The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty by Anne Rice Page A

more was that there were people here.
    She had seen no one in the passage above. And she felt torturously shy as she realized that there were many people in this hall moving about and talking to one another.
    Now she was told to sit up and back on her heels, with her hands clasped to the back of her neck.
    “This will always be your position when you are told to rest,” Lord Gregory said, “and keep your eyes down.”
    Yet even as she obeyed this command, she could see what the room was. There were deep shelves cut into the walls all along three sides of it, and on these shelves, on pallets, slept the many slaves, both male and female.
    But she could not see Prince Alexi.
    She did see a beautiful black-haired girl with very plump little buttocks who appeared quite deep sleep, and a blond-haired young man who appeared to be strapped on his back, though she could not tell, and others, all of whom were in a drowsy state, if not dozing.
    And before her were many tables in a row, and among them pots of steaming water from which came a delicious fragrance.
    “This is where you will be bathed and groomed always,” said Lord Gregory in that same cold voice, “and when the Prince has had quite enough of sleeping with you as though you were his love, you shall sleep here too, and at any time when the Prince has no specific orders for you. Your groom is named Leon. He will care for you in all details, and to him you shall show the same respect and obedience you show to everyone.”
    Beauty saw before her the slender figure of a young man, directly beside Lord Gregory. And as he drew nearer, Lord Gregory snapped his fingers and told her to show her respect.
    At once Beauty kissed his boots.
    “To the lowest scullery maid you owe this respect,” Lord Gregory said, “and should I ever detect the slightest haughtiness in you, I snail punish you severely. I am not as ... shall we say, impressed with you as is your Prince.”
    “Yes, my Lord,” Beauty answered respectfully, but she was angry. She felt she had shown no haughtiness.
    But Leon’s voice calmed her immediately. “Come, my dear,” he said, gesturing with a pat of his hand against his thigh for her to follow him, and it seemed Lord Gregory disappeared as Leon led her into a brick-lined alcove where a large wooden tub stood steaming. The scent of the herbs was very strong.
    Leon gestured for her to rise up again, and taking her hands, he lifted them over her head and told her to kneel in the tub.
    She climbed into it at once and felt the delicious warm water come almost up to her sex. Leon wrapped her hair in a circle on the back of her head and fixed it with several pins. She could see him clearly now. He was older than the Page boys, but just as fair, and his hazel eyes were very appealing in their gentleness. He told her to keep her hands behind her neck and that he was going to give her a thorough cleansing and that she must enjoy it.
    “Are you very tired?” he asked her.
    “Not so tired, my ...”
    “My Lord will do,” he said with a smile. “Even the lowliest stable boy is your Lord, Beauty,” he said, “and you must always answer respectfully.”
    “Yes, my Lord,” she whispered.
    He was already bathing her, and the warm water washing down her did feel very good to her. He lathered her neck and her arms.
    “Have you just awakened?”
    “Yes, my Lord,” she said.
    “I see, but you must be tired from your long journey. The first few days slaves are always overexcited. They don’t feel their exhaustion, and then after that they begin to sleep for many hours. You’ll feel it soon, and there will be an aching in your arms and legs, too. I don’t mean from your punishment. I mean only from your fatigue. When that happens I’ll massage you and soothe you.”
    His voice was so gentle that Beauty warmed to him at once. His sleeves were rolled to the elbows and there was golden hair on his arms, and his fingers were very sure as he washed her ears and her