Born to Run

Chapter 16 - Born to Run

“Write faster, Heidi! I must read the rest!” Louisa begged, shaking her sister’s shoulder. “You know how I hate

suspense!”

Heidi grunted. “The more you annoy me; I will be determined to write slower!”

Louisa gave up with an audible signal of dissatisfaction. “You, Heidi Marie Goldworth, are a complete and

utter bore!”

Her sister spun around to face her sister at the remark, hair flying. “Pray tell, Louisa, where do you get your entertainment for the entirety of the day?” she fired.

She stuck out her chin and opened her mouth to say something clever, but only after did Louisa realize she had

nothing to counter the point with. “Your writing.” She mumbled, staring down at her lap.

“Precisely,” Heidi glared. “So do not say that I am boring, for, if I was, you would be bored to death!”

And that was that.

An hour passed. “Now?” Louisa whined, despite her age of twenty-four.

Heidi sighed, and handed her sister the stack of papers. “And that is the end of that chapter!”

Louisa snatched it up, drinking up the words. When she finished, she looked at her sister, wide-eyed. “How dare you?”

Her older sister cackled. “I cannot just simply leave it all settled and done with, now, could I? Where

would the excitement be?”

“I hate you!” she cried. “How could you leave the heroine like that; saying that she is entitled to some big estate?” Louisa shoved the stack into Heidi’s hands. “Write faster!”

Heidi smiled.

“You know I love it, Heidi.”

“Of course you do, sister.”

And the pen went on scratching.

(#)

Esme was certain every drop of blood had drained from her face at Ken’s words. It was preposterous!

And yet, it was so believable… The King had recognized her because she was the ghost of her mother’s image.

She wasn’t a Goldworth, was she? No, she was a Broderick! All those nights she spent fuming at Mama now made complete sense! Mama was nothing like her, and now she knew why!

It was like the sunlight was hitting her for the first time.

But then the clouds overcast.

The life she had been living on the farm… it was all a lie. She had not fit in because she was royalty! It was in her blood, and no one had told her? “Why now, Ken; after so many years of knowing?”

 “Esme, the less you knew the better for all of us.” Ken said, his tone solid.

She stood. “Why, Kenneth? Just why was it so important? You tell me that you are not my brother after so many years? How am I to believe you? Why is it so important now?”

Ken looked at his hands. “We were afraid to let you know; otherwise it would put you in danger. The more you knew, the more reason had they to kill you, Esme.” He looked up at his sister. “You are still my sister, Esme, even if blood separates us. Father wanted you in our family, and it was the least I could do to honour him.”

Esme laughed mirthlessly. “You speak of honour? What honour is there in a lie, Kenneth? You tell me!”

Ted stood as well. “It was concealment, Esme. At least we did not try to kill you.”