The Baron's Arrogant Redemption

The birth

Two years had passed since Kate gave birth to her son and he grew in strength and beauty everyday and in a manner at which both Kate and Nicole marvelled . The excitement of his first tooth, his first smile, the first word he uttered, the first time he stood alone on his two dimpled feet, was so intense.

He was at the center of their lives. As soon as he was able to speak he said his own name, of which his version was Kendy.

Nicole was a young lady who Kate had ran into, she had played a role of a mother in her life by giving her shelter, and taking care of her till the arrival of her baby.

Each morning, in the studio, Kendy would be Nicole's concern.

There was no doubt that Kate's name is becoming more and more well known in Parisian circles, she's always being surrounded by clients and there was hardly a day when she did not have miniatures to paint.

"Excellent, excellent," Nicole would murmur, and she could never resist adding "am I not right?"

She had been right in everything she had done . She had found a way out for Kate which she could cast aside her regrets and be happy.

She wrote to her father about once a month reporting progress . He was delighted with the way things were going and quite understood that Kate could not spare the time to come home . As for him , his sight was fading and he did not feel quite able to undertake the journey to Paris. It was comforting therefore to receive my letters. He wanted to hear about my success and he thought that it had been the best thing that could have happened, particularly to a woman to be acclaimed by someone like the Baron and then to have her own studio in Paris. He thought her fame was from the Baron, little did he know that her daughter had been r***d and abandoned by the Baron.

With a touch of apprehension, Kate noticed a change, that Kendy was beginning to look a little like his father. He is going to be tall and broad with light blond hair and bluish-grey eyes. He will be brought up so differently though, "he shall not resemble that man. I will teach him a better way of life, it may well be that he will become an artist." she thought.

One day when Nicole had taken Kendy out for his morning walk in the Luxembourg Gardens, Kate was painting in the studio which her subject was a young woman who wanted a miniature of herself to present to her husband on his birthday.

She chattered on and on as the painting was going on, and suddenly she mentioned "my husband was at Centerville last week, he stayed a night at the castle."

On hearing this, Kate held her brush above the ivory , her heart skipped.. for that's where the Baron adapts. It was very necessary that her hand should be absolutely steady. Each stroke was so important.

"Oh yes. . . " Kate murmured in fear.

"He said the princess was not very well. I understood she has not been . . . Since the birth."

"The birth? Which princess? She asked .

"Oh, didn't you hear? It's quite some time ago when the Baron got married to the princess, the child must be about the same age as your little boy, almost exactly, I should imagine."

"No," Kate said with shock and regrets "I didn't know there was a child!"

"A little boy . It's a mercy that it was a boy. I heard the princess's health might prevent her from having another child"

"Did you see him?"

"Only briefly. He looked rather sickly."

Kate was surprised.

"What have they named him? Richard?"

"Oh no . . . No that's the Baron's name! The child is William"

"Ah , William the conqueror."

" He hardly looked like a conqueror, poor little mite but children grow out of their weakness, you won't worry about your little one for he looks the picture of health."

Kate could not get on after that. She could not shut out of her mind , the thought of the princess in that castle. She had been afraid of the Baron . And then to bear a child and suffer and become weakened by it. The Baron would not be very pleased with that, now with a sickly child, boy though he was, son and heir and William the Conqueror.

Later that day when she was alone with Nicole she mentioned that conversation to her.

She nodded .

"You knew?" Kate asked .

" I'd heard ."

" You didn't tell me."

" You know how you felt everytime his name was mentioned. You still do, a little, I think."

Kate suspected Nicole for a moment.

It was a few weeks later when Kate received a shock. Kendal had risen from his early afternoon nap and was as usual full of energy. They were finding it hard to keep up with him these days and Nicole often said It had been easier when he could only crawl. He had been out with Nicole all the morning. And after his nap, Kate had promised to take him out. She had taken him to the shop where she bought her brushes and after they had made a few purchases, they returned to the house.

As they entered, she heard Nicole talking. Visitors, she thought, and was about to take Kendy up the stairs to their apartment, when Nicole appeared, she looked rather flustered.

"Kate," she said "your father is here."

She stood still, she couldn't believe she had heard correctly, and just at that moment Clare appeared in the doorway.

"Kate!" Clare ran to Kate and embraced her. And there was her father. Kendy looked at the visitors with curiosity. Kate had to make a hasty decision.

"Father," she cried and they embraced.

"We have news for you. We had to tell you in person. . ." He said.

"What a dear little boy! " Cried Clare.

Kate could feel herself flushing scarlet. She was numb and could not think of what to say. Often she had pictured herself telling her father, for she knew that her son's existence could not be kept secret for ever, but she had certainly never imagined anything like this.

"There is a great deal to talk about," Kate explained "Nicole, will you take kendy up. He can come down and see my father in a little while."

"I want to see him now." Kendy cried

Nicole took him firmly by the hand and led him away.

"First tell me your news," Kate said firmly , trying to find the words to explain Kendy while leading them to the sitting room.

"Clare and I are married," blurted her father.

"Married?"

"Three weeks ago. We didn't tell you because we knew you'd be too busy to come to the wedding and perhaps feel you ought and so make it difficult for you. We thought we'd surprise you on our honeymoon."

"Oh, father!" She said.

"You're not pleased ?" Asked Clare quickly.

"Of course I'm pleased. I think it's wonderful. No one can care for him like you."

Mr Kendal Collison was smiling in her daughter's direction and she realized that he could not see her very clearly.

And she said slowly. "As you have guessed I have something to tell you too!"

"Do you want to speak with your father alone?" Asked Clare.

She shook her head "No, Clare. You're one of the family now, am afraid this will be a shock to you. The little boy is my son."

There was deep silence in the room.

"You are married?" Asked her father

"No."

"What happened to Bertrand? You were going to marry him."

"My child's father is not Bertrand."

Kate shook her head. Her father was struggling with his principles and his love for his daughter. It was a great shock to him that she should have an illegitimate child. She felt she owed him some explanation for she did not want him to think she had been blithely immoral with no thought to consequences.

"It was forced on me." Kate said quietly.

Her father clenched his hand and said softly "was it that man? . . . That Baron?"