The round chamber echoed with the whispers of the two men in the middle. Even though it was in the middle of the night, the chamber owed its only illumination to two lanterns which were situated on two stands on the dais. One of the men lounged on an elaborate chair. He had a curly white wig, which was sagging. Even in the limited light, his eyes had bags underneath them. The other man was standing beside the chair. He held his wig in his hand revealing a balding, gray head. He was looking around anxiously.
“Your majesty, are you positive that this step should be taken? The unrest will most likely be short-lived. And if you proceed, choosing a woman is not a decision that I would have made. Women are not concerned with ensuring the safety of your empire, they are just concerned with gossip, and balls, and how much money they can get through marriage.”
“Greyson, your concern is noted. I have thought long about this. This unrest will not be short lived. It will grow. These colonies will demand that they should have a voice in parliament because their population is spread out in a land which is larger than their mother country, England. Their population grows rapidly, they have the space. By putting someone who is loyal to England in their midst, I will know how best to remind them that they have a duty to their mother country, and to the God ordained king.
“You wonder why I have chosen a woman to perform this task. You say that they are shallow, and couldn’t care less about matters of policy. Greyson, you only know the noblewomen. The colonists are not all as successful as we are. Many women have quite a burden, and some couldn’t care less about balls and jewelry if their children were starving. You mentioned gossip as one of their vices, this is a virtue! By putting a woman with them, she will be able to give us a true reflection of the attitudes of the colonists.
“Still, I will not be letting a woman have this burden alone. I am sending one of the militia to aid her. He will be among the men to gain information that way. He will also provide a secure channel back to us. I am depending on this man to keep her safe, for women are much freer with information than men as I have discovered, and to provide us with a report on this military side of this unrest.
“To gain her acquiesce to this mission, I will promise her family wealth and position better than they have now. In this mission, she will have a respectable position, which will allow her to be among the upper class and the middle class. I will not put her in a position to wed, yet. I need her as a debuting young maiden. Her loyalty to her country, king, and family will compel her to agree to be my informant. Does this satisfy you, Greyson?” This ending question, sarcastic in nature and voice, humbled Greyson.
“Why did I ever wonder if this was the best plan?” He tried to regain the king’s favor by the most common method used among subjects. “Your Majesty has planned for everything. The girl will be indebted to you beyond recompense. That she should hesitate would show extreme ungratefulness and unworthiness for the opportunity you grant her.”
“Yes,” the king mused. “Should she seem unworthy, there are always others. But her family has always had a history of loyalty. If half of her father’s praise is warranted, she should be satisfactory.”
“I should think so, Your Highness.” At that moment, a guard opened the door.
Coming to the edge of the dais, he said, “Lord Daleen, and his daughter, Miss Constance Daleen are approaching.”
“Let them in and direct them here immediately!” the king directed. Aside to Greyson he said, “Let us see if our first choice is worthy.”
Constance looked at the looming palace of Westminster. It was in the middle of the night and it looked creepy and the intimidation it had during daylight hours was increased exponentially now that it was dark and quiet. She was at a loss to know why the king had summoned her at all, at this hour no less! Her father had come home from parliament telling her to be ready to present herself to the king. She had obeyed immediately, thinking that he had come back to fetch her and meant to go back as soon as possible. She had found him relaxing in the sitting room.
“Daughter, we are summoned to the king after parliament has completely finished for the day. The king does not want to be encumbered by matters and people of parliament when he meets you.”
Constance was flattered, her mother more audibly so, but she figured that something was going to happen that the king did not want parliament to know about. So she sat down to wait out the hours and tried to quell the butterflies in her stomach. Even now, almost to the gates, she had to keep from trembling. Her father was not high up in parliament, nor was she debuting by being presented to the royal family. If she were doing the latter, she would be presented to the queen, not the king.
Her father sat across from her in the carriage. In the interspersed lanterns, she could see the shadows and lines on her father’s face. He had his eyes closed, Constance knew that his health was suffering from the stress of parliament being in session, plus this extra outing at night which cut into the time that he could sleep. She should have insisted that he stayed at home, that she could do very well herself. But she didn’t really regret not insisting, she had no idea what would happen when she met the king. At least her father would be there, even if it was just moral support.
The gates opened for them and shut behind them as they entered the courtyard of the palace of Westminster and house of Parliament. She shivered as they pulled up to the entrance. A guard opened the carriage door, her father climbed out first and held out an arm to help her out. Another soldier waited for them at the tall and ornate doors. He gave them a cold once-over, and without much emotion gave a curt “Follow me” and led them into the palace.
Constance had only been in the palace once and it had stolen her breath. It was a reception that her mother had been too sick to be father’s date, so she had gone in her stead. The palace had been full of light and decorated in the most extravagant possible way. Now with the only light coming from a lantern that their guide was carrying, there was an air of secrecy and urgency. The pace that their red-coated guide set for them certainly corroborated that mood. She thought it was just herself that was having to work at keeping a quick and steady pace with a corset and a hoop skirt, then she heard her father’s hard breathing beside her and hoped that they wouldn’t have much farther to go.
They turned a corner into another passage, and despite his weariness, her father sped up. He knew where they were going. She guessed by the familiarity he expressed that they were going to the place where Parliament was held. Constance now desperately hoped it wasn’t much farther. She was now gasping for breath and clutching at her father’s arm to keep from falling. Why did they have to at a run? Was whatever they were here for that urgent to keep secret? They finally reached the end of a hall and stopped at some large doors. The soldier that had led them gave them a couple moments to catch their breath. Then he knocked on the doors, waited a moment then opened them.
Constance had never been in the Parliament chamber before. What she was able to see before they went down the center aisle to the floor, wasn’t much. She glanced what seemed to be rows and rows of benches against desks all in a circle. She only able to see that as the lantern swept over the nearest space. Down in the middle of the room was a circular space with a raised dais in the middle. On the dais was an elaborate chair with a desk beside it. Reclining in the chair was a man wearing the most expensive clothes Constance had ever seen in her life! His cloak probably used gold as the embroidering thread. He had perfect furs lining his cloak and trimming it. His wig looked golden in the lantern light, everything about him shouted extreme wealth and there was an aura around him that commanded submission and awe. This was the most powerful king in the world at that time, the king of England.
Constance and her father stood below the dais. She curtsied the best she had ever done in her life, her father knelt, as the soldier announced them in a manner that resembled a servant at a ball. This would have made her smile any other time, but here her mind was running a million miles an hour trying to figure out why they were here. As she had first seen him, she had taken in his splendor, but she had noted his fatigue. He had circles under his eyes and his eyes looked tired.
As they stayed in their honoring positions, they said nothing, waiting for direction. The king sighed. “Lord Daleen, is this your daughter, Constance, whom you boasted about?”
“Yes, Your Highness. This is my daughter.” Her father had boasted about her to the king? That added to the pressure she already felt.
“Your praise to her beauty and grace, I see, is not unwarranted. She is beautiful and graceful as well as I can see her in this despicable darkness. Come up onto the dais.” They obeyed instantly. “You are no doubt wondering why I questioned you about your daughter, Lord Daleen, and why I summoned you both in this fashion and time. The fact is, England is in need of you, Miss Daleen. You have heard about the unrest in the colonies, I hope.” He waited for a sign of agreement, which she gave. It had been the topic of discussion in her house for some time. “Good. Miss Daleen, to get right to the point, I need you to find out why those people are so disagreeable. I am offering you a position where you would go and live in the colonies. You would become friendly with the women there, and somehow discover what the problem is there. You would then alert me as an informant as an expert in the people there.”
Constance was astonished to say the least! In all of her speculation, this was the least expected. She would be a spy for the king! She tried to reply, but found her mouth dry and tongue stuck to her mouth.
“I know that this is a shock. This service will not be without a reward. If you agree to be my informant, your family will be raised to a position of prominence better than they are now. Your family will be much wealthier and respected. You will be able to serve an active role for your country and king. I ask once, will you be my informant?”
Constance stammered to stall for time. “I-I am much honored, Your Majesty, that you would give such an opportunity to serve you!” He sighed. She didn’t have the time she wanted. She looked at her father out of the corner of her eye. He looked stricken. She then realized that this was a test. It was either disgrace or honored far above anything above what they could have achieved on their own. She knew her decision. With a determined look, she looked straight at the king. “I accept this mission and honor.” Her voice rang with conviction and courage. Her path was set.