Chapter 10 - VISITING THE PAST

"Yes your majesty " she bowed.

"Hmm.." king Edwin sighed." Have my people done anything bad? How is the plantation?" .

"No your majesty , they have been so kind toward us, we deeply appreciate , we are paid according to our agreement " she bowed.

" Are they getting less pay? There is room for renegotiation " he smiled.

"There have not been a reduction in our payments, your people have been kind toward us  your majesty ".

"Or..is it I who have done something wrong? I really… did I do something?  Dearest lady Reynolds tell me, I will repent if it" king Edwin sat up looking intensely on Madame Reynolds. 

"You have done nothing wrong, your majesty. It is only that we seek to go back to our homeland, it has been far too long we have been away".

"Meet me in my study"  king Edwin stood up." We need to talk" he walked away.

"I shall be with you soon" Madame Reynolds bowed.

"I hope our request will not be declined or God forbid result in a conflict " Madame Devlin whispered into her ears.

"I will plead with him" she smiled and walked away.

" Is it I or is the king who speaks too casually with Madame Reynolds" Grit narrowed his eyes.

"Sssh " Carol whispered to his ears." Be careful with your words, the king is very friendly with people ".

"And how do you know of that?" He asked.

"Madame Reynolds told me so".

"Hmm" he sighed. But still had a feel of doubt.

"A king can not be too friendly unless he would not be feared".

"Have I offended your people or … perhaps you?" King Edwin asked immediately Madame Reynolds entered his study.

"No your majesty " .

"We do not need formality ,we are  alone" .

"Yes your majesty ".

He gave her a hard stare . 

"I said no formality " he narrowed his eyes.

"Hmm" she sighed.

"You wish to leave".

"Yes".

"Why so?" He asked with a feeling of pain.

"Our lands have been deserted for far too long" her eyes were almost filled with tears.

"What about us?" He drew closer to her.

"Us?" She asked as though she were confused.

"Yes! Us, what do we do? What do I do?" He stared into her eyes holding her hands.

"You want to go back to your land, you want to go back to being  a duchess, that I know, but, you don't have to , stay and be my Queen, please ".

At this time madame Reynolds was beyond being in a trance. She wasn't there anymore, although her body was but her heart and mind were far…away.

"I can not" .

"Why so" he asked with a sad tone.

"Maria, she is a good woman, I can not break her kind heart for some vain pleasure " a tear fell down her eyes.

"I do not care for her, I never did , I was forced into that marriage , and I am tired of it , she would understand,as you say she is a good woman ".

"I.. I..can not , it is unforgivable. You should never had gotten married to her if you did not care for her ,Edwin, you made a vow and the heavens binds it, we can not alter it" she looked at him with pleading eyes.

"We can do whatever we please " he breathed on her neck and then stared into her dark blue eyes " I can not let you go this time, I can not".

"It is not a matter of choice your majesty".

"I am her king , she do as I please" .

He withdraw from her and walked around the study for a while .

"You can not leave" he said firmly with a serious face.

"Why your majesty? I do not understand, we are nothing but an inconvenience to you and your people, we are even a threat to your kingdom. Please you must let us go back to our land, we have been away for too long" she begged.

"The land which you ran away from ? Do you think I wish to see you in distress again? My heart was broken when I heard about the invasion, I was troubled. And when you came here with your people I was pained. I should not have let you marry into that land, you should have been my queen, we would have led a happy life together ".

"You speak of being an inconvenience, did you not know of that before you came to my kingdom for my help?".

He walked towards a drawer opened it and brought out a picture.

"Do you remember this day" he handed over the picture to her.

"I do " she gave a small laugh ." We had promised never to be broken apart by any storm ".

"But what then happened to us?" He was at the verge of tears.

"You were a prince your majesty, and I ..was just..a mountain girl who was betrothed to a duke, you had to marry a royal blood and I had to make good my father's promise, unless something terrible would had happened to my family ".

With a smile on her face she walked to him and held his hands. 

"That is in the past now we need not live in the past for we have our future to live , if we then decide to dwell in our past, how then shall our future be?".

"That was not just the reason, if I had bedded you, the king would have had no choice but to let us be married, but you refused and I was manipulated into marrying someone who I did not even know. And now I detest her more than anything else" he gnashed his teeth.

"I could not bring myself to do that, it was a dreadful thing to do, especially I was the one to bear the consequences if we did not eventually married".

"You did not trust me!" .

"I could not, it was not easy for me to".

"That is the reason..trust ! You never could put your trust in me and not even now can you. Do you still love me?" He asked staring into her dark blue eyes with doubt and hope ".

"Your majesty.." she bowed her head avoiding his stare.

"Matty look up at me and tell me if the feelings you had for me twenty years ago are still here" he touched her heart feeling her heartbeat.

"Edwin…" she cried.

"Please I need to know " he pleaded.

"I loved you" she answered.

"Do you mean you do not love me anymore?" He felt a piercing in his heart.

"I mean I loved you, I am not allowed to love a married man your majesty".

"Do you still love me ? That is the question Matty".

"I..I.." she