When Robert returned to the zorander Residence that morning, he met the worried lady Sam that kept asking the servants about her husband. Although they had all gone to the revelry together, when lady Sam was ready to leave the previous night she could not find her husband anywhere. So she asked the Couchman to take her and Jane first then returned to get her husband.


    Last night her husband had not returned and the carriage and the coachman were also missing.


    Lady Sam becomes scared that something had happened to her husband. Perhaps he had fallen into the hands of Bandits. Just when she wanted to send a few of the servants out to look for him, Robert walked in.


    "What happened? Are you okay? Lady Sam hurried over to meet her husband.


    " I am fine," Robert replied. When he saw how worried she was, he felt a little guilty after all he had promised her that she would be the only woman in his eyes.


    "Are you sure? Why did you not return last night?" lady Sam was not convinced so she ran her eyes on him to see if something was wrong.


    "I am fine, I got a little drank yesterday and asked a maid to prepare a room for me. I wanted to rest a little but I slept off," Robert explained in a natural expression.


    Lady Sam nodded her head, she did not have any reason to doubt his explanation. "That is a relief," lady Sam said.


    "Then I will have to excuse myself," Robert said and walked away. At the stairs, he met Jane who was going down to have breakfast.


    "Good morning father," Jane said she was in a very good mood. Robert nodded his head and walk ahead. The guilt he felt towards his wife was reduced. If lady Sam had done what he told her back then, there would have been no need for him to seek a new heir. Jane would have been engaged to Joe and Lawrence would have been under him.


    With this thought in mind, he felt less guilty. He went to his chamber and took his bath.


    "Do you think your father is acting differently?" Lady Sam asked when Jane joined her at the breakfast table.


    Jane paused, she did not pay much attention to her father just now. "I am not sure, why will you think that?" Jane asked her mother.


    "I have been married to your father for over twenty years and this is the first time he slept outside the house. Your father knows how to hold himself. If at all he had been drunk last night he would have returned home earlier," Lady Sam said. She did not know why but she felt uncomfortable with him sleeping outside the house.


    " What are you thinking? Father did not technically sleep out since he was at his brother''s place. Moreover, you know he is trying to build a good relationship with grandfather and uncle," Jane said in a sarcastic tone.


    Last night she was happy to have gone to the bouquet. Although it seems that most of the respect lords are siding with Richard, Jane felt confident that she could change their mind. After all, most of the lords just avoided conversations about the throne. They kept saying king George was still strong and healthy.


    So it means their mind was not set on Richard yet. Moreover, she also took her time to interact with the smaller lords. These people have always been neglected when important decisions are been made. This is because they did not have the resources to back up anyone but they are the easiest to use.


    Jane felt confident that if she could manage to join all the smaller houses together to support her, then their voices might even be louder than two big houses put together. So for this, she had made friends with some of the daughters of the lords.


    She knew that these people clamor for recognition. Even if she was faking her closeness to them, they are very easy to fool.


    "you seemed to have made use of the banquet yesterday?" Lady Sam decided to change the topic. Although she was still unconvinced about her husband''s explanation. She chose to believe he was trying to get close to his father.


    "yes I did," Jane was happy about her achievement.


    ...


    Jane was right, the small lord just clamor for attention. Lyla was doing her usual duties around the house when she heard the gossip from her stepsister. These two were younger than her, after all her father has been keeping her mother his mistress before he got married.


    "I made friends with the young lady from the Zorander house. I heard she is engaged to the prince," Kate the youngest daughter told her sister.


    "Jane? Her name is Jane right. She came to talk with me too," even the elder sister, Linna was proud.


    "yes, that is her name, although Prince William is not the crown prince, who can tell who will seat on the throne in the future. She might become the Queen. That way I will be friends with the Queen," Kate said.


    She was about the same age as Jane. "That''s right, at that time our family status will definitely raise," Linna said.


    Lady Ryon happened to hear her daughter''s discussion. She hurried over to be sure that she was not mistaken. "Did you make friends with the future Queen?" there was a smile on the corner of her lips. Usually, they would have not been invited to such a banquet but lucky Lawrence was not the type that looked down on people.


    "Not really, she is engaged to Prince William but it is not certain that the crown prince who just returned will stay on the throne right?" Linna said.


    "That is right, even if she does not become Queen, a person like that can get engaged to the prince will have a good background," Lady Ryon said.


    "Of course, she is the granddaughter of lord Zorander," Kate said.


    Lady Ryon smiled and thought about it. We were at the banquet to celebrate the return of lord Zorander''s grandson, you two must get closer to her, so she can introduce you to her cousin. I heard that lady Zack is looking to choose a wife for her son, " Lady Ryon said.


    If one of her daughters could get married to a family like that, then she would be able to rub shoulders with the ladies of the big families.


    When Lyla heard her stepmother she could not stop herself from chuckling. She was amazed at the ignorance of the mother and daughters. Because she works at the inn, she got to hear lots of gossips so she knew that the two sons of lord Zorander did not quite get along even if they are not at war with each other.


    "What are you laughing at?" Kate was really upset.


    "I just remembered a very funny story," Lyla said. She could not afford to get in a fight with them, since her body still ache from last night. Moreover, she needed to take care of her body to bear the heir of the Zoraander family. At that time she will not have to bow to these people anymore.


    Lady Ryon rolled her eyes. If not that this stepdaughter of hers is useful she would have killed her already.. "who gave her the guts to laugh at her daughters," she knew that marrying one of her daughters into a household like the Zorander was no more than her wishful thinking.