by Aria Norton
“But I can–”
“Carlos!” she interrupted. “Leave it alone. Why are you so insistent about this? It matters not whether I get the shoes or not. Why do you seem so fretful these days? I would say that you have come down with a case of high fidgets since the ball.”
Indeed, his behaviour had been different ever since the night of the ball. That had been four days ago, and still, his mood had not changed. Carlos was clearly stressed and appeared apprehensive about something, snapping at the servants for the smallest of things, and generally being rather forgetful. Yesterday, he had put sugar into his morning tea when he never took sugar until midday, and this morning he had asked for Martha’s crumpets when he knew that Martha wasn’t part of the staff here. He had hired Susan to do all the cooking while in London.
These things wouldn’t have mattered if he had been anyone else, but Carlos was meticulous about being precise and methodical in all he did. These changes shouldn’t matter to me, but I have become so sensitive to his moods that I can pick up the slightest change in behaviour. For a woman who insisted that she didn’t care about her husband, she thought about him an awful lot. Was this further proof that her heart was softening towards him?
“I do not know what you mean,” said Carlos. “Nothing is wrong with me – I am perfectly fine.”
So perfectly fine that you cannot look me in the eyes when you say that. “Very well.”
Aurora chose a biscuit from the pastry tray, biting into its crumbly exterior and finding the buttery flavour within. Recently, she had realised that Susan cooked better than Martha, not that she would tell Martha that. In many ways, the cook reminded her of Netty, making her pine away for her home. But the pining wasn’t as severe as it was in the beginning. Now, it was merely a feeling of mild longing for her childhood home and family and a recalling of old memories. I used to think that I would cry for days on end after being forced to leave everyone, but I didn’t. I quickly became accustomed to my new life, and now my old life only invokes a sense of nostalgia. Had she betrayed herself in this?
“We should take a gift when we go to see the Count,” Carlos stated quite suddenly.
“Yes, of course. What do you have in mind?”
“I imported a few Persian carpets and have them at my warehouse. I’ll have Luther fetch them, and you can pick a suitable one. I am confident that you will choose the best carpet. Perhaps we should add a marble statue? Or some spices from the Middle East. Or–”
“Goodness, Carlos! The carpet will suffice. The count is not a fussy man, at least, not from what I can recall. His wife, on the other hand, might appreciate something sparkly. If I remember correctly, the countess loves jewellery. Perhaps we can give her the sapphire set you gave me. I haven’t worn it yet, so–”
“Certainly not!” Carlos shouted.
Aurora jerked, dropping her biscuit to the floor. Wide-eyed, she reached down to pick it up, her heart beating a little faster than usual. Carlos had never used that tone on her before.
She heard him loudly suck breath through his nostrils, exhaling it slowly through his teeth. Why is he in such a temper? Did I say something wrong? Perhaps the real Carlos was finally letting his true character known. Her heart immediately denied that, but her mind took the idea and ran with it.
“You did not need to snap,” she accused. “I only suggested because you seem so eager to impress the count.” Aurora stood up, dusting crumbs off her dress and returning her teacup to the table. “Will you excuse me?”
“Please, sit down,” he asked.
“I would rather not.”
“Please, Aurora. I apologise for yelling as I did. I didn’t mean to snap at you. Truly, I didn’t.”
Despite her resolve, she softened. “Perhaps we should cancel this visit and return home. You might feel better.”
“No, we have already given our word. We must go.”
He said it so firmly that she knew there was no changing his mind. Aurora wanted to go home and have Carlos return to his old self, but his stubborn nature prevented that.
“As you wish. Please excuse me; I have letters to write.”
She hurried out of the room, vaguely hearing him say ‘I am sorry’. Well, she was sorry as well. Sorry that she had married this man. Sorry that instead of hating him as she should, she was growing to care for him more than was wise. No, no, I do not care for him. This is a mere concern for another human being and their welfare. He is nothing to me. She repeatedly said this to herself as she climbed the stairs to her bedchamber, willing the words to be true. They would have been effective if her heart was listening.
***
It didn’t matter what Aurora did; she just couldn’t stop thinking about Carlos. Her thoughts were near torturous in nature, forcing her to consider her feelings for him. By late afternoon, she had had enough. Quickly changing into her walking attire, she took her parasol and made her way downstairs, pausing when she saw Carlos come out of the drawing-room. I suppose I should tell him what I plan to do. He looked at her expectantly, opening his mouth to speak, but she beat him to it.
“I’m going for a walk,” she announced.
He seemed surprised. “A walk? Now? ’Tis rather late, isn’t it?”
“The sun is still out, and it will not set for hours to come. You forget that ’tis summer – the days are longer.”
“Yes, I know, but I would rather you not walk at this time.”
Aurora raised her eyebrows. “Are you telling me that I cannot do as I please?”
He sighed, running his fingers through his hair. “Of course, not. You may do as you please. You know that I have put no restrictions on you.”
His comment only incensed her. She wanted him to shout at her again, to say something that would convince her that he was the horrible man who had forcefully married her, but he had done the exact opposite. If I say anything now, I might regret it. Aurora gave him a last look and headed for the door, emitting a frustrated sound when he called to her. She whipped around, fixing him with a steely glare.
“Yes?” she bit out.
Aurora saw a flicker of reaction cross his face, but he hid it behind a slight smile.
“I’ll accompany you, yes? I would rather you not go out alone.”
I am through with his concern! “In case you have forgotten, I am perfectly capable of walking alone, thank you very much! I do not need or want you to accompany me. Your assistance is not required.”
She faltered when she saw his look of hurt. Why was she behaving so rudely?
“Of course,” he acquiesced. “You are more than capable of walking alone. My apologies.”
He quickly retreated into the drawing-room, hiding his face. Aurora stared at the space he had vacated for several seconds, finally shaking her head and leaving the house.
The minute she stepped outside, she realised that a parasol was unnecessary. The sun had dipped significantly in the few moments she had stood speaking to Carlos, removing its glaring rays. Rather than return to the house, she left it behind a flowerpot and set off up the street. Speaking to herself, she barely paid any attention to her surroundings but kept her eyes on the road.
“He can be insufferable at times! Why must he always be so considerate and kind?”
Carlos’ behaviour only served to make her further confused about what she wanted to think of him. If he had only remained the infuriating merchant she had first met, she wouldn’t have this dilemma on her hands.
“I wouldn’t feel sorry about my actions and words! I want to believe that he deserves every rude and unkind word, but I cannot.”
She could have at least composed herself or kept her mouth shut until she could speak to him civilly.
“No, I simply let my mouth run away with me all because I didn’t like that he showed concern for me.”
How ridiculous was that? Nanny would be disappointed – Aurora was disappointed in herself! More than that, she hated that she had caused him any pain.
“I
should apologise, that is what I should do. It does not cost a thing to admit when you’re wrong.”
Ha! It cost Aurora her pride in Carlos’ case, but it was the right thing to do. Her heart was perfectly happy with that, and strangely, so was her mind.
“Well, at least they are in agreement for once.”
She turned back, surprised when she noticed that she had walked a fair distance from the house.
“I can still see the roof of the house, but I did not intend to come so far.”
At least she had cleared her head. Aurora had not taken five steps forward when she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Rubbing it, she looked around. Was she being watched by someone? I cannot see anyone, but I cannot shake this feeling. It was like little needles were pricking her along her spine, causing her great discomfort. The sooner she got home, the better.
Aurora quickened her pace, not being able to resist looking at every shadow. Was she just imagining that someone was watching her? Her intuition told her no, but Aurora couldn’t see any evidence of people walking about. The street was quite deserted, giving it an eeriness she had not noticed before.
“Oh my,” she whispered. “Please, I need to get to the house.”
She would only feel safe once she could see Carlos. Hearing footsteps behind her, Aurora didn’t look back but started running. The person or persons behind her began to run as well, and she couldn’t help the cry of alarm that escaped her as she increased her speed. Unfortunately, it wasn’t fast because rough hands grabbed her from behind, throwing what looked like a dirty sack over her. Aurora felt herself being lifted into the air and tossed onto the broad shoulders of a man who reeked of body odour. She struggled the entire time, but to no avail.
When Aurora heard a carriage near them, she finally realised that they were taking her away. She screamed, hoping that someone would hear her and rescue her, but her screams were abruptly shut off when something hard hit her head, and she knew nothing more.
Chapter 21
Carlos had been in the drawing-room for some time but still had not been able to settle. His conscience was searing his mind like a hot poker, accusing him of wrongfulness.
“She did not want me to go with her. What could I have said?”
Yes, but Aurora was his responsibility, and he had taken vows to protect her as her husband. Should he have just gone with her anyway, and suffered her ire along the way?
“But how can I destroy what little progress we have made by going against her wishes? She is finally talking to me instead of asking someone else to give me a message.”
Unless Carlos directly addressed her, Aurora would ignore him, suffering his presence in silence. Coming to London had forced them to communicate with each other instead of having Lydia act as a mediator between them. His mother had given up trying to bring them together, stating that she would allow things to happen naturally. Carlos didn’t know at the time what his mother had meant by that, but now that he and Aurora had begun taking midday tea together, he could understand Lydia’s thinking.
“We’re having fluid conversations, and there is almost no awkwardness between us.”
But let the clock strike one, and they were back to living their lives separately except for a few instances here and there.
“If I had forced the issue and walked with her, it would have stilted everything.”
Why did he care if they went back to their starting point? Carlos had only married her to get close to his father, and now that was finally going to happen. Once he got the justice he wanted, then ... Then what? What would become of him and Aurora? Of their marriage? Carlos had promised Lydia and the baron that he would take care of Aurora, so he couldn’t just discard her, nor did he want to.
“I’ve grown accustomed to having her around, and while we are not married in the truest sense, I oddly enjoy having her as my wife.”
Carlos couldn’t understand it, and whenever he thought about it, it just further confused him. He wasn’t ready to entertain the thought that Aurora had got under his skin and into his heart. If that were the case, then he was in trouble. What would happen once she found out that he wasn’t the commoner she assumed him to be? Aurora was an intelligent woman; she would eventually work out that Carlos had used her to get closer to his father, and that was all this marriage had been to him. At least, initially.
“Well, I suppose it would serve to prove to her that I’m the terrible person she believes I am.”
Carlos didn’t like that idea. He groaned, grabbing tufts of his hair. This was far more complicated than it was supposed to be!
“I shouldn’t care what she will think! I promised that I would look after her and remain faithful, but I never said that I would care about what she thinks of me. If that were the case, then I wouldn’t have pushed for this wedding against her wishes.”
Meeting his father had been his lifelong dream, the thought that had kept him going. Nothing had mattered more to Carlos than that, but now Aurora had come into his life and turned things upside down. He laughed ruefully, rubbing his face.
“I cannot blame her, can I? I am the one who came into her life and turned it upside down.”
No, this wasn’t the time to realise how wrong and insensitive he had been towards her.
“I don’t need this!”
To make matters worse, she was off walking who knew where, and the sun was setting quickly now. Soon, it would be dark, and she was alone. Carlos’ pride had allowed her to leave, but now his conscience had kicked in. Yes, he had been hurt, but to be honest, they both had not been themselves. Or rather, he had not been himself ever since meeting his father. Thoughts of what Carlos would say to the man once he saw him again had been uppermost in his mind.
“I want it to go perfectly. This is my chance to right all the wrongs Alba has committed, and take my rightful place in the Ortez family. My mother will finally get her justice, and Lydia can return to her country.”
Carlos’ intentions were all good, but he had used an innocent woman to achieve them, and that was eating away at him. Perhaps if Aurora had continued to treat him with disdain, he might have felt justified, but his wife had mellowed, and he was a cad.
Carlos let out a heavy sigh. Regret was a horrible emotion, and he felt it so profoundly that it made him wonder if achieving his dreams at his wife’s expense was worth it at the end of the day. After all, he had made a life for himself, Lydia was happy in England although she did miss her country, and Aurora had added immense value to their lives. Carlos couldn’t see his life without her, but he might have to consider it before long.
“Before that happens, I should at least go after her. I was wrong to let her go like that.”
His wife had a temper, and Carlos was wrong to have allowed it to affect his judgement. Aurora was his wife, and that was all there was to it. Perhaps he could catch up to her and convince her to come home.
“Ha! Not in her current frame of mind. I’ll just follow her at a safe distance and ensure her safety.”
Not wasting any more time, he stepped outside, stopping cold when he heard a woman’s scream.
Aghast, he looked in the direction it had come from. “Aurora?”
No, it couldn’t be her, and yet, her voice was unmistakable to him. Carlos would know it anywhere. Heart in his throat, he sprinted up the street, stopping when a carriage appeared over a rise and came rambling towards him at full speed. Nimbly stepping aside, Carlos hurled curses at the carriage driver who glanced at Carlos as though he knew him. It was just a split second look, but it turned his blood cold. His instincts fired warning signals, making him closely observe the carriage.