You are a Princess

They were on the bow of the steamer as he, her father explained who he was.

"My father is Alexander, Tsar of all the Russias... but I have been disowned and declared dead, was buried and consider myself fortunate to be outcast, because I still have my life. This was my mother's doing, or it would have been me in that casket, instead of a convenient serf. The agreement is that I never go back, nor contact any of my family, which is really quite large..."

She has watched her father as he spoke watching the the dark sea. She, "And mother knows all of this, does she?"

"Most of it. She is a strong good woman and a lady, some of it she does not want to know."

Rose Marie continues her study, saying, "How do you know that?"

"You are the one closest to her, you love her, you know this..."

The pause brightens the cigarette on the end of the ivory holder. She blows out the smoke so that it arches over her tilted head and hands the holder to her father. He pulls out the cigarette and flicks it over the side, handing the holder back to her. She looks at her father then raises her foot to the rail, bends to raise her long dress to past the knee, she is wearing riding boots and spurs and slips the holder into her boot top, she says, "It does not stnk up my purse this way."

"But the boots?"

She looks directly at him and says, " I love my mother dearly, but I intend to be stronger than her."

"Good girl!"

"It will be Rose Marie from now on. Not cupid or any of those other, meaningless endearments.. Where did you come up with cupid anyway?"

He goes back to staring over the rail for a long moment and then said, "Before you I had all of her attentions and affections, you put a new arrow in her heart.. So I called you cupid, you are the first to ask why."