A Little Night Music Ch. 02

"Living on a lighted stage

approaches the unreal

for those who think and feel,

in touch with some reality

beyond the gilded cage."

-Rush, "Limelight"

The Sun shone through the open balcony doors into the bedroom of the castle. It cast its beam across the marbled floor, onto the Persian rug, across the king-sized bed, and onto the face of Contessa Helena de San Finzione. She opened one eye slightly and the light entered it as well.

Helena turned over and grumbled, burying her face in the breast of one of the two Ultimados she'd brought home from the raid. Their "special debriefing" had been very long and intense. Helena rolled back over, reached for her phone, and texted Jeanne to prepare the best gift baskets and that this morning, she wanted American coffee with the two croissants that started every day around the castle. Following the stream of that thought, Helena checked her phone's clock and looked at the time on the West Coast of the United States. She messaged Jeanne to bring breakfast to the study, then slipped on a robe and took the secret passage from the bedroom to get there. Someone would see the Ultimados out.

In centuries past, the late Count's ancestors had used the room that was now Helena's study and personal office as a war room to scheme against their neighbors. Located in the center of the castle, it had thick stone walls that blocked out all outside noise, a secret passage to her bedroom, and an escape tunnel out of the castle. When she'd walk the halls in the early days of her marriage while her late husband was ruling San Finzione and she needed a break from sitting and observing the things she would one day need to know to lead a people, she'd found it a good place to think.

Helena pulled a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from the pocket of her robe and lit her first of the morning as she sat on a long couch and considered the day ahead. Her interview for American television was in two hours and a meeting afterwards had been canceled, so another had been moved up from the afternoon into its place. Her hairdresser was coming to the castle to give her a touch-up before she faced cameras and would be here by the time she usually got out of the bath. She'd look her best for her rigidly scheduled "surprise drop-in" on the tour group around lunchtime.

The large oak door to the study groaned open and Jeanne, her pretty, blonde personal maid, wheeled in La Contessa's breakfast trolley. Beneath a silver lid on the tray atop the cart were two still-steaming croissants from the kitchen, and the cart had a small power supply that one of the several various single-serving hot-beverage-making machines atop it could be plugged into; a necessity borne of Helena's preference of hot beverage varying with her mood. A single cup drip coffee machine was actively brewing the American coffee she'd specified, but the tray also held small cappuccino and espresso machines, a small water tank, a kettle for tea or cocoa, a long-handled brass Greek briki, and a small hot plate for heating the kettle or the briki.

Behind Jeanne walked in Lady Maria de San Finzione, Helena's great-granddaughter who'd opened the door for her and her cart. She was in her early 20s, only a few years younger than Helena, who'd married Maria's great-grandfather, the Count, quite late in his life.

"Good morning, Great-Grandmama," Maria said as she sat down next to Helena on the couch. She grabbed one of the croissants off the plate. Jeanne smiled as she lifted another silver lid to produce two more and set them before La Contessa.

"I know it's just me and Jeanne, Dear," Helena said to her great-granddaughter as she picked up one of the croissants. "And you were holding the door for Jeanne, but you should have let her through, let the doors close, then open them and walk through. Here, like this."

Contessa Helena de San Finzione got up from the couch and stepped out of the room, closing the thick old wooden doors behind her. Five seconds passed, then the doors were shoved open and she stepped proudly into the room between them and strode back her seat on the couch.

"Like that, Darling," she said, pulling apart the croissant and popping a bit into her mouth. "Every head in the room should turn when you enter. And if they don't, make them."

Lady Maria nodded her understanding, taking out an iPad and bringing up La Contessa's schedule. After the trauma of Count Vincenzo's death as he and Helena made love and the fight with La Familia de San Finzione to retain her title and position, Helena had used the ability that gave her control over the minds of others to make Maria into her personal maid and occasional lover in a misguided effort to "look after" her late husband's favorite great-grandchild. Recently, some old friends convinced Helen that she was taking advantage of the girl whose care she'd been entrusted with, and she'd been seeking to make amends since; helping Maria acclimate to the world she'd been born into and allow her to live her own life while also teaching her how to one day rule San Finzione herself. The girl now served part-time as an administrative assistant to La Contessa so that she could watch Helena in action as Count Vincenzo had done for her as well.

"I'm certain Great-Grandmama is already aware of the afternoon schedule change," Maria asked and Helena nodded, putting out her cigarette.

"Yes, which means the afternoon has just freed up for both of us. And the meeting that's been bumped up to after the interview is Top Clearance Only; I don't need you for the Tour Stop, which means you've basically got a day off, Maria. When was the last time you and Stavro spent a day in the middle of the week together?"

"It has been some time," Maria said with a little smile. Stavro was her boyfriend. In the days before La Contessa had given Maria her due and she was still her personal maid, Stavro had been the son of the butcher who supplied for the castle and delivered their orders. Maria had been unsure how to approach him and afraid to tell her Great-Grandmother for fear that she'd decide to take the young man for herself. Helena had created a position for him as the head of her new Citizens' Grievance Office to give the young man a good job that would allow him to come to the castle and see both of them regularly and still allow him to help out his father. Helena nodded and turned to Jeanne.

"It's supposed to be lovely out today." Helena turned her head. "Hey, Jeanne, why don't you call down to the kitchen and tell them to pack a picnic basket for Lady Maria and Stavro?" The maid nodded and took out the phone she carried at all times. Maria opened her mouth to begin to say something that Helena already knew was going to be about how they couldn't possibly just skip out of work and go on a picnic. La Contessa raised her hand to let the girl know that an interruption of whatever she was about to say would transpire. She saw that the hand she'd raised was still holding her croissant and peeled off a bit of the flaky crust, popping it into her mouth before commencing with the interruption proper.

"Maria, your Great-Grandfather and I found exactly twice in our altogether too few years together time enough to attempt something as simple and romantic as go on a picnic together. The first time, the paparazzi found us and ruined it. The second time, the weather changed and it got too cold for him. My husband never tried my fried chicken." With a loving, wistful smile, Helen looked into Maria's eyes and gently exercised her will over her Great-Granddaughter. "These are the things to be cherished, Dearest One. Go have a picnic in the park with your boyfriend while you can. San Finzione will still be here when you get back.

Maria nodded her understanding and smiled.

"Thank you, Great-Grandmama. But Stavro does not have the day off." Helena gave that half a second's thought, then lit another cigarette and picked up her phone. She scrolled through her contacts and dialed one.

"Pay attention, darling. This is something you'll be able to do one day." The call from her direct line connected immediately and one of La Contessa's administrative secretaries answered.

"Si, Contessa," the man on the other end replied, experience having taught him to be ready for anything when a call from this line came in.

"By order of Contessa Helena de San Finzione, in recognition of their meritorious services, the Citizens' Grievance Office is immediately closed for the remainder of the day. All employees shall leave at once and will be paid for a full day's work. Business operations shall resume as normal tomorrow, so they might have a little extra work after shutting down for today. Also, send someone to the Poldouris Family Butcher Shop and have them buy... everything in stock; at least enough so Costas can close can early today. Have an employee barbecue on me and donate the rest. And no deliveries! Send people to pick it up and load it for them. Erm... this I do decree as Contessa, yadda-yadda; so let it be written, so let it be done, whatever. Bye." She ended the call and turned back to Maria with a smile.

"Now Stavro's day has just freed up as well. Jeanne will draw my bath and pick me out something nice for television; Roger is coming up from the city to see to my makeup and hair, and everything's set for the Drop-In, so you've got no excuses, young lady. A-picnicking you will go."

Maria nodded and both of them rose. Jeanne left via the passage to the bedroom to prepare La Contessa's bath.

"I think Great-Grandmama just enjoys showing up for the tour and wants the group all to herself," Maria said with a cute smirk. Helen responded with a look of mock surprise.

"Maria, honey, these things aren't just an excuse for me to look fabulous and be fawned over. We've got thirty coming for the noon tour. Thirty people who are going to go home and tell their friends and family how they met the real live Countess of San Finzione. They'll write blogs and Facebook their Instagrams or whatever with pictures of themselves with me. They'll point to my winking face on billboards and tell their friends 'hey, I met her.' And this day next year, there'll be fifty people on that tour." The smirk on Maria's face remained unchanged and was joined by a raised eyebrow. "Ok, ok, AND I get to look fabulous and be fawned over. Just go have fun, girl."

Contessa Helena de San Finzione pushed Lady Maria out the door to her study and followed Jeanne up the secret passage back to the bedroom. When she emerged, she noticed that the two Ultimados were still sleeping peacefully, now snuggled together. She crept across the marble floor to the door of her private bathroom, where Jeanne was drawing the water.

"Shall I wake them and give them their gift baskets, Contessa," the maid asked her in French. Helena looked over her shoulder at them, then stepped into the bathroom and shut the door behind her before replying in the same language.

"They did their country a great service last night. Let them sleep." Helena checked the time on her phone and stuffed it into the bathrobe she wore before stepping out of the robe to slip to the floor. The maid stood completely still as Helena stepped forward and cradled her chin, raising Jeanne's eyes to meet her own. "And we've got about 45 minutes until Roger arrives, so why don't we activate my Bathing Robot and make it a nice, relaxing bath before the day begins?"

Jeanne's arms dropped to her sides. The girl had revealed to La Contessa that she harbored a robot fetish, and Helena was happy to use her ability to oblige Jeanne.

"Oui, Contessa," Jeanne said mechanically as she removed her uniform with as few movements as possible. "Bathing Robot is online."

Contessa Helena de San Finzione stepped into the bath and lowered herself into the water. When Jeanne was naked, she followed and knelt between La Contessa's legs.

"Yesss..." Helen hissed as the maid started to clean her breasts with her tongue. "A thoroughly relaxing bath."