Doris POV
I sat in the corner of the cell; it was dark and smelled of mildew and a foul odor I couldn’t get out of my nose. I pressed my back against the concrete walls and slid my body to the ground. I pressed my knees to my chest and allowed tears to run down my face.
I couldn’t believe something like this was happening.
I would never try to poison Melody; I knew I didn’t like her and that she tried to kill me, but I would never wish her harm in such away.
I wondered if Beth and the other maids got word about what happened yet; word always traveled fast around the maid’s unit.
I bit onto my bottom lip to keep from sobbing; the guards were watching the dungeon doors and making sure all was well. I didn’t want them to see me or hear me breaking down. I buried my face in my knees and my body gave out. I lay my head on the ground with my knees still pressed to my chest; I had no energy to keep my stance any longer.
There was no energy left to hold myself together. My body trembled uncontrollably, and I sniffed as my face got flooded with tears.
She was dead. She had to have been dead. She was poisoned.
I thought back to the cold stare that William had given me before I was dragged away; the stare that poured into me with great intensity that it nearly damaged my soul.
They all thought I had done it; they thought I was capable of such heinous crimes. Well, everyone except for Daniel and Martin. I was grateful for them for standing up for me, even though it did no good. But it was nice knowing I had them on my side; two amazing gentlemen.
My heart tugged painfully, and it only made me sob even harder. I bit hard onto my bottom lip to keep my cries silent and at bay. I tasted the small droplets of blood that left my lip and dripped onto my tongue. That pain hurt less than the internal pain I felt in my chest and stomach.
I felt sick.
“Doris?” I heard a whisper coming from the cell door.
I lifted my head slightly and saw Prince Daniel standing on the other side of the cell bars.
“David… I mean … Prince Daniel,” I said as I sat up; I wiped my face with the back of my hand and sniffled again as his eyes fell sadly.
“Doris, I’m so sorry,” he said softly, his shoulders slumping. “I never meant to lie to you…”
“I don’t understand why you did,” I said, eyeing him carefully.
I wasn’t angry with him, but I was so confused as to why he would lie to me about something like this. I hope he knew we couldn’t be friends; a maid couldn’t be friends with a prince. We could be friendly toward one another, like Martin and I. But we couldn’t be actual friends. I was saddened by the thought because he was such a good friend. He even helped me do laundry for Lady Melody.
He was somebody I had grown to trust, and I felt betrayed.
“I didn’t think you’d want to be friends if you knew the truth. I didn’t want you to look at me like a prince. I wanted you to look at me as a person…” he breathed, meeting my eyes.
My face reddened as the heat rose into my cheeks.
“We can’t be friends, your majesty,” I said to him.
Another wave of sadness flashed through his eyes.
“I’d prefer if you didn’t call me that…” he said sadly.
“We can’t be friends, Prince Daniel,” I said.
“Why?” He asked; he looked like he wanted to cry, and my heart tugged for him.
“You know why,” I told him. “You’re a prince. Maids aren’t friends with princes'”
“I can be friends with whoever I want,” he said, pouting.
“I know you think that, and it’s a beautiful thought. But even you know that’s not true. What would happen if someone found out? I can’t risk my freedom…”
Not that my freedom wasn’t already at risk. If I was found guilty, I could pretty much kiss freedom goodbye. I think the only way of getting out of here will be in a casket.
I shuddered at the thought.
“Doris…” Daniel whispered. “You mean so much to me. I never meant to hurt you. I just wanted to have one friend I could finally be myself around. I can be myself around you. You make me laugh and I enjoyed the times we’ve spent together. I didn’t mean to lie to you, but I would never trade those moments for anything.”
A smile tugged at my lips; that was incredibly sweet of him to say. But the feeling didn’t last long after I remembered where I was and what for. I slumped back down against the wall and my eyes fell to my lap.
“I promise…” Daniel began. “We are going to get you out of here.”
“I don’t see how,” I muttered.
At this point, I felt hopeless. There was nothing he was going to be able to do to help me. I feel like their minds were already made up about me.
“Martin and I are working on proving your innocence,” Daniel explained.
My eyes widened; they were actually trying to help me?
“I appreciate you both for standing up for me,” I told him. “It was kind of you.”
“You apparently mean a lot to Martin too,” he said with a soft, yet uncertain, chuckle.
“You are both good men,” I told him softly.
“We are trying to figure out who made and plated the soup. We are also trying to figure out everyone who took part in bringing the soup to the dining hall.” He paused for a moment. “But Doris?” He met my eyes again. “We know it wasn’t you. You aren’t capable of such things.”
“I would never hurt anyone,” I said softly. “At least not on purpose. I couldn’t…”
“I know. Martin knows too. We are going to prove your innocence,” Daniel promised.
I couldn’t help but smile at his certainty.
“Thank you,” I said in a whisper.
“Then maybe once you get out of here, we can actually be friends?” He asked with a crooked boyish grin.
I chuckled and shook my head.
“You know we can’t,” I said to him; his eyes fell.
“Can I change your mind?” He asked.
“It’s not about changing my mind. It’s about the rules. I must follow them and even though you’re a prince, you must follow them too.” I paused for a moment. “Maybe in another life,” I added.
“The rules are stupid,” he muttered.
I chuckled again and shook my head in disbelief. He wasn’t like the other princes. He had a boyish attribute about him, and I could tell he just wanted to have some fun. He probably didn’t have many friends growing up, at least not real friends. Friends that liked him for who he was and hung out with him because they enjoyed his time. He probably had friends that only hung out with him because he was a prince and treated him like royalty.
I felt bad that I couldn’t be the friend he wanted.
His eyes met mine again.
“Once we gather enough evidence that will prove your innocence, we will present them to William,” Daniel announced to me.
I frowned, staring at him confused.
“Prince William?” I asked, raising my eyebrows. “Why?”
“Because Melody was his lady, so he’s the one who decides if you’re guilty or not and what your punishment will be,” Daniel explained.
I felt all color draining from my body.
Prince William was in charge of my fate?