The Mysterious Lady

Forcing Fate

CHAPTER SEVEN

Leilah sat gloomily on a chair by the window watching the heavy down-pour of the rain outside. Her mother had come a few minutes ago trying to lighten her mood and console her crying heart, to no avail. It has been a week now since she had last seen Hugh and it was rumored that he had left the kingdom on a long journey to the north.

"The cad really had left me behind." She murmured unbelievably for a thousandth time, crestfallen.

"Princess, your mother wishes for you to go downstairs. A suitor had come to call." Harriet, her personal maid informed her.

"Who is it Harriet? Please do tell them that I'm currently indisposed." She don't want to meet anyone today, neither tomorrow nor the next day! She sulked like a child.

"But my lady, the Queen is quite insistent. Pardon my impertinence, but I think it would be best for you to go out and breathe some fresh air instead of sulking here inside your draughty chamber. It would only make you ill Princess. Please."

She looked at the beseeching look of her maid, who by now had become her friend. "Fine. But only because you asked me to."

Harriet grinned impishly lighting her comely features. With auburn hair matched with two lovely chocolate brown eyes, a pert nose and full lips coupled with a buxom figure, there's no wonder that every unmarried male servants inside the castle dreamt of capturing her pure unadulterated heart.

Leilah stood up and was about to sail away outside, when Harriet stopped her by a screeched. She pivoted to face her with her right hand above her speeding heart.

"What was that for?"

"I'm sorry Princess but you can't go out there wearing..wearing that!" Harriet pointed out her simple attire with a horrified look.

She gazed down at her aquamarine morning dress with puffed sleeves and circular neckline, seeing nothing unsuitable about it. She stared back at her maid. "Pishposh! Of course it will do. Now just calm down, there's no need to change clothes."

"But Princess, you'll be appearing in front of the King and Queen. You should wear an appropriate attire."

"That's the most ridiculous tale I've ever heard. It's fine, I tell you." And with that, Leilah whirled around and run outside the door pausing only to shut it swiftly on the stunned Harriet. She laughed gaily for the first time in a week.

Her laughter died down as easily as it came. "There's no need to wallow yourself in misery Leilah. You are strong and a prodigy at that. Right? You can overcome this. You need to forget him, that's the only way." She muttered under her breath with bravado while walking towards the throne room. The guard of maybe nine and ten, saw her coming and opened the door respectfully with a flourish bow. She smiled at him charmingly which made the poor man blush considerably down to his very toes.

"Yes, here she is." She heard the booming of her father's baritone voice.

She refused to look at her mother since she knew that she'd have her disapproving glare plastered on her face with regards to her outfit. So, she just smiled at her father feeling like a dimwit.

"Yes father, here I am indeed. Apparently, I was ordered to come down with haste and so I did immediately without preamble." There! Let her mother complain about my dress now. Evidently, she heard her mother sigh while her father laughed heartily not understanding her meaning at all.

"Well, there's no harm done. Besides, you're in the nick of time really. Lord Rovemport is here and is quite pleased to know of your estrangement with your betrothed. He asked of you to reconsider your decision with regards to his offer of marriage. I told him to ask you himself." Her father delivered his lengthy speech all the while looking at her expectantly.