by Girard, Dara
Isabella pulled on a robe. “I know. It’s just that the reputation of the Duvall mansion is so important.” She glanced up and saw a strange look on her husband’s face. “I mean the Carlton mansion.”
He sighed. “I suppose it will take a while for people to get used to that.”
Isabella sat down on the bed, resting a hand on his leg and smiled at him. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure that they do.”
Alex placed his hand on hers and stared deep into her eyes. He had everything that he wanted, but he wondered about her. “Are you happy?”
Isabella pulled away from his grasp and stood. “I’m so glad things went well. It was a great party, wasn’t it?”
His heart fell, but he kept his voice as bright as hers. “Yes, it was.”
Having guests soon became routine. They held lavish parties and quiet dinners; entertaining the very high to the low. Soon Alex and Isabella were the most talked about couple in the county.
Not only were people impressed with her entertaining skills, but Isabella also became involved with various charities and reconstruction projects in the town.
And Isabella found joy in her new role, but restlessness still seized her. There were still times when she didn’t want to return to the house although she knew it had changed and Alex would be there. She told herself the past was over, but the house still seemed to talk to her. Seizing her mind and flooding it with melancholy memories. When Alex was home the voices were silent, but when she was alone she heard the distant whispers.
Isabella thought about her sisters often and missed them desperately. She regularly received letters and postcards from Daniella (with a note from Mrs. Lyons warning her that she’d better be treating Nicodemus well). Occasionally, she got a note from Mariella, but it was usually a photograph or a magazine picture with her face. She still hadn’t heard from Gabby and wondered if she ever would. Isabella knew that Alex probably wouldn’t want to hear from the couple, but she knew she couldn’t live with not knowing what had happened to her beloved sister. The guilt that she might have convinced Gabby to run away lingered and was a heavy pain on her heart.
Autumn soon came and Velma caught a cold that turned into pneumonia. Isabella brought her into the main house so she could take better care of her. A chill of déjà vu went through her as she remembered her mother’s “simple” illness turning into much more. She was determined to do all she could.
For the next two weeks, Isabella took care of Velma, forgetting to take care of herself. She made sure Velma was fed while forgetting her own meals. And as Velma grew stronger, she became weaker and weaker.
Alex noticed the change in her — the dark circles under her eyes and lost weight. “Did you have breakfast this morning?” he asked her as she came out of Velma’s room.
“I will.”
“You don’t have to look after her the way you do. She’s getting better. I could have a nurse come in.”
“It’s okay. I like to help.”
He grabbed her arm. It scared him how thin she felt. “You’ve helped enough.”
“I’ll know I’ve helped enough when she’s completely better.”
“No, you’ve done enough now.”
“I can’t just sit around and watch nurses come and go. I have to do something.”
His tone became gentle, finally understanding her fear. “She’s not going to die, Izzy.”
“I know. I’m going to make sure.” She walked past him and Alex watched her helplessly.
On a cool autumn day that brought the promise of rain, Daniella and Sophia returned from their travel abroad in Mrs. Lyons’s car. Isabella greeted them with Nicodemus already in his carrying case. When the two saw Isabella standing in the doorway, they stared at her, shocked by the way she looked. The two young women were too kind to say anything, but Mrs. Lyons was not.
“Doesn’t he take care of you?” she asked.
“Of course,” Isabella said surprised by the vehemence of her statement. “He’s wonderful.”
“Then why do you look like a scarecrow? Is the man so vain he doesn’t notice that his wife is about to collapse?” She raised a knowing brow. “I get it. You barely see each other and you love him so much that it’s eating you up inside.”
“That’s not it at all.”
“Leave her alone,” Daniella said, putting a protective arm around Isabella. “I’m sure we’ve just caught her at a bad time. Tell Isaac to help us with our bags, please.”
Mrs. Lyons turned on her heel and returned to the car with Nicodemus’s carrier. Daniella turned to her friend. “Sophia go say hi to your mom, tell her I’ll come see her later.” She didn’t wait for a response and led Isabella inside the house. She was too concerned by her sister’s altered appearance to notice the changes to the house.
“Are you sure everything is okay?” Daniella asked as they sat in the kitchen.
“Everything is fine.” Isabella looked at her sister, aware of the change in her, impressed by her marked maturity and refined manners. “I’m truly happy. I’ve just been busy taking care of Velma.”
“She’s sick? Why didn’t you tell us?” Daniella asked alarmed.
“She’s much better now.” Isabella grabbed Daniella’s hands. “Thank you for all of your letters. I felt as though I were there. Tell me all about the last part of your trip.” Daniella did and Isabella listened while her heart ached thinking of the travels she wanted to take. She wondered if she’d ever take them, or if her destiny was never to leave.
Alex glanced at his watch as he waited at the checkout of Martha’s restaurant. The owner fluttered around him like an anxious rooster. “Your wait won’t be much longer,” he said blinking furiously.
“Fine,” Alex replied. He knew he was making the man nervous, but was too preoccupied to calm him. His sister and Daniella would be arriving back soon and he wanted to be there to greet them. He also wanted to wave goodbye as Isabella returned that damn cat to Mrs. Lyons. Although there had been a truce, Nicodemus could still be a nuisance when he wanted his way and Alex hadn’t always been in the mood to let him have it. He was glad to see him go.
Alex looked at the menu again and wondered if he should have ordered two appetizers instead of one. He had noticed that Isabella had been looking frail lately and he wanted to treat her. She had a bad habit of skipping meals when he wasn’t paying attention.
At last the owner handed him his takeout. Alex opened his mouth to thank him when he noticed that the man suddenly looked thunderstruck. Alex was about to ask him what was wrong when silence fell around him. He turned to see why and saw Gabby and Tony taking a seat. Gabby saw him first, then Tony. Alex felt the flames of temper clawing at him, remembering the embarrassment they had caused him, but quickly got control. He thanked the clerk then approached the table.
Gabby sent him an uneasy glance, but Tony’s gaze didn’t waver. Alex took a seat and said pleasantly, “This is a surprise.”
The couple looked at each other but didn’t say anything.
“I know my wife will be happy to see you,” Alex continued.
“So you managed to get married after all,” Tony said.
“Yes.”
Gabby gripped her hands together. “Alex, will you ever forgive me?”
Alex smiled. “Of course. I could never stay mad at you.” He stood. “Besides we’re family now.”
“What?” they chorused.
“Just as I planned, I married a Duvall. The prettiest one.”
Tony fell back in his chair and stared at Alex as though he’d turned into an alien. “You married Mariella?”
“No.”
“Daniella?” Gabby guessed.
He shook his head. “No.”
They paused. Then looked at Alex then each other then Alex again. Suddenly, as though in slow motion, their eyes widened and their mouths dropped open. “You married Isabella?”
“Yes.”
Tony shook his head amazed. “I should have guessed.”
Gabby blinked. “I don’t believe it. She was the only one who didn’t want to marry you.”
Alex shrugged. “Let’s just say she changed her mind.”
“Why?”
“Because I can be very convincing.”
“You wanted to marry her?”
“Of course I did,” Alex said offended. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“I’m not suggesting that you wouldn’t. It’s just…I never considered…”
“That a man would find Isabella attractive?”
“No, I just never pictured you two together.”
“You shouldn’t be so surprised,” Tony said.
“I can’t help it.” She sent him a curious look. “Why aren’t you?”
He shrugged. “Few things surprise me.” He pointed to Alex. “Especially when it comes to him.”
“Oh,” Gabby said unsure. “Is she okay?”
“Yes, we’re happy,” he said, pushing back a nagging feeling of doubt. “She’s a little thin, that’s why I’m buying her these.” He gestured to several large plastic bags. “I wanted to surprise her, but I think this will be a better one. Come on.”
Gabby and Tony followed Alex home in their car. Once at the house, they stood still staring at it, stunned by its transformation.
“It’s beautiful,” Gabby said in awe. “It’s everything you promised.”
They began to walk up the stairs, but halted when Daniella raced out the front door and nearly crashed into Tony. “Alex! Thank God you’re here. It’s Izzy. She’s collapsed in the kitchen.”
Chapter 19
“A dangerous case of pneumonia,” the emergency room doctor said. “She’s a young woman who should be able to fight this, but her immune system is weak because of a rare blood disorder. We can only do so much.”
Everyone went into action. Alex hired a private nurse. Velma helped supervise her duties. Sophia and Daniella helped rearrange Isabella’s schedule and made apologies for cancelled appointments. Gabby helped in the kitchen organizing Isabella’s meals and Tony researched other doctors in the area who could better treat Isabella’s condition.
Autumn continued to settle, carved pumpkins made their debut on stairs and porches, copper and red leaves blanketed the ground and families prepared for holiday reunions. But for the house on Waverly, the reunion was anything but joyful.
Mariella had returned from the city once she’d heard the news and demanded answers. “Well, what is being done?” she asked as the three sisters sat in the solarium.
“Alex has gotten the top specialists to look at her,” Gabby said.
“And what have they said?”
“They basically all said the same thing. We have to wait and see.”
“But that’s ridiculous. There must be something we can do.”
“She has a private nurse who monitors her every day and Velma’s never far behind.”
“Do you remember how Mom —” Daniella began.
“No,” Gabby warned. “Don’t say it. We can’t lose Izzy.” Her voice trembled. “Not this way.”
Daniella’s eyes filled with tears. “Maybe this is our punishment. Izzy was the one who always wanted to get away and we forced her to stay and now she’ll leave us forever. Now she’ll truly be free.”
Gabby violently shook her head. “No, stop it. It’s not our fault.”
“Isn’t it? You ran off and I went to Europe and even you…” She pointed to Mariella.
Mariella rested a hand on her chest appalled. “What about me?”
“You left for New York without her.”
“She was already married.”
“But maybe she just got married because of us.”
“That doesn’t mean we’re to blame. She wanted us to be happy. We did what we had to do.”
Gabby wiped away tears. “Maybe Daniella’s right. It is our fault.”
“Don’t you start,” Mariella scolded. “She’s going to get better. She’s young and strong. She’ll get over it.”
“Have you seen her?” Daniella shook her head and answered her own question. “No. Just like you never saw Mom sick or Dad. You don’t like anything that isn’t beautiful.”
“That isn’t true. And that isn’t fair. I just…” Her voice faltered. “I can’t see her like that.” Mariella voice’s broke then she covered her face and burst into tears.
“So how have things been?” Alex asked as he and Tony sat on the front step on opposite sides. The late autumn day welcomed the sight of sparrows poking in the ground and squirrels darting to and fro with acorns in their mouths.
“Good,” Tony said.
Alex didn’t ask him what he meant and Tony didn’t offer to tell him.
“Are you planning on staying in town?”
He stared at Alex measuring his response. “We’d like to.”
Alex nodded. “If you ever need a job, you know where to look.”
His gaze fell. “Thanks.”
“You’re wel —” Alex stopped when he spotted a small figure in the distance. He stiffened. “What’s he doing?”
Tony turned and saw a cat walking towards them. “Looks like he’s coming here.”
“He’d better not.”
The two men watched in amazement as Nicodemus walked past them up the stairs to the front door. He meowed loudly then scratched on it. Alex jumped to his feet and ran to the door. “You’re going to ruin the finish. Go home. I’m not letting you in.”
Nicodemus glanced up at him with a disdain that came natural to felines then scratched the door again. Alex gripped the doorknob then swore and opened it. Nicodemus calmly walked inside. Alex swore again then slammed the door.
Tony laughed. “I guess you don’t like him very much.”
“I don’t like him at all.”
“Then why did you let him in?”
Alex collapsed back into his former position. “Because Izzy likes him.”
Tony studied him for a long moment then said, “It’s real, isn’t it?”
“What? My dislike?” He shot a look of disgust at the closed door. “Sure, it’s real.”
Tony shook his head. “No. Your marriage.”
Alex picked up a red and yellow leaf that had fallen on the step. He held the stem and twirled it between his fingers. “What makes a marriage real?”
“Love. Commitment.”
“I’m committed. I’ve gotten her the best of everything: clothes, food, even the best doctors.”
“Right. I’d forgotten you’re not particular who you marry. So I guess when Isabella passes on you can move on to Daniella.”
Alex stopped twirling the leaf. “Isabella’s going to get better.”
“And if she doesn’t, lots of women have sympathy for a widower.”
He crumbled the leaf in his fist. “Stop saying that. Isabella isn’t going anywhere.”
“Not that it matters of course,” Tony said casually. “You could marry anyone. Everyone knows you married poor Isabella because you had to. In a few days you could be free.”
Alex lunged at Tony and grabbed him by the lapels of his coat with the ferocity of a bear. He shoved him against the post, his voice harsh and raw with pain. “I said stop it.”
“Why the hell can’t you admit that you’re in love with her?”
Alex released him, stormed down the steps and headed for his truck. Tony followed him, his limp pronounced as he tried to catch up. “You’re afraid to admit it. You’re afraid to admit that if Izzy dies all the money you have and all the things that you own won’t mean anything to you. You don’t want to face that.”
Alex jumped in his truck; Tony stopped him before he could close the door.
“I know how you feel. If Gabby were lying up there in that room close to death, forcing me to imagine a future without her, I would slowly lose my mind.”
Alex gripped the steering wheel. “I’m not you. I don’t let things bother me. I promised myself I’d never —”
“Hurt the same w
ay as when your father left?” Tony finished. “You survived that so you can survive anything, right?” He glanced away and stared at the grand Victorian structure. “I know that loving things like property and houses is safer, but sometime in your life you’re going to have to risk loving people, too.” He turned his gaze to Alex. “Before it’s too late.” Tony closed the door and walked away. Alex started the ignition then roared down the driveway.
News of Isabella’s illness spread throughout the town and soon people in the community dropped by with food, gifts and home-brewed remedies. One unexpected visitor appeared late one evening. Marilyn Tremain sat in the room with Isabella and looked at Velma who sat quietly on the other side of the bed.
“I always expected you to say something,” she finally said.
“I promised you I wouldn’t.”
She sniffed. “People are good at breaking promises. I felt as though I had to be better than you, belittle you somehow because you knew something that could destroy my reputation. You still do.”
“You paid me to forget and I did.”
“And you didn’t come back to get more money?”
“Alex has plenty of his own.” Velma hesitated then said, “Why did you do it?”
“I guess I wanted to see if I could. I was a bored, rich housewife with nothing to do, so I did some foolish things. Your husband knew. I admit I seduced him and he left in guilt. Letting you catch me was sloppy work on my part. I usually entered buildings undetected, but I should have known that trying to rob the Duvall house would be dangerous. There’s something about this house.”
Velma’s voice became a whisper. “I know.”
“When I gave you all that money, I expected you to stay away. I didn’t want to see you again and be forced to remember my secret.”
Velma nodded. “I wouldn’t have come back, but Alex wanted to return here. I’ve never told him the truth about why we left.”
Marilyn looked at the bed. “I don’t think she wants to be here.”
