by Helena Rose
“You had the courage to admit your faults and ask for forgiveness, not everyone would have done so. You could have continued to keep the secret and not risk anything, not everyone would have made such a choice. Now I want you to help me recover what I deserve. Then I'm going to deal with my stepmother and Federico ... Yes they’ll have to pay for what they did to me."
Cristobal shook his hand vigorously.
" You can count on me, let's go immediately to the probate court to register the will!"
" Lucas, I'm very happy for you, but remember that the Lord has taught us to be compassionate to our enemies," continued Father Julian, "this family feud must end!"
"Father, I can’t let those who have caused me so much harm go unpunished!"
"May God be with you and enlighten you, then," replied Father Julian giving him his blessing.
Cristobal and Lucas said goodbye to Father Julian and leaving the church, they headed immediately to the probate court where they deposited the document to start the process of amending the inheritance.
The official assured them, after Doña Raquel and Federico were mentioned, that the civil proceedings would be started within a few days.
Once outside of the building, Lucas decided to go to face Doña Raquel.
Cristobal's insistence that he desist was useless, so Cristobal decided to accompany him, thinking Lucas was too worked up to go alone. Cristobal feared that there would be adverse consequences as a result of the meeting.
When they arrived at the Navarra hacienda, Lucas was too angry to wait to be announced.
Once he knew that Doña Raquel was in the study, ignoring the maid’s vigorous protests he burst in like a fury, followed by Cristobal.
He opened the door violently, making Raquel, who was intent on checking her accounts, jump. Raquel looked up and a flash of hatred crossed her ebony black eyes.
"How dare you come into this house like two savages!” shouted Raquel angrily.
The maid peeked round the door.
"Excuse me, Ma'am, I could not stop them ..."
Raquel told her to leave with a curt wave of her hand and the maid hastened to obey.
"Leave now!" Hissed Raquel as she turned to Lucas and Cristobal.
" No," said Lucas approached menacingly, "I need to speak with you and your idiot son."
"Federico is not here, now leave or I'll call the police."
"It’ll be me who calls them and denounces you for forgery of a will! How could you have thrown me out from my house for all these years and deprive me of all that legitimately belonged to me and give it to that bastard Federico!"
Doña Raquel paled and put her hands to her face, confused.
"You’re surprised, aren’t you? I know everything, Cristobal has shown me my father’s true will and I’ve already filed it with the civil registry to get what I deserve."
" Wait a minute, Lucas, let's talk calmly ..." Stammered Raquel.
"There's nothing to talk about and you should thank the Lord that I’m a gentleman and would never lift a finger against a woman. But if your son had been here I would have given him the lesson that he deserves pending that justice takes its course. I’m looking forward to the pleasure of kicking you and that bastard Federico on to the street like you did to me," Lucas concluded with a wry smile and left the room.
Raquel sat stunned. She did not even have the strength to respond. When they were gone, she poured herself a glass of brandy and drank it down all in one gulp, then clutched the glass in her hands. Damn! Don’t think that I’lI give up so easily, I’ll not let you win and won’t rest until I see you destroyed, she thought hurling the glass against the wall. I really hope that Penelope and Gonzalo are able to accomplish my order ... If Aurora was raped, Lucas’ pain would be terrible...
Lucas, returning to Tampico, invited Cristobal home for dinner. They were thus able to discuss the process calmly. At the house, however, they could not find Aurora, but only the maid who reported having accompanied her to Doña Viviana after the clinic and had not seen her since.
Lucas, alarmed by Aurora’s absence at such a late hour of the evening, went to look for her at the Vargas de Coronado’s house accompanied by Cristobal.
Doña Viviana was in the living room with Marisol.
When she saw them, Viviana burst into tears and told them about the quarrel between her and Aurora that afternoon. She told them everything, no longer interested in preserving the old secret that was now causing her to lose Aurora’s love.
"I acted so unworthily! I lied to my daughter, I tried to ruin her life, obstructing her in every way when she wanted to become a doctor," she said, sobbing. "I behaved badly and also with you, Lucas, all because of my stupid prejudices!"
Marisol put an arm round her aunt's shoulders.
"You have to have strength, aunt, you’ll see that Lucas will find Aurora and settle everything."
"She hasn’t returned home, where can she have gone?" Lucas asked, worried.
"It's best to call the police!" Suggested Cristobal.
"My God, if something has happened to her I’ll never forgive myself," said Viviana
" Don’t say that, Aunt, I'm sure she's fine, maybe she just wanted a little time to think alone," said Marisol, not believing her words herself.
"There is not a minute to lose, I’ll go to the police and then I’ll begin the search!" Said Lucas.
"I'm coming with you,” said Cristobal following him.
"Take me too!" Pleaded Viviana.
"No, it is better that you're here when she returns," Lucas said curtly, "I promise that I’ll bring Aurora home, Doña Viviana!”
Chapter 27
Don José, at the head of a squad of policemen, personally began the search for Aurora along with Lucas and Cristobal.
The more hours that passed the more worried Lucas became that something terrible had happened to Aurora.
They searched for her until late at night, to no avail. They went to the Convent and to Father Julian’s, but no one had seen Aurora since she had left her work troubled by the recent events. Mother Agostina and Dr. Peron told them of poor Alma’s death and Aurora’s attempts to meet Alma’s last wishes.
Federico! Damn you, if you’ve done anything to my wife there’ll be no place on earth where you’ll be able to hide from my fury!
To avoid further tension and tragedy, Don José decided to go alone to the Navarra hacienda to seek Aurora. With tact and delicacy he explained the situation to Doña Raquel who was strangely very cooperative.
"She left here a few hours ago now," she said quietly, stealing a glance at Don José. She even accompanied Don José upstairs, showing him Federico’s room, where Federico was already asleep prey to the effects of alcohol.
Worried, Don José decided to return to Tampico.
" Keep me informed, Don José," exclaimed Doña Raquel, "I'm really worried!"
As soon as Don José left the house, Doña Raquel began to laugh wildly. That idiot Gonzalo has, therefore, followed my orders? I didn’t think he would be able to do it so quickly ... Now Lucas will experience the pains of hell and nothing will save him from its eternal suffering!
Back in Tampico, Don José met up with Lucas and Cristobal in the Cathedral Square. The police had questioned all the coachmen in the town, but none of them had testified to taking Aurora out of Tampico after her hasty return from the Navarra hacienda in the afternoon.
She must be here in the city, but where? Lucas wondered desperately.
They decided to resume the search at dawn, also searching the surrounding areas of Tampico.
Lucas returned to report the lack of progress to Doña Viviana who was now prostrate with grief. Lucas tried to give her strength, but he himself felt torn apart by anxiety over Aurora’s fate. He returned home, hoping to find her there waiting for him. He could not sleep and Cristobal stayed with him all night, drinking coffee and analyzing all possibilities to understand where Aurora could have gone, but not for a moment did they
get near the terrible truth.
That afternoon Aurora left, shocked from her mother's house, she wandered aimlessly, finally finding herself on the beach again.
She stood for a long time thinking about the argument with her mother and Alma’s last wretched hours.
Federico had deceived Alma as he had deceived her. Fortunately Aurora had had the good sense not to indulge him, while poor Alma, driven by love, had become his slave.
Love, she thought, this feeling, so noble, makes us at times display the worst of ourselves. My mother, Alma, and Marisol have fallen into the trap of an impossible love that has made them suffer. Maybe it wasn’t entirely their fault, I also thought I would go crazy when I thought I had lost Lucas. Aurora sighed sadly.
Maybe I shouldn’t have been so hard on my mother. Tomorrow I’ll go to her and we’ll make peace, but now I have to respect my promise to Alma made on her deathbed, I have to go and rescue little Matteo.
She noticed that it was getting dark, but she could not let Matteo spend another night in the brothel, she had to go to save him at once.
She had no idea what a "house of pleasure", as it was called, was like, but she knew where it was.
When she arrived, it had just opened; she gathered her courage and entered. Inside she found some girls scantily dressed with provocative necklines and knee length skirts, sitting on red velvet sofas.
The bartender, a middle-aged man with graying hair, was busy polishing glasses. When he saw her, his eyes widened.
"Are you looking for someone ma’am?” He asked looking at her with lustful eyes.
Aurora could not help blushing. The situation made her extremely uncomfortable.
"I’m looking for the owner of this venta," she said, trying to keep her voice steady and firm.
"Ma'am do you know what kind of tavern you are in?" Grinned the bartender.
" Yes, and I don’t intend to stay for long, please could you let me talk to the owner. My name is Aurora Navarra y Reyes."
The bartender put down the glass that he was drying and headed for the hallway leading to Don Gonzalo’s room. He found him intent on dressing, preparing for the evening.
"Sir, you have to go in there, a lady has arrived for you. We’re talking about Aurora Navarra y Reyes."
"Lucas Navarra’s wife?" Gonzalo asked incredulously.
" Yes, that's her! She says she wants to talk to you."
" The butterfly has flown straight into the spider's web!" Said Gonzalo smiling, rubbing his hands together. "Bring her through, I’ll see her in here!"
" In your room?" Asked the bartender confused.
" Yes, if she wants to talk to me she’ll have to come in here," said Gonzalo, stroking the tips of black mustache.
The bartender invited Aurora to follow him into Gonzalo’s room. A request that seemed to her somewhat improper but she decided not to have any qualms. If I’ve got this far I must have the courage to go all the way.
Trying to appear nonchalant, she followed the bartender who accompanied her to Gonzalo’s room.
Gonzalo invited her to sit down, giving her a sickly sweet smile, while with natural movements he stationed himself near the door to block any possible escape route.
"What can I do for you? It is rare that a lady of high society comes to my tavern, in fact it’s never happened before. I think they find it unfitting," he said ironically.
"I'm here to inform you that Alma, one of the girls who worked in this place, died today and asked me to take care of her son Matteo, who I understand lives here and is being cared for by some of the girls."
" I think I remember seeing a little bastard around here, I didn’t know whose son he was... If you want to take him away, you’ll be doing me a favor. This isn’t a nursery but a place of a completely different mold if you haven’t noticed!" He said, staring intently at Aurora.
Aurora began to feel extremely uncomfortable. She stood up trying to sound authoritative.
" Well, if you’ll tell me where he is, I'll take the baby and go," she said sternly.
Gonzalo looked at her in silence for a few moments.
"Unfortunately, I fear that won’t be so easy, everything here has to be paid for," replied Gonzalo.
"How much do you want?" Aurora asked, as she felt anxiety grow inside her.
"From you, I don’t want money ..." Gonzalo replied, turning the key in the door and quickly putting it in his pocket.
Aurora’s distress turned into out and out terror.
"Sir, I order you to let me out!" Exclaimed Aurora, unable to move.
Gonzalo never taking his eyes off her, took out a rope from a drawer of his desk and walked over to her menacingly.
Aurora looked around for an escape route but not finding one, she grabbed a vase of flowers that was on the nearby table and threw it at Gonzalo. He managed to dodge it and with a leap was on her with all his weight, knocking her onto the bed. He grabbed her hands and tied them behind her back with a rope.
Aurora screamed out loud, but as much as she wrestled she could not fight against Gonzalo’s overwhelming force that held her firmly.
" Scream all you want, no one here will come to your aid," said Gonzalo laughing. He then went, got a gag and tied it around her mouth.
Aurora was crying and struggling but it was completely useless, Gonzalo got the better of her easily and she soon found herself bound and gagged on the bed, aware that even worse was on its way.
He brought his face near to hers, his breath that smelled of wine made her feel sick, then he lifted her skirt to expose her calf, caressing the delicate shape of her leg. Aurora could not help repressing a shudder of disgust.
"I'm curious to know what a lady is like in bed! You'll see, we'll have fun ... At the very least I'm going to enjoy myself! This assignment has its risks, but it also has its pleasurable aspects!"
Aurora crying tried not to think about it ... Maybe it was just a nightmare perhaps she would soon wake up next to Lucas.
Gonzalo left, locking the door and went in search of Penelope but no one in the brothel had seen her for a few days. So after telling the bartender that no one must enter his room, he took a horse and hastened, to the Navarra hacienda as quickly as possible to meet the woman he believed to be the instigator, Doña Raquel Navarra y Reyes.
He arrived at the palatial hacienda while Raquel and Federico were having dinner. When Raquel was informed of Gonzalo’s presence, she reacted annoyed. She went to join him in the living room followed by Federico.
" How dare you come to my house?" Raquel exclaimed angrily as soon as she saw him. "This is an honest house of decent people, not a shelter for wretched men of ill repute!"
" I wouldn’t be so rude if I were you, Ma’am," said Gonzalo, trying to overcome the natural awe that everyone felt with Raquel.
"Leave our house immediately, and go back to the sewer from where you came," ordered Federico grabbing Gonzalo by the arm and pushing him out.
" I'm about to finish the plan that you commissioned through Penelope ... but if you don’t care perhaps it will be of interest to the police!" Protested Gonzalo.
"Leave him!" Raquel ordered. So my suspicions were correct, it is he who is involved in Aurora’s disappearance, she thought satisfied.
" So we can discuss things," said Gonzalo, adjusting his jacket.
" What do you mean Mr. ...?" Raquel said, staring at him as if he was a cockroach.
" Gonzalo Sanchez!"
" Gonzalo Sanchez," Raquel repeated, her face assumed a grimace.
"Lucas’ wife is locked up in my venta and I can let her go or carry out the plan suggested to me by that witch Penelope ... But to do that I need a lot of money." He said with a grin.
Federico looked at Raquel intrigued and went to pour himself a glass of cognac.
"And what figure are we talking about?" Asked Raquel.
"Three times what I’ve already been given and a carriage ready to take me out of town for a long time. When Lucas finds o
ut what has happened to his wife, no one will be able to hold him back until he sees me dead, and before that happens I want to be far away!"
"Wait here," said Raquel, going into the study.
She returned a few minutes later with a wad of banknotes and handed it to Gonzalo.
"You'll have the same amount again together with a carriage waiting for you at the exit of the town tomorrow night at eight. You can leave in complete safety from Tampico and find refuge from Lucas' revenge."
Gonzalo smiled feeling the banknotes between his fingers.
"It’s a pleasure doing business with you!" He said, bowing. After saying goodbye ceremoniously, he left the house to return to the venta.
" Mother what do you have in mind?" Asked Federico.
Raquel turned to watch Gonzalo from the window leaving at a gallop.
" I want to hit Lucas where it hurts most: Aurora!" She exclaimed in a harsh voice.
" And you’ll help Gonzalo to escape? And if he was to report or blackmail you?"
"He won’t be leaving this town alive! The carriage will be there waiting for him, but not to take him to safety, "said Raquel, staring at a nearby candle flame.
Gonzalo meanwhile, left the hacienda and rode through the imposing wrought iron gates, unaware that he had been seen by one of Don José’s plain-clothes policemen who had been placed on guard to watch Navarra y Reyes’ every movement.
Gonzalo returned to the venta and spent the whole night drinking and giving instructions to the bartender for the management of the brothel during his absence. He decided that he would send the proceeds of the tavern to Veracruz. Then maybe he would go to Mexico City to open a fashionable cabaret.
The tavern closed as usual at the first light of dawn; that night’s business had also gone well.
Gonzalo, to celebrate the large amount of money he had earned, let himself go and had drunk many glasses of tequila. Staggering, he decided he wanted to finish the successful night in the company of one of the girls that worked in the brothel. He would leave the most delicious morsel for the following day when the effects of the tequila had passed. He was playing with his life and, at the very least, he wanted to savor every detail of that woman’s body.