Majesty Castle

“Still she sleeps,” Matthew said as he stood at the foot of the bed watching Allegra. She groaned and pulled the covers over her head. “Hey, it’s noon, you have to get up sometime.”

He walked over to the bed and sat on the edge and pulled the covers off her head. “Come on lazy bones.”

“I’m tired,” she whined.

“That’s what you get for not going to sleep when you should have.” She rolled her eyes and threw a pillow at him before sitting up. “I assume you spent a night in bed with M Shadows.”

“What?” The look on her face was pure shock and on the inside Matthew was laughing.

“The book,” he ginned. “When I went to sleep, you were still up reading it.”

“Oh, yeah I suppose.”

“What did you think I meant?” he asked raising an eyebrow at her.

“Nothing,” she shrugged.

Matthew got up off the bed and walked across the room to the closet to get his jacket. “I have to leave.”

Before he could get the rest of what he was about to say out of his mouth, Allegra shot off the bed and ran right to him crashing into his chest and throwing her arms around him like a terrified child. “Don’t leave me here!” She was nearly begging him. “Please, Matthew.” Her whole body was shaking when he wrapped his arms around her to comfort her.

“I’m not leaving you here. I’m just going out for a while. I swear.”

Allegra’s arms were wrapped so tightly around him that he had to pry them loose. “Hey,” he said softly as he held her hands in his. “Where’s my little rebel who isn’t afraid of anything?”

“How can you ask me that after what they did to me?”

His expression softened and he placed a hand on her cheek. “You’re right, I’m sorry, love.” His thumb rubbed over her cheekbone softly and she closed her eyes. “I promise I’ll be back tonight. Please trust me.” Now it was he who was practically begging. It slipped his mind that he called her love, something only M did and it was now twice that he made that mistake and she hadn’t noticed.

“Zacky is here and so is Johnny and I will make sure they keep an eye on you so that you know you are safe. Fawn is back too and I’m sure she would love some company.”

“Ok,” she said and gave him a defeated sigh.

“Ok, you’ll be brave for me?”

“Yeah,” she nodded.

“There’s my girl,” he smiled a full dimpled smile and she looked up into his eyes.

“I’m your girl?”

Matthew took her face in his hands again knowing full well why she was asking. He saw the uncertainty in her eyes and knew how badly she wanted him to be accepting of her. She wanted to belong somewhere and most of all she wanted him to see that she could be a good wife. “Yes,” he nodded. “You’re my girl.”

She blushed and gave him a sweet smile that he couldn’t resist. He kissed her lips and she fell right instep with his lips to reciprocate. Matthew knew if he didn’t break the kiss now, he would end up not leaving and he had to focus on his goal. “I have to go,” he whispered when he pulled back from her. She stood there looking at him like she was absolutely stunned. “What’s wrong?”

“Dizzy,” she whispered.

“Here, sit down.” He ushered her over to the bed as fast as he could. “Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t feeling well?”

“I’m fine, it was your kiss that made me dizzy.”

He laughed and kissed the top of her head. “Maybe, if you are still awake when I get home, I’ll bring you back an extra dizzying goodnight kiss.”

“Ok,” she smiled feeling her cheeks turn red.

When he left, she plopped herself down on the bed and sighed. “I love you,” she said to a closed door wishing she had the courage to say it to him.

The knock on her door had her getting back up off the bed. Before she could get to the door to answer it, Johnny poked his head in and smiled.

“Hi,” she smiled and sat back down on the bed. Johnny walked over and sat beside her.

“Not dressed?”

“No, I kinda just woke up.”

“Lazy,” he chided as he sat down on the bed net to her. “Matt being nice to you?” He asked her out of genuine concern.

“Yeah,” she nodded, but he saw the sadness.

“Then why so sad?”

Allegra tried to think about how she would answer that. Her feelings were never this close to the surface and everything was beginning to get to her. “I’m sad because I love him, Johnny.”

He narrowed his eyes at her and put his arm around her shoulder. “Love makes people happy, not sad.”

“Yes,” she nodded. “You’re right. It’s just, I don’t think he feels the same way.”

Johnny lifted her chin with his thumb and winked at her. “He will. He’s just a little stupid. I mean he’s real smart, but not about obvious stuff.”

Allegra couldn’t help herself, she laughed loudly at Johnny’s comment about Matthew. “You’re a great friend, Johnny.”

He pointed a finger at his chest and gave her a sly smile. “I love you. I’m not stupid!”

Again, she laughed and then kissed his cheek. “I love you too.” She elbowed him in the side and he looked at her. “Speaking of love, I want all the details.”

He perked up and broadened his shoulders proudly. “I kissed her.”

“Oh, Johnny that’s sweet.”

“Yeah. Second date tonight too.”

Allegra hugged him tightly. “I’m really happy for you.”

“Then why do you still look sad?”

She lowered her eyes to the floor and sighed. “I wish I knew what it felt like. I’ve never been on a date before. Never had anyone who really wanted to make me happy or just spend time with me. I know it sounds pathetic and jealous, I just wish I could have that too.”

Johnny got up off the bed and stood in front of her. “Milady, would you like to be my date for lunch?”
Apparently chivalry wasn’t dead. “I would like that,’ she smiled. “I suppose I should get dressed first.”

“I’ll wait in the hall.”

When Johnny walked out of the room, a tear slid down Allegra’s cheek. She was kidding herself. Matthew wasn’t going to walk in and be her knight in shining armor and sweep her off her feet. Instead, she had to settle into an arranged marriage with a man she barely knew who left her for two years the day after their wedding and only returned just to leave her again. Now that he was here again, she couldn’t help to wonder for how long.

After putting on her favorite purple dress, she slipped on a pair of shoes and quickly ran a brush through her hair. The lipstick on the vanity table caught her eye and she picked it up remembering how she came to posses it. Again her thoughts went to Matthew and she set it back down.

Johnny was waiting outside her door when she walked out. She faked a smile for him as they walked down the hall to the staircase. When they reached the top, Johnny grabbed her arm and pulled her back after spotting Luke walking through the foyer.

“What’s wrong?”

“Shhh,” he told her as he watched Luke walk by.

When Luke was out of sight, Johnny took her arm again and they descended the stairs together. “What was that about?”

“Nothing, forget it,” he told her hoping she wouldn’t press the issue.

“Ok, it’s forgotten.”

They walked into the dining room only to find Peter sitting at the table. Allegra was more than a little nervous and tried not to let it show as she sat down. Johnny sat beside her and neither one said a word to Peter. He seemed to be engrossed in a book and hadn’t bothered to give either one of them his attention either. From what Allegra could see, the words on the pages of the book were hand written. It wasn’t a published book; it was more like he was reading a personal memoir. When he spotted her looking at the book, he quickly closed it and put out of view, but not before she noticed the name on the cover. “Nicolette.”

Peter turned his attention to his lunch and so did Allegra and Johnny.

“There you are, I’ve been looking all over for you.” Johnny stood as did Peter when Etta walked into the room.

“Please, sit down,” she told them. “I’m not here to stay, I just wanted to see if John wanted to go take his horse for some exercise.”

Johnny looked at Allegra and was about to say no. “It’s ok,” she nodded. “I understand, go.”

He smiled and stood from his chair. When he left with Etta, Allegra was left alone with Peter. She turned her attention to her lunch even though she wanted to bolt. It would have created even more tension if she did.

“I’m sorry.”

Allegra lifted her eyes from her plate and looked at Peter. She wasn’t expecting him to speak to her. “Beg your pardon?”

Peter straightened up in his chair and folded his hands on the table. His eyes were focused straight ahead and not at her. “My anger got the best of me and my action’s towards you were deplorable.”

Allegra didn’t know what to make of the situation. Peter was tough, no doubt about it. He was a man who’s exterior had hardened with age. “I accept your apology,” she offered meekly.

“You don’t mean that and I understand. It’s fine.”

She didn’t respond, just lowered her eyes again. Peter picked up his sandwich and took a bite not paying her any more attention. There was tension in the room that was so thick it could be cut with a knife.

“Why are you so mean?” She meant to ask the question in her head, but it came out of her mouth clear as a bell. Peter nearly choked on his sandwich. He sipped from his water glass and when he set it down, he turned his head in her direction.

“Mean,” he nodded. “I am mean.” Peter pushed his plate away and leaned forward folding his arms in front of him on the table. “I wasn’t always mean as you so bluntly put it.”

“Then what happened to make you this way?” She was brazen and little did he know, they had plenty in common.

“You’re young. You’ll never understand.”

“Maybe I will.”

She was making him uncomfortable. He folded his arms across his chest and knew she would be persistent. “When I was your age, I was just like you.”
“How so?” She was curious now.

“I was defiant and wanted to be free to do what ever I wanted. I didn’t have a care in the world except for one thing, but I was shown a harsh reality. I didn’t know that my life wasn’t my own to live how I chose and the one thing that I wanted out of it was ripped from me. So what’s the point of being happy?”

“How does that make you just like me?”

He chuckled to himself. It was the first time she had seen any sort of smile or form of laughter from him. “Tell me, was it your choice to marry at 16?”

“No.”

“Was the man you married a man of your choosing?”

“No,” she shook her head and was starting not to like where he was going with this.

“Your life doesn’t belong to you, does it? As much as you want to believe that you are living it, it belongs to someone else and you have no choice in the matter. You’re life is not your own and just like I was, you aren’t old enough to know better.”

Allegra’s eyes were brimming with tears that were about to spill over at any second. He gave her a harsh dose of reality and when it set in, it hit her hard.

“Why didn’t you fight?” she asked as a tear slipped from her eye.

“You think I didn’t?” he said bitterly as he leaned forward. “I fought til there was no more fight left in me, but it didn’t matter.” She jumped when he slammed his fist down on the table. “I fought as hard as I could, but in the end, I was forced to walk away and never look back.”

“You were in love,” she said as more of a statement than a question.

He nodded and softened his expression. “Yes, but love is a myth for the stupid and the young to believe in.”

“What happened?” The tears were falling freely now.

Peter let out a long breath and focused his eyes on a napkin. “She was the most beautiful girl. Bright blue eyes that lit up when she smiled. I would have given up everything for one of those smiles. We were young and she got pregnant.”

“James?”

“Yes,” he nodded. “It wasn’t a problem for me that she was pregnant. I loved her and I wanted to marry her. My father wouldn’t have it. He said she wasn’t good enough for someone of my status.”

“What does that mean?”

“She was a maid. My father forbid us to be together and I didn’t listen. I snuck around behind his back and after a while he left me alone about it. When she got pregnant that was the last straw. He had her sent away until James was born.”

“That’s horrible,” Allegra cried.

“After my son was born, my father sold her to another household. I never saw her again.”

Allegra’s hand covered her mouth after realizing what he had just told her. “So, she’s alive?”

“I don’t honestly know,” he shrugged.

If she was still alive, then Matthew could be free. There was a sudden glimmer of hope in her eyes. If this woman were alive, she would try her hardest to find out. Freeing her husband would be the greatest gift she would be able to give him. “James doesn’t know, you have to tell him the truth.”

“The truth will only hurt him.”

“Peter, is that why you didn’t want him with Nina?”

He glanced at her and then quickly glanced away. “I didn’t want him to fall in love and get his hopes up.”

“Have you apologized to Nina?”

“Many times over,” he nodded.

“Oh Peter, I feel as if I should be the one apologizing to you now.”

“What ever for?”

“For judging you as a hard and bitter man.”

He laughed and rose from the table. “Allegra, make no mistake, I am a hard and bitter man.” As he walked towards the doorway to leave the room, Allegra stood from her chair to face him.

“Wait, please,” she pleaded.
He stopped in front of her and looked down in to her eyes. “What is it?”

Allegra didn’t respond with words. She walked into his chest and put her arms around his waist. She was hugging him and he didn’t know what to say to that. Peter returned the embrace by putting his arms around her and silently they stayed like that for just a moment. When Allegra pulled away, Peter walked out of the dining room wiping his own eyes leaving her standing there alone.