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Author's Chapter Notes:
Thank you, DrkDevin, Mariana, Amelia-Jane, Kimber and SarahandJamesFanatic, for your reviews. I can't begin to tell you how much your words mean to me.



And a huge thank you to Jen, for letting me brainstorm my ideas with her and betaing this chapter for me.
Chapter 6

Darla stood in front of the window in her study thinking how her life could have gotten so complicated in the course of a few hours. First, Rodrigo and his threats, and then Snyder and his plans. What was it about all men that thought that she had to bend to their every whim? But not this time. Snyder would do the dirty work for her and she’d be free of Rodrigo forever and afterwards, she’d just have to find a way to take that letter from that awful man and destroy it. It wouldn’t do that anyone could find it someday and discover what it said. Then she will have to get rid of Snyder. That’ll teach anyone that dared try and make doña Darla De Alcazar do anything she didn’t want to do.

Mr. Snyder had to be insane; there had been no more doubts in her mind about that after he’d related what his plan entailed. But she really had no other choice but to aid him. She refused to be the laughingstock of everyone they knew her and if what Rodrigo had told her was true… no, it was better not to think about that. It wouldn’t matter anymore if Mr. Snyder’s plan worked anyway.

Snyder said he’d make Rodrigo disappear from the face of the Earth. He’d said he’d take care of everything; she just had to pretend to be the grieving widow and order that the sealed casket that contained her husband’s body had to remain undisturbed, claiming that it would be too hard for her and Angel to see him lying there. He’d then told her she really didn’t need to know what he would do with don Rodrigo if he didn’t die from his wounds, that the less people knew about it was for the best.

Of course she’d agreed to his demand of being named Administrator of Campo Real, what else could she do anyway? At least for the time being. But in turn she’d asked him to get rid of her husband’s bastard. She told him that he could do whatever he wanted with the boy, she didn’t care as long as he made sure he would never come back. And after that, he’d left. Where? She really didn’t care; as long as she was still doña Darla, mistress of Campo Real, and there was no one that could threaten her son’s inheritance, she simply didn’t care.

*~*~*

It had been too simple. He still couldn’t believe how easy it had been to convince the rest of the peones that he’d found don Rodrigo dead on the road and so badly disfigured, that he’d decided to put him on a casket and seal it to prevent doña Darla or niño Angel from being subjected to seeing don Rodrigo De Alcazar like that. And if any of them had suspected, they knew better than to say anything. Mr. Snyder was not a man that would take being suspected upon lightly.

“Niño Angel?” Snyder called as he reached the open door to the boy’s room, waiting until the boy turned toward him to continue. “Your mother wants to talk to you in the study room.”

Frowning slightly at being interrupted while he played, but knowing better than to defy any of his mother’s orders, Angel turned to William. “I’ll be back soon, William. Will you wait for me?”

“Of course, I’ll be here, don’t worry,” William said with a smile.

Snyder had to catch himself from snorting at the sickening display, but there wouldn’t be any more of that if the plan worked… ever. He walked over to where the blonde boy was playing and lowered his body to sit on his haunches as he began speaking to him with a deceiving smile gracing his face.

“Your father sent me to fetch you; he wants you to come with me.”

“My father?” William asked curious, supposedly no one except Mr. Giles knew that he was don Rodrigo’s son, how could this man know?

“Yes, don Rodrigo wants you to be present when he recognizes you as his son. Now, let’s go before someone sees us talking and suspects.”

“B-but what about Angel?”

“Well, this is sort of a secret, isn’t it? I’m sure Don Rodrigo wouldn’t like it if you told your brother where you two will be going, would he?” the older man pressed. God! It shouldn’t be this hard to convince the little brat. At the rate they were going, Angel would come back before he’d decided.

“Oh, no, I’m sure he wouldn’t like that. Do I need to take some clothes with me?”

“No, don’t worry, I’m sure don Rodrigo will provide you with anything you need. Now, hurry, we don’t want to keep your father waiting now, do we?” Snyder said, extending his hand toward William.

Still unsure, but knowing he couldn’t make his father wait for him, not after the conversation they’d shared a little time ago, William took the stranger’s hand and followed him out of the house.

*~*~*

“Mother?” Angel called from the door. “You called for me?”

“Yes, Angel, come,” she said, patting the seat next to her on one of the plush couches in the room. “I’m-I’m afraid I have some really bad news, son.”

“What’s the matter, mother?” Angel said, dread settling in his stomach.

“It’s your father, darling. H-he is dead.”

“NO! No, he can’t be dead! I just saw him this morning!”

“I know, Angel, but your father had left in a trip to Galveston and it seems Palomino might have gotten scared by something on the road, and threw him off the saddle. They couldn’t do anything to save him.”

“No!” Angel cried. “I want to see him. Maybe he is just sleeping? Maybe if I talk to him he’d wake up? You have to let me see him, mother!”

“No!” she yelled at him, only to lower her voice at the incredulous look in her son’s face. “No, darling, I-I already tried and he didn’t wake up. Don’t you trust me to know what’s better for you? Your father…he’s gone, Angel, and we have to accept God’s will. You know that’s what your father would have wanted, don’t you?” Angel nodded. “You are the man of the house now and you have to set the example for others to follow, all right?”

“Yes, mother,” Angel said, still sobbing quietly as he reclined on her shoulder. She felt uncomfortable by his display of emotions, but knew she had to correspond in some measure; after all, the boy had just lost his father. So, she sighed as she embraced the little boy, patting his back until he slowly stopped crying.

“Now go to your room and don you best suit. As soon as the news of your father’s death reach Galveston, all of our friends will surely come to pay his respects and I want you and me to have a few moments alone with him before that happens.”

“Really?”

“Really, now go. I’ll be waiting for you in the chapel.” Angel kissed his mother’s cheek and left the room.

Darla shuddered as she looked down at her dress, Angel had left it all wet with what she hoped were only his tears. Now she would have to change before playing the part of the grieving widow in front of the Galveston’s most distinguished members.

tbc





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