Sir Arthur

• Thirty-seven

It was a lovely morning. The sun had just risen casting its rays on the window to Kim's room. The birds chirped merrily outside as she stirred awake. A yawn escaped her as she sat straighter on her bed, waving the tangled long hair out of her face.

She had woken up unusually early as the whole house was so quiet. Such a rarity, but how could she not when a great surprise awaited her. Matteo had send her a small letter a few days back requesting her to meet him this particular day. She had reread it over and over again until the words repeatedly filled her mind.

The girls didn't however know of it yet although James had caught her at the hallway when she'd been reading out aloud the contents. He had been teasing her over the matter everytime they encountered each other. Good thing he'd not slipped the news to Faye.

"Kim, you're up early." James called out when he spotted her near the stables. He had just finished cleaning when he saw her walking to the backyard. A smile formed on his face as he tried to put together his messy hair and walked over to her.

"Good morning James," Kim responded ignoring the smirk he sent her way. "It's lovely to watch the sun rise." Kim plopped herself on her a nearby bench when she heard him mumble something under his breath.

"Yes it is," James shuffled his feet watching the horizon agreeing with her words slightly then he remembered he had to prepare Lord Heather for town. There was an important meeting he had to attend so James gave Kim a knowing smile, "Have a nice day, my lady."

He rushed back before she could retaliate, laughing slightly at how things had changed. It had never occured to him that the General's daughter would be meeting up with a man, a subject to the General himself.

Breakfast went on as usual. Her parents asked of how she was doing and whether Gerald had passed by home lately. They didn't dwell much on her shifting the conversation to themselves. Later on her father left with James and as Faye cleaned up the dining room, Lady Heather pulled her daughter into the living room.

"What have you been up to recently?" She asked as soon they were seated on the sofa. Kimberly pretended not to know but her mother interjected, "Don't give me that look, I heard you told off Lady Deen's daughter."

Kimberly's eyes widened as she shifted uneasily in her seat and dropped them to her lap. She didn't know that the news would get to her parents. Did her father already know? She stared up at her mother afraid and worried of the trouble she had made.

"What were you even doing in town alone?" Kim tried to come up with an excuse but her mother's sharp eyes always detected any lie that came out of her. "I went to sell some medicine," she answered truthfully in a whisper.

"You could have sent James," Lady Flora moved closer to Kim taking hold of her hands. She wasn't against her preparing the herbs but selling them herself. It was a task all ladies were prohibited from and if word got out that Kim had prepared them, it would be terrible. For herself and the whole family.

"I just wanted to try out," Kimberly wanted everyone to know that she was capable of preparing good medicine and that women too could take part in making them. She hadn't expected the commotion to be that disastrous.

"Did you get hurt?" Lady Heather inspected her face and hands where could catch the scent of a faint bruise's cream. "I'm okay, Sir Arthur helped me." She hadn't expected to say the words out from her thoughts.

"Sir Arthur? He was there?" Her mother practically glowed wanting to hear more of the story. Kim reminisced all that had happened omitting some of the parts she didn't feel like sharing.

"A carriage is here for the young lady," a maid curtsied before them and Lady Heather frowned at her daughter. "Kimberly, were you going somewhere?" They had been chatting for almost an hour. Their subject still on Matteo.