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Chapter Twenty-Three
Carmen rushed towards Nora and then took both of her arms in hers as she kneeled next to her. “Where did you get that pendant?”
Nora’s eyes widened in alarm at her urgency. “I-it’s mine. Papa gave it to me.”
Carmen took out the jade green pendant and took a closer look. She hadn’t been mistaken. It was indeed the same one that belonged to her, the one her own mother had given her when she came of age. But how had Arthur laid his hands upon it?
As she looked at Nora, a dreadful realization occurred to her —took in her features that were so eerily familiar, features she recognized when she looked at her reflection in the mirror.
Nora was her daughter.
Now that the thought had occurred to her, it planted firmly inside her. Norawasindeed her daughter. It didn’t make sense in any way whatsoever, but Carmen knew inside her that it was true. All these years of looking for, spending countless nights worrying about where she was and in what condition. And now here she finally was…
“Nora,” she said. Her daughter’s name was Nora. “Nora,” she said again. Tears filled her eyes and then spilled down her cheeks.
Nora’s eyebrows furrowed in concern. “Don’t cry,” she said. “Please don’t cry. Did I do something to displease you?”
Carmen shook her head as the little girl reached forward to wipe her tears away. She tugged her forward to pull her in for a hug. She was in her daughter’s embrace and nothing could be sweeter than this moment. “You did nothing wrong,” she said, her voice muffled against her hair. “I’m just…” But no, she couldn’t tell her, not yet. She didn’t want to alarm Nora even though she was certain that she was right.
She had to speak to Arthur first.
* * *
Arthur couldn’t help but grin as he walked out of his chambers. He adjusted his cravat as he sauntered towards his study. He missed Carmen already even though he had seen her only moments before. Ramon walked towards him from the opposite direction.
“Are you having a good day, Ramon?” he asked with a grin. “It’s a jolly, bright day outside.”
“Yes, Your Grace indeed,” Ramon said with a strange expression on his face. “Are you feeling yourself?”
“I’m glad you ask,” Arthur said. He felt the same way he did in boyhood when his mother would make marmalade toasts and apples and they would go out to the Eton grounds to watch the boys play cricket. He couldn’t be more than ten or twelve at that time and he hadn’t thought about that particular memory in a long time.
“Your Grace, Lord Daxon is here to call on you.”
Arthur nodded. “Show him to the study.”
“He’s there waiting for you,” Ramon said. “Your Grace, if you don’t mind me asking, have you caught a fever?”
Arthur frowned. “Why do you ask?”
“You look rather flushed,” Ramon said. He wondered what exactly he looked like and desperately wanted to glance himself in the mirror. He felt quite giddy inside, as if he had just run a long race and won it.
“I’m fine,” Arthur said. He walked away from Ramon, still frowning. What was that about? He was the same man he was before except he didn’t feel that way. He felt entirely transformed. And it was all because of Carmen.
“What have you been up to?” Richard asked with a smile when he walked into the study. He was flipping delicately through the pages of a book. Flashes of his body writhing above Carmen’s as her mouth opened in pleasure filled his eyes but he quickly shook himself out of it.
“I have been…busy,” he said.
“Care for a game of chess?” Richard asked.
“I would love to,” Arthur said. God knew he needed a distraction, something that took his mind off Carmen. Lately she was all that he could think about.
As they were playing, Carmen strode in through the door. Arthur was so surprised to see her there that, at first, he thought he was imagining her. But she was there.
“I need to speak to you,” she said curtly, ignoring Richard entirely. Arthur frowned. She was breaking all the rules barging in here like this.
“I’m entertaining guests currently,” he replied, pointing his chin at Richard. “We shall speak later.” He couldn’t understand why she was barging in on him in this manner. Arthur tried to implore her with his eyes, but Carmen seemed to have no intention to leave.
“It’s very important. I implore you,” she said. Arthur cocked his head at her. Was something wrong? He wanted to know but he couldn’t very well ask Richard to leave. He hesitated.
