Honesty

The Verderer closed the door behind them with an ominous 'clunk' and Christina found herself alone in the small dark bedroom with the man. Her heart, already beating much faster than usual, started pounding so hard that she wondered if Master Werner could hear it beating from where he was standing. The ridiculous fear of being locked into a secret cell felt a little more real now that the door was closed. The forester stood over a foot taller than her and was easily twice her weight; standing in front of the small door he blocked the only exit like a cork bung in an ale barrel.

"W-what do you w-want, Master Werner?" Christine knew she was stuttering like a girl, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not the find the confident tone her father had insisted she practice.

"Have a seat, Miss Evelyn." The Verderer barely even moved, but Christine stepped back none-the-less and when the back of her knees knocked into the bed-frame she found herself teetering backwards. Instead of sitting elegantly with crossed ankles like her mother taught her, she instead found herself sprawling backwards with her legs wide. Wearing one of her many normal dresses the awkwardness would have been embarrassing, but dressed as she was in nothing but a knee length linen shirt it was downright mortifying. How much of her thighs did Master Werner see? Did he think she had done that on purpose?

"Please ... just tell me what you want from me!" She wasn't stuttering anymore, but she now sounded like a petulant ten-year-old. Werner settled onto a knee, at the side of the bed giving Christine just enough time to pull the hem of the old shirt over her tightly clenched knees. He wasn't exactly touching her, but his face was so close to hers that she could feel the warmth of his breath on her cheek. Christine wasn't at all sure that this position was any better than when he was towering over her. His voice was gentle, but firm.

"I think it's time for some honesty, don't you?"

"W-what do you mean?" The stutter was back, but it hardly mattered because her words came out as a timid whisper.

"Well, let's start with your real name." The Verderer takes her hand in his. In spite of the gentleness of the gesture, Christine was all too aware of the strength in his calloused fingers. These were hands of a man who worked every day; worn, powerful and proficient compared to the buttery softness of her skin; the difference in their positions was impossible to deny. "Your brother called you 'Chrissy'. Is that short for Christina?"

"Christine." Perhaps she could have gotten away with Werner's error, but she didn't want any more lies.

"It's very nice to meet you Christine," the Verderer's other hand covered hers like a heavy blanket - warm and comfortable. "Welcome to my house, young lady." The firm squeeze of his hands sent a frisson of excitement that made her nipples tingle and cheeks flush. She almost missed the Verderer's follow-up question.

"Is there anything else you would like to share with me?" Even in the dim light that filtered into the small room from the cracks in the wall, Christine could see the man's broad grin. "Perhaps how it came to pass that you and your brother ended up wandering around in the King's forest unescorted and covered in swamp-water?"