Life In London – Chapter 7
Betty stood by the slim window set into the stone wall. The storm raging just outside pelted the thick glass making it nearly impossible to see outside. Her long red Tudor dress with full skirts flared out behind her, and the cuffs of her sleeves flowed down catching the ends of her rosary that she held between her hands as she prayed by the window. Her headdress held back her seemingly raven hair as the rest fell behind her in a simple braid, wrapped in gold banding that matched the gold threading along the sleeves and edges of her intricately layered gown. Her cream-colored silk slippers were just visible beneath the skirts, and she looked gorgeous despite her terrible predicament.
Imprisoned in the tower, she only had a small bed and one table with a chair. A half-used candle sat on it flickering as the wind found its way in through the stones and seams of the windows. The fire in the hearth was struggling to keep aflame, and she had not seen a soul since her dinner of bread and broth had been brought hours earlier. She could feel the cold to her bones. It was now nearing midnight, and Betty found herself unable to sleep. She was unaware of how long she had been imprisoned. Her crime? Speaking out of turn. Only her royal status allowed her the amenities she had, that being a cell of her own with a bed, the table, the fire, and the ability to write letters.
She did not know if her letters were even reaching the intended recipients, subject to being read for secret messages as treason was a word that had been brought up repeatedly. She could only sit and pray that she would be released. Was her crime truly worth beheading? It couldn't be. Her future was uncertain, hoping that God and her monarch would have mercy on her. How had she ended up here? All she could do was wait, and it was an insufferable limbo.
A loud crash was heard down the hallway, and Betty's head shot up in response to the sound of a tray dropping onto the stone floor, a woman screaming, and metal clanging. That was not thunder, though the storm had not let up, in fact, it seemed to grow stronger. She stood frozen by the window, unsure if she should approach the large wooden door that kept her from freedom. It was unusual to hear anything this time of night except the quiet footsteps of guards walking the halls. She couldn't help but feel a small glimmer of hope and clasped her rosary closer to her.
The sounds grew louder, more metal scraping against stone and if she wasn't mistaken, she would swear she was hearing swords clanging in combat. She was almost certain that was the sound when it was accompanied by the screams of grown men struggling and groaning in anguish, only to be silenced shortly after. She did not know what was going on exactly, but could this be her salvation? If only…
The fighting had reached her as she heard the sounds of banging on her door, but not that of someone knocking, rather that of bodies being slammed up against it. She ran to her bed in the furthest corner of the room and knelt beside it, eyes closed and praying more fervently than she ever had before. She opened her eyes just in time to see a flash of lighting brighten her room to the point of daylight, and as her large door swung open the gust of wind it created knocked out her candle that had been struggling to keep alight. A large figure moved towards her, and she struggled to move back towards the wall trying to stay as far away from it as she could.
The metal clanging she had heard was now confirmed to be that of the figure's armor, the sabatons on his feet scraping against the stone floor as he drew nearer. His sword dragged behind him, and his face was obscured by his helmet, protecting his identity. She let out a cry, screaming "No!" as he came forward. Unable to move away from him, she was stuck in her position. Was this it? Would this be her end? Was this knight here to take her to her final moments? Was this to be her fate?
"Milady, do not fear." A gravelly, yet familiar voice said kindly. The knight stepped forward and knelt before her on one knee, his sword placed before him as he rested his hands upon the hilt, bowing his head towards her. "I am here to serve thee, until my dying day." She let out a gasp and held her rosary to her chest.
"Tis true, milord?" she asked him, her voice small and quivering from the shock.
"Tis true, milady, for I am here to rescue thee." He bowed his head once more.
"Thou shalt reveal thine eyes, for I cannot allow my savior to be unknown to me." She stepped forward, and with her trembling hand lifted his chin up to her so that he might show her his face.
"Yes, milady." He obliged and lifted the visor to reveal the most beautiful set of blue eyes Betty had ever beheld. She gasped as she looked into them. She knew those eyes.
"Thou shalt reveal thy face." She commanded.
"Yes, milady." She could see the amusement in his eyes, and he raised his hands to his helmet to remove it. As it lifted, she could see the contours of his face, though the room was dark the flashes of lightning continued allowing her to see the man before her. A familiar face, full of love looked back at her, and her heart skipped a beat. Could it be?
"Daniel?" she asked, timidly, unsure if she should believe it was really him.
"Yes, milady. Tis I." He smiled. She stepped forward and placed her hand on his cheek. How was it possible that he was here? The last she had seen of him he had been sent off to war to serve King and country. Now he was here, and he was her only means of escape. Her long-lost lover was here before her, and she had given up all hope of ever seeing him again. She was sure he had been killed, yet here he was.
"Betty…" he whispered, then stood up before her and drew her in close, resting their foreheads against one another. He leaned in to kiss her, and it was passionate. Every ounce of longing, longing for her lost love and for her freedom was wrapped into this one embrace.
Crashes were heard down the hall in the direction he had come from, and they reluctantly broke their kiss looking at each other one more time before he placed his helmet back on and quickly picked her up, running out the door. He fought off every enemy gallantly, never allowing them to come close to Betty, and not once setting her down. When they finally reached the stables, he quickly found her a hooded cloak and wrapped it around her to protect her from the rain. He led her down the steps into the small area behind the stables only used by servants where his trusty stead was waiting for him, a white one with a long, beautiful mane. He helped her up onto the large animal and climbed on in one motion sitting behind her. He wrapped his body close to her asking her to hold on as they ran off into the night, escaping the tower, and riding towards their future together.
Betty woke up in a love-filled daze. Her dream had been magnificent, and she found herself smiling as she stretched in bed. Blinking, she opened her eyes, and upon realizing where she was, in her London flat in the 2000's it suddenly dawned on her just how real that dream had been. It only took her a few more moments to let it truly sink in just what she had dreamed of, and immediately slapped her hand across her face groaning. Had she really dreamed of Daniel again? It was certainly a beautiful dream, but it didn't help things become any less complicated. Sighing she got up and stretched out fully. Looking at the time, she realized she needed to get going. Despite how her dream made her feel more confused, she was feeling excited. She hurried through her morning routine only taking a little extra time to decide on her outfit. This was a big day. Daniel was coming to see her office. Thankfully he had been the one to bring up seeing it first. Until then she wasn't sure if she should invite him or leave it alone. He would always be welcome, but there were still many unanswered questions regarding Daniel and his stay in London. If their trip to the London Tower hadn't gone so well, she wasn't sure what she would have done.
She was smiling again as she stopped to buy her morning coffee. Abbi hadn't let her unusually content smile go by unnoticed, but Betty wasn't going to let anything ruin her good mood or make her question it. Their outing the day before had been one of the best days she had ever spent with Daniel or anyone for that matter. He had indulged her love of history and with the collection of jewelry and royal robes, she was happy to see that even Daniel had found it interesting, especially once he was able to see the collection of weaponry. "Boys and their toys" she had joked with him rolling her eyes. He was happy to play along and found himself more relaxed than he had ever been. It was certainly a nice change of pace, considering how nervous they had both been. It finally felt like they were getting back to normal but in a new way. They could finally just be friends, without work and all those complications getting in the way. It was just them, and they were just another couple among the crowd. It felt good.
It was only when Betty dreamed about him again that night that she had to admit to herself that while they had reached this comfortable lull as they started to build their friendship back up, there was something more at play, at least for her. She did her best to ignore it, but when thinking about the day before, she had definitely been caught staring at him once or twice. What she wasn't ready to admit was that she thought she may have caught him staring at her once or twice too. She brushed it off in the moment, but her subconscious wasn't ready to give it up. If her dream was any indication, it had found a way to incorporate their lovely day into her fantasies. Am I really fantasizing about Daniel now? She tried to shake it off as she reached her office, but a dream like that is hard to move past. She could feel her cheeks growing warmer. Get it together, Betty! If she wasn't at work, she would have slapped herself.
She reached her office and sat down behind her large oak desk. In just a couple of hours, he would be here. She was determined to get as much work done as she could so that when he arrived she could focus all her attention on him. She couldn't help herself and clapped and smiled in excitement. She was glad no one could see her. While she did like living and working in London, she did recognize that people were generally a little more reserved, and seeing someone clapping excitedly behind their desk would probably result in a few looks and uncomfortable groans from her colleagues. Come to think of it, people reacted like that in New York too, but still. She grabbed the folders in front of her and started her computer, settling in for the day.
Daniel was rushing around in his hotel room. He had tried on three different outfits and couldn't settle on anything. On one hand, he wanted to look relaxed and casual. On another hand, he wanted to look somewhat professional, considering he was heading into an office even though he didn't work there. In a way, he wanted to represent Betty and since he had been in London he had been purposefully dressing more casually. He found himself able to relax more, and even though his form of 'casual' was still probably more business casual compared to an average person's, he started to express his freedom through his clothing. He finally decided on some nice slacks, oxfords, and a dress shirt/sweater combination with a complimenting blazer to go over it.
When he reached her office building, he stopped taking a moment to look up at it. The building was gorgeous. The 18th-century style evoked that European sense of history and class, and yet the young professionals milling in and out, as well as the more modern architecture and skyscrapers surrounding showed that London was not stuck in the past and had found a way to embrace change and grow with the time. He fixed his hair and blew out a breath. Here we go.
He walked into the building and found the directory to the Dunne offices. He stepped onto the elevator and pressed the button for the fourth floor. He clutched the two cups of coffee and the small bag of pastries close. He wasn't sure what to expect and hoped that Betty was ready for his arrival. He had sent a text when he arrived to warn her that he was coming up, but she had not texted back. Worst case, he would simply return to his hotel if she didn't have time to stop for him. He shook his head and reminded himself that Betty had been the one to suggest Monday for his visit. In fact, he was growing rather excited. He had been curious to see where she works now and felt a sense of pride building up in him. He hadn't been very supportive of her move at first and wished he had asked more questions, but from what he could tell Betty was in her element. Not only was she a successful businesswoman, but she was also running her own magazine. If anyone deserved to be successful it was Betty. He smiled thinking of her ordering people around and imagined her leading the group meetings as he had done so many times. Excepting her family, he was certain that nobody could be more proud of her than he was.
The elevator bell rang as it reached the fourth floor, and Daniel took a deep breath as he stepped out. He took a quick look around, but he didn't have to look far because standing right in front of him was Betty. He smiled from ear to ear as she immediately yelled out his name and wrapped him in a huge hug, eliciting shock and turned heads as everyone stopped working to see what the commotion was. He wrapped his arms around her, being careful not to spill the coffee, and giggled as he quietly said "Hello Betty."
I've always wanted to write a dream sequence like that for these two. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did while writing it. The "office visit" will continue next chapter. Also, be sure to check out my new story "Happy Halloween, Betty Suarez"!