by Wells, Nancy
Isabella was waiting for his response on her sister’s behavior, so it came as a surprise to her when he turned around and produced an elegant ring from his pocket. He held her hand and slid the ring on her finger without asking for permission because she had become still as a statue the moment her gaze fell upon the ring.
She was still spellbound by his gesture and when he leaned down near her ear, she almost melted at the spot.
“A pearl for my Siren,” he said. “I will be anxiously waiting for you at the altar in a few days.”
He saw tears of joy streaming down her face while she remained immovable on her spot. He had planned on offering the ring with much more delicacy, but he feared her sister would force Philip into throwing him out from the room.
“Oh, dear Lord, he proposed to her.”
She was brought out of her trance with her mother’s comment. She looked down at the beautiful gold ring with a rounded milky pearl at its center. The gesture was not lost on her. She realized he had gifted her a pearl that was found at the bottom of the sea, symbolizing the word Siren he so affectionately used for her.
“I love you, Russell,” she whispered.
He had pictured this moment a number of times, but his imagination did not do justice to the reality. Her feelings were evident on her face. Her love for him could not be mistaken with anything else.
“I love you, my Siren.”
He was caught off guard when she threw her arms around his shoulders and kissed him on his lips. He stumbled back, but then righted himself and returned her kiss with the same zeal. He pushed his tongue inside her mouth and felt the exquisite taste that was purely her.
Chapter 13
The garden at the duke’s home was decorated for the wedding ceremony of Russell and Isabella. The archway at the entrance and the pathway that led to the altar were adorned with white lilies and red roses. On the day of their wedding, only those who were close to them were present. The two households were gathered in the duke’s garden to celebrate the joyous moment. On her mother’s insistence, they had invited her uncle and his family too, but they did not accept the invitation.
Russell was standing beside Elliot and Shane, waiting for his future bride. After the wedding, he would leave with his bride for the new home he had purchased in Manchester, but his brother would not accompany him. After contemplating for a long time, he had arrived at a rather hard decision. His brother could no longer shadow him around.
The murmuring of everyone stopped and his head was turned towards the entrance of its own accord. He stopped breathing when he saw the most beautiful woman in the world in a blue dress made of silk and adorned with small silver beads at the front. Her hair was styled in a bun with ringlets at the sides and the bun was adorned with a silver comb. She was a vision to behold. For him, everyone vanished at that moment and he was standing alone while watching her step towards him with Philip at her side.
Isabella was happy beyond measure while being escorted towards the altar where he was waiting for her in a purple velvet jacket, black breeches, and black boots. A week ago, she would not have believed that this day would ever come in her life. She was going to marry the man who was responsible for all those restless nights where she lay awake, thinking about him.
She looked to the side for a moment where she knew her family was standing. Her mother had tears of joy in her eyes and her sister was hopping from one foot to another, waving at her and smiling goofily. She returned the smile and then looked ahead again, meeting the stare of her soon to be husband. The amber in his eyes was prominent with the glint in them. He always got the same look whenever he was alone with her and now his emotions were on blatant display for the whole world to witness.
He held out his hand to her when she approached him, and Philip handed her over to him. They were both gazing into each other’s eyes, the rest of the world vanishing from their sight. The words of the priest were drowned out while they took each other to the realm where nothing else mattered except their love for one another.
“Russell,” Elliot cleared his throat and nudged him.
He looked from Elliot towards the priest who had probably asked him if he was ready to take her as his wife. He looked back to her and mouthed, ‘I love you’. She returned the gesture with a blushing face and a radiant smile.
“Yes, I take this woman as my wife,” he said.
He leaned down and was about to kiss her when everyone started laughing and they looked in confusion at every one. Every person who was present at that moment was amused for a reason unknown to them. He looked towards Shane, asking the question without using words. He knew his brother was the only one who could read the question from his face.
“Brother, the priest asked if he could begin the ceremony,” Shane said jovially. “You cannot say, you take her as your wife until you are asked the question.”
Russell rolled his eyes and chuckled. It should have been evident to everyone that he was not paying attention to anything else when a vision so radiant was standing before him. After so many dark and lonely nights, staring at her window from a distance, he was allowed to ignore everyone else.
“Fine,” he said, faking annoyance. “Start the damn ceremony and pronounce us man and wife already.”
The priest crossed himself at his use of colorful words on this holy occasion. He automatically looked towards his brother who shrugged his shoulders and smirked, telling him that they were not liked by priests from the very beginning. It was not a big deal for them to offend a man of the cloth. After all, they were the same babes who were once deemed spawns of demons by another priest in another time and place.
“Forgive us, Father, but I believe the man’s love for this lady has made him forget his manners,” Philip said.
Isabella suppressed the urge to giggle when Russell glared at Philip. He was not being rude or lacking manners, it was in his nature to utter what he felt without filtering his words for the sake of others. He was not the sort of person to hide his feelings on account of the many rules society had imposed on them. He may appear rude to others, but he was still the man she loved with all her heart.
“Very well,” Elliot interjected, putting a stop to their intention of making an enemy out of the holy man. “Without further ado, let’s bind these two in holy matrimony.”
This time, they listened with apt attention to every word the priest was uttering. He was anxious to make her his, and so was she, without further delay. They could not wait to belong to one another.
When the priest pronounced them husband and wife and they shared rings, Russell swooped down and took her mouth in a passionate kiss, without waiting for the blessing of the priest.
The whole crowd cheered for them while their lips stayed glued to one another. He kissed her so deeply and for so long that he had to be elbowed by Elliot to break them apart. They separated from each other reluctantly while the priest glared at them, but they ignored him because this was the single most momentous point in their lives, and they would not taint this moment with petty offenses.
“I want to dance with this lovely lady,” Shane said jovially, pointing to Margaret.
Isabella sighed in relief at the sudden distraction because almost everyone was getting a little antsy with the priest’s obvious dislike of the newlywed couple. Shane was no doubt providing a distraction to save his brother from being the target of scorn. Russell was so lucky to have such a loving brother who had sacrificed all his life to follow him around.
Margaret shrieked in happiness while her mother narrowed her eyes at her, reprimanding her to behave, but Margaret ignored her mother and walked briskly towards Shane who offered her his hand and they started twirling around merrily.
“Can I dance with my husband?” Isabella asked coquettishly.
Russell looked away from his brother towards his wife and put a smile on his face for her sake. He was thinking about how to broach the subject to Shane when he was merry and gay. It seemed like a capital cr
ime for him to announce the unhappy news and snatch the joyous expression away from his brother’s face, but there was no other way for him to achieve what he had in mind without causing grief to his brother.
“Sure, why not, wife,” he responded, feigning equal flirtation.
He wrapped his arms around her waist and started dancing to the soft music of a harp being played by the musicians hired by Elliot for this occasion. His mind stopped thinking about his brother for once when he felt her soft flesh under his hands and watched a radiant smile on her face. It was the first time they were sharing an intimate moment without worrying about being discovered.
“I love you, husband,” she said.
He leaned his head on her shoulders, sniffed the smell that was purely her and forgot about all other worries. He closed his eyes and pictured a life without all the drama in a place away from their old lives. It was a place of peace, serenity, and tranquility that awaited him in his future in the arms of his wife.
“I love you too, wife,” he whispered.
* * *
After the celebration was over and it was time for them to leave, Russell knew it was time for him to declare his decision to Shane. He could have asked his brother to leave days ago, but he wanted his brother to stand beside him on the day of his wedding. This day was equally important to both brothers and he could not prevent his brother from attending this joyous occasion.
He approached his brother who was laughing merrily, surrounded by Elliot, the duchess, Margaret, Isabella, Willy, Philip, Elliot’s butler, and his mother-in-law. His brother had the sort of personality that attracted the attention of everyone from small children to elderly people. Women of all ages threw themselves at his feet while men tried to keep him around for his company. Shane was an expert when it came to keeping everyone amused. He did not want to take away this moment from his brother, but it was getting late and he did not want to waste daylight before embarking on the journey to their new home.
“Shane, can I have a moment with you?” he asked, clearing his throat.
Shane turned around with a smile on his face. Shane had no idea the devastating news his brother was about to deliver. No one knew that in a few moments the bubble of amusement Shane had built around them was going to burst with few words from Russell’s mouth.
“What is it, Brother?” Shane asked.
Russell steeled his nerves. It was more difficult than he had anticipated. He wished his brother would read his mind like he used to in the past and save him from being the deliverer of the sad news, but he knew it was highly unlikely, considering he had never asked something so huge from his brother.
“Shane, I believe it is time for us to decide our pending dispute.”
The laughter died down and everyone became quiet. The radiant smile that was adorning his brother’s face a few moments ago was replaced with a solemn expression. At that point, Russell realized just how much his brother cared for him. He saw a look of sorrow and then a determined expression crossing his brother’s features. Shane was ready to accept whatever he had decided.
“What is the final verdict, Brother?” Shane asked.
Isabella did not know that there was a dispute going on between the brothers. She had heard rumors from the servants about the heated exchange between the brothers, the duke, and the duchess in the duke’s study, but it had been days ago. So much had transpired in the meanwhile, she had assumed whatever they were fighting about had been resolved.
A very strong voice in her head was telling her that the dispute had something to do with the request Shane had asked her and then the letter Russell had sent her. It never occurred to her before that her secret meeting with Shane was not a secret anymore and that was the reason for the brothers’ bad blood.
“I want you to leave,” he stated.
She watched Shane become visibly shaken by the news. It was evident that it was the last thing he expected to hear from his brother and was pretty upset by it, yet Shane did not complain nor beg his brother. He closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them again, there was sorrow, grief, and helplessness in Shane’s eyes. She thought she would faint before this conversation was over because Shane might be strong enough to stand straight, but her resolve was not as strong as him.
“Forever?” Shane asked, gulping audibly.
She looked helplessly around at the gathered people while Russell stood emotionless before his brother. There was nothing to give away his true emotions. To all the onlookers he was the cold-hearted brother who was asking his brother to leave forever. Shane might have crossed a line, but he was thinking only for the betterment of his brother. Surely, Russell must realize that too.
“Russell, please,” the duke begged.
Isabella had never seen the proud duke begging for anything. She had met him only a few times, but every time there was an aura of pride, superiority, dominance, and supremacy around him. He was the man whose mere mention in some societies would make people quake in their boots, yet at that moment he was pleading with Russell so helplessly while Russell stood rooted like a boulder without flinching or moving a muscle. It was evident that he was not going to change his decision for anyone.
“If this is what you want, Brother,” Shane said dejectedly.
Everyone else might have missed the small crack in his armor, but Isabella saw the change of color in his irises, the telltale sign that he was not as unaffected by all this as he was trying to appear. She did not understand his reason for this harsh decision when he was clearly not happy with his brother’s departure either.
“It is what I need, Brother,” Russell responded.
Whatever Shane saw in his brother’s eyes made him crack a smile. The smile was devoid of humor, but it conveyed a strong message of understanding.
Shane embraced his brother. Russell did not return his embrace for a few seconds, but then he cracked too. He hugged his brother with all his might and stayed like that for a long time. Shane patted his back and then reluctantly released his brother.
“Farewell, Brother,” Russell said.
Russell knew his brother would understand his reasons even if everyone else believed he was being cruel. Russell knew his brother had always wanted to know about their roots, but never searched for their origins before. Russell did not realize before, but now it was evident to him that his brother had been holding back for his sake. It was time for his brother to live his own life.
Shane nodded his head and turned around to leave everyone behind. He did not look back even once and Russell did not call after him either. She had kept her mouth shut for this long, but now her resolve was breaking.
“You have to stop him,” Isabella pleaded. “He is your shadow. It will devastate both of you if you became separated.”
Russell did not respond, but as soon as Shane was out of sight, he kneeled on the ground. His resolve had broken. It was more than he could stomach, watching his only family leaving him.
When everyone saw his state, they realized just how much he was hurting with his brother’s departure. It was not a healthy decision for both brothers. Elliot turned around and ran after Shane, but Russell stopped him.
“No!” Russell yelled. “Let him go.”
Isabella wanted to swat him on his head and make him see the amount of damage this could do to him. A few seconds after his brother’s departure, he was bending on his knees, a lifetime of separation would do irreparable damage to him.
“Why?” she yelled in frustration. “You clearly miss him.”
He looked up towards her with sorrowful eyes and held out a hand to her. She looked at the offered hand and then at the misery oozing from his every pore. It was evident that he was in need of her support. She took the offered hand and he pulled her down towards him. She kneeled beside him and placed his head on her chest. She brushed his soft hair with her fingers, letting him know that she would support him forever.
“You are right, my Siren,” he whispered. “He has been my sha
dow, but I want him to find his own identity. We might have the same faces, but we are different people.”
He had a valid point. No one saw them as two different people. They were always the twin brothers who were found together and were considered the same by everyone. She would have never distinguished between them if she was not in love with Russell. It was her deep feelings for him that made her see past the similar faces, but everyone was not like her. They could not tell them apart as she could. It never occurred to anyone that the brothers had different feelings. She knew he was right, but it did not have to involve them being apart from each other.
“Russell, just tell him that,” she said. “I am sure he would appreciate the sentiment.”
Russell was aware of just how excruciating it would be to live apart from his brother, but he was not a selfish bastard to keep his brother around for his own happiness. If his brother was not as stubborn as he knew him to be, Russell would never have let him go, but Shane had the uncanny habit of manipulating everyone to his will. One way or another, Shane would have resumed his old routine.
“I know him better than anyone in this world,” Russell said. “If he had stayed behind, he would have found another way to follow me. Shane has a very thick skull when it comes to listening to others.”
Isabella felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked and saw Philip sitting beside her. He was looking at Russell with a newfound respect in his eyes. Philip had every reason to distrust him before this day, but he was now seeing him in a new light. Philip was never told about the true identity of the child he had saved because her mother felt it was not their place to share Russell’s secret. If Russell ever felt like sharing his identity with anyone else apart from her, it was his story to tell.