by Amaya Evans
“I can hold a gun just fine,” said Bexley enraged.
“I do not doubt it. The question is do you know how to shoot one? Because Isaac is an excellent marksman.” The marquess pointed towards Isaac. “It is almost certain that you will receive a bullet instead of getting the satisfaction you are looking for.”
A friend of Bexley’s pulled him away and spoke with him. Finally, Bexley seemed to return to his senses.
“All right, I won´t do it. But it is only because I do not want to get my hands dirty.” Bexley looked toward Isaac.
“I am ready to get my hands dirty whenever you like.” Isaac approached Bexley. Bexley stepped back. “If I ever hear that anyone is making fun or dishonoring the good name of my wife, who is a lady through and through, I will challenge him immediately. I hope this is clear enough for everyone.” Isaac looked at Robert who stood beside him. After having spoken they left the club.
That same night Isaac entered his wifes bedroom through a window. Angustias was sleeping peacefully. Isaac approached her bed silently. He covered her mouth with his hand and sat on her to prevent her from moving. Angustias couldn’t see who it was and started to defend herself moving her head from one side to the other. Isaac put a piece of fabric in her mouth and he tied up her hands. Finally, he carried her on his shoulder to a carriage. He had received help from the butler who looked like he was having the greatest adventure of his life. Angustias resisted bravely until Isaac took off his hood to show her it was him. Angustias signaled to him to take out the fabric that was in her mouth, but he denied her. “My love, I know you well. You will start screaming and you will attract the attention of everyone on the street. I need you to be silent until we reach our destination.” Angustias started to stare at him with anger, but Isaac didn’t care. He needed to give her his surprise. It was the only way for her to forgive him. At last, they arrived in a forest and Isaac removed the handkerchief in her mouth.
“Where are we?” Angustias asked, trembling because of the cold.
“Take this.” Isaac handed her a long white coat. “This is a gift for you. I wanted to give it to you for a while.” He helped her to put it on.
“Thank you. But you don’t need to give me presents.”
“I don’t need to, but I want to do this, Angustias.” Suddenly, they heard a noise. A sleigh drawn by beautiful Siberian dogs came towards them. Angustias was stunned.
“Do you like it?” Isaac asked smiling.
“It’s wonderful!” exclaimed Angustias.
“What are you waiting for? Get on!”
“Really?”
“Yes. This is another gift for you.” Isaac took her hand. He felt relieved when he felt how she squeezed his hand in response. The couple took a seat, and the driver started to guide the dogs into the forest. Angustias felt amazed by the sight of the shining stars. The forest sparkled white in the night. She extended her hands towards the night sky, feeling the cold wind touching her cheeks. The landscape looked fantastic all covered in ice. The moonlight made everything look like pure silver. So they traveled for a while until they reached a forest clearing. Angustias could see some lights and she wondered if there was a cabin ahead. But the more they got closer, the more it resembled something else. The lights turned out to belong to a huge Christmas tree standing in the middle of nowhere. A giant pine covered with snow and decorated with red and green lanterns, popcorn chains and cookies in all forms and colors imaginable. Around the tree, hundreds of candles lit the area like in a fairy tale.
“This is beautiful,” said Angustias, surprised.
“I remembered you told me about a dream that you had since you were little. I wanted to give this to you.
Angustias hid her face in her hands and started to sob.
“Please don’t cry, honey, please. I thought this would make you happy.”
“But it did make me happy. This is the most beautiful thing anyone has ever done for me.“
“But then, what is wrong?” Isaac hugged her.
“I don’t understand.” Angustias sobbed even louder than before. “You have been so cold with me. You have shown me how you don’t care about me. And now you are a different person. You tell me that you love me, but then you went to the country house with her. And now you tell me that you regret what you have done, that you truly love me after all.” Angustias shook her head. “I don’t know.... Everything is so confusing right now.”
“I love you Angustias. You are the kindest, most honorable, intelligent and truly good person that I have ever met in my life. How can a man not fall in love with someone like you?”
“I don’t know. You tell me.” Angustias said suspecting a trap.
“Just one that was not right in his mind wouldn’t love you. I was a coward, my love. I should have told you what was happening the night that I first saw Isabella in our house. But I never got involved with her after marrying you. The fact that I had such strong feelings for her before she married my father, and that she made a fool of me and my father in front of everyone, was a hard thing for me. I didn’t want to see in your eyes the look that I have been receiving from so many people since all of that happened. And honestly, I never thought that I would fall in love again. I closed my heart to any feelings a long time ago. But you started to break my shield since you entered my life.“
“Do you really think we can start over again? That my doubts and fears will vanish and we will become a happy couple?” Angustias eyes were full of sadness.
“I know that will not happen tonight. But I know we can start over, darling, if we only try. I will dedicate every day until the end of my life to prove it until you believe it too.” Isaac raised his eyes towards Angustias. “You are the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with.”
Angustias looked at him without saying a word. Isaac knew she had doubts.
“Why can’t you believe that you could drive a man crazy for you?”
“I didn’t know you were able to have all of those feelings for me.”
“I hope you believe me now. I did a terrible thing, but I plan on correcting the wrong with a right.” Isaac claimed Angustias lips for himself. They kissed for a long time. Finally, he felt her shivering in the night. “Are you cold?” he asked gently.
“A little bit. But all of this is so beautiful that I wish I could stay here forever.”
“Well... if we did that people would find two blocks of ice tomorrow,” Isaac took a strain of her hair and stroked it.
“I wish I could trust you, Isaac.”
“And I wish to have your trust, my love.”
“The days without you weren’t easy. I was hurt and disappointed, but I don’t want to be apart from you.”
“How about we go back home?”
“That’s sounds right. Will you stay this time?” Angustias look was full of fear, sadness, and hope.
“I will stay. Anything that happens between us will be because you want it.”
Angustias smiled. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me for anything. It is me that has to be grateful.” Isaac stroked Angustias face. “I love you, honey.”
“I love you too,” Angustias said resting her head on her husband’s shoulder. She remained in that position all the way until the carriage brought them back home.
Epilogue
London, August 1823
Dear mother, how have you been? I would like to know if you are well and if you have received my presents. I haven’t heard from you in a while. I want to tell you that I have good news. In about seven months you are going to be a grandmother. Isaac and I are happy. He has told me that he would like you to visit us one day. In times like this, I feel like I wish to have my mother around me.....
“Honey, are you all right?” Angustias turned around to see her husband on the doorstep.
“Yes, my love. I am fine. I was just writing a letter to my mother.”
“I am asking because you have been crying.” Isaac touched her cheek with his
hand.
“Oh... I wasn´t aware.”
“If it makes you upset to write to your mother maybe you should leave it, honey.” Isaac took a seat on her side.
“I was going to tell her about our good news. And I want her to know that I would like to feel her support by the time our baby is born. But I think this is a letter that I will never send.” Angustias sounded without hope. “I will tell her about my pregnancy. But I won’t tell her to come, given the fact that my mother´s idea of a pregnancy is that it causes pain and that it is our punishment for our sin.”
“So maybe the best you can do right now is take the love of all the people that care about you. We are happy about the arrival of this baby. Sonia is telling everyone that wants to listen that she is the aunt of this boy. She is going to spoil him so much. All the people we know, our friends, and even the servants are happy about it. They have been spoiling you a little.”
Angustias laughed. “That is true. But think that there is a chance that it will be a girl,” Angustias said smiling with a special spark in her eyes.
“A girl,” repeated Isaac dreamingly. He was fascinated by the idea, and he was amazed by the change that Angustias had gone through in a couple of months. Their marriage was wonderful. Isaac touched his wife’s belly. It almost didn’t show any signs of her future motherhood yet. “Everything is going to be all right,” he said, kissing her on the neck.
“I know,” answered Angustias turning around to hug him. “It doesn’t seem real to me that a year has passed since we have been together, and without fighting or bad surprises. I feel like I am living in a fantasy,” sighed Angustias
“Life isn’t perfect my love. Sometimes we will get into trouble. We will have to solve some situations along the way, but I trust we will come out successfully. The strength of our love is going to help us.”
“You can be sure of that.” Angustias felt encouraged by her husband’s words.
“Now, how about we go and say hi to our friends? They have just arrived.”
That day they had a special guest. Rose Jhonson, a friend of Angustias that she hadn’t seen in a long while. She had come to ask Angustias for help, to do the very thing that Angustias had done a year ago, hunt for a nobleman.
FIN
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