The Royal Secret

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Scarlet stared at Beth and Smith. She couldn't believe what they had just told her. She stood and went over to the window and looked out.

“James is not your son?” she asked.

“He is my son,” said Smith.

“Where is his mother?” she asked.

“She lives on a island called Arsentine,” Smith said. “I met her on a trip to Paris. She was alone and needed a ride. We rode to Paris together. Once there I… persuade her into my bed. It was months later that she brought James to us.”

She turned to face them as she said, “How- Does James know this?”

“He has known for some time that he is not my son,” Beth said.

“I can’t believe this,” she said. “I just can’t.”

“We understand, Scarlet,” Beth said. “There have been many things that we have kept secret from you all these years.”

“There are other secrets?” she asked.

“Yes,” Beth said.

“What else is there?” she asked.

“Your mother didn’t die in the fire,” Beth said.

“What?” she asked.

“She lives not to far from here,” Smith said. “After James brought you here, she came to us. She knew that we could protect you better then she could. She loves you and wants what’s best for you.”

“My mother…” she whispered. She had tears in her eyes. “Why didn’t anyone tell me? Does James know?”

“No,” Beth said. “We never told anyone. Your mother only wanted you to have a better life.”

“Does she know about Donny?” she asked. “Does she know about James and I?”

“Yes,” Beth said. “We have told her about the two of them.”

Scarlet sat down in the chair behind the desk. She looked away from them. She didn’t know what to do or say.

“She wants to see you,” Beth said. “She wants to meet James and Donny.”

“No,” she said. “She is not to come anywhere near Donny. I know she wanted to protect me, to keep me safe. It just seems to me that I have been hurt more by her staying away. I never had a real mother. I may have come to love you two as my parents, but she was always my mother.” She stood. “You tell her that she is dead to me. She died in that fire. It took me years to realize that she was gone. I would wake up some nights and start to call out for her before I would remember. She can’t just come back into my life like she was never gone. She was gone! She wasn’t here when I needed her!”

“We understand,” Beth said. “I don’t expect you to welcome her straight back into your life.”

“I just wish that you both had told me that my mother was alive,” she said. “It has been been over eight years. Eight!”

“We all thought it best at the time, Scarlet,” Smith said. “She loves you and wants you back in her life. She wants you to be a part of her life.”

“What if I don’t want to be a part of her life?” she asked. “I don’t know if I would want to see her right now. I need to talk to James about all this. I need time to think.”

“We don’t want to push you,” Beth said. “All I ask is that you think about it.”

“I will,” she said as she headed for the door. “When I have decided I will let you both know.”

She opened the door and walked out.

James stared at Henry. He couldn't believe what the man had just asked him. How he could think that was beyond James.

“Well?” Henry asked after some time passed.

“What?” James asked.

“Do you think that Hope will return with me or stay here?” Henry asked.

“She will probably stay here,” he said. “She has nothing to return to there.”

“What about Faith?” Henry asked.

“Faith won’t see her, so why would Hope return?” he asked. “She has no one.”

“You’re right,” Henry said. “And when she goes back hopme she can spend time with Faith.”

“And Hunters children?” he asked.

“They are mine,” Henry said.

James stood as he said, “You will tell me the truth, Henry. The twins are my brothers. Hope has told Scarlet and myself. Scarlet was the one that told me Faith had twins. I agree with her. You don’t deserve to be married to Faith.”

Henry simply smiled at him before turning and leaving the office. James watched the man leave. He wanted to be the one to kill the man.

“James, are you all right?” Marty asked as he came in to the office.

“Yes,” he told his friend. “I’m fine. I’ll stay for a while longer, but then I need to get home. There was something about Henry that didn’t sit right with me. He should have left last week with Jerry. I think he is up to something. I just need to figure out what that is.”

“Do you think that he could have been the one that shot at Scarlet a few weeks ago?” Marty asked.

“He might have been,” he said. “Let’s hope that it wasn’t though. If it was him I have an idea of why he would want her dead.”

“Maybe you should send her a note telling her that you will be home later then usual. You wouldn't want her to worry.”

“I will,” he said.

Scarlet set Donny in his crib. He had finally gone down for the night. She was tired, but wanted to wait up for James. She wanted to talk to him about what his parents had told her. She wanted to hear from him that he hadn’t know about her mother.

She went over to the dresser and opened the top drawer. She took out her journal. She went over to the desk in the door. She would write a little while well she waited up for James. She hadn’t written in it for over a week. Maybe if she brought the journal up to date, it would be easier for her to talk to James about her mother and to ask him about his birth mother.

James was finally able to leave the shipyard at one in the morning. He had been over his books more times then he wanted to remember. In the end it didn’t matter. They had been right the first time he read them. They all told him the same thing. Someone had been stealing his money.

He opened the door of the house to be met by John. The man didn’t smile at him or say hello. He looked like he had just lost his job. James closed the door and took off his hat.

“John, what has happened?” he asked.

“It is Merg,” John said. “She had the baby tonight.”

“Is it a boy or girl?” he asked.

“Twin girls,” John said.

“Congratulations,” he said. “How is Merg?”

“She says she is fine,” John said. “But I don’t believe her. She is very weak right now.”

“She can have as much time off as she needs,” he said. “She’ll probably be better in the morning. After Scarlet had Donny, you know how weak she was. I’m sure that after some rest Merg will be back up and about. She’ll be fine. You’ll see.”

“You are probably right,” John said.

“You can go on home now,” he said. “Try and rest.”

“I’ll see you later,” John said.

James watched as John left the house. He then went upstairs. He wanted to make sure Donny had gone down easy for Scarlet. He had been having trouble sleeping.

James opened the door to their bedroom to find Scarlet asleep at the desk. He smiled at the sight. She must have been tired to be asleep at the desk. He walked over to her and lifted her out of the chair. He carried her over to the bed and laid her down before he covered her up.

He turned back to the desk to blow out the lamp. On the desk, Scarlet’s journal sat opened.

He sat down and looked at the page in front of him. It was dated the day of the engagement party for Amerna and him. He was stunned by what he read.

… James and Amerna will have their engagement party tonight. I know that he is only marrying her for the baby. It still hurts though. I had hoped that he would come to love me as more then the child that he saved and his parents took in. I had wished so many times to be his wife, to have his children, to be the one that he grew old with. I see now that it was never meant to be.

After all this time my make believe must come to an end. He will marry Amerna and they will have children. I never will.

After the party, I will write more. I must get ready now.

I hope that Amerna likes wearing my dress.

James turned and looked at Scarlet. He didn’t know what to think now. He wanted to read more, but would she then be angry at him for reading it?

He decided to chance it. He would read more of the journal.

I have done a horrible act. I can only hope that there come a time I am forgiven for it. If what happened were to be redone, I would change nothing! I may feel horrible for it, but I did it. I couldn't believe it at first. I thought James was playing some joke. He wasn’t though. When he wanted to talk with me, I just went with him. I shouldn’t have though. I told him that I would be a w***e like Mother was. We argued and I told him that I love him. I was scared of what he would say. So I fled from the room.

He followed me up here. Somehow, ended up making love. If he asked me to do it again, I would. I may not have liked it, but he did and that is all that matters. It still saddens me to think he will marry Amerna and have that baby with her.

I will leave this house a few days before the wedding. I don’t think that I can watch him marry her. It hurts so much more now. I wish that he had never gone to London to see Hunter. If he hadn’t gone he never would have met Amerna and she would not have gone to his bed and gotten pregnant with his child. I was wrong about there being true love. It was never meant for me. James should at least be happy with Amerna. Sh is all he needs. In time he will fall in love with her. One day he may even thank her for saving him from me. At least he will not end up all alone.

James looked up from reading. He couldn't believe that she thought that she would end up alone. There was no way that would have happened. Some man would have married her.

“You might want to light the lamp,” Scarlet said, startling him. “It’ll make reading my journal easier for you.”

James wished his heart would slow done. She had scared him. He thought she was sound asleep.

“No,” he said as he stood. “It was wrong of me to read it.”

He went into the changing room to change for bed. When he came back out, he saw that she was awake now. He smiled at her.

“James,” she said as he got in bed, “You’re parents came to tell me that my mother is still alive, Can you believe that?”

“Yes, Scarlet, I can,” he said.

She looked at him as she said, “How long have you know?”

“Since a few weeks ago,” he said. “She lives with her husband and six children.”

“If she was trying to protect me,” she said, “She should stay away.”

 “I know,” he said. “For now, lets just sleep.”