Brown Skin by Timaira Smith (best beach reads of all time txt) 📖

king. He got up and lifted her hands to have her stand. She smiled and kissed his hand. "I pray God's grace and mercy be on your love." She opened the door and walked out. The door closed heavily.

"No, thank you Macy." King Troy whispered. He put his forehead on the door, listening closely to see if Lillian was still singing. It was dead silent in the kingdom now. He turned his back to the door and started to walk towards his bed again. He stripped his clothing off, allowing himself to be naked. He slipped under his sheets and relaxed. He closed his eyes and saw Lillian's smile. Then he watched her mouth move downward. His heart fell as he watched his lover's countenance fall as she began to cry. He tossed and turned in his suddenly uncomfortable bed. He whimpered in frustration. "I am sorry Lily, I do love you, I miss you just as much. It hurts me too..."

"I am sorry, my king, if I ever did anything wrong. I am miserably in love with you. I miss you so much it hurts......" Lillian laid naked in her bed, whispering to the ceiling as well. We Can Fly

"Ugh!" Lillian wrinkled her nose. In her hands she held the golden chamber pot of her most wonderful mistress. "By God, I swear she allows dogs, elephants and any other animal that can defecate use this thing!" She began her long walk out of a servant's entrance to the designated place where chamber pots where to be dumped. She looked around in the snow covered royal court yard. She lowered the pot in her hands in order to attempt to smell the fresh air. The fact that she was allowed in the courtyard was the only reason why she liked her job. Working for the Duchess was a pain, and recently she has really been laying the hard work on just Lillian instead of all the girls. She has even allowed holidays for the other ladies while Lillian is stuck doing all of their jobs and hers. She began to smell the dumping sight, her relaxed spirit in nature got interrupted once again from man-made mess. She pulled up her skirt and attempted to throw the chamber pot's contents into the hole. She cringed as she felt a sudden sticky weight on her legs. She looked down and saw the ugliest and smelliest brown splotch on her lower leg stocking. Putting the pot down she cut through some little woods and smiled as she saw the river. She walked slowly over to it, then she was suddenly hit by a memory. Looking at the running water she saw herself again, damp with a small nightgown on. "It was warm then..." She thought. She bent down and picked up a solid rock. She began to hit the frozen river with it until the ice broke in one small spot. She then took off the scarf that she had around her neck and dipped it in the water. As she was wiping the nasty stain off of her stocking, her mind began to wonder. "What is the king doing, I wonder. Probably writing some new law or yelling at another court fool." She smiled slightly. "I know I should not think of him any longer, but my heart has been ever but the same. I love him still, though his love for me surely has ended..."Her eyes began to water, she looked around to see no one else but trees, snow and the frozen river, she began to cry out for him. Her body has been aching lately, she has been crying every night, and she found no other comfort besides Macy's friendship. She needs the king, not as a ruler but as a lover. "Oh God, why must I suffer? Is this not the man you intended for me to be with? Why must I hurt so? I love him, and I am not supposed to!" Her hands glided along her shivering body, slowing down around her shoulders and neck. She needed his touch, his loving and tender touch. She began to breathe deeply as she continued to rub her own body, almost feeling ashamed with the natural feeling of fire burning beside her. She stopped and began to cry again. Nothing was like his touch, not even her own hands were as warm as his.

"Lillian!" She heard her name called in the distance, it was too far to differentiate rather if it was a male or female's voice, but she did know that only one person called her by her real name. She quickly wiped her tears and readjusted her clothing on her. Her heart began to race as she began to run towards the voice. Her mind ran away with thoughts of what to say to her lover, but they quickly slowed down as she began to recognize the voice to be someone else's. She stopped and saw Macy's large frame running towards her. She swallowed her sorrow and caught up with her friend.

"Macy, you startled me, what is the matter that you have to run?" She put her hands on Macy's shoulders and waited until she caught her breath. "All that running is not good for your baby, and how did you know my real name?"

"Never mind all that nonsense. The king...he told me to give you this, It seems urgent, you better respond right away!" Lillian snatched the folded piece of paper out of Macy's hand. Almost ripping its seal off she scrambled to open it. Inside was none other than the king's penmanship.

Lillian, Meet me in the back of the old Catholic church in the outskirts of the village, in the deep of the night tonight, I will be waiting for you.

 

Lillian's hands began to shake. "Wh...what do you think this means Macy? What would he want me to sneak out of the kingdom for? You do not suppose that he.."

"You think too much girl, all that matters is that in a few hours he is needing your presence in secret! Have you not been crying and praying for your lover? Your prayers have been answered! Now go go! You need to be fresh and ready...and dress your best! I will boil some water for your bath. You pick your dress and prepare your soaps. Go!" Lillian did not need to be told twice.

Macy moved slow, she helping Lillian prepare, she boiled some water and just fetched the rest from the river ,a perfect mix of hot and cold making it warm. Lillian looked down at the lilies that floated in the water as Macy washed her back. She reached and dumped some more rose water into the bath. Macy laughed. "Lillian, I think you used up all this month's supply! Relax, you want to be clean but you still have to be calm." But how could Lillian be calm, her lover called for her late into the night, she did not know what to expect. She took a deep breath and sighed.

"What do you think he wants with me? And why so late into the night?" She asked out loud as she took a small blade to her legs to shave away hair.

"I think you know and you are just being naive, think about it, he is a man, calling a woman, late at night, in secret, would could he possible want?" Macy said sarcastically. She grabbed Lillian's hair and unbraided it to wash it. "Why is your hair so wavy?" Lillian sighed.

"My mother was dark skinned, my father was English." Macy worked her fingers through the thick black strands.

"So this is not your first experience with people my skin color." Lillian giggled. She rubbed her smooth arms and now legs. She wanted to speed up the process so she sat up, snatching her hair out of Macy's hands and dipped her head back into the water. When Macy protested Lillian shook her hair wildly, spraying everything in sight with rose water. The two girls giggled wildly.


"My heart feels full of butterflies. I feel so unprepared, and I do not know what I am unprepared for.." She took a deep breath, shuddering at the feel of Macy's hands on her back. Macy stopped working the lace corset ties up Lillian's back. She felt the fear radiating off of Lillian's body. She slowly walked in front of her friend. Though Macy was only fifteen she had an inch of height over Lillian. She put a hand on her shoulder and kissed her on both of her cheeks.

"How odd, normally it would be your stomach invaded by butterflies, but I understand your feelings. You are a virgin after all."

"It is strange...one part of my body aches for ...that specific kind of touch, but a part of me is still hoping that he does not ask for that other part. I am afraid, and I do not know what for. What if he does want me for that Macy? I have never had that conversation with my mother, nor done anything close. What if I displease him..what if.." Macy put a finger over Lillian's lips. She turned her shoulders to the vanity mirror that stood on her wall, lifting Lillian's head to make her look into the mirror. Two young women stood in that mirror, a brown skinned girl with copper eyes and her oddly matched friend. Lillian looked at herself differently than she ever has. For the first time she felt like a woman, a mature young woman. She gasped at herself, her thick black hair done into a neat bun on the back of her hair, a necklace and earrings of delicate pearls accenting her seemingly glowing skin. And a beautiful white and cream colored ball gown, hugging her plump woman curves and holding up her large bosom. A small unexpected tear fell down her cheek, Macy smiled and put small daisies and lilies in her hair.

"You are beautiful Lily, there is nothing possible about you that would make the king be displeased with you. He loves you and you love him with the purest and truest of love, something that I never experienced but will now recognize because I see it in your heart. If you are to make love with him tonight, though you were never taught, your body will know what to do. Give into that passion, that desire that even pulls those few droplets of tears out of your eyes. Submit to him, and in return, you will know what it is to be a real woman. You are ready, rather you believe it or not. Go to your lover, my friend. Go to him for he calls for your love." Lillian turned around and hugged Macy tightly. Macy let a tear slide down her own cheek.

"It is time."

"Do you need me to walk with you?"

"No, I must do this on my own, but watch my back will