Forced to Love

It felt like an eternity before Nathaniel returned to the room.
Annabell was nervously pacing when he entered. The only light in the room was the fireplace which covered the room in a soft, red tint.

“Bell.” Nathaniel said softly. ”Please sit down.” He gestured towards the bed. Annabell eyed the bed suspiciously. “Please Bell, I won’t do anything to you” he said, noticing her look at the bed.

No one had ever called her Bell, it was an odd and intimate sensation to have a nickname. Annabell moved her attention toward Nathaniel. He looked tired.

Slowly Annabell sat down at the very end of the bed. As far away from Nathaniel as she possibly could. Nathaniel sighed and refused to accept the rejection, so he moved over to the other side of the bed, and grabbed her hand carefully.
As he grabbed her hand, it felt like an electric shock. Her hand was tingling and a shiver ran through her arm in down her spine.

“Bell, I think I owe you an explanation.”
His voice was uneven, and his grip around her hand tightened.
“Please,have patience with me, because what I have to tell you will take some time, and I have never told this to anyone.”

Annabell moved closer, gripped by his haunted face.

“You see, my life has not always been covered in this splendour and abundance. I grew up in a little stone cottage. I remember there was no real floor, only the dirt stamped for generations. There was only one room, it was constantly filled with smoke, and it never seemed to heath. I lived there for the first nine years of my life.”

He stopped for a moment.

Obviously in deep thoughts he stared into the fire. Annabell squeezed his hand encouraging him to go on. He sighed and leaned back on the bed looking at the ceiling, still holding on to her hand. Annabell followed his example and lay down beside him.

“I am the illegitimate son of King Leonard, whom you had the pleasure of meeting downstairs and Princess Genevieve of Virona. Neither Genevieve nor her father acknowledged me, if that is even possible when you are the mother. They sent me away to this poor family, and threatened them with severe consequences if they ever told anyone that the child was from the court.”

He turned around to face her, and Annabell could see the pain in his eyes. He looked so vulnerable, and lonely. She could only imagine the lonely boy, only nine years old, with no one to care for him or love him.
Slowly she raised her hand and let her index finger slide gently down his cheek. His skin was warm and rough, and she could feel the faint smell of tobacco and whisky. Nathaniel’s eyes met Annabell’s and she got the sensation of drowning in them. The tingling feeling in her spine increased.

“I lived in the little cottage until I was nine years old. The couple that had the responsibility of me had several children of their own. At one point there were 7 people living in the cottage. My grandfather never gave them any reward for their job, so we were often short on money and food. And I was always, always reminded that it was my fault if we were to go to bed hungry.”
Nathaniel was unconsciously stroking her hand, letting his thumb carefully glide over her palm.

”One day, a huge coach came to this little cottage, and out came Leonard. He never knew of my existence unti a letter from Genevieve to one of her sisters was discovered and published. Then,the truth was revealed. From that day,he took care of me. He honoured me with land and a title, and helped me build this great fortune of mine.”

“And your mother?” Annabell whispered.

Nathaniel tensed, and his voice shook when he answered.
“I’ve only seen her once. At a royal banquet... The way she looked at me…. It was as if I were a piece of dirt.”