Princess Eloise #10 - Cherry Liqueur

The sky turned black and filled with stars

Venus rose and outshone Mars

The moon arrived upon the hill

And the Boy waited still

At eleven he could wait no more

And, passing through the garden door

Made his way to her window

Bathed in deepest shadow

There he fell upon his knees

And softly called out 'Eloise'

He heard commotion from within

A stumbling – a fumbling

At the window she appeared

Trembling – mumbling

'You are so early, yet so late

Thank heaven that you did not wait'

She gasped through lips turning blue

He leaped within – 'What can I do?'

'My brother heard me weeping

And came to comfort me

I wanted to be left alone

And begged that he should let me be

He said he'd go but not until

I acquiesed to his will

And took a draught from the bottle there

To ease my grief and my despair

I drank and saw unnatural lights

Now the poison 'gainst me fights

Liqueur of the sweetest cherries

Laced with Belladonna berries'

She caught her breath – her light was fading

And looked into the Boy's eyes pleading

'Oleander for the heart

Five pink blooms is where you start

Adonis – Pheasant's Eye - yellow standing by the by

Four yellow blooms – crush them all

Perhaps I may awake from thrall

In spirits steep – yet hurry please' pleaded desperate Eloise

In an agony of haste

Lest a precious moment waste

Running picking gathering

Crushing steeping babling

The recipe through gritted teeth

On stroke of midnight hand beneath

Her head he tips the silver flask

Between her lips and hears her gasp

And sees the colour blanching

Across her face grey advancing

He listens close upon her chest

Hears no pulse from a heart at rest

Finally a mighty beat

That once each minute does repeat

Then a beating at the door

The Prince and Libertine

Force the lock and before

The Boy can flee survey the scene

'See my sister's murderer

See Princess Eloise

Done to death by a gardener'

The Boy outnumbered flees

Out the window 'cross the lawn

The Castle sleeps but not for long

The Prince pursues with a dozen hounds

Their baying heard throughout the grounds

The Boy is paused at the Iron Gate

He knows the lock and picks it straight

Then slams it shut in the teeth of the hounds

And Prince and Libertine confounds

The Boy runs toward the Forest Grim

Pursued by fear that gnaws at him ...