Majesty Castle
Chapter 17
“Help me,” he heard her whisper in the dark and rose from his chair. Matthew walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge. He ran a hand softly over her hair. “I’m scared.”
“No need to be afraid. I will not harm you.”
With no light in her room, she couldn’t see the man she who was speaking to her. Even though she slept for days, she was overwhelmed with exhaustion. “Where am I?” She tried to raiser herself up, but he gently touched her shoulder to keep her from moving.
“Be still, you aren’t well enough to get up yet.” He noticed that her body was no longer hot, but much warmer to the touch. Her fever must have broken.
“Please. Tell me where I am, where is my horse?”
“Your horse is being well taken care of in my stable.” The horse in question was indeed his horse.
“Who are you?” Allegra strained her eyes, but couldn’t make out the figure that was soothing her so gently.
“Who I am is irrelevant.”
“Am I here of my own free will?” she asked nervously. He had to think about how to answer that so as not to scare her even more than she already was.
“For now, you will remain under my care. When you are well, if you so choose, you may leave of your own free will.”
Allegra fought hard to keep sleep from claiming her again. “You haven’t told me your name.”
“You’re right, I haven’t. Tell me, where were you going in your condition so late at night?” Allegra lifted her head and set her arm under it turning her head ever so slightly towards her host.
“I was running away.”
“From the people that hurt you?” He already knew the answer as well as the fact that she wouldn’t be in this condition if he had stayed.
“The person that hurt me was already long gone.” She was referring to him and he knew it.
“I don’t understand,” he replied.
“I can’t tell you. If you know who I am, you’ll send me back there.”
“I can assure you, I will do nothing of the sort. I care not for meddling in the lives of others no matter who they are. You could be the Queen for all I care.”
“I am,” she whispered.
“Beg your pardon? I didn’t quite hear you.”
Allegra swallowed hard knowing she was about to reveal herself to a man who wouldn’t even tell her his name. “I was betrothed to the man who is to be King. After we married he left me. I am Allegra of Majesty Castle and my husband is a selfish bastard.” He caught himself about to chuckle out loud, but held it at bay.
“Your husband did this to you?”
“No.” He could tell by the tone of her voice that she was crying to herself.
“He may as well have. He came back for a funeral and left me again just as fast, but not before stealing a kiss like a thief in the night.”
“That bastard,” he faked a gasp for her benefit.
“He left me there with his pretentious family. Bunch of old coots with sticks up their rears, they are.” Now he did laugh out loud.
“I must say Lady Allegra, your bold words are something I don’t hear from a Lady often.”
“It’s my bold words that got me the lashing. His Uncle Peter, the eldest, saw fit to reprimand me for sticking up for myself. I don’t believe in mincing words. A woman should have just as many rights as a man. One of those rights being the freedom to speak her mind.”
“Well, did you provoke him?” He knew that if the lamp were lit, he probably would have witnessed her rolling her eyes.
“I did no such thing. The man is a vile, disgusting son of a bitch.”
He chuckled. “The Lady swears, does she?”
“I assure you kind sir, I am no Lady.” If she only knew the thoughts that statement provoked.
“And I assure you, I am not kind.” He rose from the bed and started for the door. “You should rest. You’ll need your strength if you want to leave any time soon.”
“Wait!” she called out and stopped.
“What is it?”
“A name, please?”
“M Shadows.” As he closed the door behind him he heard her gasp. He had just revealed his altar ego to her only in voice. It would be easy to keep her from seeing him.
“How is she?” Brian asked from the chaise lounge he was sitting on. “She’s getting stronger. Her fever has broken.”
“Good news, isn’t it?”
“Of course,” Matthew nodded, but he couldn’t stop thinking about their conversation. Though she never admitted it, there were undertones in her answers that suggested she blamed him for what happened to her. “Simone?”
Brian stood up and poured himself a scotch. “She’s at the fort.” He sipped his drink and turned to face Matthew. “You’d better sit down.”
Matthew rolled his eyes and took a seat. “Just tell me.”
“Well, your mother kidnapped her in infancy.” He said as if it were common knowledge.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“She admitted it in front of everyone. Told Simone that her mother was nothing more than a whore and that the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.”
Matthew shot up off the couch in shock. “No!”
“Oh yes, my friend and your father was quick with the back of his hand.”
“He slapped Rosalie?”
“Sure did. It was certainly a sight to behold.”
Matthew sat back and laughed hard. His father had a backbone after all. “Were you able to find what I asked for?”
Brian smirked at his friend and set the glass of brandy down on the table. “Need I remind you, dear friend, I am Synyster Gates?” He stuck his hand inside the breast pocket of his coat and handed it over. “One certificate of live birth.”
Matthew took the paper from him held it in his hand. “Is the mother listed?”
“See for yourself.”
When he opened the paper, Matthew’s eyes searched for the line that listed the birth mother. “Nicolette Willshire.” After reciting the name, he looked up at his friend. “It says she is deceased.”
Brian nodded as Matthew folded the paper and set it down on the table. “I need to see for myself that she is indeed dead. Her life holds my future. If she is alive, I won’t have to return to Majesty Castle and claim my title as King.”
“I assume you are going to ask me to rob her grave?” Brian picked up his glass and finished the remaining contents.
“You make it sound so criminal.” Matthew answered. “I’m sure you can find sufficient evidence to confirm her death or her life for that matter.”
Brian started for the door and turned back to look at his friend. “You’ll owe me greatly for this when I find her alive.”
“Name your price.”
Brian chuckled lightly and locked eyes with his friend. “Simone.” Once again Matthew shot up off the couch, but Brian was already out the door. The thought of Brian touching Simone, his baby sister, made Matthew want to knock his friend into the next century.
“No need to be afraid. I will not harm you.”
With no light in her room, she couldn’t see the man she who was speaking to her. Even though she slept for days, she was overwhelmed with exhaustion. “Where am I?” She tried to raiser herself up, but he gently touched her shoulder to keep her from moving.
“Be still, you aren’t well enough to get up yet.” He noticed that her body was no longer hot, but much warmer to the touch. Her fever must have broken.
“Please. Tell me where I am, where is my horse?”
“Your horse is being well taken care of in my stable.” The horse in question was indeed his horse.
“Who are you?” Allegra strained her eyes, but couldn’t make out the figure that was soothing her so gently.
“Who I am is irrelevant.”
“Am I here of my own free will?” she asked nervously. He had to think about how to answer that so as not to scare her even more than she already was.
“For now, you will remain under my care. When you are well, if you so choose, you may leave of your own free will.”
Allegra fought hard to keep sleep from claiming her again. “You haven’t told me your name.”
“You’re right, I haven’t. Tell me, where were you going in your condition so late at night?” Allegra lifted her head and set her arm under it turning her head ever so slightly towards her host.
“I was running away.”
“From the people that hurt you?” He already knew the answer as well as the fact that she wouldn’t be in this condition if he had stayed.
“The person that hurt me was already long gone.” She was referring to him and he knew it.
“I don’t understand,” he replied.
“I can’t tell you. If you know who I am, you’ll send me back there.”
“I can assure you, I will do nothing of the sort. I care not for meddling in the lives of others no matter who they are. You could be the Queen for all I care.”
“I am,” she whispered.
“Beg your pardon? I didn’t quite hear you.”
Allegra swallowed hard knowing she was about to reveal herself to a man who wouldn’t even tell her his name. “I was betrothed to the man who is to be King. After we married he left me. I am Allegra of Majesty Castle and my husband is a selfish bastard.” He caught himself about to chuckle out loud, but held it at bay.
“Your husband did this to you?”
“No.” He could tell by the tone of her voice that she was crying to herself.
“He may as well have. He came back for a funeral and left me again just as fast, but not before stealing a kiss like a thief in the night.”
“That bastard,” he faked a gasp for her benefit.
“He left me there with his pretentious family. Bunch of old coots with sticks up their rears, they are.” Now he did laugh out loud.
“I must say Lady Allegra, your bold words are something I don’t hear from a Lady often.”
“It’s my bold words that got me the lashing. His Uncle Peter, the eldest, saw fit to reprimand me for sticking up for myself. I don’t believe in mincing words. A woman should have just as many rights as a man. One of those rights being the freedom to speak her mind.”
“Well, did you provoke him?” He knew that if the lamp were lit, he probably would have witnessed her rolling her eyes.
“I did no such thing. The man is a vile, disgusting son of a bitch.”
He chuckled. “The Lady swears, does she?”
“I assure you kind sir, I am no Lady.” If she only knew the thoughts that statement provoked.
“And I assure you, I am not kind.” He rose from the bed and started for the door. “You should rest. You’ll need your strength if you want to leave any time soon.”
“Wait!” she called out and stopped.
“What is it?”
“A name, please?”
“M Shadows.” As he closed the door behind him he heard her gasp. He had just revealed his altar ego to her only in voice. It would be easy to keep her from seeing him.
“How is she?” Brian asked from the chaise lounge he was sitting on. “She’s getting stronger. Her fever has broken.”
“Good news, isn’t it?”
“Of course,” Matthew nodded, but he couldn’t stop thinking about their conversation. Though she never admitted it, there were undertones in her answers that suggested she blamed him for what happened to her. “Simone?”
Brian stood up and poured himself a scotch. “She’s at the fort.” He sipped his drink and turned to face Matthew. “You’d better sit down.”
Matthew rolled his eyes and took a seat. “Just tell me.”
“Well, your mother kidnapped her in infancy.” He said as if it were common knowledge.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“She admitted it in front of everyone. Told Simone that her mother was nothing more than a whore and that the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.”
Matthew shot up off the couch in shock. “No!”
“Oh yes, my friend and your father was quick with the back of his hand.”
“He slapped Rosalie?”
“Sure did. It was certainly a sight to behold.”
Matthew sat back and laughed hard. His father had a backbone after all. “Were you able to find what I asked for?”
Brian smirked at his friend and set the glass of brandy down on the table. “Need I remind you, dear friend, I am Synyster Gates?” He stuck his hand inside the breast pocket of his coat and handed it over. “One certificate of live birth.”
Matthew took the paper from him held it in his hand. “Is the mother listed?”
“See for yourself.”
When he opened the paper, Matthew’s eyes searched for the line that listed the birth mother. “Nicolette Willshire.” After reciting the name, he looked up at his friend. “It says she is deceased.”
Brian nodded as Matthew folded the paper and set it down on the table. “I need to see for myself that she is indeed dead. Her life holds my future. If she is alive, I won’t have to return to Majesty Castle and claim my title as King.”
“I assume you are going to ask me to rob her grave?” Brian picked up his glass and finished the remaining contents.
“You make it sound so criminal.” Matthew answered. “I’m sure you can find sufficient evidence to confirm her death or her life for that matter.”
Brian started for the door and turned back to look at his friend. “You’ll owe me greatly for this when I find her alive.”
“Name your price.”
Brian chuckled lightly and locked eyes with his friend. “Simone.” Once again Matthew shot up off the couch, but Brian was already out the door. The thought of Brian touching Simone, his baby sister, made Matthew want to knock his friend into the next century.