Simple Missteps
Chapter Three
Lillian K. Rockmore

Tiara whimpered a little when she heard the latch scrape against the wooden door. Her body felt used and abused. Yet he was again, coming to rid her of her dignity. She shut her eyes, clutching the bed sheet to her tightly, willing herself away from this place.

To her surprise, a gentle feminine voice wafted to her ears.

"Sir Scott asked me to you help you with your bath, miss," the young girl said, her eyes lowered shyly.

Tiara uncurled herself from the tiny ball that she'd morphed into and looked at the pretty girl standing next to two buckets of hot water. She could have cried at the sight of clean water to bathe in after days of dust and grime, but as it was, she just beckoned the maid closer.

"What is your name?" Tiara queried as she stood, the sheet falling away, revealing her willowy, flawless body. She noticed that the maid's blush deepened at the sight of her nakedness.

"Emily, miss," she said, lifting a thick wooden tub that had been pushed up against one wall. Noticing her struggles, Tiara stepped forward to help the woman. Together, they got the tub down and poured streams after streams of heated water into it.

Tiara didn't wait; she couldn't. As soon as the last drop of water hit the tub, she was in it, sighing as the delicious heat enveloped her body. She ignored the stinging of her nether regions, brutally squelching the urge to cringe. Raising her knees, she laid her head on them, rocking back and forth, enjoying the gentle swaying of the water around her.

She jolted when hesitant fingers skimmed her shoulders. Looking up, she saw Emily slathering her back with vanilla-scented soap. The sweet essence drifted around her, soothing her.

"Is this your first time as a maid?" Tiara asked, her voice heavy-laden with pleasure.

"Yes, miss," the girl replied, settling Tiara's shoulders against the back of the tub so that she could soap the fiery locks of her hair.

Ten minutes later, Tiara still lingered in the tub, not wanting to give up the uncalled-for warmth just yet. Emily had dried her hair and now, it sat in a loose bun fashioned on the top of her head. She heard the maid flitting about the room - righting the bed, perhaps - and gasped when strong hands closed about her middle.

She should've known that he'd come. Tiara twisted in his grasp, squirming to get away from him. She already knew that whenever he came to her, he came only for one thing.

"Enjoying your bath, princess?" he asked, settling her securely against the solid muscle of his chest.

"I was, until I was so rudely interrupted," she berated him, her eyes shooting sparks of anger.

Her hands were caught behind her back and she could do nothing as his lips lowered to hers. The wetness of her skin from the bath seeped into