Lady Trent (6 page)

He brought his steps to a gradual halt and
turned so that they faced one another. His expression and voice
were very serious when he asked, “Have I disrespected you in any
way?”

She did not have to think before answering.
“No, not at all.”

“And I
would
not,” he vowed, adding,
“ever. That is my promise to you. And you mustn’t forget the other.
I meant what I said…every word of it, even down to your virtue and
the keeping of it. I would not pressure you to lose it. Do you
believe me? If not I will spend more time between now and tomorrow
evening trying to convince you of it.”

“You needn’t trouble yourself. Although I do
not comprehend a man such as yourself inviting such an arrangement,
I do believe you. I think you mean well.”

He pleasantly studied her until a sparrow
flew overhead catching his eye. He inhaled a slow deep breath, and
she found herself deciding once and for all that Jacob Trent was a
reasonable man.

“This afternoon and evening I will be
entertaining two very dear friends. They are visiting this day and
departing on the morrow. It is getting close to time. I should go
and prepare myself. My hope is that you will join me.”

She began walking back with him, agreeing to
do that very thing. She recalled the entire conversation they’d
shared after they had separated, he to his quarters to prepare
himself, she to hers to do the same. Of course, Tilly assisted in
selecting the most appropriate garments: a peach-colored gown that
belled out below and trailed behind, a silk shawl to match,
fastened together in the front by a small gold buckle in the shape
of a dove. But this time when Tilly insisted she do so, she refused
to look at herself in the mirror, for she was by now exhausted with
guilt. If she appeared anywhere near as attractive as she
felt…well, those reminders of humility and modesty would surely vex
her.

The afternoon went well and on into the
evening. She was introduced to the duke and duchess of Tarot, an
extravagant middle-aged couple. All thanks to Tilly, her entrance
was a successful one. The maiden had let her in on a little
secret.

“The duchess is known for making strict
comparisons between her own and the looks of other noble ladies.
She judges herself most harshly. You should not be too impressively
adorned…for her sake, milady, and Lord Trent’s. The bond between
him and the duke are most valuable to him.”

But there was absolutely nothing less than
impressive in the entire wardrobe…only tucked away in her two
suitcases that had not been unpacked.

She and Jacob were a distinguished couple,
standing side by side, she in her elegant gown, he his breeches,
vest and waistcoat, a scarf draped about his shoulders; an
impressive outfit in itself. He secretly acknowledged that some
advice must have been given, and he appreciated her all the more
for taking it.

The duchess of Tarot’s gown was as equally
stunning as the jewelry she proudly donned: a golden necklace with
a diamond locket, pearl bracelets, diamond rings on fingers and in
earlobes. If Rachel was not mistaken a shadow of appreciation
crossed over her features as she realized Jacob’s companion had not
purposely set out to exceed her.

Rachel had wondered how Jacob would introduce
her, and was pleased when he did so simply by her usual title. The
duchess raised a curious brow at this. “Rachel the Elder,” she
slowly repeated, “of Westerly. This name I have heard.”

She would later elaborate as they sat alone
in the parlor, after the two men had left them alone without an
excuse, speaking in private side by side as they exited through the
doors.

Rachel had handled herself with ease at the
table where dinner was served and wine along with it. Unlike her
companions, she chose water and tea instead. She noted a hint of
disappointment in Jacob’s eyes as her refusal of the wine became
symbolic of that fact that she would, indeed, decline his
proposal.

They spent the entire afternoon and much of
the evening with the duke and duchess. The visit seemed mostly due
to some instruction from the emperor although little time was spent
discussing whatever the matter was. Jacob and the duke often talked
quietly between themselves, and eventually left Rachel and the
duchess alone although in the care of two guards who stood by ever
prepared to protect if the need arose.

“May I ask what brings you to the Great
City?” The duchess asked with her usual soft, skillful voice. Her
monotone rarely changed, she never truly smiled, and her expression
rarely altered. She was quite sophisticated and elegant, and Rachel
inwardly disagreed with her fears—she was unlikely any less
attractive than the other noble ladies, and she felt like saying
so.

“I had assumed you knew.”

“I know that you reside in Westerly, my
darling, and that you are an advocate of the Sacred Sisterhood.
Your name has been associated with the continuance of that pitiful
community. You are commended as having an ability to govern a
people who would elsewhere be denoted for variable causes.”

“I am hardly a governor of the people,”
Rachel reasoned, thinking these descriptions equally as stunning as
Father Nelson’s. She was fast starting to wonder why and how anyone
at all was aware of her. “Westerly is not governed by one person
alone. We have a mayor and a sheriff, and a priest who takes part
in the administration of the town. And we all work together.” She
paused a moment before asking, “How have you heard these
things?”

The duchess sat like a queen now, her back
straight and the fingers of one hand holding gently to the stem of
her wineglass. “Did you not know? The emperor at one time
considered eradicating the town altogether and using that land for
some more valuable cause—what exactly I assure I don’t know. I do
not participate in political conversations, nor do I care to know
much about them. Clearly, he decided against it and left things as
they are. Surrounding nobles have also made requests for it, and
still do, which he ultimately denies.”

The duchess had obviously paid more attention
to political conversations than she realized…or cared to admit. It
dawned on Rachel that the conditions of Westerly, although noted
and recognized, were simply and bluntly overlooked and ignored.

“The priest of Tarot Palace once made mention
of you. Yours is not a title one forgets. I cannot recall his exact
reason. But now we sit face to face. Nobody had mentioned how very
lovely you are…and young—only that you are quite dedicated to those
poor, dear people and your town of birth.”

Rachel fell into a sort of daze as she said,
“And now I cannot help wonder…if people are so aware of Westerly’s
conditions, why have they not offered to lend their support?”

“Is it unable to support itself?” It was not
a rude remark, only a point that Westerly did, in fact, manage to
survive without external provisions or charity. “It is well
enough,” she also concluded, “that the emperor lets it alone to be
as it is. A great many noble would gladly dissolve the community if
only the emperor would give his approval.”

“Then where would the people go?”

“To be blunt, my dear, I do not think they
care.”

Rachel thought on these things during a long
space of silence, which they both peacefully allowed. “Tell me,
darling, dear Sister,” the duchess began, eventually breaking the
silence, “do you recall the plague?”

“I recall it well.”

“Members of the High Clerics claimed we were
being punished. Do you think it is so?”

“No,” she quickly answered.

“Very few children lost their lives because
of it. It was mostly men and women. Nobles.”

“My mother and father,” Rachel also recalled,
“out of merely seven who died in Westerly because of it.”

“Then I see why you would reject such a
belief that we were being punished, for you would then have to
place that punishment upon your own mother and father.” There was a
second space of silence before the duchess said, “I would not
trouble you with it, but I wonder if you may keep me in your heart.
I am not ill, not in body. But at times I feel very wretched and
discontent. I do not know why. My husband is wealthy and very good
to me. I have three children, two of them sons—healthy children who
have and will yet bring forth healthy children of their own. There
is nothing I have desired that I do not have. But happiness…this is
something I have not known for a very long time.”

“I will certainly keep you in my heart. I am
honored that you would ask it of me.”

As soon as she’d said it, Jacob and the duke
reentered. The distinguished couple soon after parted for their
private quarters.

“She’s very kind,” Rachel commented.

“And wise,” Jacob added.

“Having spoken with a few people the short
time I’ve been here, I see that Westerly is somewhat popular, even
if not in a good sense.”

“Although it may appear otherwise, Westerly
has not been forgotten.”

“I was aware that the surrounding nobles have
requested it from the emperor over the years, but he declines. The
people have lived in fear since I can recall, fear of being placed
under the charge of any one of these nobles.”

“The emperor will not likely grant it. Only
in time, as it is sought after by these, it will be considered a
privilege to have him grant it to whomever he chooses if, in fact,
anyone at all.”

The thought of Jacob requesting it for
himself crossed her mind. No matter how kind a noble as he was, or
how ruthless as Duke Berlin, the people did not want to be ruled in
such a way. Things were well as they were, and they imagined if any
noble was ever granted Westerly, it would change and perhaps become
nothing at all.

“None to fear,” he soothed. “The emperor has
no intention upon granting it to any noble. Perhaps in the future
when a man of low degree has proven himself worthy of the position
as a noble, then he may distribute it as a sort of breeding ground
for a new city. It would not be such a difficult task to transform
it into something much grander.”

“If you were to ask...would he grant it to
you?” She seriously asked, staring upon his profile.

“Is this an inclination that disturbs you?”
He asked, and before she could say anything went on to say, “He has
never withheld anything that I have requested of him. But I have
requested very little, just as my father and those before him. The
Great City is enough on its own, and parcels of land and places
here and there associated with it. Yes, I imagine he would, but it
is not something I have considered. Even in light of this proposal.
No matter your answer tomorrow evening, I would not dare attempt to
acquire it in order to acquire your hand. But I admit, now that you
mention it, that may not be an altogether unprofitable
solution.”

She was grateful for one thing…that Jacob
Trent had a sense of humor.

The following morning they sat at the table
with his guests, and after a couple of hours of dining and talking,
they said farewell. Jacob then insisted upon taking her for a ride
throughout the city in his private carriage. She gratefully
accepted, thinking it a perfect idea. She got the impression it was
not often he did this. While men and women stopped and gawked,
children laughed and ran and waved. She could not resist waving
back, although it was not certain she could be seen doing so within
the shadows of the cozy compartment.

They later dined together on a balcony
overlooking the gardens and the ocean beyond. She expressed a
desire to walk along the sand, and they did so after having
finished their meal. As always, they were followed by a group of
guards from a distance. For one, to avoid rumor and gossip, she
supposed, appreciating the fact that he would take her reputation
into consideration. For two, simple precautions…for safety’s sake.
One thing was quite obvious—Jacob Trent was hardly ever left alone.
There were a lot of the time guards surrounding him, whether close
by or from a distance. Such was the same with herself…even when
alone. Even if she could not see them, she knew they were somewhere
in hearing range, such as outside of her private quarters.

They later separated for a time. And that
evening she was summoned to the table, not the private dinette, but
in the Great Hall. There were two very long tables in this enormous
room, each surrounded by some of the more prominent citizens of the
Great City…and there
were
prominent citizens, such as Mr.
Oakley whose business overall provided fine horses for the Guard,
and Thomas Beazley, overseer of the city’s law enforcements.

There was also entertainment: musicians and
dancers and poets.

“I hope you have overall enjoyed your visit,”
Jacob commented as they sat together at the head of the table. By
this time the people had adapted to her presence, although they
wondered exactly who she was and what she was to their host. No
proper introduction had been made. According to him, it was
customary to simply wonder until a noble such as himself chose to
make an introduction. For some reason, she was relieved by
this.

“I truly have and I’m grateful for your
generosity. I must say, whatever change this was, no matter the
case, it suits you well.” She raised her glass, he raised his, and
they both drank, he of his wine, she, her warm tea.

“This marks the end of the second day,” Jacob
came to say.

“Yes,” she agreed, forcing herself to look
him in the eye. “As I said, I am truly grateful for your
generosity. My time here has been well spent.”

“I can see by this expression that your
answer is not in my favor.”

“And one that a select few back home would
scold me for were they made aware…my sisters above all. But they
know me, and would likely agree that I am just not suitable for
such a commitment.”