Zemira yawned and stretched as her body booted up.
She was about to enter the washroom to wash her face, but a servant came running in, "Pardon my insolence, my lady, but you have to come quick!" she said and Zemira looked at her, "What is the matter?" "It is Lord Cassian" she said and Zemira found her legs running fast to the living room.
When she got there, all the servants turned to look at her, then they looked back at the sofa. She walked briskly to what they were looking at; a sick Cassian, trembling and shivering, on the sofa, in a robe.
"What happened to him?" she asked and Gertrude bowed, "As you can see, he is very ill" "I can see that! I mean...how did he fall sick?" Zemira asked and Gertrude sighed.
"I presume we should be asking you that question" "Me?!" Zemira yelled and the servants looked at her. "What did I do?" "You made Lord Monterey sleep in that room!" "What room?" "Your leaking room!" Gertrude shouted.
Zemira was taken aback. It was the first time she had seen Gertrude raise her voice and had been concerned with something, or someone. She was nonchalant about everything, including her duties.
But that was not the issue at hand. The issue was that Cassian had slept in her leaking room and there was a heavy storm last night, and now he was sick.
She felt like it was her fault, but it was not! She had suggested that they share the room, but he had gone ahead to sleep in her room.
"I..." she tried to say, but Gertrude shut her down, "You always use his baby as a leverage and then he has no other choice but to do as you command. You have him wrapped around your little finger, all because of this baby!" she glared at her swollen belly and Zemira immediately held her bump.
"How do you even know that it is his baby? You had a lover before you married Lord Monterey, so the baby may not even belong to him! If that baby comes out and I do not see a single resemblance to him, you are out of here, as soon as you deliver that baby!" Gertrude pointed her finger angrily at her and she flinched back.
The servants tried to calm Gertrude down, as she panted heavily, but Zemira spoke up, "I did nothing wrong!" Gertrude glared at her.
"My room was leaking, he told me to sleep in your room, why would I do that? I am of noble birth! So I suggested that we could share his bedroom, but he left. He did not want to be near me! That is why this happened, I am not at fault."
"All you darned nobles!" Gertrude spat out bitterly. "Noble this, noble that, does your nobility matter more than a life? Cassian is ill and all you can think about is how you are not at fault?" she screamed and a maid with fair hair and brown eyes held her shoulder, and spoke softly, "Gertrude please, we need to find a solution to Lord Monterey's cold, his body is getting colder."
Gertrude took a deep breath and looked at the maid, "You are right, Lenny. Lord Monterey matters more than any person..." she looked at Zemira, who still had her hand over her bump, "...even if that person is pregnant or not," she concluded and went her way.
The servants bowed to Zemira and then started dispersing. Only one remained, Lenny, she looked at Zemira and was about going, but she held her back, "Do you know why Gertrude is all riled up about Cassian?" "She is like a mother to him, they have been together since he was just a boy. She is the one that has been with him the longest in this manor, so she cares so much about him." she bowed and left.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Rain pattered against the windows, the servants went on with their work and a horseman just entered the manor.
"Gertrude, the doctor said that he will not go anywhere in this storm" the horseman said and Gertrude sighed, "Did you check with any other doctors?" "They all said the same thing." "What should we do then? He is freezing!" Zemira said as she looked at Cassian who was gnashing his teeth.
"We should warm him up" Gertrude said and Zemira turned to the horseman, "Start a fire" "No...no fire" Cassian moaned in pain. "Why not?" Zemira looked at Gertrude who just sighed and started, "Cassian is scared of fires" "But his wife's painting is above a hearth" Zemira said.
"Cassian's parents passed away due to a fire accident. He does not like it when a fire is so close to him. It makes him remember that night" Gertrude said and Zemira sighed.
Cassian had been through a lot. His parents were dead, his wife is dead, he is a demoted general and everyone calls him mad. To add to his sorrow, he is married to a selfish woman who is pregnant with his baby.
"Then how should we warm him up?" Zemira asked as she sat beside him and placed her hand on his forehead. He was burning up but he was also shivering.
Gertrude sighed and looked at Zemira, "Warm him" "What?" she asked as she stood up. "Take off your clothes and lay next to him. You are sharing your body heat with him" "But I--"
"There us no time, my lady! It is either this or we wait for a doctor to come and maybe by that time, we would already be late. You are the one who caused this, so rectify it" she said.
Zemira sighed and looked at Cassian who was groaning in pain, "Fine!" she said as she looked away.
"Is anybody there?" Gertrude called and a servant girl ran in. "Get a strong man to carry our lord to his bedroom" she said and the girl left.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Zemira clutched the ribbon of her robe tight and looked at Gertrude who just gave her a small nod of encouragement. Zemira looked back at Cassian who was shivering under the covers.
He was already naked. She could see his dark nipples which were erect due to the cold and the rapid rising and falling of his well defined breasts.
The last time she had Cassian had gotten this close was the night her life fell apart. She had not exactly taken her time to study his naked body so it was new to her.
She took a deep breath and took off her robe. The other servants except Gertrude looked away.
Zemira slid under the covers and as soon as her body touched Cassian's, she felt hot. Not because Cassian's body heat was affecting her. But because she was so embarrassed that she was naked close to a naked Cassian.
"Put your arms around him" Gertrude said and Zemira put one of her legs on his legs. The leg slipped down to in between his legs then she felt it. The thing that had put a baby inside her. It was big. She jerked her leg back and Gertrude walked up to her, "What happened?" Zemira shook her head as she gave a small smile then she put her leg back and tried to calm herself.
She placed a hand on his chest and release a shaky breath. "Can you not get anymore closer?" Gertrude asked and Zemira looked at her, "I am a month's pregnant. Obviously my belly will not allow me to get very close to him, would it?" she said as she rolled her eyes.
Gertrude took a deep breath then she turned to the servants, "Let us give our lord and lady privacy" she said and they bowed and left.
Zemira looked at Cassian's face again. The scar along his left eyebrow made him look so handsome even in pain. She looked at his closed eyes. If only his beautiful grey eyes were open, she thought. And his arms were around you and he was not thinking about that woman above the hearth, a thought crossed her mind and she shook her head.
What was she thinking about? Cassian had every right to think about his late wife. There was no need for him to say it, he loved her very much and you do not fall in love twice.
But can he not think about me for once? Can he not just forget about the dead and focus on the living? she thought and gently slapped herself. "I am so foolish!" she berated herself. There was no way Cassian was going to forget about his love. She was just a woman, carrying his child. And when the child is born, they would be out of each other's lives forever.
But still! Can he not just think about me and look at me the way he looks at that painting? Zemira thought and sighed.
"Nola?" Cassian whispered and Zemira looked at him, "Of course you will call her name. She is the only woman you ever loved! And I am just a woman carrying your heir. We mean nothing to each other" she huffed and shifted a little bit far away from him but then he grabbed her hand.
"Please do not leave me" he begged as a tear slipped out of his eyes. Cassian looked so vulnerable and so fragile. Zemira put her arms around him and pulled him closer, as much as her belly allowed her.
She did not care if he was talking to his dead wife. All she knew was that he had held her hand and had told her not to leave him. And she was not going to leave him.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
The man on the throne laughed, "Cassian is ill? The great and mighty general, now known as the mad viscount is ill? My younger brother has fallen really low" he laughed again.
"He is still human" she said and he looked at her, "What did you say?" he asked and she looked up at him. The same dark-skin, the same soft black hair which was like black cotton wool. Just that the man had thin lips and dark eyes...just like his soul.
"Cassian is still human. He is still flesh and blood...but he almost killed you who calls himself a god" she said as she slowly stood up when he started walking towards her.
"Insolence!" the old man in a green tail-coat yelled but she continued talking, "You call yourself a god but when a mere man like Cassian was about to take your head, you hid behind a woman. You are a coward" she said.
He disappeared and then reappeared with his hand at her throat and her back against a wall. He squeezed lightly, "I am no coward! What happened to Nola was an accident. My hand just slipped" he grinned maliciously and she scratched his hand, trying to release herself.
"You speak so highly of Cassian that it makes me mad. It makes me ravaging mad!" he yelled and she squirmed. He added more pressure to her throat. "But I do not get something. If you love Cassian so much...then why are you with his sworn enemy?" he laughed and looked at the old man who laughed too.
"Why are you helping me plot against him?" he asked but she only struggled. "Answer me!" he shrieked as he choked her more. "Be...because...y...you are wi...th my son" she managed to say then he threw her down on the ground.
She gasped for breath and coughed as he looked at her. "You are right...I do have your son, and for your insolence, I may remove one...or two of his fingers and bring them to you".
She moved languidly on the floor till she got to his feet, "Please, my lord. Do not harm him" she begged as she held his feet. He crouched down, "Just do what you were asked...and keep your mouth shut...then I will just bring you a finger" he laughed and her hands moved up to his shin, "Please, my lor---" "Get out!" he kicked her and she gathered herself on her knees and gave a quick bow then she ran out.
The old man, Cato looked at him, "She may have a change of heart since she loves Cassian so much to praise him in front of you" "She can have a change of heart. It will not affect my plans, she will just weep when she sees her son's dead body in a bag... afterall, I still have a more deadly weapon" he grinned and a woman clad in armour, walked to him and bowed on a knee.
"My lord" she said and he almost laughed. He stretched out his hand and she took it and kissed it. That was when he burst into laughter. "What is so funny, my lord?" she asked and he held her face, "Nothing, my dear Nola."