Bab 24: The dinner
Martha wished the earth could open up to swallow her. Everyone kept looking at her funnily and exchanging side comments. She looked at her husband, he looked unperturbed by the new development, while Theodore had already taken off his jacket and had distanced himself from them.
The king walked up to them. "Lord and lady Dixon, welcome", they all paid their respect to the king. "You must have been misled by the invitation, it's just a simple dinner with friends, I apologize for the inconvenience", the king said.
"It's okay your highness, there is no need to apologize, it was also our fault for the misunderstanding", Theodore's father, Lord Dixon reassured the king.
"Shall we?", the king asked while gesturing towards the dining table. They followed the king to the table.
Fife waved Theodore over to his side, where an empty seat was. Theodore went over to him and sat down. "Thanks for keeping a chair for me", he whispered to Fife. "You are welcome, I am so glad you are here, Betty has been staring at me like I am a piece of juicy meat. You mustn't leave me alone tonight", Theodore smiled at Fife's panicked face. "Don't worry, I will be by your side all through the night".
The king tapped on the wine glass with a fork to get their attention. "Hello everyone, I am glad you were all able to make it tonight. As you all know, my darling wife passed away so many years ago and my daughter has been mentally ill for some years now. It is terribly lonely to be at the palace, I hope you can all give me the pleasure of your company tonight",
"of course your highness", the dinner guests chorused.
"Then may we all eat", the king sat down on his seat and the servants started to serve the food.
They had eaten for a while when the king spoke. "Lady Martha, I do hope that you are enjoying the meal", Theodore's mother looked up at the king. "Of course, your highness. Thanks for your hospitality",
"it is I who must thank you, your son Theodore has been such a great help to us here at the palace",
"thank you for giving him the opportunity, your highness".
"I don't quite remember the period your son was born, was he brought to the palace for blessings?", the king asked.
Martha's hands were damp with sweat, she wondered why the king was asking such questions, could he be beginning to suspect them.
"no, your highness he wasn't brought for blessings",
"and why is that?", the king queried.
"He wasn't born in the kingdom and for the first two years of his life he was very sickly, when we brought him back to the kingdom, he wasn't fully recovered and since he was already grown, we felt there was no need for the blessings", she explained to the king.
The king looked towards Theodore, lady Martha's explanation sounded credible, but he still found it suspicious.
"Well that is all in the past now, I do hope that I see you and lord Dixon more regularly at the palace",
"of course your highness".
The dinner went on smoothly, as soon as desserts were served and the guests started to mingle among themselves, Betty stood up intending to walk over to Fife. As soon as Fife saw her approaching, he grabbed Theodore's hands and dragged him outside to the garden.
What is it?", Theodore asked him while rubbing his arm, which Fife had grabbed as they had come outside. "Didn't you see Betty coming towards us", Theodore turned to face him squarely.
"I am going to ask you just this once, why don't you want to get married to her, why do you keep avoiding her? It might seem funny to you, but I don't think it is funny to her", Fife sat on a bench. "I already told you the truth didn't I?",
"but it wasn't the whole truth, was it?".
Fife sighed, "you are right, it wasn't the whole truth. I will tell you the truth, but you have to promise not to tell anyone",
"I promise", Theodore assured him.
"I am not attracted to women".
Theodore's heart skipped a beat when he heard Fife say this. "What do you mean?", he asked.
"Exactly what you heard, I don't like women",
"what do you like then?". Fife looked at Theodore like he was dumb. "I don't think there is another gender apart from men and women, or is there?",
"no there isn't",
"so if I am not attracted to women, who then am I attracted to?",
"men", Theodore whispered.
"There, you have your answer", Theodore sank on the bench beside Fife. His mind swirled with different thoughts, he had thought he and Alistair were the only ones who felt that way. It came as a shock to him to discover that Fife too was like them.
"How did you know that you liked men?", he asked Fife.
"I didn't grow up in this kingdom as I have told you before, where I grew up everywhere was chaotic and full of exotic activities. I kissed a man for the first time when I was sixteen, and I was certain that was what I liked",
"what if it was a one-time thing?",
"trust me Theodore, I have done much more than kissing with men and I absolutely enjoyed every bit of it. The first time I was with a woman though was a horrible experience I try not to think about",
"so that's the full story",
"yeah. And I can't marry Betty and subject her to a loveless marriage. Despite her annoying attributes, she is quite a lovely young lady",
"so why don't you tell her you can't be with her, instead of letting her go through all this. At least she can find another husband".
"And what would I tell her is the reason that I can't be with her?".
Theodore kept quiet, not knowing what to say.
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