Chapter 20: She Was There
Cassian knocked on the door of the old house himself, pushing away the priest and his apprentice accompanying him to the midwife's house.
It took a long time and several knocks for the door to be opened. An irritated old man stared at them with a frown.
"Why in the world are you making a fuss in the morning when we have not even finished our prayers?" He groaned. However, when his eyes fell on the beaten priest, he paused and gasped.
"Oh holy Lord. What happened to you father?" he asked in a worried voice. The priest shook his head but winced at the pain the jerk of his head brought.
"We are here to meet your wife, Paul. If that is possible at this moment." Though confused, Paul nodded his head and opened the door wide. A woman can go into labor at any time, so many people come to search for his wife at odd times.
"Martha… There is a patient needing your attention. Father had personally come to fetch you." Though no one told him, Paul believed that was the only reason for others to ask for his wife. She came with hurried steps with a small box in her hands.
"Oh dear, I did not know someone was having her ninth month." Worry filled her wrinkled face as she looked at the priest who shook his head. Before he could explain, Cassian spoke first.
"Five years ago when the royal family had come to investigate a murder case, did any woman come to you at night?" he asked in a desperate voice when the woman frowned and her husband squirmed.
"Father, who is this man?" he asked in an irritated voice as Paul shielded his wife.
"We do not know what you are talking about. If you do not need my wife's help, leave this place this instant." He glared at Cassian without caring about his military uniform or the fact that he could kill both of them.
"My child, do not panic. If you know anything, tell him the truth." the priest pleaded as he felt there was something strange with their reactions. Why were they acting so abruptly when the matter could end with just one refusal? Though angry, he was sure Cassian would never kill an innocent.
"Ha! So you think that we are lying?" Paul scoffed when his wife signed too.
"Young man, I did not treat any women that night. If that is what you are asking. You can leave our house. My husband is short tempered. I do not want a brawl in my house." she was about to turn when Cassian blocked her way.
His eyes looked at her pleadingly.
"She was wearing a lavender color dress. Her green eyes shine whenever she smiles. I am sure she had given birth to a boy. She had told you not to tell anyone about it and paid you with her jewels. However, she must have added that one day her husband would come looking for her and her child. She must have left a message for her husband.'' His voice was desperate when the old woman froze and so did her husband as they exchanged glances.
"Who are you?" asked Paul again, this time in a calmer voice as Cassian took a deep breath.
"I am Duke Cassian of Nottingshire. You must have heard of me. My wife disappeared five years ago. I have been looking for her since then. Recently I got a clue that she had reached your house. I know your concerns but trust me, I only want her back and so does my child. Please.. I will give you anything. Gold, jewels, palaces anything you want if only you can tell me about her.'' Gone was the cold and cruel man and only left was a desperate husband and a hopeless father that was even ready to die for his wife and son that even the priest felt the lump forming in his throat.
A sigh escaped the woman's lips as she sat in her chair.
"Do you have anything to prove it?" she asked again with caution when her husband held her shoulders and pressed them.
Cassian nodded and pulled an emerald pendant from his pocket. "She was wearing this pendant that day. We had the same pendant for our child."
"She had come here. But as you said, she had forbidden us to tell you about her even to the knights and royal family. She begged us not to tell anyone about her existence and requested us to state that the carriage never entered the town."
"She said it was for her son's safety." The woman closed her eyes and took a deep breath when her husband continued.
"We did not want to be part of the mess but she begged us and then paid us with her jewels. She was in labor, so we helped her in giving birth. But after giving birth, she left our house.
We asked her to wait till she felt better. However, she said that she had to deliver the child to the orphanage before the men came looking for her. She was sure that they would come.
We even offered to take care of the child, but she said that they would come to their house for sure. No one should know that she ever visited us. What could we do? As she had predicted, men came the next morning and gave her description to us. They said that they were knights looking for their mistress. However, it was so ominous that we could not help but lie." Martha patted her husband's hands.
"We did nothing wrong! We even went to the orphanage next week when the matter calmed down a bit and asked for the child. It was there but there was no woman. So we have no idea where she went to but the child is in the orphanage. We paid some donations for the child and requested to name the child Alec. It was the last wish of the woman."
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone