Chapter 29
One month later
Aimée was truly afraid of asking Tegua for a remedy for the rash that the nance water had caused her. It would be almost laughable if it weren’t so tragic; Aimée Summers afraid of a measly curandera? Who would have thought that could ever happen? Certainly not her.
In Boston, most of the people she knew would go out of their way to cater her every whim, for small or frivolous that it might be. Men did it because they were mesmerized by her beauty and hoped to have a better chance of winning her affections by doing what she wanted and most women did it because they knew it was better to have her as a friend than as an enemy.
And here in Galveston, well, her mother didn’t care that much about what was happening with those around her as long as she could maintain the status she was accustomed to and at the moment she was ecstatic that even if her perfect Elizabeth wasn’t marrying the De Alcazar heir, Aimée was, so she had completely immersed herself in the preparation for the wedding of the century. Elizabeth didn’t talk to her, except if it was absolutely necessary since that day when she had told her about her marriage to Angel, but that was truly for the best or else it would have been very difficult to keep her promise to Tegua of not antagonizing her sister. Angel was happy as long as she played the part of the innocent and sweet girl and Teresa and her silence could be bought with dresses and pretty things.
But Tegua was another story. She had refused flat-out any intents of offering her money or anything she might want to help her in any other way. And what was worse, every day she grew more scared of the woman, more than she ever thought possible and there was no way she could help it. Ever since that first day of her treatment, she’d been unable to disregard the fear that being in Tegua’s presence caused her. There was something strange about the curandera, something that made her think that she could see through her and know her innermost thoughts and desires, something that almost made her regret some of her decisions in the past months.
Almost all of them, but not all, because as hard as she’d tried she just couldn’t regret her involvement with William the Bloody. Hard as she’d tried, she hadn’t been able to forget his kisses, how his caresses made her body tremble with need, how he made her feel more with one look than her future husband could with a hundred. If only he weren’t what he was, she’d… ‘No, you wouldn’t, Aimée, you couldn’t give up everything you’ve dreamt about for so long for someone that was beneath you. That can’t give you all that Angel can. Especially not now that your dream is so close to coming true.’
She shook her head to clear it up. She needed to focus on her current predicament and nothing else. She had to ask Tegua for a remedy to counteract the effects that her other remedy was causing and the truth was that if the itching weren’t so uncomfortable, she might’ve tried to forget about the issue completely, but she was almost going crazy with this damned itch and it was getting worse by the minute. With any luck the curandera would be in a good mood and actually help her and not just watch her with her unfathomable brown eyes mocking her silently.
* ~ * ~ *
One month later
Buffy sighed heavily as she packed her dresses in the trunk she was bringing with her to Campo Real. She really didn’t want to go, especially not now when William was about to return from his trip, but her mother had made it perfectly clear that she had to attend the wedding and that she wouldn’t accept any excuses.
Two and a half months had gone by since she last saw him and she was missing him so much. María had said that William’s trip will be a test of their true feelings for each other, that time and distance were the best way to discover that their love would be everlasting or just a dream. And true enough, she’d discovered that the depth of her feelings grew with each passing day, she just hoped that he felt the same way, too.
She opened a drawer of her dresser and took out a few nightgowns. She was about to close it when she noticed a black album on the back of the drawer. Curious, she took it out and opened it, sitting on her bed as she began looking through it. She smiled when she saw her father’s handsome face on the first page of the album. She had almost forgotten she had it there. The album was the only thing she’d been able to rescue after he died. Her mother had gone crazy with what she supposed was grief, and either had destroyed or gotten rid of most of his things, except this.
She turned the pages, smiling fondly as she looked at the portraits of her family. They all looked so happy then. How she wished those times would come back, but ever since her father had died, things had changed drastically in their house. Buffy turned the last page of the album and froze.
No, it couldn’t be possible! María would have told her if it were, wouldn’t she? Then she remembered her nana’s reaction when she’d seen William that day. She’d paled and almost fainted, almost as if she’d seen a ghost, and maybe she had.
It had been so long since she’d seen her godfather’s portrait that she’d almost forgotten how he looked like. Don Rodrigo De Alcazar. He’d been as dear to her as her father and she’d cried for days after they told her he had died. But she remembered him now and there was no doubt in her mind that he had to be William’s father. Hadn’t he said that his father had died before he could recognize him as his? Yes, he had and she was sure that her uncle would have done it if he hadn’t died when he did. He was a very honorable man. What should she do now? Angel seemed to be an honorable man, too; maybe he’d be willing to give William his rightful place as his brother?
Precisely in that moment, María came into her room with her arms full of freshly pressed clothes. “Oh, niña, give a hand to this poor vieja before I faint.” Buffy left the opened album over the bed as she dazedly moved to help her nana. “I hope you still have some room in your trunk, Cariño, because I swear your mother and your sister want to take the whole house to Campo Real!”
“Yes, there’s still plenty of space,” she replied, putting the clothes over her bed and taking the album in her hands. “María, you worked at Campo Real for a time before coming to live with us, didn’t you?”
Confused by the question, María turned toward Buffy, paling when she noticed the album. She had seen it before. When Elizabeth was a little girl, just after her father died, she used to fall asleep holding the album close to her, as if she could still hold to her father in some way by doing that. And she also knew what her darling niña had seen there.
“Oh, mi niña, I’m so sorry,” María pleaded.
“Sorry for what? For not telling me that the man I want to marry is my godfather’s son?” Buffy asked accusingly.
“It was not my place, niña,” the older woman said. “It was not my secret to tell. William was going to tell you when he came back from his trip, though. I know this doesn’t make it any better, but it was for your own good.”
“For my own good? I don’t see how not telling me was for my own good!”
“Because I know you, and I know that you’re already planning how to get William his rightful last name, aren’t you?” Buffy blushed guiltily under her nanny’s stare. “And then you would have made this even more difficult for William than it already is.”
“B-but I just wanted to…”
“But nothing, my darling child,” María interrupted. “When the time comes, all will be revealed. After all, as soon as soon you marry William and your mother and your aunt Darla meet him, they won’t be able to deny that he is don Rodrigo’s son. He looks too much like his father for anyone to try to hide the truth and then we can tell Angel, I’m sure he’ll be happy to call William his brother, if the way he acted towards him when they were kids is any indication.”
“You think?”
“Yes, I do. Now help me put these clothes in the trunk before your mother starts screaming for me again.”
* ~ * ~ *
Campo Real
“Were you able to find anything?” Darla asked Cordelia as soon as the girl entered her bedroom.
“No, but I finally have an idea of where he might be hiding the letter.”
“Where?”
“At La Venta,” Cordelia answered.
“La Venta, what’s that?”
Cordelia blushed profusely before answering. “I-it’s a bordello,” she said. “It seems my uncle’s best friend is the owner.”
“Oh, and you think he might have the letter?” Darla asked, unfazed. She truly didn’t care where it was, as long as it was somewhere she could get it.
“Yes, I heard them talking about something that Mr. Trujillo has been keeping for my uncle.”
Darla smiled warmly at the girl. Finally! A clue as to where the damned letter might be. And if this man Trujillo was half of what she’d heard of him, she was sure his cooperation could be bought very easily. “Well done, darling. You have proven that you are a very valuable asset for me. If you continue to serve me this well, I think I might let you be my companion lady on the trip I want to make to Europe in the near future.”
Cordelia’s eyes widened. Europe! Not even in her wildest dreams did she dare hope she’d ever go there. “Doña Darla, you’re too kind to me.”
“Not more than you deserve, my dear,” Darla said.
* ~ * ~ *
Giles’ House
Giles coughed as he opened the door to his house to the person that had been knocking insistently on it, while cursing Faith under his breath. The girl had disappeared a couple of days ago and although he hadn’t been too keen of having her working at this house at first, he had to accept that the girl had kept his house clean and in order and him well-fed, at least until she vanished. And now he was sick and there was no one there that could help him, no one that could even hand him a glass of water or open the door.
“Good morning, Mr. Giles,” Angel said as he entered the lawyer’s house, taking in his disheveled appearance. “Oh, God, you look like hell!”
“Yes, thank you for pointing that out,” Giles replied sarcastically.
“I’m sorry, but you really don’t look too healthy at the moment.”
“It’ll pass, I hope, at least.” Giles plumped onto one of the living room chairs, his energy seemingly drained by the walk from his bedroom, as he motioned Angel to follow his example. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Well, I brought you the invitation to my wedding,” he said, handing it to the older man.
“Ah, yes, you told me before. You’re marrying the daughter of Joyce and Hank Summers, aren’t you?” Giles asked, remembering that he’d heard somewhere that Angel was betrothed to Elizabeth Summers since they were children.
“Exactly.” Angel practically beamed. “And we’d be very honored of counting with your presence at such a wonderful event for us.”
“When is it?”
“One week from today.”
“I’ll do my best, boy. There’s nothing that would give me more pleasure than to watch you marry someone you obviously care very much for. So, as long as my health has improved, you can count with my presence.”
Giles smiled to himself after Angel left. Don Rodrigo would’ve been very happy to see his son so clearly in love with the woman he was going to marry. After being subjected to an arranged marriage, he’d always insisted that that wouldn’t happen to his son.
Feeling drained after being out of his bed for so long, he put the invitation over his chair’s arm rest, never noticing when it fell down under it, before going back to his room.
tbc
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Thank you Amelia-Jane, Debbie, DaniD, jt, Kimber and Klai, for the b-day wishes and for reviewing! I think this was by far one of the best birthdays I’ve ever had. :D
This chapter is unbeta’d, as soon as I get the corrections from my new beta, Stasia, I’ll make the changes. In the meantime, please forgive any errors. And if you prefer that I post the chapter until it is beta’d, could you please tell me so?
This chapter is unbeta’d, as soon as I get the corrections from my new beta, Stasia, I’ll make the changes. In the meantime, please forgive any errors. And if you prefer that I post the chapter until it is beta’d, could you please tell me so?