"Are the carriages well arranged?" I asked one of the guards, to which he nodded. It seemed I had really tired my lady, as she had not woken from the sleep, at least not yet. I was waiting for her to wake so that we could have our breakfast together. Father almost never had breakfast with us. He was always busy, and the only time he got to know how we were doing was at night during our supper. And it would be just brief; even when my brother broke his nose after being in a fight with one of the bullies, he never noticed until he saw the little scar that had formed, by which time it was already healed, I mean... that's how off he was. The only thing he asked me about was if school was good and a report form. Mother was just the one who took information to him, like "Willock is having a cold, he can't go to school today" or "Charles lost one of his shoes as the bullies cannot seem to leave him alone," and father would just say, "Okay, yes," and that is sad. It was sad seeing father act that way, so I made sure and made a pact: I must be available during my children's growth, and we should share almost all meals with my family, although I know some years to come it will start getting hard. But I still managed either way; anything is manageable.
"How was the sleep, my lady?" I asked as Princess Diana walked to the seats. Well, I guess I should call her my wife. That seemed like a really foreign word escaping my mouth but anyway, why not.
"It was great," she stated, and then smiled at me. I never knew she was this cute even in the morning.
"Do you feel like leaving?" I asked her. I do not know why I asked her, but I just needed her consent.
"If they are ready, then why not," she stated, and I just nodded.
After breakfast, I heard she went to have a shower, and I slowly followed her and opened her room, making her gasp, "Stepping in the bath without me, is it not rude?" I stated, closing the space between us after locking the door. The next thing I knew, we were both gasping for air, and she was calling my name a thousand times. At first, I had thought she was telling me to stop when she called my name, but she was just feeling it. She said my name really nicely, and only specifically she had the right to call me by my name without the Lordship word. Father also called me Willock, but she called me Lock. It was like Loo… c… fading away, like she was whispering. And then after we did have a shower, I somehow seemed to want her more, more than I initially expected, but she just told me we really had to leave, with a tiny kiss on my lips, as she placed her perfect white cap, and let her white skin be embraced by the lightness and whiteness of the cap. I also wore my clothes and placed the cap that Amir had brought. It was one of the caps that the general commanders in the Iraqi army wore, so I knew how expensive it was, and matched it with the cardigan he had brought.
"You look handsome," she stated. "I like your eyes in the morning," she added. If any man could tell, hearing a compliment from a woman was like winning the best lottery in a game; a man never forgets a compliment, even though it was said years ago. Not a compliment from their mother, but a compliment coming from their significant others, it just felt beautiful. I never knew how my eyes looked in the morning, but I knew maybe they too changed colors when in arousal, or in love.
The carriage was well set, and I took my lady's hand as I let her in. I had already told the driver that we would first go to mother's stone, and I had already prepared flowers for her and everything. The princess sat beside me as I locked our fingers, and then she just lay her head on my shoulder.
"The place is beautiful, Willock," she stated. Whenever speaking to me, her words were really steady, and her voice was really soft. It just somehow felt good to be with her, it really did, and I never regretted it till date, I never regretted being in love with her.
"When I was I guess a bit of four years to eight, I grew up playing in these fields," I stated.
"Aren't you a Duke? I thought all through you were in Bavdon."
"No, father was like not a Duke, he hated marriage, he was a drunkard... he hated family other than when he took me in. After like two years, he changed his demeanor about family. So, since his brother had died and his wife not yet borne him a son, or a descendant, father had to be the next Duke."
"Society is harsh on women, isn't it?" she stated.
"What do you want me to say? I bore and carried the weight of being a bastard, I lived with it. Society is harsh on all creatures, you just have to hope you find the best of partners to persevere with. I was afraid you would get married to a rich prince somewhere." That made her laugh, but we did really talk about a lot of things, and in remembrance, I told her that the Barons had signed contracts for me to take over the lands that were ruled by the King. I just felt finally life was giving me the peace I desired and deserved.
"Mother, I bring you someone," I started, as I cleaned up her stone. I always cleaned it up when sad, happy, alone, or just worked up, but now I was happy. The way the princess looked at the stone, I felt like she was looking through me. She was seeing everything I had been fighting all these years. It was like she was just telling me, "I now understand why you ran away in that ballroom, I now understand why it was hard for you not to just take her hand and had to wait for many more years."
"She never deserved this," she stated. And I just looked at the stone.
"I hated feeling things I did not know, or rather was never familiar with. It had taken me eight years to have a mother, and ten years to finally accept that I was really being loved by a mother. So, most of my childhood, I was torn between confusion and love, especially that day when father brought me here. He would just sit right there, in that seat by the small stone, and just drink all night, and the next morning we would come to clean the place with the guards."
"Was he in liking of her?" She asked.
"I have little to no idea, but the viscount tells that she stayed here during her expectancy journey. Society handled babies outside marriage as a really tough occurrence. It led to unthinkable losses and lack of respect. One was sold to the oldest of men, and the viscount would never do that to her. I guess I would be now taking care of some old man and calling him father," I stated, as the princess just held my hand as if consoling me. It was all meant to introduce her, but it turned to more of me opening up about my past to her. I had promised myself that I would take my past to the grave, I guess I would not.
"I told her about you always," I added, and I saw her look at me with smiley eyes, but I was not smiling. I just ached remembering how I thought I would never have her beside me.
"And what did you tell?"
"That you were beautiful. I danced with you, but William had a liking so I had to step back. I would not give you what you deserved then, all I would give was words, but you would fall into the tarnishes and oceans deep down as me. But I was still hopeful, I knew we would meet in some way or another." She just smiled and hugged me again. I finally got to place flowers on the stone and then hoped that she blessed us, the princess and I, and we started our journey to Wales. And this meant prosperity, and a start of a new journey for me.
******************************************************************************************
Two years later.
'Baby crying, oh God Henry, why does he cry as much.' I thought
"Darling, a card from the Times." My wife stated
"What do they say?"
TIMES TOWER..,
Dearest Citizens, the time has come for all of us to place our bets on the next diamond of the season. And well, Lady Catherine, with her dazzling daughter and beautiful cheek dimples, seeks no man to look aside as she is in passing... startled... yes, they do.
My bets go to the handsome boy, whom all the lads and lords have been wary of, as per the little talks by some ignorant flowers, he is a work of art. It is to be known, after two years of celebrating the Duke of Bavdon's son's engagement to the King's princess, and now celebrating an heir in their hands, the Duke announces the welcoming of his son into the ballroom. All along, he was nothing but a starer, who always walked out right after the dances started. He never seemed to have a liking for dances or the pleasure they displayed. He waited for one, a dazzling viscount princess, who sought no pleasures of his, due to his unthinkable behaviors of having as many women as he would. Well, the boy announces his seeking for a wife. May our bets begin, and may the best woman win.
"Brother in a ballroom, I hope he wins this time." I stated, as I headed to start the day, I had some shipments to do,… all I wondered is, when will the Viscount son William, finally find himself a spinster,.. Two years of searching, with no fruit…, Should I say Lord have mercy, or should I say, I am sorry brother. I sure would have been in the same place as he.., he shall fins one.., he sure shall..,,,, ha ha ha haaaa….,,,,,,
THE END.