Three years later…
The door to her study flung wide open and a bull of a man barged through.
His feet jostled heavily across her brand new marble floors.
"What do you want today?" asked Kaoma calmly.
"I have done all that you asked, chased off the infidels and our lands are now at peace," stated Horrible Herbert, his voice filled with disgust. "Isn't it time you marry me and give me sons of my own."
Startled by his accusatory voice Lady Kaoma Mayberry looked across the household ledger at Captain Herbert, leader of the guards.
Herbert was no longer hiding his frustrations and was acting bolder.
Becoming an increasing nuisance over the last few months especially now that the mourning period was officially over.
Her son, Jax was innocently beside her playing at her feet with his toy soldiers.
Jax didn't even bat an eye when the door to the study slammed open; it was fast becoming an every other day occurrence.
Her little boy was a good kid, and a charmer at his age, her guardians doted on him and the serfs would offer him their sweets.
Unfortunately he had inherited his father's unruly black hair and green eyes.
When he smiled the servants did whatever he asked despite her entreaties not to spoil him.
She turned her attention away from her son to the man towering over the desk.
Kaoma had no fear of the obtuse man despite his many attempts to trap her into marriage with him.
Still she found herself slowly running out of excuses to shield herself from his advances.
His face was still etched with grief as he mourned the loss of his father three years prior, an ignorant, cruel man who never claimed his bastard son.
Time had been cruel to him, his face was now pock marked as he had suffered from the pox.
Even then he still continued to drink hard and his eyes were red with deep circles beneath them.
Alarmed by his poor drinking habit she studied Horrible Herbert with a vague sense of unease wishing that he would leave the same way he came.
He could be irrational at times and just like his father given over to swift rage.
Kaoma needed to tread carefully and not say anything that would upset him.
She knew that he coveted her lands and believed that it was unfair that he was passed over to inherit the lands.
Just because his mother was a serf and he was born on the wrong side of the blanket.
He felt that the only way he could redeem himself was to marry Kaoma and reclaim what was rightfully his.
There were rumors that Herbert was gay even though he never admitted it.
Perhaps he sought to use her as the perfect beard, breed her a few times and then spend the rest of his days with his male lover.
It's certainly true that Herbert wasn't marrying Kaoma for love.
In fact he never paid her much mind until his own father developed an interest in marrying her.
Only then did he take notice of Kaoma because he saw her as a threat and rightly so.
He could honestly admit that she was a beautiful woman having recently turned twenty one she started to resemble her mother.
Just like her mother Kaoma had been raised to run an estate.
Everyone from the church, the neighboring villages and the knights respected her and often sought her advice.
She was a fixture amongst the community, always seen taking her son for a walk on the trails and she knew most of the faces from young to old.
Unlike Herbert, who never went to school and only knew how to wave a sword well.
Kaoma could read and write plus speak three other languages fluently.
Her guardians had ensured that she learnt everything needed to make an impressive noblewoman.
As her fame spread across the countryside she received numerous marriage proposals not just for her beauty or lands but also for her intelligence.
Under her rule, the lands flourished and the people no longer knew of famine.
After giving birth to her son, her body became more voluptuous with those curves that men rave about but which he found no interest in.
All Herbert wanted was to manipulate Kaoma and use her beauty to his best interest.
"I will leave now to have an audience with the King and seek a legal dispensation for our marriage. We will marry at month's end," he demanded.
"Absolutely not. I wouldn't marry you even if you were the last man on earth," she rebuked him.
Horrified by her blatant dismissal of his wedding proposition, he lost his composure and slapped Kaoma across the face.
The force of his hit sent her body flying backwards over the chair, and Kaoma was lucky that she didn't break her foolish little neck.
In surprise, the boy started wailing loudly and Herbert panicked; it was only a matter of time before the servants came running to her aid.
The toddler ran over to his mother, confused as to what was going on, only wanting to be picked up and soothed by his mother.
His mother needed to put on a brave face only for her son, she could not let Herbert know that the wound he inflicted was more than a physical one.
The blunt force from his hand which had on a gold ring was enough to split her bottom lip over and droplets of blood spilled down her cheek.
What disgusted Herbert the most was that there was no trace of fear in her eyes.
Just anger that she did not have the brute strength to take on a man twice her size.
He just shook his head and started to walk towards the door.
But before he pulled it open he stopped to look back at Kaoma where she lay, she would have a nasty bruise.
Herbert knew he should have used less force but he reasoned that it was Kaoma's fault for disobeying him.
"Change your mind yet Kaoma, will you marry me or not?"
Feeling coerced she had no choice but to nod briefly for fear Captain Herbert would take his temper out on her son next.