by Helena Rose
Marisol and Yolanda were hiding behind the partially open door and had watched the whole scene in silence.
"Are you all right Lucas?" Asked Yolanda.
" Yes," he replied dryly. "Don’t leave the house and don’t open the door to anyone when Santos isn’t at home," he ordered. "I'll also put some men on guard on the access road to the hacienda."
Then looking at Santos he added, "I want Marisol to leave tomorrow morning and go to my house in Tampico. Federico now thinks that she is here and we can fool him. Make sure she’s accompanied by either Juan or one of the other peones and tell Pablo to keep me constantly informed about what's happening in Tampico. Furthermore, for no reason must he allow Marisol to be left alone!"
Santos nodded slapping Lucas on the shoulder, even though he wanted to look strong and gruff he knew that inside Lucas was suffering immensely.
Lucas shook Santos’ hand vigorously and left without another word.
"Wait Lucas ..." Marisol shouted, running after him as he mounted his horse.
He held the animal by the reins, looking at her quizzically.
Marisol wanted a goodbye kiss, but a fraternal embrace would have also been enough just to hold Lucas’ manly body close to her once more.
" Good luck ..." She managed to say in a whisper.
Lucas gave the horse a kick with the heels of his boots and galloped off.
Marisol saw Yolanda watching her sternly from the doorway, her hands on her hips and with her typical impertinent look.
" And what did you hope to get from Lucas?" Yolanda asked in her blatant manner.
Marisol did not answer, and pushing her brusquely aside with her arm, went back into the house.
Chapter 21
As Cristobal had predicted, the summons in front of the ecclesiastical tribunal was not long in coming.
Aurora and Cristobal presented themselves punctually before the bishop on the specified day.
Cristobal related to the bishop the events while the secretary diligently noted down every word in the minutes of the hearing.
He presented the marriage certificate and the pact signed by Aurora and Lucas.
From time to time the bishop raised his white head to look over his glasses at Aurora who was sitting with her hands folded in her lap, her eyes fixed on the ground and her soul now resigned to the inevitable.
"Well," said the bishop, when Cristobal concluded his address. "From what I see there is every reason to seek an annulment of the marriage for simulation of consent. However, first it’s necessary to determine whether the fundamental condition for the annulment request by simulation of consent hasn’t been fulfilled."
Aurora looked up curious.
Turning to her, the bishop said, "I must first know if the marriage has been consummated."
On hearing these words Aurora blushed violently.
There was a prolonged silence. Even the constant clicking of the typewriter stopped and the secretary turned to look curiously at the scene.
Aurora opened her lips and ...
"Of course it hasn’t been consummated!” Intervened Cristobal.
Aurora stood with her mouth half open holding her breath, wondering what to do, but Cristobal did not give her the opportunity to say anything.
" The integrity of my client can’t be questioned," he continued in a heated tone.
" That being the case, I’ll proceed with the application for annulment," concluded the bishop, resting his elbows on the desk. "The procedure requires that there is a final hearing in a few months’ time in the parish of Tampico where the marriage was celebrated. The groom must also be present. After that, the verdict will be sent to Rome where a final judgment will be made by the Roman Rota."
The secretary turned back to the typewriter and began the frantic typing of the minutes.
Cristobal offered his arm to Aurora, who still red faced and confused, stood up and leaned against him.
They kissed the bishop’s ring and left the courtroom.
On the way back to Dolores’ house, Cristobal excited continued to say how positive the hearing had been, while Aurora walked in silence, lost in thought.
Why then am I unhappy? I’ve never felt so sad and lonely in my entire life ...
Fortunately, they soon reached Dolores’ home, Cristobal’s presence was becoming more and more intrusive.
Cristobal said goodbye to Aurora at the door, she went into the house and to her amazement found there Don José who was chatting amiably with her mother.
"Good morning, what a welcome surprise Don José," exclaimed Aurora.
"I find you beautiful as always, Doña Aurora." Said Don José, standing up.
"My dear, why don’t you go to Dolores’ room? She wanted to talk to you as soon as you returned.” Suggested Viviana in an authoritative voice.
" First I’d like to know from Don José if there’s been any progress with the investigation." Said Aurora firmly. "Why have you come such a long way to see us? You’ve gone to a lot of trouble, so I guess that something important has happened."
Don José hesitated, his gaze lingered on Doña Viviana’s deep hazel eyes, then realizing that the attraction he felt for Doña Viviana appeared too obvious, embarrassed, he cleared his throat ready to speak, and turned to Aurora.
" Don José has been kind enough to come to report that unfortunately there have been no significant developments.” Interrupted Viviana, sternly.
" So Lucas hasn’t been charged?" Asked Aurora, insistent. "You’ve found an explanation as to why an identical cufflink to his was found near La Virgen del Mar chapel?"
Don José looked at Doña Viviana again, as if to seek help. Aurora had put him on the spot and he did not know how to get out of the situation. Shortly before, Viviana had made him promise not to reveal anything to Aurora, but now it was almost impossible to handle the matter without blatantly lying, which he hated to do.
"I want to know the truth, I'm not a child anymore," insisted Aurora, hotly.
At the end Doña Viviana sighing gave an almost imperceptible nod of her head, allowing Don José to finally be honest and tell Aurora the truth.
"Well, I should start from the beginning, the corpse that we found along with Don Costantino's ..." Don José stopped because he saw a grimace of pain on Aurora’s face.
" Forgive me, if it still hurts you too much to talk about it, I’ll come back another day."
" No, please continue, the pain is severe but we’re learning to live with it," replied Aurora.
"So, we have identified the other man as Don Hector Navarra y Reyes, your husband’s paternal uncle. After living for many years in Europe, he returned to Mexico travelling on the same ship as your friend, Don Cristobal de la Vega. We checked the passenger lists of the shipping company."
Doña Viviana paled, trying to remain composed, how sad had been the fate of the two men who had loved her so much and whom she had loved so differently. Death had united them forever.
Aurora reacted with astonishment to the news.
" You understand the situation this has caused. At the crime scene we found a cufflink belonging to Don Lucas, if there had just been your father, there would be no problem. The other victim however is linked to Lucas and the information that we have collected indicates there could have been a grudge between them ... "
"On what grounds?" Aurora asked weakly.
Don José looked embarrassed. After a moment's hesitation, he decided to answer.
"You also know that Don Lucas was disinherited by his father. We have collected evidence, indicating that Don Hector could be Don Lucas’ real father and his death therefore has avoided a scandal..."
“It’s not possible," cried Aurora. "Lucas would never have done it! What happened then?"
" Don Lucas was arrested on suspicion of murder. The day of the fire, he didn’t have a proven alibi. No real banker in Veracruz has ever confirmed having met him and no one has matched the description given by Don Lucas. As far as we know
it could very well have been a fabricated excuse and the letter he received with the invitation could have been sent by himself... "
Aurora leaned back on the sofa, pale and trembling.
"But," she interrupted. "It couldn’t have been him ... and where is he now?"
"We released him just before I left to come here, because your maid Carmen has confirmed his alibi. "
" Carmen?"
"Yes she said that on the day of the murder she spoke with a man, corresponding to the description of the fake banker given by Don Lucas. The mystery man asked how to get to the uninhabited house outside Tampico where the meeting was held."
"So you mean that all this time Lucas has been in prison?" Exclaimed Aurora.
Due to the thrill of learning that maybe there was a reason why Lucas had not yet come looking for her, her heart beat so fast she feared that everyone could hear it.
Her head spun and she felt her cheeks burning.
"Yes, but tell me where does your certainty come from that it wasn’t him? To be honest I thought that your prolonged stay here was due to the fact that he had been charged with this horrendous crime." Said Don José.
Doña Viviana intervened, responding instead of Aurora.
"No Don José, my daughter and I needed to stay away from Tampico to get over our pain."
" Yes, of course!" Commented Don José.
"With regard to Lucas, he could be anything but a murderer, believe me Don José! Someone wanted to hurt and incriminate him. That man, the fake banker, it was an engineered and professional trap!" Aurora exclaimed in a firm tone.
In fact, Don José was starting to think the same thing. He had developed a certain intuition about people and knew that Lucas was honest and upright. He could not imagine him in the role of a mad arsonist who had killed two people in such a devious way.
Aurora sighed, holding her forehead in her delicate hand.
" It’s all so mysterious, so cryptic! It’s like a game of Chinese boxes! Also I don’t understand what my father was doing in the chapel with Lucas’ uncle..."
Viviana intervened promptly.
"Your father and Don Hector knew each other since they were young, that's all," she said nervously. "I’m sure that Don Hector wanted to say hello to him after all these years ..."
Doña Viviana gave a pleading look to Don José who nodded almost imperceptibly. He had sworn that he would never betray Viviana’s confidence and did not intend to break that promise.
"Now if you'll excuse me I need to rest, I have a headache." Aurora said in a tired voice. "With your permission."
"Of course," said Don José, standing up.
Doña Viviana who had guessed the reason for Aurora’s restlessness, said,
"We’ll expect you down for dinner later, darling, Don José has graciously accepted my invitation."
Aurora nodded and went to her room to think about Lucas without any disturbance.
Meanwhile, Viviana and Don José continued their conversation, no longer needing to hide anything.
"But do you really believe this motive could have prompted Lucas to wish for Hector’s death?" Asked Doña Viviana when they were alone.
Don José was silent for a moment.
"Speak, you can trust me," said Doña Viviana, sensing his embarrassment.
"Well, promise me that what I’m about to say will remain between us!"
Viviana nodded.
" Doña Raquel informed me that before he died, Don Eduardo had discovered that Lucas was not his son but Hector’s and for this reason he decided to disinherit him. According to Doña Raquel, Lucas feared that with Hector’s return the scandal would be made public."
"I'm shocked, this story seems unbelievable to me," she said.
"To be honest, it is to me too. I don’t think Lucas had anything to do with the murders, and that's why I have released him. However, I’ll continue with my investigation to find the real murderer." Replied Don José.
Viviana was silent for a moment, perhaps Lucas really was just a victim. Something told her that it was the evil Raquel that was manipulating everything and that Raquel was probably trying to hide something, maybe something about herself or Federico.
Raquel, I always find you in my way, always trying to hurt me thought Viviana with hatred. She hated that pale and stern face with its proud and confident expression.The last time she had seen Raquel, at Federico’s and Marisol marriage, they had ignored each other, but the hatred that ran between them would never cease. As she thought back to the night of the wedding feast, Viviana remembered a detail that had been buried in the back of her mind. My God, it can’t be ... Viviana could not help suppressing a shudder.
" Are you all right?"
Don José voice aroused her from her thoughts.
" There's one thing I must tell you," gasped Viviana. "I don’t know whether it’s important or not, it may well be nonsense ..."
"Please tell me and let me be the judge. Speak; I beg you," encouraged Don José.
"At Marisol’s wedding, there was a scuffle between Lucas and Don Cristobal and during the fight I clearly saw Lucas’ shirt sleeve tear. I had completely forgotten until today. But the strangest thing was that when the uproar over the fight had ceased and we were all going back to the dance floor, I turned back and saw Doña Raquel staring at something in the grass and then bend down to pick it up." Explained Viviana.
Don José looked at her seriously.
"This could be crucial information that could definitively exonerate Lucas! You should have told me sooner!"
"I didn’t remember it ... You see," sighed Viviana embarrassed. "That evening I saw Don Hector for the first time after all those years ... I was in a state of shock!"
Don José, in a burst of understanding took hold of her hand.
"Forgive me if I used an inappropriate tone," he said politely. "It won’t happen again ..."
Viviana looked into his blue eyes, so sweet and understanding. She decided, however, to withdraw her hand.
" I don’t know what's going on, Don José, but we’re faced with an intrigue of unimaginable proportions." Viviana got up from the couch, walking around the room nervously, "I don’t know what to think anymore! Just yesterday, I accidentally overheard a conversation between Cristobal and Federico in which Cristobal threatened Federico with telling the truth about him and Lucas. But I don’t know what the truth is that they were referring to."
"This is all very strange, but reinforces my suspicions," said Don José stroking his chin. "An evil mind is at work here. If we assume that we are dealing with a perverse set up, Doña Viviana, you should realize that the person to bear the brunt of all this is your own son in law... Don Lucas hasn’t done anything of which he has been accused."
Viviana paused thoughtfully. What if Don José is right? What if Lucas is really a good man, an honest person? My God, I've been acting so terrible towards him ... but then she remembered the suffering he had caused Aurora, a betrayal consummated right in front of her eyes. Such behavior deserved neither understanding nor forgiveness.
Soon after Don Cristobal arrived to join them for dinner. Dolores immediately went to oversee the meal and also to call Aurora.
At the table, Dolores tried to speak on light and harmless subjects, after all of the day’s emotions.
"Tomorrow Don José is returning to Tampico, why don’t we go with him?" Viviana asked suddenly, addressing Aurora.
Cristobal trying to hide his uneasiness twisted his napkin in his hands.
"If you can wait a few more days I can accompany you." He suggested hopefully.
"Don’t worry. You have work to do and we don’t want to rush you. We’ll take advantage of Don José’s kindness and we’ll leave tomorrow." Replied Doña Viviana, assuming the proud and haughty tone she had always had before Costantino’s tragic death.
Cristobal stared at Aurora hoping that she would refuse and decide to go back with him, but she remained silent with her eyes fixed on her plate.
"I’ll be very sorry to see you go! I’m now accustomed to your presence, "said Dolores, nostalgic.
"You could come to Tampico, a stay by the sea can’t be anything but good for you," said Viviana, standing up. Immediately Cristobal and Don José also stood up as a sign of respect.
Viviana suggested going into the lounge for coffee, but Cristobal asked permission to have a word alone with Aurora in the garden.
Viviana glanced hesitantly at Aurora, then agreed.
" If Aurora wants to, it’s fine with me," she said.
Cristobal was struck by the cold tone that Doña Viviana was using with him. He had believed that she was an ally in getting closer to Aurora. I must ensure that my influence on her doesn’t fail. If she were to side with Lucas, I wouldn’t have even the smallest ray of hope.
While he reflected, he hastened to extend an arm to Aurora so that he could escort her into outside.
The evening was cool even though it was already spring and a blanket of stars covered the sky.
Aurora pulled her shawl around herself. Cristobal moved closer to her, took her hands and rubbed them gently to warm them up.
" How wonderful the stars are tonight," she said sadly.
" The thing that makes them so beautiful is being here with you." Said Cristobal, staring at her intently.
"I haven’t had the opportunity yet to thank you for everything you've done for us ..." Aurora started to say.
"You know that I did it with pleasure." Replied Cristobal.
Then, suddenly, in the throes of passion, he moved even closer.
"Don’t leave tomorrow, stay with me," he pleaded.
But Aurora shook her head.
"No, I want to go back to Tampico, to my life and my work."
"Won’t you mind having to see Lucas again?" Cristobal asked.
"I want to continue with my life without hiding from the fear of whom I can or can’t meet," she said firmly.
" Marry me, Aurora!" Proposed Cristobal, while a light breeze ruffled his blond hair.
His lips moved towards hers looking for that long-awaited kiss.
Aurora turned her face to the side and he kissed her delicate cheeks.