me you want to be yourself again, I will deny that I know what you speak of. And only under this agreement will I do this.”
    Axia raised one eyebrow at her. “You think it is easy to be something out of a legend, to never know who is your friend and who your enemy? Three years ago I was nearly kidnapped. Do you think it is good to live in daily fear?”
    â€œAs I live in fear of you? All you have to do is write your father and tell him to send me away and I will be poor again. As it is now, all that your father pays me to live with you is sent to my father and younger sisters. Living with you I have given up all chance of making a good marriage; I