Lady Ann's Folly: Chapter Two - Part Three

Ann brought the ropes through from the bedroom as well as the money. Mavis’s eyes lit up at the sight of that and followed it through the room until Ann lay it down in front of the chair she planned to tie Mavis to. She set the rope beside it.

“Sit,” she said. “You’ll get your hands on this when I untie you later.”

“Seriously? All of that?”

Ann nodded. “If and only if you do as I say and then swear not to breathe a word of this to anyone for as long as you live.”

The sum of money was gigantic and Ann still remembered how lowborn the girl’s morals were when it came to making cash.

“I swear on me mother’s grave three ways to Sunday.” She grinned, eyes brimming with anticipation, and took the proffered seat. Ann set to work tying the girl up, hands and feet and round her torso so that there was no way she could get out. Every precaution had to be taken. Mavis let it be done with docility, gazing at the money throughout unless Ann passed between to block the view. At these times Ann caught more than one suspicious look from the peasant.

When it was done, Ann stood back and placed her hands on her hips, examining her work. She bent straight back down and pulled as hard as she could on the knots, both to test them and tighten them. Only when she was satisfied did she stand up again, remembering the lowbrow clothes she was wearing now and checking herself.

Mavis looked so odd, dressed in her finery and trussed up so tightly. Ann couldn’t help but giggle.

“What’s so funny?” said Mavis. “This better not be a trick.”

“I’ll thank you to mind the way you speak to your betters,” said Ann.

Mavis glared at her then once again reluctantly lowered her eyes. “Sorry m’lady.”

Ann put her hands beneath her hair at the nape of her neck and clutched clumsily at the clasp of the pendant, undoing it. At its touch her nerves spiked again. It didn’t seem possible that she was really considering this.

She held it up before her, looking into the glistening grooves of the carven surface, wondering for the first time what its origin was. Somebody must have made those carvings on the stone bauble; set it in the spiral of gold that connected, at the narrow end, to its delicate chain.

Who?

Had they known of its power? Did they create it for that purpose? Why? And how had it fallen from their possession? Had they meant to give it up? Had they sold it?

She had the Ann-memory of finding it at the river’s edge. No answers were to be found there. She wondered if she would ever know the answer.

Probably not.

“What’s that?” asked Mavis, breaking the moment. “You givin me that as well?”

“No,” replied Ann. “You’ll find out what this is soon enough. Just be quiet until then.”

Mavis pouted sullenly.

Ann placed the pendant in the palm of her hand and twined the chain round her fingers. Her eyes went to Mavis, who watched this careful ritual keenly.

During the last exchange there had been an embrace, the pendant caught between their chests, but Ann felt that it could equally be done with any kind of physical connection, as long as the pendant was held between both parties at that connection point. Either it would work or it wouldn’t. An embrace would be rather more challenging with Mavis seated and tied in place.

“Turn your hand palm up,” she said.

Mavis did as instructed, a sceptical expression on her face.

The prickle of sweat was beneath Ann’s hair and in the groove of her back. It was such a simple thing to do but so close now to the moment of contact her mind was rattling bells of alarm. She knew how deadly the pendant’s power was. It had plucked her from the life of a mere servant and given her the riches and prestige of a member of the upper class. And look at what it had done to the former Ann. The transformation had been so complete that she had come to prefer being a humble man; to crave the instructions of her betters. She had become so turned around and trapped that she had refused her former life of wealth and splendour when given the chance to reclaim it.

The transformation wasn’t a simple matter. It wasn’t controllable. The minute one took on another life, its magic went to work on their brain, subverting every instinct and desire; even down to the thoughts and memories in the head. How could she possibly hope to manage that change? Tying up Mavis was one thing but any fool could see that a million things could still go wrong. Allowing herself to become a clodhopper serving wench was the most idiotic thing she could possibly imagine.

She looked at the pendant in her hand; at Mavis’s waiting palm. Then she closed her fingers round it and said, “No. This is silly. Ridiculous really.” She lowered her hand. “I’ve changed my mind. I’m not going to go through with it after all.”