by R. G. Angel
Could we reiterate what we shared? I wasn’t sure I liked the kind of power she had gained over me despite myself, my mother had warned me many times of how destructive love could be and I wouldn’t let myself fall, no, not ever.
William nodded and walked briskly outside, taking the driver side of the car and drove way over the speed limit - We made the usually-30-minute ride to the Forbes mansion in less than 20 minutes.
When we walked in I quickly looked around, somehow hoping to meet Esmeralda’s inquisitive eyes but only met my father’s grim face.
“Esmeralda’s gone.”
I took a step back as if I just took a blow.
“Gone? What do you mean, gone?” William asked.
The butler wriggled his hands together. “Well about five minutes after Mr Archibald’s departure, Ms Esmeralda came down with a suitcase stating that a car was coming to pick her up to meet you at the airfield.”
“She did what?” I roared as I took the stairs up to her bedroom two at the time. I felt an unfamiliar type of fury.
Anger was a feeling I was familiar with, something I was fuelled by – it was much easier to hold on to this hate than to feel things that could tear me down but right now, this fury was new, it was a fury mixed with dread.
I wasn’t sure what I expected when I burst into her room, my chest heaving under the weight of the turmoil of many emotions I couldn't name.
I looked around, looking for what? I wasn’t sure.
“She left a letter,” my father announced leaning against the doorframe, waving the letter he’d clearly opened.
I narrowed my eyes seeing my name written on the front of the letter. “And since when is your name Caleb?”
William and Archibald walked into the room.
“What is happening?” William demanded looking at the letter in my father’s hand.
“It seems your daughter left a letter to my attention which my father already read.” I gestured toward him. “Maybe you could read it for us.”
My father extended the letter to me. “I think it’s something you might want to read alone.”
I scoffed; my father never showed me an ounce of solicitude even after the ‘incident’ we never mentioned. “You already read it, plus there is nothing she can say that I would care for.” Liar. “Just go ahead.”
My father sighed dramatically; he did have a drama queen persona for sure. “Fine, if you say so. Caleb, I’m sorry for leaving like this but I believe it is better this way than having to face the consequences of giving you my innocence in a moment of weakness we have both came to regret.”
Regret? no, I didn’t have any regrets, at least until now. Now, I regretted everything, even her birth.
I understand your wish for repudiation and do not blame you for it. I don’t belong here, in this life and never will. I’m wishing you all the best in the future. Esme Danvers.
My father sighed with faked contrition as her father growled with anger, the only real suspicious one was Archibald who looked anything but surprised.
Archibald nodded. “She sullied herself before the wedding, she’s written it in black and white. Caleb’s authorized to get his freedom back, he is entitled to break the engagement. He is my friend; I am supporting his decision.” He snorted. “Who would ever want a sullied bride?” He shook his head in mock disgusted. “If she can’t contain her urges, who can say what she would do next?”
My eyes widened in realization which caused a fresh wave of fury at her, at Archibald and at myself. They were a team; from the start they were plotting! Every time he rejected her, every time he was mean to her it was for our benefit! Oh, the hate I felt in this moment was so powerful I could have killed him right now and watched his blood and life escape his body without an ounce of guilt. He took her away from me, he helped her disappear. He betrayed me, she betrayed me. They -
I took a deep breath. “I’m claiming her,” I enunciated, folding my hands into tight fists to hide the tremor due to my fury.
“What?” Both William and Archibald asked in unison and surprisingly enough it seemed as if William would also be relieved to see this engagement end. Why did he agree in the first place then? I was not a fool, I knew he was much more powerful than my father – he had no reason to accept the match.
My father smiled as if he was winning. That was also really out of character.
I nodded. “I took her innocence in full conscience, I’m not breaking the engagement, I am claiming her officially.”
“But… she is not here,” Archibald exclaimed, taken aback by my decision.
If I hadn’t felt so furious I would have been happy to unsettle him. That was a first too.
I shrugged. “I don’t care, I’ll look for her, I’ll find her, and I will bring her back. She is mine now. I’ll do as I please,” I added storming out of the room before anyone could see the rage and shameful pain of betrayal on my perfectly emotionless face.
You just wait, Esmeralda Forbes; I’ll find you and I’m going to make you regret making me care.
Epilogue
I sighed, taking a sip of my Coke, taking a more comfortable seat.
To say these people were good was an understatement, within 12 hours from their pick up, I was now Vickie Jones as the passport and plane ticket stated, now resting in my bag between my feet.
I looked down at my now empty index finger and felt the wave of freedom fill me yet again. With a small smile I looked out of the window of the plane taking me from New York to California. It was only my second plane ride and it was still all magical to me, especially on a long haul.
We were too high now to see anything and yet the blue sky and the clouds under us looking like a fluffy comfy blanket didn’t lose their magic.
They made me go to New York to sell the ring to mislead the family if they tried to find me. As expected, I sold it for $150,000 only but it was enormous for me, much more than I needed to start my new life in Carmel-by-the-Sea.
I’d picked a small California coastal town at random on TripAdvisor after realizing how much I loved the sea when Caleb took me to Port Harbor.
Caleb… I sighed looking down at my bare hand once again. I wondered how he would react when he found out I was gone. Would he be happy? Relieved? A little angry? Betrayed?
I hated that I missed him, at least the part of him I’d seen in Port Harbor or the part of him I saw when we shared his bed.
I took my mom’s diary from my handbag and opened it to where I’d ripped a few pages out. I’d never wanted to share my mother’s words with the world, but I felt like I had to.
I’d taken two pages for Archie and hid them in his secret spot in his room. The pages showed how much she loved her beautiful boy and how broken she was leaving him behind, how she intended to find a solution. I knew it wouldn’t heal the years of feeling rejected but I hoped it would help, start to soothe him in some way.
I’d also sent some pages to Caleb, I wasn’t sure if it had been the right call but I didn’t want him to keep the false assumption that my mother had been a bad person, the key to the family drama that was his life. My mom had made mistakes, that much was certain, but she wasn’t a husband-stealer. She had no part in his suffering and I wanted him to know that – maybe because I wanted him to hate me less, I wasn’t sure.
I might see him again in one year, five, ten…. I didn’t know. He would probably be married by then, with children – I just hope the truth helped him.
I sighed, anxious at the new life I was about to start – I could still contact Luke on the burner phone, I could still keep a little part of the real me. But I had been told to wait at least eight to twelve months before contacting Luke, and only if it was critical.
The team told me I had to kept separated from my old life for as long as I could but I wasn’t sure how long I would last.
Well, at least I had my new life to build, new house, new job, college – it would take a while to get stable and then I would call Tay’s burner an
d Luke’s.
I hoped that Tay could get past some of her rancour to let Archie know I was OK. Maybe sharing a secret could help them get closer and mend what was broken between them.
I picked idly at the back cover of the diary, and I had my mother’s words, a goodbye letter. Something ever so precious to me that - I frowned and looked down at the leather, it wasn’t sewn like it was supposed to be, but glued, and quite poorly I might add.
I grabbed the corner between my fingernails and pulled softly and it slipped out easily.
“What the –” I whispered to the piece of paper folded in two.
I took it and gasped when I opened it. The words were in red, capital letters just as on the envelope when I received the journal. The words were the effect of being punched in the stomach, words I dreaded to read… “YOUR MOTHER’S DEATH WAS NOT AN ACCIDENT.”
The Patricians Book 2
Bittersweet Revenge will be coming your way in July 2020 add it to your TBR pile on Goodreads or pre-order it on Amazon
Book 2 will be a dual point of view – you can get the first chapter by joining my newsletter [link to come]
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About the Author
R.G Angel is a trained lawyer, world traveller, coffee addict, cheese aficionado, avid book reviewer and blogger.
She considers herself as an ‘eclectic romantic’ and wants to write romance in any sub-genre she can think of.
When she is not busy doing all her lawyerly mayhem, and because she is living in rainy Britain, she mostly enjoys indoor activities such as reading, watching TV, playing with her crazy puppy and writing stories she hopes will make you dream.
If you want to know when R.G.’s next book will come out, or what signing she will be attending please follow her Facebook page or email her as [email protected]
