EDWINA (Sample)

Chapter Two

He nodded and dismissed the servant when he saw the woman smiling at him. She was standing aloof, beside one of the large windows and away from the dance floor, she raised her goblet to acknowledged him and beckon him with her head to come over. Hector forced a smile and muttered under his breath. Not again! He made his way through the guests and reached her. "Lady Hendrick." He smiled again and kissed the back of her hand whose fingers were adorned with rings of various gems.

She leered and scrutinized him from head to foot. "I expected you to be more royally dressed..." She tugged at his sleeve. "Not in casual clothes."

"Well, this suits my mood and the occasion." He said, trying not to sound terse.

Lady Hendrick was a widow who had accumulated the wealth of her husband after his death. She was a young woman in her early forties which made her more than ten years older than Hector. Ever since her husband's death, she had had an eye for Hector, but Hector as usual wasn't interested in any woman. Even though Lady Hendrick was a wealthy noble woman, he felt that there was still something disgusting about her character, she was proud and too imposing and in addition, she was sardonic and that did not earn her a lot of friends which was the reason why she was all by herself in the hall.

"The little flirts!" Lady Hendrick glared at the dancing female entertainers. "They gave you quite a tough time...nothing but gold diggers and whores, their lot are... They must have embarrassed you greatly, Hector."

"No." Hector smiled. "It was not embarrassing...it was... how will I describe it?...fun." Hector replied in spite. He had figured out that Lady Hendrick was always known to find faults in other women or people but always self-appraising.

"I was going to invite you over to my place for tea, this weekend, what say you, Hector?" She beamed up at him with a flirty smile, adjusting the pendant of the sapphire necklace that rested on her chest above her exposes cleavages.

Hector thought for a while, he remembered the last time she had obliged her invitation, she had intentionally got him drunk and had almost cajoled him in his drunken state to have sex with her and unfortunately for her, Hector's personal servant, Cyril had come in at that moment to deliver a message to Hector, thereby disrupting her plans.

He knew how desperate Lady Hendrick was and she was definitely the last person he'd ever think of taking to his bed. "My apologies but I'll have to refuse your invitation milady."

A frown crossed her face. "Why?"

"I won't be in Avalon for long... I have a task I must prepare for in two days' time." Hector replied.

"How about tonight?" She asked, definitely desperate. "We could leave together for my place, immediately after the banquet."

Hector pursed his lips and shook his head. "I can't. As a prince, It is my duty to be present in the castle."

Her hopeful smile slowly faded and she said feebly. "Perhaps, some other time."

Hector almost visibly sighed in relief and he turned his attention away from her to scan the crowd for any sign of Cyril, his personal servant, and he found him trying to woo a young maiden, he smiled to himself, hoping that Cyril succeeded in winning the maiden before he was bullied away by the knights or soldiers.

His smile waned when he noticed someone else. He watched Edwina maneuvering her way through the crowd at the far side of the hall towards the exit to carry out the Queen's orders which had been whispered to her ear. Hector searched the crowd for Cornelius but found no sign of him, the royal physician didn't fancy merrymaking because he felt he was too old for such. Hector suddenly realized that Lady Hendrick was talking to him again, her gaze steady on his face and her hand, held out towards him, she was asking for a dance.