His Princess Mate

9 - Returned

დRoseდ

I couldn’t be more relieved to finally be alone once again. The meeting with Lady Adeline had proved to be difficult and tiresome. I wanted nothing more than to go to my bedchamber and get back into bed. However, I knew that this was not going to happen, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. I still had other duties to complete for the day as the princess and yet, I somehow longed to be back at that horrible school. At least there we had a schedule and I always felt prepared. I had not been prepared for someone like Lady Adeline. The older woman had been fierce and persistent. I wasn’t sure what her problem was, but I had a feeling she didn’t want me around. Of course, it had been years since my mother had left and that meant Lady Adeline had been running the show since then. I sighed as I leaned back against the sofa and closed my eyes. I groaned as I remembered that I had a meeting with the servants about the castle’s upkeep and although I wasn’t looking forward to that, at least I had prepared for it. A loud knock on the office door drew my attention and I quickly sat up straight as I called out for whoever it was to enter. Viviane appeared and I couldn’t help but notice the panic in her eyes.

“Your mother!” she exclaimed, and I frowned. “She is here!” I shot up from my seat when she said that, and I hurried toward her.

“Has my father seen her yet?” I frantically asked as I left the office.

“No, madam, she asked for you…” Viviane informed me. I hurried down the hallway and quickly descended the stairs. “She is in the sunroom,” she added, and I nodded as I made my way to the sunroom. I wasn’t sure what I had been expecting but when I entered, I stopped. There she was, standing by the window, looking out and her appearance was completely different from the other morning. A pale-yellow dress hugged her tall figure, and her hair was piled on top of her head in a romantic way that complimented her.

“Mother!” I gasped as she turned around to face me.

“Rose,” she said with a smile. “I told you I would return,” I nodded as I slowly entered the room. “Is your father around?” she then asked, and I quickly turned to Viviane. Without a word, she left to inform my father. I turned back around to face my mother. “Goodness Rose, you look like you’ve seen a ghost!” she laughed at her own joke and made her way to the two-seater sofa. “I do hope your servant brings us a pot of tea,”

“I’m sure she will,” I mumbled as I moved around the sofa to stare at her. “I can’t believe you are really here,” I then whispered as I sat down in my favorite armchair.

“I said I would be,” she remarked, and I nodded.

“Indeed, you did,” I wasn’t sure what more to say, even though my mind was filled with a million questions. However, I had no idea where to even begin and when my father came into the sunroom, my mother stood up to face him.

“Lucinda?” he asked curiously even though he recognized her. I watched the interaction as my mother nodded. “What on earth? Where have you been all this time?” he asked. He had yet to move towards her and my mother waved her hand dismissively as she sat back down.

“Come now Walter, take a seat then we can talk,” she said slowly. My father paused before he finally came over to his armchair and sat down. I could tell that he was rather surprised by the turn of events and as much as I wanted to say something, I knew better to wait.

“What are you doing here?” he asked her, and I frowned. I remained silent as I waited to hear the story, I had been waiting to hear my whole life. Both my father and I stared at her in question.

“Does it matter where I’ve been? What I’ve done or even why I am back?” she questioned. When no one answered her, she sighed heavily. “I’ve traveled around, been here and there,”

“Oh,” I whispered. I suppose I had been waiting for something more detailed.

“I haven’t found a new home or family if that is what you are thinking…I have literally just been traveling around the world, visiting places I always read about,” when she said this, she glanced over at me, and I blushed. “Do you remember the hours we spent in the library, Rose?”

“I do, mother,”

“Good, now, the reason I’ve come back is simply that I wish to settle down,” her reason seemed false and even my father raised a curious eyebrow. “Oh, come now, Walter, you knew I was a free spirit,” she added before she leaned forward and tried to reach out to him. My father didn’t move, and I watched as she slowly retreated. “I suppose I should’ve given you both a reason before I just suddenly left,”

“Do you think so?” my father snapped. “I still cannot believe you are really here,” he said, more to himself as he slowly shook his head.

“I can understand the surprise…with me showing up after all this time and I’ll answer any questions that you have,” my mother said just as Viviane entered carrying a tray. “I suppose my only question to the two of you is, am I welcome to stay?”

“For how long?” my father questioned, and I threw him a look. “What? I’m not stupid enough to believe that she is here to stay forever,” he said to me, and I sighed as I glanced at my mother. She was watching Viviane prepare the tea.

“I’m not sure for how long,” Lucinda finally said as she looked over at him. “A few weeks or so…” she wasn’t sure of herself, and I frowned as I studied her features.

“You are looking rather well,” I commented.

“I’ve taken good care of myself,” she responded as she took the offered cup from Viviane. “Things haven’t always been easy for me, but I managed,” she added before taking a small sip.

“Things haven’t been easy for me either,” I pointed out as Viviane handed over my cup.

“How so?” my mother questioned curiously. “I heard you went to school,”

“Yes, school, isn’t that fun?” I drawled out as my father threw me a warning look. I ignored him as I put the cup down on the side table. “I mean, going to school is one thing but going to a boarding school millions of miles away and not coming home during the holidays…oh yeah, so much fun!”

“Your sarcasm is not needed here, Rose!” Walter snapped irritated. I shrugged as I picked up my cup. “Although she has a point, Lucinda,”

“In other words, if I had stayed, you would not have sent her away?” she questioned my father. I already knew the answer to this.

“Of course not! You were supposed to help raise our daughter but instead, you left! You went to travel the world instead of being here!” it was clear that he was angry now and I shrank back against my seat.

“Am I welcome to stay here, or should I book into a motel?” my mother asked casually as she chose to ignore my father’s outburst.

“You are welcome to stay here,” he said before he stood up. “I have work to finish,” he added before he rushed out of the room. Silence hung in the air, and I sighed rather loudly as I faced my mother.

“Why did you come back?” I asked her softly.

“I heard you were back home,” she revealed. “You have to understand that my feelings for your father have long ago disappeared. I waited for your return,” I nodded slowly as I considered her words. Her feelings for my father had disappeared but was that before or after she left. I opened my mouth, ready to ask her exactly that but then I quickly squeezed my lips together. Lucinda seemed to pick up on my discomfort and she gave me a small smile. “Your father and I…well, we loved each other once, but time has passed and things have changed,”

“Is that why you left us?” I blurted out. I clasped my hand over my mouth, but it was too late. The question had been asked and judging from the look on her face, she had not been expecting it.

“I left because this was not the type of life I wanted to live. At first, I thought I could stay here, be a mother, be a queen, be a wife, but the more time that went by, the more I felt as if I was being suffocated…” her voice trailed off and I watched as she lifted her chin and sniffed the air. I frowned as I watched her and when she faced me, I could’ve sworn her eyes were a shade darker. “You didn’t tell me you’ve been running around with the wolves,” she scolded. I shook my head as I giggled at her accusation.

“I have no idea what that is supposed to mean,” I said as I straighten out my dress.

“Madam, Sir Henry is here to see you,” Viviane suddenly announced, and my eyes went wide as I stood up. Henry suddenly entered the room and the tension in the air was so thick that I stumbled backward. The heated gaze that passed between my mother and Henry was enough to have me at a loss for words.

“You!” he spat out.

“Me, indeed,” came Lucinda’s snarky reply.

“What are you doing here?” he questioned as he came around the sofa to face her. “I should just-”

“We have company,” she said sternly, interrupting him. Henry glanced over his shoulder to look at me and I felt the tingles move up my spine in such an erotic way that I shivered. Henry frown before facing my mother once again.

“What are you doing here?” he asked her again.

“Well…I am here to see my daughter,” she said with a smirk. I had no idea what was going on as I looked between them.

“You two know each other?” I asked curiously.

“Ai, I’ve been chas-”

“He has been looking for me,” Lucinda said as she stood up, once again interrupting him. “I owe him some money,” she added. I knew she was lying. I caught the way they looked at each other. “I’ll leave you two alone…for now,” she said before she left the sunroom.

“Henry…what is going on?” I asked him as I reached out to touch his arm. Henry hissed in response before he started to pace.

“Lucinda is your mother…how did I not see that?” he asked himself and I sighed as I sat back down. “She is her mother! Her mother!”

“Henry, calm down,” I suggested but he continued to pace and talk to himself. I frowned as I listened to him babble on. It was clear that there was something far more sinister going on than simply money.

“Do you know…do you know anything about what your mother has been up to?” he suddenly questioned me, and I frowned as I gazed over at him. I slowly shook my head, and he made a weird animalistic sound.

“Henry, you are starting to scare me,” I admitted and when he turned to look at me, the look in his eyes made me catch my breath.

“You should be scared, Rose, very scared,”