by Amaya Evans
CHAPTER 8
When Isaac woke up it was midnight. He felt someone staring at him. He heard a noise and saw a woman´s figure moving in the darkness. Isaac knew immediately who was watching them. Careful not to wake up his wife, he got up.
“What are you doing here?” he asked Isabella.
“I just wanted to see you together,” Isabella answered.
He took her arm firmly. “Go away.”
“If you sleep with her again I will tell her who I am. I will tell her we are lovers,” Isabella said.
“But we are not, damn it!” Isaac said.
“Oh... but she does not know that.” Isabella smiled. “I am not going to lose you, Isaac.”
Isaac looked at her stubborn face. He realized that she was certain about her power to break up his marriage. Isabella was a selfish and proud woman. She had always been like that, but Isaac had only noticed it when it was too late. Because of her selfishness, she had abandoned him to marry an older and more powerful man than him. He knew Isabella was still in love with him. But because of her selfishness it was impossible for her to accept that he had moved on, and that someone like Angustias could take her place.
Isaac didn’t want Angustias to see Isabella in his room. “We will speak tomorrow,” he said.
“I will wait for you at midday at the same spot as usual.” Isabella´s voice made it clear that she was threatening him. Then she left the room.
Isaac realized that it would be impossible to have a normal life with Angustias as long as Isabella stood between them and Isabella was not willing to step aside.
The next morning, all of Angustias hopes vanished. When she woke up Isaac was already awake. He was changing his clothes quickly before the maid would come in with their coffee.
“Good morning,” she said.
“Good morning,” Isaac answered without looking her in the eyes. She started to worry.
“Is something wrong?” Angustias asked.
“No, darling. I just want to leave before your maid comes in.”
“Do you want to have breakfast together?”
“I cannot, sweetheart. I have to take care of some business but wait for me to have dinner.”
Angustias wanted to remind him of last night’s conversation. She had told him that she was feeling lonely, and his answer had made her hope that he would spend more time at home. But she swallowed the words. The last thing she wanted was to start an argument that early in the morning. Isaac kissed her goodbye.
“I will wait for you at dinner.” Angustias reminded him with a hopeful smile.
Isaac turned to leave. “Of course,” he said giving her a little smile but it didn’t fool Angustias. He looked distracted.
When the door closed behind him Angustias lay back in her bed. She thought that once again she had made a fool of herself in thinking things would get better. Her family couldn’t stand having her around and her husband thought the same. She felt a pressure in her stomach that felt like a warning. Angustias thought the best thing she could do was to protect her heart from suffering.
That afternoon Angustias cut some flowers and Isabella started to make nasty comments about the house and about how the service from the staff worsened every day. Isabella made it clear that she thought the service in the household had gone downhill since she had left the house. Angustias had no patience to listen to her that day. She was just about to speak her mind loudly and tell Isabella that if she felt so uncomfortable the best thing to do was to leave as soon as possible. It was her house, not Isabella´s, but she didn’t want to have problems with her husband. After all, Isabella used to be the wife of Isaac’s deceased father.
Angustias was deep in her thoughts when Juliette arrived carrying an envelope with no sender.
“Are you sure a boy delivered this letter?” asked Angustias.
“Yes, milady.”
Angustias opened the letter impatiently. She felt like her heart sank after reading the note.
Everyone knows your husband cheats on you. He has been seen with almost every single woman with a bad reputation in London. You have been ignoring the signs but right now the count is the center of gossip in town. He has his wife and his mistress living under the same roof.
If you want to stop making a fool of yourself come to Oxford Street to the Three Blacksmith’s Bar.
I won’t go, thought Angustias. Whoever the mysterious sender was, he or she, had bad intentions. That bar was not a decent place, and she didn’t want to add another problem to the ones she already had. Luckily, she already had plans for that day. That morning she had sent a note to her good friend the Marchioness of Wilmington. Sonia had returned to the city. Angustias had hoped that Sonia could make a space in her schedule to meet, and fortunately, she had. A note from the Marchioness of Wilmington arrived in which Sonia said that she could receive Angustias that afternoon for tea.
Angustias went upstairs to change clothes. She was excited to meet her friend and to escape the tense environment in the house for a while.
****
Two hours later Angustias stood in the blue room in the beautiful house of the marchioness. She watched Sonia approach to greet her.
“My dear Angustias.” Smiled the Marchioness. “It is good to see you again.”
“I thought I wouldn’t see you for a long time. I was told that you were sick and that you would stay away for a while. I was so worried about you. You didn’t even send a letter,” Angustias told her reproachfully.
“There is so much I have to tell you but I fear that I don’t have enough time. It will take me a couple of hours to update you on everything that has happened, more time than what I have right now. Now, I will only tell you to prepare yourself. You will be the only person I will trust with this my friend, because you have earned my trust and I love you. But my husband and I have agreed to keep all that happened between us a secret.”
“Sonia, you are scaring me,” Angustias said.
“Believe me, strange things have happened. Frightening things but a happy ending came out of it all. That’s what matters in the end.”
“Oh, Sonia. You have no idea how much I have missed you and our conversations.”
Sonia and Angustias hugged. Angustias couldn’t avoid her eyes filling with tears.
“My dear... Are those tears because of me? Or are you suffering back home?” asked the marchioness.
Angustias looked up surprised. “How do you know I have been having a hard time at home?”
Sonia took her arm and guided Angustias towards one of the armchairs. Whispering, she told her, “I have heard that the former Countess of Beaufort is living with you.”
Angustias nodded. “Today I received a note telling me that Isaac was cheating on me with a woman living in the same house as I.” Angustias closed her eyes. “Sonia, I can´t even think about it. Everything points toward Isabella.”
“My dear...” Sonia took Angustias hand gently. “What a terrible experience you have had. Do you know who sent the letter?”
“I don’t know. My maid says that the butler received it from a boy. It could have been any street child that delivered it in exchange for a few coins.
“You must be careful. You don’t know what enemies Isaac has. Maybe someone wants to hurt you and your husband. But you have to be even more careful with that horrible woman. I don’t mean she is horrible on the outside, but because of her personality. That woman is awful.” Sonia rang a bell. The butler appeared promptly and the marchioness asked for a tea service.
“When did you two meet?” asked Sonia. She was surprised that Angustias hadn’t asked Isabella to leave by now.
“I met her the first day Isabella arrived in London. She settled into our house like she was the owner. Believe me, at first I felt that it was all right. She seemed to be gentle and pretended to be interested in getting along well with me. She was supposed to stay only for a little while but it has been weeks now since she arrived.”
“I can’t
believe it.” Sonia was horrified. “What a lack of courtesy and good manners.”
“She spends her time giving orders to the servants. More than once, our employees have been rude to me. I am sure they don’t know who is in charge anymore. Besides, what worries me the most is the way in which she looks at Isaac.” Angustias had a sad look in her eyes. “I feel like she is interested in my husband. It sounds absurd and inappropriate even to me that a woman may fall in love with her stepson, but that woman has a dangerous beauty and she knows how to use it.” Angustias held Sonia’s hand tightly. “What if she gets what she wants? What if Isaac decides to have an affair with her? What if he doesn’t care about what people may say?” Angustias voice sounded hysterical. “You know Isaac’s past. He may not see a problem in following the first woman that is willing to sleep with him.”
“Let the past stay in the past, Angustias.” Sonia tried to calm her friend down. “Your husband is in love with you. He wouldn’t be capable of hurting you like that.”
“How do you know that?” Angustias asked. “We barely see each other. We almost never talk to each other. Sometimes I think we are getting along, but the next moment he changes his behavior completely.”
“Have you talked with him about this?” asked Sonia.
“Yes. I told him about my feelings. He seemed like he understood. We even... reconciled. You know what I mean.” Angustias blushed. “But the day after we reconciled he went back to acting the same as before.”
Sonia looked uncomfortable. “Angustias.... Your husband... I mean... Hasn’t the count told you?”
Angustias had no idea what Sonia was talking about. “Told me what?”
“Oh dear. I didn’t want to be the one to tell you this but you look so worried. I don’t understand what Isaac was thinking. I prefer to tell you the truth. Please, promise me that you won´t tell him that I was the one to talk to you. I don’t want to get in trouble.”
“I will never tell him,” promised Angustias.
Sonia had an unsure look in her eyes. “I will tell you what you need to know. I imagine that he has told you about the girl that he was in love with when he was young? The one that broke his heart?”
“Yes, Isaac told me all about her. He suffered a lot because of this girl but she married an older man that was more powerful than him.” Angustias remembered Isaac’s story.
“People say that the woman that Isaac was in love with is Isabella. The older man she married was Isaac’s own father. Lord Beaufort, may he rest in peace.”
Angustias swallowed a scream. “That can´t be true, Sonia. Isaac would have told me.” But then she remembered that Isaac had mentioned the name of his old love. He had talked about “Bell”.
“I am so sorry, Angustias. I know this must be hard for you to hear, my dear friend. But it is true. The woman that is living in your house is your worst enemy. She is Isaac´s former love. I am so angry of her insolence. Something tells me that if she dared to come and live with you it is because she is determined to retain him for herself.”
“Well, I will not make things easy for her.” Angustias was furious. “Isaac is my husband now. If she lost him. It´s her own fault.”
“People say it was very hard for Isaac. He decided to travel far away. He lived some years in India. He joined the navy and his work kept him away from home for more time than he expected. He only returned after his father´s death. He had to return because he was the only heir to his father´s properties and title. He left the army and people say that he returned to Isabella’s side. That they became secret lovers. That when Isaac didn’t love Isabella anymore he got bored and he left her to be with other women. But Isabella managed to break up all of his other relationships, in one way or in another.”
“I can´t believe all of this,” Angustias thought with a heavy heart of all those women with a broken heart, because of Isabella´s doing.
“When Isaac took an interest in you I was surprised that Isabella didn’t interfere, but she was in Paris at the time. A friend told me that when she found out, she was furious. But it was already too late. I think that is the reason why she is meddling in your marriage now,” Sonia told her friend.
Angustias wasn’t listening anymore. All that she could think of was that Isaac had betrayed her. He had promised to respect her inside their home. With tears in her eyes, Angustias realized that Isaac had failed to keep his promise. He hadn’t been able to fulfill that little detail that she had asked for. How did he dare let Isabella stay in the same house with his wife? If Isabella was near and Isaac had feelings for her, Angustias found it hard to believe that they hadn’t been together at least once. She couldn’t trust a man that would go after any woman that would cross his path. At first, it wasn’t so hard because she didn’t love her husband, but against the wishes of her brain, her heart had fallen in love with him. Now she couldn’t stay calm, knowing that he was cheating on her. She couldn’t avoid being angry because he made her look like a fool in front of all the people that knew her.
Angustias returned home very late. She kept asking the driver of her carriage to make a detour over and over again. Until she couldn’t delay her arrival anymore. As soon as she entered the house Angustias asked for her husband. She was told that he was in his study with Isabella. Without knocking on the door Angustias entered the room. She stepped right into an unpleasant scene. Isaac was hugging Isabella. She was trying to kiss him, begging him to get back with her.
When Isaac saw his wife standing on the doorstep, he froze. At the same time, Isabella turned and saw Angustias. She had a big smile on her face.
Isaac stepped toward Angustias. “It is not what you think.”
“Isn’t it?” Some traitorous tears escaped from Angustias eyes.
Isaac looked at her, irritated. “Do you know how late it is? I was worried about you.”
“I saw how worried you were as soon as I entered this room.” Angustias looked at him like she was about to commit murder. “I am well aware of how late it is.”
“This is not an hour for a decent lady to arrive.” Isaac spat out.
Angustias smiled bitterly. “Who do you think you are to talk about decency?” She didn’t even care that the butler stood behind her listening to everything they said.
“I am your husband, Angustias. And I will not stand for you talking to me like this.”
“If you want me to talk to you differently why don’t you start behaving like a real husband? I will leave for the country estate tomorrow. I won´t stay to see how you have an affair with your mistress and pretend to act like nothing is happening.” Angustias left the room and went to prepare her baggage. She didn’t expect Isaac to come after her.
“Isabella is not my lover. She will never be and I want you to understand that you will not leave anywhere.”
“I am leaving. Whether you like it or not.”
“It is time for you to learn that you cannot do whatever you want now that you are married.”
“I had a deal with you, milord.”
“We had, milady. But we never talked about you doing whatever crosses your mind.”
“But you were fine with doing whatever crossed your mind. If you can, then I can too. You said neither of us would interfere in the life of the other. You are the lowest man that I have ever met in my life. No woman would ever want to marry someone like you.”
Isaac was hurt by her words although he knew she was right. No woman would ever want to be with someone like him. He was a cold man that used women to fulfill his needs, without sparing any more thoughts on them. He’d had no love in his heart until he met Angustias. After he met her he started to think that maybe he could change. But it didn’t change the fact that he felt the desire to hurt her because of what she had said to him.
“I agree with you, milady. We are perfect for each other because I never saw anyone standing outside your house intending to marry you. The only one who ever tried to court you had nothing more in mind but your dowry.”
>
Angustias felt cold because of his cruel words. “Please... just go away.” She was about to cry. She was seeing Isaac´s true face. She regretted deeply ever having trusted this man. Regretted thinking that things could get better between them. “You will have to tie me up or kill me if you want me to stay in this house. I will leave tomorrow as early as I can, and I don’t think I will go to the country estate. I think it’s best that I stay as far away from you as possible.”
Isaac regretted his harsh words as soon as he had spoken them. Angustias didn’t deserve them. If there was someone that had been good and patient with him, it was Angustias. It hurt to see her sadness and the lack of shine in her eyes when she looked at him. “This is your home. If someone has to leave, it will be me,” Isaac barely managed to tell her.
Angustias was surprised. “Why would you do that?”
“Because all of this is my fault. This misunderstanding will end right now,” Isaac said leaving the room.
CHAPTER 9
The next morning, Angustias woke up when her maid brought her coffee. She was told that Isaac had left early to visit the country house. Additionally, Isabella had also taken most of her things and left the house. The fact that she had left some of her belongings showed that Isabella had been in a hurry. She had left a message informing Angustias that she would come by later to pick up the rest of her things. Angustias scolded herself for sleeping late. But she had been awake late last night crying and thinking about Isaac´s last words. When she opened her eyes the sun was already high in the sky.
“I am sorry, milady. I didn’t wake you up because you have been looking so tired lately and I also know that you had a bad day yesterday,” her maid said blushing.
“I really did.” Angustias closed her mouth. She thought that there was no way to hide what had happened. The whole household had noticed yesterday’s fight. Angustias felt anger burning in her stomach. Everything had been so easy for Isaac. Since she was in the way of the perfect picture that Isaac and Isabella made together they had decided to leave her behind. Isaac didn’t even leave a note for her. Angustias was completely in the dark about when Isaac would ever return.
