Bittersweet Endeavors (47 page)

With his cane in tow,
Lord Sutherling
hobbled down the hall until he approached her side and faced the The King. 
Myra
nervously smiled and curtsied.
  “Lord Sutherling,” she greeted politely when he finally reached her side. 

“Lady
Myra
,” he warmly welcomed.  He enveloped her hand
within
his
brittle and cold palm
and bowed over it.  “The K
ing has told me of your return
and good health
.  I’m happy to see you
are faring
well.”

“I
shall
arrange for your nuptials to take place two hours hence,”
T
he King called forward.

Nuptials?
 
Myra
flinched
and abruptly spun around and viewed Seth who mirrored her confounded expression
. 
“But Your Majesty
!”
Myra
interrupted
, shocked
,
and
she
sound
ed
more than unpleased
.  “
But
I do not wish to marry Lord Suther
l
ing.”

A few
shocked
ga
sps
resounded
inside
the room by her insolence
. 
She realized her
error,
and
Myra
continued
, but her next attempt was soft and soothing
.
  “
I apologize,
Y
our
M
ajesty, but if I may be so bold to speak?”
When King Charles looked at James,
his
expression of losing his patience
came
swift. 

Myra
sent James a
pleadin
g look, an
d
earnest
ly
appeal
ed to him
for his aid. 
She
needed
to
explain to
T
he
K
ing that she
wanted to
wed Seth. 
She
already informed
James
of her and Seth’s situation and
if
he still felt an
y
affection in his heart
for her
, he
would
help her now. 
James
hesitated
,
but after
Myra
sent
him
another
beseeching
expression
, he
returned
to
T
he
K
ing’s side. 

“My b
rother, if you
allow her a
moment of indulgence,” he began.
  “I believe you may understand her reason for outburst.  There are a great many
details
I didn’t
elaborate
on earlier.  There are extenuating circumstances that I
believe
you may wish to hear before you place
our dear cousin in
a
betrothal with our
ever faithful
Lord Suther
l
ing.”

“And what is it that needs further explanation?” he asked James, more than a bit
vexed
.  “Out of respect for my cousin, her father, I have arranged a good marriage
, and
she now
dares to challenge
my kindness?”

“
Nay
, Your Majesty, that isn’t my intent,”
Myra
exclaimed.  “I truly appreciate your act of
benevolence
, but—”

 
             
“You
shall
be silent,” King Charles
called out
,
annoyed
.  “
Did you forget how to show
obedience and respect for Y
our
K
ing
since living
in the colonies?”

Myra
lowe
red her head, ashamed that she
had taken
such liberties thus far with Her K
ing
, despite their familial association, albeit distant
.  Surely he
’
d
now be so angered
insomuch
that he wouldn’t
a
gree to a marriage between her and Seth
. 

“
The child entitled to Brunnington
, Your Majesty
,” James
interrupted
. “H
is father
is
to
who
m
she
wishes to
wed
.
”

“The
father?” he asked perplexed.  “
The child is not
that of
her
husband who died?”

Myra
looked up at
T
he
K
ing
and opened her mouth and closed it again
, not sure if
The King
found it
agreeable if she spoke.
 

“Speak,” he called out in frustration.  “
Now
you may speak.”

“
Nay
,
Your Majesty.  The man I wish
to marry killed my husband.”  That surely didn’t sound
appropriate
,
Myra
thought regrettably as an afterthought.
  She turned to Seth and gave a crooked smile and silently mouthed her apologies.

The King looked properly shocked and poor
Lord
Suther
l
ing took a few steps away from her.  Dear Lord,
she wondered
how
she could
explain
her situation
suitably
.
  “Your
Grace
,
please,
le
t me
clarify
,”
Myra
begged.
The king huffed out
,
disgust
ed,
and
any hope that
Myra
had with
ever being with Seth plummeted.  And when the King
waved his hand for her dismissal, all hope
had
died.

“Her husband was
Frederickson
,
Your Majesty
,” a voice called from the entry way.  “Zachary
Frederickson
.”  As the man approached the throne, he swept his heavily plumed
Tricorne
in the air and bowed before the king.
“Excuse my
intrusion, Your Grace.”

“
Thomas
!”
Myra
cried
out
.  She resisted the urge to embrace him, but his warm, ge
ntle eyes conveyed his intent
, as always,
on
rescuing her.

“
Your Grace
, if I may be so bold to speak?”
Thomas
asked.

“By all means,”
T
he King sarcastically quipped.  “
T
would
appear there’s no order in my court on this day.”
He shot a look of disparagement toward James.

“I apologize, Your
Grace
. 
I
came
to offer
information that
shall
enlighten you.”

“Then by all means,
give your account
.”

“As you are aware, I was sent to the colonies as an indenture so I may return proof of
Zachary
Frederickson
’s
treason
in regard to violating the
Navigational Act
.”

“
Aye
,
aye
, I’m aware of what your duties adhered.  He’s been conspiring with the Spaniards, I know.  I fail to see what th
at
has to do with
this
situation
!”

“
Aye, he has been conspiring with the Spaniards, but he has also been responsible for
piracy against our
own English ships
for their supplies
, and thus why I have been gone so long
.”  He paused a moment and looked at The King thoughtfully.  “Yet, his worse crime was discovered shortly after I arrived and
exposed
h
is true identity
as being
that of
Zachary
Ballentine
.”

The King sat upright in his chair and
stiffened
.  “My father’s traitor!”

“Aye,” Thomas said. “Among all his
depraved
deeds, tis his
worse offense against the crown
…
a conspirator who
was
in part
responsible for your father’s death. 
Her husband, Frederickson, was
that man
.”

“You married my enemy?’ h
e
shouted at
Myra
.

“Not willingly, Your Majesty,
”
she said defensively.

“Continue,”
T
he
K
ing ordered
to
Thomas
.

“T’was when I was on the ship tha
t I discovered young
Myra
.  I recognized her immediately as Lord Brunnington’s daughter. 
T’was not
until I sent a
letter
to England that I learned of her and her
parent’s
disappearance.
There was obvious foul play
involved
when I saw
her
predicament
. 
I took it upon myself to keep her safe once she arrived at Ballentine
’s
estate
in the colonies
.”

“Th
at
do
esn’t explain to me why she
married my enemy, Witcliff
,” T
he King said.

“Without revealing my identity, I couldn’t prevent the marriage,
Your Grace
.  Once Ballentine learned of
her true identity
, he set out
and forced her into a marriage
. 
T’was
his plan to return to court
as your new cousin-in-law
, Your majesty.  He
hope
d
to
find favo
u
r
and forgiveness
with
you by way of familial loyalty
.”

“Bah,” the king snorted out.  “He could come to my court laced in gold and present himself to me
as a gift,
and I’d still cut him down where he stood.”

“
Aye
, but Ballentine was maddened
.  He was
hopeful for a reunion with you
, willing
to do anything to regain your trust,
and that included
forcing Lady
Myra
into the unwanted marriage.”

“I’m beginning to understand,”
T
he King offered. “Was this marriage consummated?” he asked.

“
Nay
, our marriage was only by name,
”
Myra replied.

“I see,” he nodded
.

“W
hat of this other man?
” The King asked,
“
The
child’s
true father?”

The Duke
pointed toward Seth who stood anxiously on the other side of the room. 
‘“He
’
s the
father and the
one who’s resp
onsible for killing
our
enemy
Ballentine
,” James offered.