An Instrument in His Hands

Part 2 Chapter 6

Part 2

Chapter 6

It was two weeks before I heard again from Daniel. I thought I’d probably scared him off by telling him I was the runaway princess.

‘Can I join you tonight?’ he asked sheepishly when he found me in the marketplace. ‘I have a favor to ask of you.’

I slipped my hand onto his arm as we left the marketplace. ‘Certainly. Ask away. I’m always willing to give service to a fellow in need.’

He nodded. ‘I like that about you.’

I removed my hand. ‘Oh, so I’ve become a regular person to you again, instead of “that girl”? You aren’t intimidated by me?’

He grunted.

I folded my arms. ‘And we might be friends? With no marriage intentions to interfere?’

‘I like that about you too!’

I rolled my eyes. He was such a bachelor! ‘Anyway, what can I do for you? Defend you against scheming mamas?’

He grimaced. ‘Almost. I need a neutral escort to attend all these political functions with me. Some groups are quite fractious.’

‘And how do I qualify as neutral? What do you know of my political persuasions?’

‘You have them?’ he asked, surprised.

I laughed. ‘Did you forget that I was educated with the children of the king?’

He stopped walking. ‘Then you can be a great help to me!’

‘How often do you go to these political events? I have my work to do.’

He held up his hand to count on his fingers. ‘I’ll tell you what.  For every event that you attend with me, I will spend two nights serving your people to make up for it. Deal?’

‘Deal!’ I said with enthusiasm. ‘When is the first one?’

‘Three days hence. And I warn you, it is an event sponsored by the Zoramite Party. They are the largest and most influential party and resent my coming from Zarahemla to interfere in their affairs.’

‘But you are helping them to manage their own affairs. Shouldn’t they  be wonderfully grateful?’

‘They are not. I need some prestige to overpower them. Can you provide that for me?’

‘I?’ I looked down at my old brown robe.

He lifted a brow. ‘Surely, you can put on a little princess poise for them?’

I laughed, thinking how well Miss Deborah and my mother had trained me. ‘You have no idea.’

I got my golden dress out from its wrappings and tried it on. How long it had been since I’d worn such a thing? Then I pulled the cloth from my hair and let my still golden tresses fall down my back.

I sucked in my breath and remembered…walking in the streets of Zarahemla with Aaron in this very dress. Him holding my long braid, and… and kissing it! I blushed. Did he keep the long lock of braid that I gave him? Did he still have it with him or was it packed away and forgotten, or worse, disposed of? I took a deep breath.  Where was he? What was he doing? Was he safe? Would he ever come home? If he did, would he come and find me?

‘Oh, God,’ I prayed as I did every night. ‘Keep Aaron safe.’

I tried several ways to style my long hair. It had to be spectacular. Finally, I sorted it into ten braids and pinned them into loops behind my head. Mother would have been so proud!

‘Abigail!’ Andrew exclaimed when he saw me. ‘What in the world?’

I turneded slowly to show myself off. ‘I am to attend a prestigious political affair with Daniel.’

‘Oh, you two are getting serious?’

‘Only about politics,’ I said as I preened in front of my reflection. ‘I am supposed to impress the Zoramites with the might and power of Zarahemla.’

Andrew laughed. ‘Well,…’ he said as he walked around me. ‘Mother certainly would approve.’

I sighed.  ‘That’s what I was thinking. But I will do it anyway.’

Daniel was equally impressed. ‘To think that I am escorting a princess. I should have brought a litter to carry you in, at least.’

‘I’m hardly a princess,’ I protested.

He stood back and folded his arms. ‘You look like one tonight. You may put a crack in my bachelorhood commitment.’

‘I doubt that. You could not afford me if I were to keep this up.’

‘Well, you certainly are going to dazzle the Zoramites tonight!’ He said and then followed me out Andrew’s door.

I did. They stared and stared.

The Zoramites were dressed for attention also. Their men wore headdresses of feathers and bone and seashells. All of them were wearing rice stalks. Their women wore layers of the same about their necks and in their hair, and many rows of embroidery about the hems of their dresses. They looked like chickens dressed up in peacock feathers -  very colorful, yet none were so simply elegant as my golden gown.

‘Who is she?’ they whispered.

‘Why does she look so familiar?’ one of the men asked. His name was Zoram and he was their candidate for election. ‘Haven’t I seen her somewhere before?’

Of course they had. I’d walked among them for the past five years.

Zoram came up to Daniel and I.  ‘I believe I know you from somewhere,’ he asked.

‘You do,’ I replied truthfully, then I smiled enigmatically and turned away.

‘The corn cake lady,’ he shouted out. ‘She’s the lady who sold corn cakes in the market!’