III. The Impact of Her

~ Ten ~

I knocked as I reached the master bedroom.

"A private meeting is in session," Bethilda answered.

'Why am I not surprised that Bethilda is here?' I thought to myself.

I ignored her response and entered. Inside was Mother and Bethilda, who stood together by the window. I kept my hands behind me as I walked towards them. I kept the appearance of the calm, sweet breeze. But inside of me, a bottled-up fury boiled slowly, only waiting to explode.

"Well, hello, dear one," Mother smiled as I stood beside her.

I smiled and replied, "Greetings to the most beautiful woman in the world." I then kissed Mother on her cheek.

"As I recall, I mentioned that a meeting is happening here," Bethilda interrupted our mother-and-son moment with her sarcasm.

"Dearest sister," Mother turned to Bethilda with a gentle smile on her face, "Robert was present in almost every meeting that I and James attended. Whether it's a public meeting or private, we allow our children to talk to us if they need to."

"You shouldn't allow that, Amelia. You are not teaching them anything. You and James are merely spoiling them. You should deny them entry when you are in the middle of an important gathering," Bethilda protested.

"And as I recall," I entered the conversation with sarcasm, "Only ruling monarchs can make those kinds of decisions." I smirked as I kept my gaze away from Bethilda. I just had the worst experience of almost losing Lady.

The last thing that I would want to see was the scowl on Bethilda's face.

Bethilda chuckled. "As you can see, Amelia, your son has no manners at all," she turned to my direction with her fan in her hand.

I scoffed as I matched her fury with mine. "I would've been kinder to you. However, from the very moment you stepped foot into our home, everything about you told me not to," I answered.

"That is quite enough for the both of you," Mother quickly blocked the growing hostility. She added, "We are a family. We are supposed to be working together, not against one another."

"With all due respect, Mother, I don't think the duchess wants to be a part of our family," I said as I turned away from Bethilda. "If she truly wanted a harmonious relationship with us, she wouldn't act as if she was superior to all."

"Amelia!" Bethilda stomped her foot.

"Robert," Mother gently held onto my shoulders as she looked earnestly into my eyes, "We are the only family that your aunt has. Your constant bickering with her has to come to an end."

I sighed as I removed her hands. I held them tightly and replied, "Mother, that advice should be given to her, not to me. She was the one who gave me a reason not to like her."

The door opened and as our heads turned, it was James.

"Finally!" Bethilda exclaimed as she raised her hands in the air, "The balancing scale has finally arrived," she remarked as James walked up to us.

Not wanting to wait any longer, Mother ran to James and landed in his wide open arms. They shared a kiss and a tight embrace of longing. They clearly didn't want to let go of each other.

"Oh, my love," Mother sighed onto James' clothes, relieved.

"My heart," James smiled as he held his queen tightly. His eyes were closed. One hand supported her head and the other held onto her waist. He kissed her hair twice and he pulled her closer whilst he took in her scent.

Mother gently pulled away, her eyes still fixated on him. "When did you arrive?" she asked.

"I have been home for quite a while now. I had to assist Robert with Lady," James replied.