A King’s Heart February 15, 2007

Years passed by and Simon grew old and frail while his kingdom prospered. Everything went to his only son Victor, who was recently married to Charlotte Hammond. On Simon’s death bed, Victor promised to ensure the kingdom’s survival and to preserve all of Simon’s hard work.

More years crept by. A son was born. And an icy void grew between the new king and queen.

Charlotte Ambrose stared at herself in the mirror, applying a small amount of rouge. She was plotting. Her son had just turned fifteen and he still had not courted any of the noble young women. It was custom to arrange marriages at birth, but Charlotte didn’t want to risk sullying the family name with ugly genes. She decided to wait until the young ladies of the ton were old enough to distinguish their beauty. Soon she would hold a ball, and Prince Victor’s fate would be sealed.

Meanwhile, King Victor was pondering. He was wondering why his wife refused to love him. He was wondering how his parents’ amiable and warm best friends could spawn such a cold, insipid woman. He knew that it should have been expected; she was nobility, after all. But once, he would like to make love to the woman and hear her shriek with pleasure. He grumbled to himself and decided to seek her company. Maybe he would be able to spark a flame of interest in her porcelain demeanor.

“Charlotte, my dear. Come join me in my room. There are matters we need to discuss,” Victor said, peeking his head into his wife’s room.

Charlotte stared at him blankly and said, “My lord, my head pains me. I would like to take a nap.

Victor’s eyes sparked with anger, “I would like to speak to my wife.”

Charlotte sighed and rolled her eyes petulantly before quickly regaining her composure. “We are speaking, my lord,” she said politely.

Victor practically growled at her, “I want another child! And you, my dear,” he sneered, “will bear this child for me. Now!”

Charlotte gasped, clutching at her breast, “I fear I can not oblige you. My head pains me. My figure would be ruined. It was quite hard losing the weight after Victor. And I could die during childbirth. I fear my health is failing, my lord.”

Victor’s brows curled over his dark, shadowed eyes. His fury was tangible. “I don’t care,” he said, his voice soft and calm. “I don’t care about a silly headache. I don’t care about your figure. And your health is fine. I want a child, and we’re going to make one now. And stop calling me “My lord.” My name is Victor.”

Charlotte was running out of excuses. She decided to drop the helpless woman act. “Fine,” she said in a crisp, professional voice. “I’ll be quite clear, Victor. You want another child. I want to remain your wife. But in name only. I don’t want to have anymore children. I don’t love you, Victor. I’ve never loved you and I never will. We don’t need anymore children.”

Victor was crushed to hear his wife say she didn’t love him. He had know since their marriage day, but it was much worse hearing her say it. He thought for a moment, accepted her honesty, but realized that he still had to address the matter of another child. “What if Victor dies?” he blurted out. “The kingdom will fall to pieces. Everything my father had worked for would be ruined.”

Charlotte’s eyes widened. She knew Victor was right. But she didn’t want to be the one to bear his child. “I have a proposal,” she said. “A Gentleman’s Club has recently opened, and I have heard tale that there are four female entertainers. Find a willing woman, plant your seed, and tell her than any child that results in the union will be raised legitimately. Once she sees signs of her pregnancy, you can move her to a home closer to the palace. It will appear to all outside eyes that she will be just a mistress. No one needs to know it isn’t mine.”

Victor grew even more outraged by this proposal. “You’re telling me to bed a whore if I want another child! You are one stupid woman. As my wife, you have certain duties to perform. And you will perform them, whether you want to or not. I am the king. You will not disobey me. I have been patient enough.”

Charlotte’s lips twisted into an uncompromising, harsh smile. “But you didn’t hear the other side of the deal, my lord,” she said. “If you leave my bed alone, I will allow our darling son to marry for love. I have been planning to arrange a marriage between him and Lady Hertwick. But if you find another woman willing to give you a child, I will allow Victor to marry whomever he sees fit, regardless of her current station in life.”

Victor swallowed an angry response. He didn’t want his son to suffer through a miserable marriage, void of love and happiness. He was a good boy. He deserved a good woman who would love and care for him. “Fine,” Victor spat out and immediately removed himself from Charlotte’s presence, before he changed his mind.

“I’m holding a ball in a fortnight,” Charlotte announced to her family over breakfast the next morning. “It’s to celebrate Victor’s ascension into manhood and to introduce him to some of the eligible young women debuting this Season. In fact, Lady Hertwick will be making her debut. Poor girl was all ready to come out last year, but you know, she had to observe the mourning period after her mother died so suddenly.”

Victor’s eyes narrowed at his wife. He knew what she was doing. She may leave their son’s final decision regarding his marriage to him, but she would do everything she could to influence that decision. And she was chattering incessantly, hoping that he hadn’t noticed. Victor ignored his wife and excused himself from the table.

He retreated to his bedchamber. He was torn between love and hatred for his wife and couldn’t decide his next course of action. He was determined to seduce her. But what if he failed? He needed another child. He would have to visit the Gentleman’s Club. He groaned as he lurched himself from bed. It was still fairly early. The owner would have very few patrons. Victor dressed in his shabbiest garb and sent his servant to ready the carriage.

Victor quietly walked into the building, trying to seem inconspicuous. There were more people there than he had expected. He glanced around and took a seat by the poker tables, where the four entertainers were engaged. He studied them, trying to decide which one to approach.

There was a blonde. She was very pretty, but upon closer inspection, it was obvious that she was much older than she first appeared to be. Dark kohl rimmed her eyes and red powder had been applied to her lips. Rouge was applied heavily to her cheeks, trying to mask the lines and wrinkles etched there. She smiled, but the smile never reached her eyes. She was tired and jaded, but beautiful and obviously successful in her current position. She wore a short, finely tailored garment – obviously meant for a prostitute, but it was luxurious and well made. The blonde was pretty and appeared to be well off, but she was just too old for Victor’s taste.

There was a brunette. She was analytical and calculating, pondering deeply over every move she made. She scanned the other players’ faces, searching for any sign of deception. She was quite good at poker, and she seemed to be rather intelligent. But she was considerably plain, with a long, straight nose, thin, beady eyes, and a wide mouth. She was a bright woman, but not the ravishing beauty Victor sought in a partner.

There was a raven haired beauty. She looked soft and voluptuous, with large almond-shaped eyes and perfectly bowed red lips. She was exotic, and she walked with a sway to her hips that claimed she knew how beautiful she was. She sat at a table, and Victor could feel the intimidation emanating from the other women. Victor thought that she might be the one, until he saw her glancing repeatedly into a glass of water, trying to catch her reflection. She was as vain as his wife and would probably be too worried about ruining her figure to want his child. Victor sighed, beginning to feel hopeless. He didn’t want to have to settle on a woman he didn’t want. That’s when the last of the entertainers caught his eye.

Her russet hair was pulled back tightly and masked by a crimson hat that sat atop her head. She had soft features and a round, friendly face. She wasn’t the most beautiful woman, but Victor found her appearance to be irresistible. He saw her look at the cards in her hands and frown for the whole table to see. Her emotions were displayed like a banner. She was terrible at poker, but she would be the perfect match for him.

Victor strolled over to the poker table and sat down beside her, asking to join their next hand. She snuck a glance at him, beneath half-closed lids. She could instantly tell that he came from money, and she wondered why he was choosing to sit beside her. Men like him usually went for Ariana, the exotic raven-haired beauty. She smiled at him, hoping to keep his interest. The more money she made, the greater chance she had at one day escaping.

Hours passed, and Victor smiled and flirted his way into his pretty prostitute’s heart. As the evening set in, Victor realized just how long he had been playing cards and excused himself from the table. He looked down at his prostitute hesitantly and realized he hadn’t even garnered her name. He bent down and whispered into her ear, “I would be immensely pleased if you were to meet me upstairs.” She looked up at him in surprise and watched him walk away.

Excusing herself from the table, she scrambled after him. He waited for her at the top of the stairs and offering her a charming smile, said, “My lady, I have quite a strange proposition for you and a secret you must promise to keep. If you do this for me, I will see that you are rewarded greatly. But before you agree to anything, I would like to know your name.”

She stared at him blankly and weighed her options. She could refuse, receive nothing, but also not have to experience any of this rich man’s sick tendencies. Or she could comply, be paid generously, and possibly have the worst night of her life. She sighed. The money would be worth it. “My name is Hope,” she said, “And I would be happy to do whatever you wish of me.”

Victor chuckled and said, “Ah yes, you will be my ray of Hope. You may not believe me, but I am about to tell you a very strange and true tale, and you cannot tell a soul. I am King Victor Ambrose.” He paused and cleared his throat before continuing.

“I have one son, the prince, and despite his good health, I worry he may die and leave me without an heir. My wife is a beautiful and cold woman, and I’m suffering through a loveless marriage. She had refused me in her bed and has instructed me that if I found another willing woman to bear my child, she would allow my eldest son to choose the woman he wishes to marry. If you agree to give me a child that I can raise legitimately, my eldest son will be able to marry for love.”

Hope stared at him, wide-eyed and amazed. She didn’t exactly believe him, but she was willing to do whatever it took to get out of this line of business. She smiled at Victor and said, “I don’t know if I should believe your story, but it doesn’t matter. I will gladly have your child, if you can settle me in my own home, with enough of an allowance to live comfortably on.”

Victor grinned and kissed Hope on the mouth, desire shooting through his body. “That wish can easily be granted,” he said, and allowed Hope to lead him to her bedchamber.

He set her down on her bed and slowly divested her of her garments. He ran his fingers along her smooth skin and allowed himself to get lost in her. And even when their passions were spent, Victor remained in her arms throughout the night.

He awoke early and kissed the top of Hope’s head. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled up at hi, but immediately frowned and sat up in bed when she realized his intentions. Victor cleared his throat nervously and said, “I will be leaving a small payment now. Contact me when you know whether or not you are pregnant, and we will discuss at that point what will happen next.” Victor strolled from the room with the haughty exterior of a king, leaving Hope on her bed, staring sadly after him.

Victor returned to the palace and continued his daily routine as the days trickled by. Charlotte was busy preparing for the ball, and Victor oversaw some of her preparations, most importantly, the guest list. He wanted to be sure that every young woman around his son’s age was invited, including the poorest of his people.