The Traitor's Daughter (Complete)

Part 45-Visitors from St. Helene

 "Do you believe it, Nan, she refused me?" Luke asked in an incredulous tone.

Nan heard him out, secretly smiling to herself. She knew him, and his high-handed ways. No doubt, a self-respecting girl like Zena would have refused his offer of marriage.

"I'm sure you misunderstood her reply," she suggested.

"No way, Nan. She was very clear and definite about it. Doesn't she care about the royal bloodline?"

Oh, so that was how it went. Nan chuckled privately. Why should Zena care two hoots for the bloodline of the man who had destroyed her father and made her go through hell? She had more sense than that.

"I suggest that Your Highness summon her here, and try to make her understand the importance of it," Dave suggested, picking up one of the wafer-thin chicken sandwiches Nan had served them with tea.

Luke had specially come below stairs, something rarely done by a ruler, to see Nan in her room. He was agitated and impatient. Nan could see that his ego had taken a beating, and he wanted her to comfort him as she would do in his childhood when he fell from a tree or tumbled down the stairs.

"Are you daft, Lord Dave?" Nan chided him. "She does not need any stress at this time, I'm sure. In her condition, she should rest and relax as much as possible."

Dave looked at her sheepishly, his ears growing red. Luke stood up from the couch and paced inside the tiny room like a caged tiger.

"I won't sit quietly, Nan. I will show her that I mean business, even if I have to snatch the child from her," he bit through his teeth.

Nan was aghast. "You can't do that, son. That's not the way to act with people."

"That's the only option left after Zena refused my offer of marriage. No heir to the throne shall be allowed to be brought up like an ordinary citizen," Luke huffed, his face reflecting the affront he felt at Zena's answer to his proposal.

"No child of yours would be safe, sire, in any place other than the palace. You know that Wilfred is out somewhere, plotting against you," Dave remarked, a frown creasing his brow.

"There, Nan. See, am I not right in wanting her here? Why doesn't she understand that this is for her own good?" Luke asked, spreading his hands in an appeal.

Nan exhaled a heartfelt breath. What Dave had said was true to some extent. Wilfred was on the run and as long as he wasn't apprehended, he would continue to pose a threat to the throne. No contender to the throne was safe from his machinations. All these years, no woman had ever come forward to claim that she was carrying a royal heir, but Zena was with child and a royal child at that. Her life was definitely at a risk.

"Don't worry, Luke. I will go there myself to convince her. Get a carriage prepared tomorrow morning," she said and saw his face light up.

He hugged her, picking her up in his arms and twirling with her around the room.

"Stop it, Luke, you're making me dizzy," Nan exclaimed, laughing.

"You're a dear, Nan. I knew you would agree with me. Tell that stupid woman that she can't afford to reject my offer," he said, placing her on her feet once again.

The next morning, Nan climbed inside the carriage, Peggy by her side, and settled back on the comfortable seat. She had got up at the crack of dawn, completed her ablutions and after a hurried meal of porridge, they left for the little village where Zena lived.

The way was long and the road was bumpy. The carriage jolted with its movements, and Nan groaned as her bones jarred.

"The Lord be praised! This is no place for a woman of my age. I should have been in my room now, pottering about, instead of putting my old bones into danger," she commented, sighing in regret at having agreed to undertake the journey. What she wouldn't do for her beloved boy!

"Are we really going to meet Zena?" Peggy asked, her eyes rounded with disbelief.

"Yes, girl. Apparently, they live somewhere in a remote village in the countryside."

The carriage rolled on, and Nan cursed intermittently, tapping at the roof to ask the coachman to stop at intervals so she could stretch her legs. At length, they reached the outskirts of the village, nestled among the hills and with a stream flowing by.

"How long now?" Peggy glance out and asked the guard trotting beside on his horse.

"We're almost there."

After another twenty minutes, the carriage came to a stop in front of a fenced building, clearly a farmhouse. It was made of red bricks and wood, with a vine trailing it, a small chimney spewing out smoke, and with considerable lands adjoining it and a barn in the distance. The bucolic setting was far removed from the stylish residence of Lord Martin in St. Helene, but it was picture-perfect and looked peaceful.

The guard held open the door of the buggy and Nan climbed down, groaning at the stiffness in her joints. Peggy followed, exclaiming in delight at the scene ahead.

They were met at the gate by a rather cocky young man, who introduced himself as Jack.

"Please inform inside that Nan has come all the way from St. Helene," Nan ordered him, fanning herself. The journey had been a tiring one and she was feeling dizzy.

Minutes later, Zena ran out, all flushed and excited.

"Nan," she exclaimed, "I can't believe my eyes."

Rushing to the old woman, Zena enveloped her in a warm hug, kissing her cheek.

"Easy child," Nan scolded. "You must learn to walk slowly in your condition. No rushing anywhere, girl."

"I can't help myself, dear Nan. It is such a pleasant surprise to find you here. And you too, Peggy," she said, taking the other girl's hand and kissing her cheek too.

The little party went inside, where Zena introduced them to Jane and they were settled comfortably in the parlor. Amidst, tea and scones, Zena asked them the reason for the journey.

"Has Luke sent you here, Nan? Let me tell you, happy as I am to see you, my answer won't change. I can't marry a man who doesn't love me but only wants his heir," she blurted out breathlessly.

Nan placed a hand on hers and squeezed in comfort. Zena's eyes were swimming with moisture, and Nan knew that Luke's insensitivity had hurt her badly. Zena was one of those rare women who bestowed their love on a man for good. Nan knew that deep down, she had never stopped loving Luke, though that love had been eclipsed by the ensuing unfortunate events. She had her work cut out to make her accept Luke's proposal.

"Would you not hear me out, child? I made this tedious journey just to see you. Believe me, had my purpose been only to convey Luke's offer, I wouldn't have come," she explained patiently.

"Then, what does he want from me now, Nan?" Zena asked, tears tumbling down her cheeks.