A Promise Kept Ch. 03

That was when I got the distinct impression that Lord Wickham be a little bit of a rebel when it came to "acting the appropriate way that royalty should conduct themselves," and I immediately took a liking to him. Little did I realize how truly close the four of us would become before the weekend was over...

~~~~~~

"Usually my daughter sits on my left hand at these ass numbingly, boring affairs," Lord Wickham grinned at me, "But I believe I would prefer that you take her seat this time, if you don't mind, young Michael."

"I don't mind at all sir," I appreciatively replied, "In fact, I would be honored; your Lordship."

"Good," he grinned, patting me on the shoulder, "IT will give the chance to truly thank the man who saved my daughter's life."

While she didn't say anything just then, I felt Natalie gently squeezing my hand, which, when I looked at her, the light that was shining in her eyes was akin to the same look that my beautiful Jill used to give me right before she would tell me that she loved me.

~~~~~~

It wasn't long before the meal was served, which consisted of Steak or Roast Beef, and I chose the latter mind you. However, what I really enjoyed the most about choosing the Roast Beef was the healthy portion of Yorkshire Pudding that came with it. Yorkshire Pudding is not really a pudding per se, but it is more like a baked confection, as it is served in biscuit-like portions; or small cakes if you will.

Either way, and while I'm quite certain that it is not considered proper, but no one said anything to me for doing it that night, I like to cover the Yorkshire Pudding cake with the dark brown gravy that comes off of the Roast Beef and eat it like that. Damn, it was very tasty.

~~~~~~

After dinner and desert, a light jazz band was allowed in, and as they were getting set up, Lady Sarah leaned over the table and told me, "Don't let my daughter monopolize your time, dear, be sure that you save a dance for me."

"I would be honored, Lady Sarah," I gently, but very courteously replied, "I'll save the first one just for you, and not leave my seat until you're ready."

"Sir Tomas and Lady Sarah were somewhere in their early to mid fifties, I'd say, but as you'll soon read, the Wickhams became, and to this day, still are, three of the kindest, most dear people that I've ever known.

~~~~~~

The band had only played three or four songs, and as I was talking to Natalie, I saw a warm smile come across her face at the same time I felt a small, soft pair of hands on my shoulders. I turned around and saw Lady Sarah standing behind me.

"Are you ready to dance?" she smiled, holding her arms open, "I've been told that I'm quite good at it for my age."

"What do you mean by, at your age?" I teased, as I stood, "When we first met, I thought you were Natalie's sister, most certainly not her mother."

"Oh, my goodness," she quietly laughed, as I escorted her to the dance floor, "Aren't you the flatterer."

"Not me," I truthfully replied, "I just know beauty when I see it."

"Oh, you rogue," she pleasantly laughed, as we had now reached the dance floor and had begun dancing, "My daughter tells me that you're a very noble man, and I most certainly agree with her that you're indeed a very kind gentleman."

"Now who is the flatterer, Lady Sarah?" I grinned, then I looked into her eyes, the same hazel blue color as her daughter's, and seriously told her, "May I be honest, ma'am?"

"Please," she understandingly yet, almost motherly smiled, "I want you to be honest with me, Michael. I might understand more than you think."

"Okay then, here goes," I began, as we danced, "The job I do for the Navy means that I've been in certain places, and I've seen some pretty scary things...to the point that we lost a man in our team...I lost my fiancée in a car accident four, going on five months ago...and I guess what I'm trying to say, is that you and Natalie think that I'm this Knight in shining armor, but I'm really not...I'm just...I'm just me. Do you know what I mean, Lady Sarah?"

"Of course, I do, my dear, dear, boy," she softly and tenderly replied, almost bringing tears to my eyes, "You've not taken the time to grieve your losses...I can tell. The rest of the world thinks that we Brits are a cold and unfeeling lot, and while some are, I've raised my daughter not to be that way, Michael...and if you let her, she might help you find your way back."

"She's a very sweet girl," I smiled, feeling a warm sensation beginning to rise up inside me at the mere thought of Natalie, "And her beauty is most certainly beyond compare."

"And if your heart weren't in the state that it's in at this moment, I would say that the two of you would be perfect for one another," Lady Sarah gently yet pointedly told me, "I have a proposition for you, Michael."

"Is that right," I smiled, "And what kind of proposition are you talking about?"

"Let me speak to Natalie first," she smiled, exiting the dance floor as the song was over, "I'll let you know something before the night is over dear."

"Thank you for the dance, Lady Sarah," I smiled, gently kissing the back of her hand, "I enjoyed it immensely."

"Sweet boy," she giggled, as I pulled her chair out for her so that she could sit down, "Go sit down over there and use that boyish charm on my daughter."

"By your leave, "M'Lady," I teased, bowing before I turned to go back to my seat.

"You lovely little scoundrel," I heard her giggling to herself as I walked away...

~~~~~~

"So, tell me," Natalie teased, the moment I took my seat, "Did my mother try to get you to marry me while the two of you were dancing?"

"As a matter of fact, she said just the opposite," I fired back, keeping the teasing going, "She said that I should away from you as fast as I could run...and that it would be scandalous for us to even be seen together."

"Knowing that I'd been teasing her, Natalie looked at me, and gently taking my hand, she leaned forward and laughed, "You're a big lying tosser, but I absolutely adore you, Michael, I simply can't help it."

"I'll let you in on a little secret, Natalie," I tenderly replied, "I think you're a very special young woman, and I'm so thankful that God put you in my path."

"I think God you in my path, Michael," she seriously told me, brushing the back of her soft hand against my cheek, "After all, you're the one who saved me, remember?"

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I heard a voice tell me, "She can save you, too, if you'll let her..."

~~~~~~

Chapter Four

"Come, Michael," Sir Tomas grinned, patting me on the shoulder, "I've some people that I think you might like to meet."

"Gladly, Sir," I smiled, "Lead the way and I'll follow..."

~~~~~~

After Sir Tomas and I walked away, Lady Sarah immediately rose from her seat and took the one I occupied next to her daughter, Natalie.

"Admit it, Mum," Natalie proudly smiled, "I was right, wasn't I...he truly is a nice one, isn't he?"

"You were right, dear," Lady Sarah said, "But did he tell you that he lost his fiancée some months back?"

"Yes, he did," Natalie replied, "But I'm willing to wait until he's over that, Mum...I really like him, and I've come to care for him very much. I can't explain it."

"You don't have to, darling," Lady Sarah understandingly smiled, as she patted her daughter on the arm, then she looked at her with concern in her eyes and truthfully told her daughter, "If you truly care for him as you say you do...then you need to give him time to grieve his losses."

"Losses," Natalie fearfully asked, "Good Lord, who else did he lose?"

"He lost one of the men in his SEAL team to enemy fire," Sarah said, "But that is classified information, I'm sure so; act accordingly, dear."

"Yes, ma'am," Natalie softly replied, gently taking her mother's hand, "He's so dashingly handsome, Mum, don't you think?

"Yes, he is, "Sarah grinned, recognizing the look in her daughter's eyes just then, "But let's not get too hasty, dear...not just yet..."

~~~~~~

"I would like to present to you, my distinguished colleagues, Masterchief Michael Walker," Sir Tomas announced as he introduced me to the group of men who were in another room of the Embassy, "A true warrior in every aspect of the word."

"Nice to meet you, young man," said an older gentleman, obviously politically connected to Sir Tomas, "My name is Sir Ian Lewiston, political advisor to Sir Tomas."

"It's nice to meet you, Sir Ian," I respectfully replied, "I hope you've had a nice evening, Sir."

"Let me ask you something," he conspiratorially grinned, "Are you a man who fancies a taste of the sprits, young Michael?"

"Hmm, let me see," I knowingly grinned at Sir Tomas, "I've been known to take a taste every now and again. What makes you ask, Sir Ian?"

"Might I borrow him for a few moments, M'Lord?" Sir Ian asked Sir Tomas, "I want to test his mettle."

"As long as you don't get him too pissed," Sir Tomas laughed, "Or else you'll have my daughter to deal with, hear?"

"We'll only be gone for a moment or two, M'Lord," Sir Ian chuckled, then looked at me and said, "Come, young Michael, I want you to taste something that I think is genius...pure genius, m'lad, come..."

~~~~~~

Sir Ian took me over to the bar, and then going around behind it, he took two identical bottles of wine off of the shelf, and bringing two clean glasses as well, he brought everything back out in front of the bar, and sat them down on the nearest table, pulling up a chair, motioning me to do the same.

"This is Bordeaux," Sir Ian grinned, "It's called that because it's made in the Bordeaux region of France. This particular Bordeaux is special though, because it was distilled at the Rothschild winery. According to the labels on these two bottles of wine they're both a vintage nineteen, fifty-four. Would you care to try some?"

"Yes, please," I smiled, "I've never had this particular kind of wine before."

"I hope you don't mind me asking you this," Sir Ian politely said, "But what kinds of wine have you had, young Michael."

"Nothing near as nice as this," I smiled, "it the past I've had only Merlot and then some Burgundy once, but it left me wanting something else. Although my grandmother used to distill the kind of thing that could've fueled the Titan II rockets NASA used during the Apollo program."

"That's a good lad," he laughed, handing me my very first glass of the Château Lafitte Rothschild, "Here, taste this, m'boy; I think you'll really like it."

"Hmm," I said, after smelling it's much different, somehow more fragrant bouquet, "This is interesting."

"Indeed," Sir Ian grinned, "Drink it, lad."

I drank the small taste of what I now describe as ambrosia, which Sir Ian first offered me, and after being able to taste the full rich flavor, I swallowed it, not feeling the heat from the alcohol content until it was well down my throat, leaving a wonderful aftertaste. Hell, I should've known from its different bouquet that I smelled before drinking it, that it was going to be something very special.

"Oh, my God," I gasped, from the wonderful explosion of flavor in my mouth, "This is the best thing I've ever tasted," and then I held my glass forward, "May I have more, please?"

"Why certainly," Sir Ian chuckled, delighted that I liked the wine, "You may have all that you wish."

"There's one thing I do know about wines, Sir Ian," I told him, "It's been my experience that the better they taste; the more expensive it usually is."

"That's correct, young Sir," he laughed, playfully slapping me on the back, "But tonight it's on the British Government so; be sure to drink your fill..."

"Michael," Sir Tomas smiled, walking up behind where I was sitting with another older gentleman in tow, "I would like you to meet, Lord Chester Pilkington, financial advisor to her majesty the Queen. He and I were mates at Oxford, as well as rowed together."

"It's nice to meet you, Lord Chester," I respectfully replied standing, with my hand extended, "Any friend of Sir Tomas' is a friend of mine, sir."

Like I've already said, I stand six feet, two inches, but this was the first time in my life that someone who only stood a maximum of five feet, ten inches tall, was actually able to condescendingly look down his nose at me, and refusing to shake my hand, very wryly said, "Oh, look, Tom, it's another drunk American service man."

"Excuse me," I sharply replied, glaring into Lord Pilkington's eyes, "You don't know me, nor do you have the right to comment on, or judge me. I've done nothing to you, Sir, so; don't you dare say something like that again. I may be a lowly American in your wannabe superior eyes, but I assure you that you're biting off quite a bit more than you can chew. At the same time, I'm still a gentleman, and have a more refined point of view these days."

"Let me ask you something then, Yank," he snottily quipped, leaving Sir Tomas with a look of astonishment, mixed with shock on his face, "How do you deal with living in a country that is full of miscreants, thieves, and assholes?"

"If my sense of history serves me correctly, during the war of Eighteen-Twelve, as well as the Battle of New Orleans in Eighteen-Fourteen, we sent all the miscreants, thieves and assholes back to England, M'Lord," I smugly replied.

All of a sudden, all three men in the room, Sir Ian, Sir Tomas, and Lord Chester immediately burst into a loud roar of laughter. Each of them actually applauding what I'd just said, making me wonder what they'd found that was so funny, until I remembered the dry British sense of humor, and then a sudden understanding came over me, making me simply shake my head and grin.

"He's absolutely brilliant, Tommy," Lord Chester chuckled, "You were right, mate; he's a warrior in every sense of the word."

"Am I missing something here, gentlemen," I suspiciously grinned, "Or are you busting my balls as a means of testing my fortitude?"

"Aye, that's a good lad," Sir Ian, laughed, "A good lad, indeed."

"Are you gentlemen having fun corrupting my date," a familiar female voice teased, from somewhere behind me, "Mum sent me to rescue you, Michael, from the politics and propensities of these...uh...gentlemen," and no sooner had she spoken then Natalie stood before me, looking more beautiful every time I looked at her.

"Hello, M'Lady," I softly smiled, "Sir Ian has been teaching me the fineries of wine from the Bordeaux region of France," as I took a large drink, taking the remainder of the wine in my glass.

"He's been teaching you, alright," she delightfully laughed, "Come with me, Michael, before they have you so pissed that you won't be any good to me," and then she giggled, and took my hand, leading me away, as I began to strongly feel the effects of what little bit of wine that I did drink.

~~~~~~

"Did you have a good time with my father and his mates?" Natalie sweetly teased, "Those old tossers will get you into loads of trouble if you allow them to do so."

"Is that right?" I warmly grinned, "I had fun with those guys, especially Sir Ian."

"Sir Ian really is a sweet old man, and a lot of fun, too," she grinned, as we sat back at the table, holding hands while we talked, "But wait until you get to know Uncle Chester better...he's a bloody gas, that one."

"Uncle Chester?" I asked, "I didn't know that you guys were related. Does that mean that he and your mother are brother and sister or something?"

Natalie suddenly got tickled, and soon began to laugh so hard that she was holding her sides. She continued laughing until, after regaining her composure, she looked at me and softly told me, "My darling Michael, I'm so sorry, I wasn't laughing at you. I was laughing at the thought of my Mum and Chester being brother and sister...Chester isn't really my uncle. It's just that he and Daddy were mates in college, meaning that they've been mates since way before I was ever born. He's just always been a part of my life; hence the reason I call him Uncle Chester."

"Oh, okay," I understood, "That makes sense to me."

"Are you always this charming," Natalie tenderly asked, "Or does it just come naturally, Michael?"

"Natalie, please," I smiled, my face blushing bright red," I just treat people the way I like to be treated, I swear."

"I don't care what it is," she almost protectively replied, leaning over and softly kissing my lips, not caring who saw, even though the place was filled with the press, "I think it's one of the most beautiful qualities that I've ever seen in a man, speaking of which...I've been meaning to ask you...are all American men like you, Michael?"

"I don't know about that," I chuckled, "I'm me, and nobody else can be me, but me so; I'm not sure if there's anybody like me, back home...I sure hope there isn't."

"It's alright, Michael," Natalie softly told me, "I'm going up the coast tonight to stay for a couple of days. We'll stop and let you check out of your hotel, and then I want to take you with me. Please promise me that you'll come..."

~~~~~~

After I'd gotten checked out of my hotel, I followed Natalie in my car north on the 405 express until we took a left on I-10 until it dead-ended into the Pacific Ocean in Santa Monica. From there we took highway 27 up into the Santa Monica Mountain Range an hour north of the city until we came to a private gate, where Natalie entered a code on the keypad that was there on the large Concrete and steel column, making the electronically controlled gate swing wide open, closing only after I followed Natalie's car, which I might add, was a British made Jaguar XJS, with the steering column on the right side, past the electronic sentry on the other side of the gate.

~~~~~~

We drove up a paved driveway, pulling first her car, and then mine up in front of one of the most beautiful houses that I'd ever seen. It was made completely of huge logs, was two levels, with all of the modern conveniences of the times. There were four bedrooms on each floor, with the Master suite located at the very top level of the house, almost engulfing the entire upper north end. Altogether I would say that it was somewhere around eleven thousand to twelve thousand square feet, both floors combined.

The moment we were inside though, Natalie led me to the nearest bedroom, and after sweetly kissing my lips, she smiled and whispered, "Goodnight, my beautiful Knight...Michael," and then she opened the bedroom door and told me, "I'll be right next door...in case you get lonely," and then she winked at me, and turned, slowly walking to the room next door, her eyes not leaving mine until she disappeared into her room...

~~~~~~

THE NEXT MORNING

When I awoke the next morning I found Natalie lying next to me dressed in a long tee shirt and a pair of panties, and I simply lay there watching her sleep. Her skin was flawless, her hair possessed a brilliant sheen, and like I'd told her mother the night before, her beauty was beyond compare.

"Good morning, handsome," she softly cooed, as she slowly opened her eyes smiling, "I got lonely next door so; I decided to come in here with you. I hope that you don't mind."

"How could I possibly mind?" I softly asked her, "God, Natalie, you're so beautiful that I don't think that any man would mind."

"Maybe so," she softly grinned, "But I don't want just any man..."

~~~~~~

"Well, good morning, young Michael," Dir Tomas grinned, when I sat down at the table that morning for breakfast, "I'm glad that Natalie brought you out here, m'boy."

"Captured would be a better word," I laughed, "She really didn't give a choice, Sir Tomas."