by J. N. Cao
“Or none of it,” Ralph said. “I didn’t think you were so naive as to trust them when you only met them once.”
“Perhaps you’re right,” said Matilda. “But I feel that if they were dishonest, they could easily have taken the map from me by other means. But they didn’t and not only that, they let us stay in their country with land and a home. I just feel that it’s right to let them know. But I could be wrong. So for now, I won’t say anything to them until we get to North England and see if they have kept their promise.”
“Yes, I think that’s the best way to go,” said Roger.
“Fine. We must be on our way now. The sooner we are in North England, the better,” said Ralph.
They began their return to the carriage. As they did, Roger heard something move in the nearby bushes. He stopped where he was and made his way closer to the bushes, but then a pigeon flew out. Roger heard Ralph call him so he started back to the carriage. While this was happening, the King made some muffled sounds through the cloth when Matilda and Will opened the carriage door. Will then pulled down the cloth for the King to speak.
“Took you long enough. Why didn’t you answer me before? I want some water,” said the King.
“We just got here,” said Will.
“What do you mean? I heard you just outside the carriage, and so I called,” said the King.
“When?” said Matilda.
“A while ago. In fact, I felt you lean against the carriage for a bit. And you ignored me when I called.”
They thought it was strange that someone was near the carriage while they were having a conversation just some feet away. Ralph suggested that the King might have heard someone walked past and it was nothing to fret about.
Chapter 18
Balwyn Again
It was late afternoon when they set out on the road again. They travelled through the night, taking short breaks here and there. The next day they arrived in Balwyn.
Matilda decided that they should stop in the marketplace to sell their carriage and buy a different one. The carriage they currently had was another one of the King’s, from Oxford. Matilda thought that people would take notice of them along the journey and in doing so, the King would eventually gather this information and work out that they were living in North England.
Soon their carriage was stationary at a carriage makers. Matilda and Will had gone to buy some food supplies while Ralph and Roger stayed at the carriage makers. While Ralph went to speak with the shopkeeper, Roger sat inside the carriage minding the King. All the window curtains inside the carriage were drawn to conceal the King. The only curtain not fully drawn was the one next to Roger, which he opened slightly to get some fresh air. Somewhat bored, he decided to watch the people in the marketplace.
“You really want to sell this? This is some high-end stuff. I don’t know if I can meet your price,” Roger heard the shop owner say from the other side of the carriage.
“I’m flexible with the price. Just tell me how much you’re willing to pay for it,” came Ralph.
Roger then noticed Matilda walking towards a stall situated near a small alleyway. The King started to stir. He had just woken up from his sleep. He said something through the cloth so Roger closed the curtain and tended to the King.
At this very minute, Matilda was about to pass a small alleyway when a strong pair of arms grabbed her. She struggled as the man behind her covered her mouth with one hand and put his other arm around her arms and waist. She managed to free one of her arms and grabbed the hand that was covering her mouth and bit it.
“Oww!” he cried.
He released her and she ran for the alleyway’s entrance and then BONK! Something hard hit her from the left side. She staggered to her right and then fell, scraping her forehead against the rough wall before landing on the ground unconscious.
Rose came running towards Matilda. “Goodness, did you do this, Katherine?”
Katherine stepped out from the narrow street within the alleyway and dropped a wooden log onto the floor.
“Yes, he almost got away,” Katherine said. “Hurry Miles, get him before he wakes up.”
“The carriage is ready. I got Rod to park it at the end so no one will see,” said Rose.
At this exact minute, Roger had decided to open the curtains again to look out. He couldn’t see Matilda anymore but he saw Will, who was staring at something across the road with a tense expression. Then suddenly, Will dropped everything in his hands and darted across the road and into an alleyway. Roger was startled at this, wondering what was happening. He noticed a carriage parked right outside the alleyway’s entrance, almost covering it in fact. A man, who looked quite familiar, was sitting in the driver seat and had seen Will run into the alleyway. The man then quickly picked up a blunt stick and also ran into the alleyway.
Then Roger saw Katherine and Rose come out of the alleyway and climb into the carriage followed by Miles and the man, dragging both the unconscious Matilda and Will into the carriage. The two men then jumped onto the driver’s seat and then drove the carriage away, leaving the marketplace.
Roger quickly slid to the other side of the carriage. He opened the door and found Ralph standing there alone.
“I’m almost done, Roger,” said Ralph.
“Mati——” Roger paused, he had been warned not to reveal any new names for the King to hear. “Matthew and the other one are gone.”
“What?”
“It’s those ladies. You know the innkeeper and the other one. They’ve gone that way.”
And with that, Ralph yelled to the shopkeeper that he would be back, and they drove to the manor.
At the manor, Matilda and Will were put in the cellar. Will had just woken up, but Matilda was still unconscious on the floor. Rose and Catherine had already tied up their prisoners when they were in the carriage.
“Oh, not you again,” said Will as he pulled himself up but could only kneel as his feet and hands were bound.
“Yes, we were lucky to have spotted you today,” said Rose. “What were you doing in Balwyn anyway?”
Will did not answer.
“Looks like they managed to get out of the palace,” said Katherine. “Now, the letter?”
“I don’t have it.”
“Of course you don’t. But your friend here does. I am sure of it,” said Katherine.
Then Will noticed that Matilda’s head was bleeding.
He quickly bent over her body.
“Matilda, Matilda, wake up,” he said.
“Matilda? Why are you calling him Matilda?” said Katherine.
Will ignored her. “Matilda, Matilda,” he called again.
Katherine moved Will aside from Matilda. Then she lowered herself to Matilda and started to search for the letter. She unbuttoned Matilda’s jerkin and fished for the letter. Soon she found it in the pocket.
“I found it!” she said. But then she froze.
“Good. I knew he had it,” said Rose. “Katherine?”
Katherine did not answer.
Will watched her reach for the necklace around Matilda’s neck.
“What is it Katherine?” asked Rose.
Katherine held the blue pendant in her hand and studied it. She then turned Matilda to the side and pulled up her left sleeve to reveal a small brown birthmark on the wrist. She gasped and she ripped off Matilda’s moustache. She stared at Matilda’s face for a moment and then stood up, still holding the letter and moustache.
Rose stepped closer looking at Matilda.
“Oh, it’s a girl?” Rose said to herself.
“Where did she get this necklace?” Katherine asked Will.
“She told me it was already with her when she was a baby.”
Katherine gave a small gasp. “And her name is Matilda,” Katherine said softly to herself.
Katherine then turned to Miles. “Untie her and put her in the guest room.”
Miles untied Matilda and started to carry her out of the cellar. As he did so, K
atherine told Rod to untie Will.
He massaged his wrist. “Are you going to tell what’s going on?”
“I will, and I have a lot of questions to ask. But first I will tend to her wound. Follow me,” said Katherine.
At this moment, Ralph and Roger had just stopped the carriage in the front of the manor. They both jumped out of the carriage. Just then, Gilbert returned home and climbed down from his carriage.
“Excuse me, gentlemen. Can I help you?” said Gilbert when he saw Ralph and Roger.
“Yeah, you can help us all right,” said Ralph. “Look, your wife has my nephew and friend in there. And I want them out.”
“Oh, not a problem. I’ll go see if my wife’s guests can come out.”
“Not guests! Prisoners! She’s keeping them in the cellar, I’m sure,” said Ralph.
“I think you have got the wrong house. We don’t keep prisoners here.”
“Trust me, they’re in there, and your wife is going to torture them until she gets what she wants,” said Roger.
“Nonsense. My wife wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
“Well then, why don’t you go and see for yourself,” said Ralph. “Stay here, Roger. I’ll go in.”
Matilda lay on the guest room bed while Katherine tended to her head wound. Rose came close to Katherine and whispered, “Is she really your daughter, Katherine?”
Katherine got up. “I believe so.” Then she turned to Will, but before she could say anything Miles entered the room
“Ma’am, the master is home, and he’s asking for you.”
They all left the room, leaving Will and Matilda. Will came over to Matilda and sat down on the chair next to the bed. He looked at her wound, and then his eyes drifted down to her face and lingered there. Moments later, Matilda started to stir.
“Matilda?”
Her eyes slowly opened and she looked around. “Where am I?”
“You’re in Katherine’s manor.”
“What happened?”
“I don’t know. But I think you’re going to find out something important.”
Matilda and Will descended the stairs to find Ralph, Gilbert, Katherine and Rose in the drawing room.
They were talking rather loudly, almost arguing.
“There she is, you might as well explain it all here,” said Ralph. Matilda and Will walked over to Ralph.
“What’s going on, Uncle?”
“Don’t worry, you will hear it from her,” said Ralph.
“Oh, it’s you,” said Gilbert, looking at Will. “You’re the young man that helped my wife in Oxford.”
Will nodded at him.
“Yes, dear,” said Katherine, putting a hand on Gilbert’s arm before he could interrupt her.
“Are you sure Katherine, in the open like this, in front of Gilbert?” Rose whispered to Katherine.
“Yes, right here. And before I start. You can have the letter back.” Katherine handed the letter to Ralph. “I’ve just read it. It doesn’t concern me anymore.”
“Oh, really. Are you sure you didn’t memorise it?” said Ralph.
Katherine ignored him. Then she took a deep breath.
“I’m sorry Gilbert, but I am not who you think I am. My real name is Cecilia Harte.”
“Cecilia Harte?” said Gilbert.
“Yes, and my first husband was Victor Harte.”
Gilbert gaped.
“I’m sorry, Gilbert. I didn’t mean to lie to you. But I was being chased down by people, people who wanted to know about Victor and his map. It was terrible. I had to run away from town to town.”
“And with a baby,” added Rose. All but Gilbert glanced at Matilda. Matilda immediately felt their attention on her.
“It was not easy to have a baby in that situation so I left her, my daughter, in a monastery with a nun, Sister Ada.”
Sister Ada? That’s a coincidence. Surely she’s not going to say what I think she’s going to say, thought Matilda.
“And I named her, Matilda. But I didn’t let Sister Ada know her last name or who her father was. I also left her a necklace, like the one you’re wearing,” said Katherine, now looking at Matilda.
Matilda’s mind started to race. This woman is my mother? Matilda thought. But why did Sister Ada tell me a different story about my parents? Did Sister Ada feel that it was too shameful to let me know that I had a mother who didn’t seem to have a husband and who never came back for me in those four years? And Victor Harte is my father? That ruthless killer?
“So, this is your daughter, Katherine?” said Gilbert.
Katherine nodded.
This time Gilbert looked at Matilda for her reaction, but Matilda showed none. Matilda waited to hear more of the story.
“So after I left the monastery, I changed my name and went looking for Victor. I looked for him in his old hideouts and asked his friends, hoping that he was still alive. Eventually, I gave up after four years and went back to the monastery, but it had burned down. They say it was attacked and everyone there had died.”
“I didn’t,” Matilda finally spoke. “I hid behind a removable wall that I found when I was playing, then I left the monastery after I felt that it was safe. They must have burned it afterwards.”
“I see,” said Katherine. “Well, after that I was alone. But then I found Rose whom I had lost contact with for years.”
“We were best friends, from the same village,” Rose said to Matilda.
“Rose helped me a lot during that time, and then through her, I met Gilbert.” Then she turned to Gilbert, “Will you forgive me?”
Gilbert came over to Katherine and took her hand in his, “Of course, dear, of course. Now, they say you kept them as prisoners, is that true?”
“Well, I only did it to get back what’s mine.” She turned to Ralph, Matilda and Will. “I apologise for all the problems I’ve caused.”
Silence fell over them.
“Well then, I’m sure we’re all tired and hungry,” said Gilbert after a while. “I know. Why don’t you all stay for the night?”
Katherine looked hopefully at Matilda.
Matilda looked at Ralph. And Ralph gave a look as if you say, ‘It’s up to you.’
“Yes. I think it’s a good idea. Beatrice!” said Gilbert.
Beatrice came into the room. “Yes, master.”
“Better start on dinner, and we have some guests here. Seven people.”
“I’d better go and get Roger,” said Ralph and then left.
“Now, I’m sure we all have a lot to talk about,” said Gilbert, who looked at Katherine first, and then made his way to Matilda. “But first, you can tell me why you’re wearing men’s clothing.” He then led Matilda to the dining room, and the rest followed.
As Matilda approached the dining room, she could hear that the maids were already in a conversation. She heard one say, “I saw a strange man in a black cloak just outside, standing around with his horse. So I asked him what he wanted. He said nothing and just like that, he rode off.”
“Yes, very strange,” said the other.
When Matilda entered the dining room, the maid immediately stopped talking and left. They had just finished putting out the plates and utensils.
That night they placed the carriage in a safe area of the manor and took turns watching the King. Matilda was worried about keeping him there overnight so she insisted that they only stay for dinner and must be on their way.
During dinner, they avoided telling anyone that they had the King in the carriage, until they were in a more private room away from the servants. So throughout dinner, they talked mostly of the map and their journey. When it was Will’s turn to stay with the King, Ralph and Roger went into the drawing room with Gilbert and Rose. They talked about how they had escaped the palace and why they must have someone to stay in the carriage at all times. Gilbert was particularly fascinated with their adventure and almost choked on his drink when he learned that the King was just outside his manor, all tied up.
&n
bsp; Matilda found herself in Katherine’s room. She felt extremely awkward to be facing a complete stranger whom she now learned was her mother.
“Please sit down,” said Katherine, showing Matilda the chair to a small tea table.
They both sat down.
There was silence for some moments.
“It’s a shame that you have to leave so soon,” started Katherine. “There’s a lot that I would like to know about you.”
Matilda nodded, “I could say the same.”
“Then ask me a question first. What would you like to know?” said Katherine.
Matilda thought for a moment.
“How did you meet Victor Harte? Was he really as vicious as they say he was?”
“Well …” Katherine gave a nervous laugh. “Er … you see. He … Well, let’s just say that my mother was right when she said I had the worst taste in men.”
Oh dear, thought Matilda. “So he did kill many people for money and gold?”
“Well, he was very ambitious. But he really cared for me and loved me.”
Huh? He’s still a killer.
Then Katherine’s eyes were someplace else and so was her mind.
“I didn’t see anything wrong at the time. I was so young. And he was so handsome. His eyes were of a clear blue sky,” she returned, “like yours.” She paused again to reminisce. “He was a straightforward man. I remember the first time we met. He came to my village, and the moment he saw me, he dropped everything that he was doing, marched right up to me and said that I was the fourth prettiest girl in the village and he wanted me to be his.”
Charmed.
“The other three girls were already married,” Katherine said, this time a little less dreamily. Then Katherine continued. “Now, I’m very happy to find out that you were adopted by a wonderful family. Very unfortunate what happened to your adopted mother and father. Life is not certain at sea. Will you be staying in North England for good?”
“Yes, it will be my home now.”
“That is quite far away.”