Destiny of the Heart (Viking Destiny) (6 page)

It seemed she would be handing out several such
apologies that day because she had also demanded that
Meloney be awakened with all due haste. She regretted the
hour being so early, but she had to be assured of Meloney's
assistance before she could do anything. After the events of
the previous night, Kristen's time was running out and she had
to settle her future quickly. As she continued her pacing,
Kristen caught a glimpse of herself in one of the window
panes. She gasped at the sight and swore bloody vengeance
on Derrick if she ever so much as laid eyes on him again.

She looked like hell twice over, and really, having spent
the last two weeks there, she should rightly look it.
Unfortunately, Meloney's servants wouldn't know her troubles
and were likely to talk something fierce, which meant that just
about everyone in London was going to know she turned up
on Meloney's doorstep looking battered and roughed up, at an
ungodly hour. With Meloney's husband out of town, it probably
wouldn't look good for Meloney, either. Kristen sighed
because if she didn't relieve the pent up emotions, she might
just burst into tears.

When Kristen concocted this hare-brained scheme of
running away from home and proposing marriage to someone,
she didn't think about what it could do to Meloney's reputation.
Not to mention, if Kristen's life were in danger, then Meloney's
might be, as well. The thought of something happening to
Meloney because of her gave Kristen pause, and she bit her
lip as she thought more about what she was asking her friend
to do. Perhaps the safer option would have been to be
Derrick's mistress. But, that thought only angered her further,
so she pushed it out of her mind.

She was so involved in her thoughts that she didn't
hear the footsteps in the hallway, nor did she hear anyone
enter the room.

“Kristen, what's the matter?” Meloney asked, sleep still
heavy in her voice.
Kristen started at the sound of Meloney's voice and
turned to her, running when she finally saw her. The tears she
had been fighting all night could no longer be denied and they
fell profusely over her bruised face. Getting a good look at her
in the light, Chester had the grace to look ashen and contrite
in his earlier treatment of her, so he began backing out of the
room before his presence became a source of irritation for the
lady again.
Meloney saw her friend's face and gasped, horror and
concern competing for dominance in her features. She held
her crying friend and walked her to the couch, then
immediately ordered Chester to her bidding before he could
leave the room while she gently patted Kristen's back.
“Chester, we're going to have an early morning. Please
wake Mrs. Sterling and have her prepare breakfast ”
“No, Meloney, please do not disturb your household
any further on my account.” Kristen pleaded miserably.
“Posh! My household thrives on being disturbed.
Nothing they like more. Now, as I was saying, have Mrs.
Sterling bring me a wrapped slab of cold meat when she
brings in the tea. Be sure she brings both straight away; by the
looks of it we'll need the tea to fortify us. Kristen love, your
face is going to bruise something terrible. Have Kristen's
normal room prepared properly and a bath taken up to be
ready when she goes upstairs. Tell Nelly to get two or three of
my dresses out for Kristen's use and prepare an appointment
with my seamstress as soon as the hour turns decent. Also,
bring me the witch hazel and some cotton swabs. Thank you
Chester, that will be all for now.” She waved her hand to
dismiss him.
“Wait!” Kristen cried.
Both Chester and Meloney looked at Kristen. Chester
was wary, but Meloney was merely curious, not yet aware of
what had transpired between them earlier. Kristen jumped up
from the sofa and walked quickly to the dear butler. She took
his hands in hers and smiled as best she could with her face
now swollen to twice its normal size.
“Chester, I'm truly sorry for my behavior this morning. I
had no right to be so rude.” She said, keeping eye contact so
that he knew she was sincere.
“Lady Kristen, please do not fash yourself. I was merely
surprised at the hour and should most assuredly apologize to
you for lecturing when it is not my place. I do assure you that it
won't happen again.” He pulled his hands from her grasp and
gave a formal bow, but Kristen wasn't mollified.
As soon as he rose from his bow, Kristen embraced
him with a hug and then kissed his cheek. “Chester, you're a
dear, dear man. Please, never change.” She smiled warmly
and then returned to her seat on the sofa with Meloney.
Chester rubbed his cheek and smiled fondly. He had
always enjoyed having Lady Kristen visit for she was a warm
girl. A little odd, but always very pleasant. He had been
surprised by her abrasiveness this morning, but he quite forgot
about it as soon as he saw her face. The poor girl had
probably been through hell and back and here he was
lecturing her about the time when she was in need of their
help. And then, to have her apologize to him? He felt very
much like a pompous ass.
“Very good, m'ladies. I'll just leave you to your
conversation.” He bowed out of the room and went to do his
bidding. After he left, Kristen returned her attention to
Meloney. She didn't know why, but she was quite nervous.
Perhaps because her future hung precariously in the balance?
“Thank you for your kindness, but I do not wish to
trouble you Mel.” She said, using her childhood nickname for
her dearest friend.
“Nonsense, love. You're never a trouble. You're my
best friend and as such, you're welcome at any hour, any time,
regardless of what Chester says.” She added the last bit in a
teasing manner, trying to entice a smile from Kristen. It
worked. “Now then, since we have you smiling a bit, what the
bloody hell is going on?”
Mel was a no nonsense kind of woman. She spoke her
mind and didn't give a fig for what anyone thought. Kristen
could remember getting into many a scuffle because Mel had
said the wrong thing to the wrong person in their younger
days. They both seemed to think it adventurous at the time.
Kristen's mother had taught her how to fight and defend
herself when she was younger, to protect her from her
mother's past she had said at the time, and it was something
Kristen practiced constantly. She had relished the opportunity
to wipe the floor with someone who had taken offense to
whatever Mel had said, and it was how they had come to be
friends. They were at school together, and Mel was being
picked on by a group of three girls who didn't like the way Mel
had said some word. Kristen had stepped in and punched the
lot of them. They had been inseparable ever since.
Growing up, Kristen never had any serious beaus. They
were all too afraid she would beat them if they crossed her the
wrong way, but that suited Kristen just fine. She had seen
what men could be like and didn't have an interest in settling
down. She didn't want to end up in a marriage she abhorred
as her mother had. Mel, on the other hand, didn't have a
problem in this area, save her mouth that got her into trouble
with men later. But, she had learned to curb her directness a
little by her first season out and had been considered the
reigning debutante that year. Kristen had been in Italy with her
mother at the time, having told her mother she had no desire
to be a debutante, but instead wished to travel Europe before
having to settle down.
Meloney was married off that first year, and it was a
love match according to her. It wasn't a wonder that Guy
Atchkinson fell head over heels in love with Mel. She had long
black hair, which she usually wore down instead of the current
fashion which was to wear it up, that was straight and glossy.
Her eyes were of a cobalt blue and they sparkled with such
mischief, you couldn't help but to smile. She had skin of
peaches and cream with the most adorable freckles across
her cheeks and nose; it was a wonder the whole of London
wasn't head over heels in love with her. Her outrageous
fashion and charm had won many a man over that season, but
the disreputable rake, Guy Atchkinson had won her over
completely.
Kristen thought their story was rather romantic. It was
the fairy tale every girl secretly dreamed of, whether she
realized it or not. A former rake was the best husband to have
because they reformed for love. Every woman wanted to have
a man change their ways for her, to prove she was the most
worthy goal in his life. Nice guys are well and good, but
women want a man they've tamed themselves. But, with Mel
and Guy, Kristen was genuinely glad they had found each
other. Mel's no-nonsense attitude was rather abrasive to most
men, and Mel had admitted to fears of being alone forever
because of it. To Guy, she was the perfect woman, and he
loved her for her frankness.
Mel tried to explain the feelings that Guy evoked in her,
but Kristen had never felt that way before and couldn't
understand the power they could hold over a person. After
meeting Derrick Shane face-to-face, she most certainly
understood them now, however much she wished she didn't.
The man was positively infuriating, and she was still smarting
over his obscene request that she become his mistress. But, it
was better to put thoughts of him from her mind and get on
with the business of finding a husband.
"Mel, it is a long story and I need some help, but I fear
asking you to get involved." Kristen said at last.
"Then let me save you the trouble, I'm quite involved.
Now, get on with the story, if you please."
Kristen smiled. That was simply Mel's way. No matter
what Kristen said or did, Mel was there to help. But, it did ease
Kristen's mind tremendously that she was willing to help.
"You're a dear friend, and I thank you for your
willingness to help, but it would be best if you heard the whole
story first, and then made your decision. You have your own
family to look after now."
"Posh! You're just as much a part of my family as Guy,
and he would understand besides. Now, do tell me what is
going on dearest. You have me a little worried."
“This whole ordeal is absolutely horrible. You would not
believe the troubles I've had in the last two weeks.” Kristen
stopped as the parlor door opened.
Chester finally arrived with Mrs. Sterling, the tea, and
the cold meat. Mrs. Sterling took one look at Kristen and tsked
to herself. She had been with the Atchkinson’s since before
Mel married Guy, and like Chester, she felt she had a right to
take certain liberties. She spoke her piece when she was of a
mind to do so and now was one of those times.
“Pardon my saying so, Lady Kristen, but I hopes you
gave the bleedin' bastard that did that to ye a swift kick in
his...”
Chester cleared his throat loudly, effectively cutting off
whatever Mrs. Sterling had been about to say. She humphed
at being interrupted and gave him a scathing look promising
his lunch would be cold that day. She emptied the tray,
curtsied to the ladies, and stormed out of the room. Meloney
and Kristen waited until Chester left the room before they
burst into a fit of laughter.
“You know, the look on Chester's face was absolutely
priceless. He still gets so boorish with Mrs. Sterling whenever
she speaks out like that. It really is too bad of him for she has
the most devilishly interesting things to say.” Mel said between
laughs.
“Well, it certainly was worth it. I've not laughed this hard
since before my mother died.” Kristen added.
At the mention of her mother, both ladies sobered
somewhat and remembered the situation at hand.
“I guess it would be prudent to start at the beginning,
Mel.” Kristen sighed. She hadn't been looking forward to this
part.
Kristen relayed the entire story beginning with her
suspicions about her mother's death, the several attempts on
her own life, and the marriage contract with Derrick Shane and
his subsequent refusal. She explained how her stepfather had
proposed marriage and had taken to locking her in her room
when she had flatly refused to even consider it, her planned
escape, her run in with the thug in the cave that had given her
the bruise on her face, and her showdown with Derrick, the
rogue that he was.
While she had been relaying all of the details to Mel,
her friend had tended to her wounds. Mel cleaned her cuts
and scrapes with the witch hazel and placed the cold slab of
meat over Kristen's bruised face, forcing her head back
against the sofa. When Kristen finished her tale, she looked
imploringly at her friend, hoping she had a solution that would
get her out of this mess, and that she still felt like being of
assistance.
"Well then, is that all?" Mel teased.
Kristen laughed softly.
"Listen, my decision to assist you in whatever way I can
has not changed. The circumstances surrounding your
mother's death are quite fishy, to be sure, but everyone in your
family has died in some weird way or another. You know my
theories on the matter; they've not changed."
Kristen rolled her eye that wasn't covered with raw
meat. "Mel, it seems ridiculous to me that anyone from
Norway would be here to kill us."
"And why not? It is perfectly reasonable given you're
the last rightful heir to the throne. Perhaps the plan was to kill
you off, one by one, until you were no longer a threat."
"But we moved here." Kristen insisted, refusing to
believe that her family died for greed.
"Yes, but it was always your grandfather's wish for you
to return. You know that."
"I'm not a ruler."
"But, you are. You just have to accept that."
Kristen fell quiet, not wishing to argue with her friend,
but that subject was one her and her mother had disagreed on
quite a bit. The plan had always been that one day they would
return to Norway and reclaim their throne, by force if
necessary. Her grandfather had been concerned for their
people, but Kristen suspected he also missed being important.
He had servants here, but it wasn't the same as being
responsible for an entire country. Still, Kristen believed that
they should leave the past in the past. Since it was through
her generation they were hoping to return, she made it clear
she wanted no part of it. Many, many arguments erupted over
that news. But, as far as Kristen was concerned, ruling
Norway was a death trap for them all. Fat lot of good it was
now since they were all dead anyway.
Mel noted the despondency in her friend and decided to
drop the subject for now. She knew Kristen well enough to
know that when she fell silent, there would be no more
discussion of that particular topic. Mel didn't understand
Kristen's reluctance. She was a genuine princess, and her
heritage had been robbed from her, but Kristen was perfectly
happy to remain in England. Still, they had other matters to
discuss, so Mel knew it was best to move on for now.
"We'll get back to that subject another time. Suffice it to
say, death attempts or not, you have my help."
"Thank you." Kristen said gratefully.
Mel nodded. "Now then, this situation with your
stepfather is abominable. You will need to find a husband, and
right quickly too because if Ashby forces himself on you, you
won't have a choice after that.
“I know, I was thinking the same thing. I hope you have
some ideas, or at the very least, some prospects that I could
work with. I don't have to love the man, but someone I could at
least like would be ideal.”
Mel sat back against the sofa and tapped her forefinger
to her cheek thoughtfully. Finally, she spoke.
“Yes, I think Derrick Shane would be an excellent
match, m'dear.”
Kristen, who sat up and was in the process of sipping
her tea, spewed the contents all over Mel.