Once Upon A [Hidden] Time - [Stolen] Series IV

CHAPTER 39

EDWARD
27 JUNE 1415

"Uncle Ed." I felt a tap on my shoulder. "Wake up," I heard a whisper.

I snapped my head with a jerk to see where the sound came from. Did I fall asleep with Myra? Was I dreaming?

I looked up to find Emma sitting beside the wooden tub.

She gave me a surprised look, glancing at our entwined bodies soaked in scented oils.

"It is almost evening," she whispered so as not to wake Myra. "They are ringing the bells to call you." Oh! I had not realised the entire day had passed. There was a court to attend.

Exhaling heavily, I nodded. I wished this moment were never to end. I wanted to stay like this, holding her in my arms, and no one to disturb us. But there was a world outside—my country that needed my time, my people that I had to address. As if Myra could hear my thoughts, her head jerked as she opened her eyes.

"I slept!" she mumbled. "How can I sleep in a tub?" She pressed her cheeks in disbelief. She looked utterly pleasant, her face flushed red—a sight for sore eyes.

"Emma, are you all right?" And my lover was gone—the mother in her returned.

"Yes, Aunty, but are you fine?" she asked.

"Yes, yes," Myra answered rather absently. Looking at me, she asked, "Why did you not wake me?"

I gave her a soft smile. "Could I dare, my lady?"

She huffed and fetched the drying cloth by her side. She stood from the tub, the water sloshing everywhere.

"I can't believe I slept in a tub." She almost glared at me accusingly. "You are responsible." She pointed at me.

I raised my arms in surrender. "Guilty as charged!" I did not want to tell her that her body was beyond exhausted and that she needed this break. She would never admit it.

Stubborn as she had always been, she stepped out of the tub, wrapping herself in the towel.

"When did you wake, Emma?" she asked. I sat there, watching her in admiration.

"Quite a while ago," Emma answered.

"What time is it?" she asked.

"The sun is setting right now," said Emma.

Myra's head snapped in shock. "I slept the entire day?" If jaws could drop, hers would have touched the floor by now. "You." She pointed at me accusingly again. "You are responsible."

"Yes, my lady," I admitted. Emma giggled at my response.

"Why did you let the whole day pass? Don't you have a country to run?" She rubbed her body with the drying cloth. "What kind of Regent are you?"

"A very irresponsible one," I said, smirking. Emma giggled again.

"You are doing this on purpose!" Emma whispered in my ear. "You like to annoy her."

"Spending the entire day in the tub, as if England doesn't need you," Myra grumbled, fetching another towel to dry her hair. I snickered at her reaction. "Are you going to sit here all day, or go and attend your blasted court?"

"Whoops!" Emma placed her hand on her mouth. "Someone is very annoyed."

"Emma!" Myra ordered. "Come, help me dress!" With a loud thump, she stomped out of the bath chamber.

Life had never been this beautiful before, and she was the sole reason for it. How could I ever repay her? Perhaps by giving her my trust? Perhaps by bringing her friend's messages to her? Should I tell her that I had been communicating with Steve for the past few days? He seemed to be like a true gentleman. Should I take the risk of informing Myra about Steve? What if I lose the connection with him?

Myra was right. He truly cared for her—and it wasn't just an obsessive love, but a deep, caring love for a friend. No wonder she missed him and was filling this gap with Lord James.

I closed my eyes briefly, resting my head on the tub's edge. Could I ward off this insecurity entirely and trust her when she says that I was the only one in her heart? Steve, James, or the bloody Medici who would be arriving soon—did they truly not hold any place in her heart, more than just a mere friend or an admiration? How many more men were to come?

The entire court looked at her with awe and admiration—the men desiring to be by her side, the women wishing to be like her. She charmed everyone—the King, the courtiers, the children, and me.

Should I be proud that I was the only one she loved, or should it make me jealous that so many men desired her—even the King? My father might have pretended to be a gentleman before her, but I knew what was churning in his devilish mind. He would do anything to make her his. He was not demanding her in his bed because I knew he intended to make her his Queen. Perhaps he was waiting for the Pope's dispensation. But I would never let it happen—not until I bated my last breath.

Gathering the weeds of my inane thoughts, I slipped out of the bath.

When I reached the bedchamber, Myra was already dressed in a brown and gold taffeta gown. Emma was showing her the storybook she had sketched in the meantime. Pride glinted in Myra's eyes.

Noticing them busy at the desk, I tiptoed to the sideboard and pulled out my journal. It had been a week since Steve and I had communicated. I hardly had a chance to stay in my chamber this week. I wanted to know his reaction to Jasmine being a doctor.

I picked up the sheet in which Jasmine was reading a twenty-first-century book and flipped it over. My world started spinning when I read Steve's message.

SHE IS INDEED A TIME TRAVELLER. THERE IS A HOSPITAL ACROSS THE CASTLE CALLED ST BENEDICT, WHERE SHE WORKS AND OWNS AN APOTHECARY.

"God's teeth!" I mumbled, inhaling sharply. Was this the same hospital that Myra told me about?

Myra glanced in my direction. "Everything okay?"

I rubbed my face in agitation. Should I tell her the truth? But then I would have to reveal to her about communicating with Steve. Her life was already complicated, and the book of Jasmine was already exhausting her. I did not want to add more bricks of burden to her soul.

Shutting the journal, I answered, "Yes, yes!" I placed the journal inside the drawer. "I did not realise how much time has passed."

She narrowed her eyes at me. "Glad you realised!"

It was time to face the world again.