Angel of Ash

by Law, Josephine

  Hunter walked towards her, hugging Angel, sadness in her. “I love you, Angel. For whatever role I played in this sad state of affairs, forgive me. I pray for your happiness and the happiness and health of the child that is soon to come.” Abruptly she pulled away, braving a smile. “Come; let us get you home and my little Ethan to the nursery. It would not do well for you to have the baby right next to a lake.”

  She managed to turn the mood light and airy as Angel laughed and they collected the child and the blanket, striding back towards Hunter’s parents’ house. It stood warm and large wrapped with ivy and roses, the gardens they soon entered tranquil and peaceful.

  They were perturbed at the amount of flurry once they entered, however, servants bustling around, whispering to each other. Hunter looked quizzically at Angel. “Whatever is occurring?” She asked, before shooing Ethan to his nursemaid whom took the sleepy child in her arms.

  Angel shrugged in ignorance as the two young women made their way through the kitchens and into the front hall. She could hear male voices and one voice stopped her cold.

  “Angel?” Hunter asked quizzically.

  Her eyes wide, Angel gazed at Hunter, her mouth trying to form words. “It is he, your brother, Asher. He has arrived,” she whispered, her heart beating heavily in her chest in surprise, anticipation, and anxiety and there, at the bottom of her heart, hope.

  “But-” Hunter began. Noticing Angel’s pale look she grabbed her hand. “Do you wish to see him, now, Angel? You can go through the back stairs if you have not the strength, you are pale. Your child you must think of your child, I will speak to him.”

  But Angel shook her head, placing her hand on the hard bundle beneath her heart, the baby kicked so. “No, I will not put this off. If not now than when, thank you Hunter, your kindness knows no bounds.”

  “Then I will walk you to him and smite him mightily with the glare of my eyes.” Hunter commanded and Angel could not help but smile as Hunter laced her hand through Angels’ arm and it did not go unnoticed by either of the beautiful women that it was Hunter who led more then walked Angel to the front hall.

  She saw him before he saw her and was surprised at the gauntness of his frame. Asher looked as if he had not slept, eaten little in the days since she had left. His hair was still a wild mane of jet black curls. His cheekbones stood out prominently in his now pale face, his lips thinned and eyes harsh, wild. She faltered but Hunter held her. He was speaking with Caleb the two not quite arguing, but not polite, either. It was Caleb who saw them first and halted what he had been about to say.

  “My ladies,” he began, forcing a smile to his face, anger overtaken him, or wanting to.

  Asher turned, his heart beating rapidly in his chest. One glance at her, one look and he was completely undone. How beautiful she was, he thought, how he had missed her every single day and moment since the time she had left him. Her stomach was large, swollen, but she had not put on that much weight, her skin as golden brown and beautiful as he had remembered it. Her gray eyes shone and he wanted to lose himself in them, lose himself in her.

  He barely managed to pull himself together. For the first time in years he felt somewhat alive, not shipwrecked, anchored. And even though Caleb had cursed at him splendidly he had not minded because he knew that he deserved his family’s railings for leaving his wife of less than two years alone. He’d abandoned the only woman who had offered him her heart.

  “Sister,” he began politely.

  Hunter turned a blind eye to him.

  “Angel,” he said quietly.

  She paused.

  “May we speak?” He asked.

  “No you may not,” Hunter interjected. “For you to come here as proud as you please and expect everyone to leap at your command is absolutely galling, you bastard-” she hissed at Asher, within one foot of him.

  “Hunter,” Caleb interrupted. “Let Angel answer,” he warned, pulling his sister away from Asher, she looked as if she was ready to cock him in the eye.

  “We may speak,” Angel said interrupting the conversation between Caleb and Hunter. “If you two will excuse us.” She began and turned away for Asher to follow. He did. She could think of nowhere more private then her room and led him upstairs, feeling the eyes of Caleb and Hunter upon her. She kept her head held high and walked sedately towards her room; serene on the outside, but inwardly she quaked. Millions of thoughts, questions running through her head.

  The walk towards her room seemed all too short and before Angel knew it as Asher was shutting the door behind them as she walked towards the window, more than ten feet away from him when all she wanted to do was fling her arms around him and kiss him and ask him to please give them one more try.

  “You look very well,” Asher began, nervous, feeling like a school aged boy. As well as he should, he’d been lifeless once Angel had left him. Staring from the uppermost window in his house as she’d walked out of his door and climbed into the carriage. He’d wanted to run to her, yell, scream, take her in his arms and ask for forgiveness. All that he’d managed to do was clench his jaw to keep from speaking and clutch his hands to the windowsill to still himself from running to her. No, it had been for the best. The way he’d treated his very own wife was abominable, beyond all horror. He’d never known he was capable of such cruelty to such an innocent.

  Looking at her now, he felt the past days of forced isolation melt away as if it had never existed, he knew, as he’d known from the day he laid eyes on her that Angel was his forever. He could not exist whole without her, could not live entirely unless she was there, next to him, loving him, giving herself to him. Yet, how he had come to this realization had been a hard journey to travel.

  Asher had to say goodbye to past’s mistakes and horrors long buried. He had to or risk his very sanity.

  She stood still upon his perusal. Her heart thudding heavily in her chest. The baby kicked and she unconsciously placed a hand upon her mound.

  His eyes followed her movement. “Are you in good health?” He began. “With the baby, I mean. Will all go well?”

  “As well as it should,” Angel returned quietly. “The doctor believes I will deliver within the week.”

  “It doesn’t hurt?” He asked.

  She laughed softly, shaking her head. “No, not now. I am well expecting it will, however, soon. But I’m looking forward to having the little one in my hands.” She ended, a soft smile still playing upon her lips.

  His breath paused in his chest. The vision of Angel and a small baby in her arms hurt him beyond anything he had ever realized. He had to battle the demons; he had to make her understand why he’d been so upset and angry over their marriage and the news that she was to quickly give birth.

  “Angel, I-” he began but was interrupted by a loud knock on the door.

  He turned anger in his stride and swiftly opened the door a few inches. It was his meddlesome brothers, Michael and Luke. They nodded in one accord, twins, virtually impossible to tell apart except for a small mole that stood on opposite sides of their faces. “Father wishes to speak with you, immediately, he will not wait, he is in his study.”

  Asher nodded, closing the door as they walked away. It would have to wait. He turned towards Angel who had sat upon her window seat, looking all too lovely, serene and other worldly. “I will see you at dinner, Asher, if your intentions are to stay until the birth of the baby.”

  “Dinner it shall be,” he said, feeling dismissed and small as if he was a lowly jester in a queen’s court. “My intent is to stay for the baby’s birth.” He said and walked out of her room, closing the door behind him.

  He jogged lightly down the stairs; the twins had long since vanished. Ignoring the many looks from his family’s servants, he opened the door to his father’s study without knocking, interrupting a heated conversation among his father, mother, Caleb, Hunter and Gabe.

  Not surprised at the small grouping, he walked in nodding in general greeting towards the men and then placin
g a soft kiss upon his mother’s cheek even though she stared stony eyed at her second oldest child.

  It only took seconds before Ethan, his father, began grilling him.

  “What are your intentions towards your wife, Asher? You have acted the lowliest of bastards; I have raised you better than this. You have treated your wife miserly, entrenched her and this family in scandal after scandal. You have abused your position in this family and added dishonor upon us all. Her father entrusted us with her care, he sails to England even as we speak. And what shall I say to him once he arrives? Forgive us for allowing my second eldest son to seduce your daughter, impregnate her and then abandon her, would you care for a glass of port? How can you be so callous and cruel? Angel was an innocent who came upon the wishes of Hunter and Gabriel. You have destroyed that innocence due to your narcissistic selfishness. Out of all the women in England, why her? You will answer me!”

  Asher’s jaw tightened as he met his father’s impassioned glare. “I have no excuse.” He said unwilling to speak more of the matter. “I have returned to her before the birth of the child. Once she is healthy enough to travel afterwards, we shall return to my townhome in London.”

  “I think not!” Hunter yelled at Asher, standing up. “You treat her like garbage, she told me, how you spoke to her, how you mistreated her! How could you, Asher! You have turned your revenge for all women onto an innocent who had no idea the horrors you could create. She was entrusted in our care and I warned you to leave her be. I warned you, Asher. I am so ashamed of you,” she lamented, tears coming to her eyes and in anger she paced the room, her arms crossed tightly across her chest. “I told you how we became sisters in all but blood. It was her saving grace that I am still alive that I am here, today. If it had not been for her help and kindness and strength I would have died so long ago. She gives freely of herself with no thought towards revenge, towards payment, towards anything. She gives freely because she is the most beautiful person I have ever known. Her soul is pure and giving and loving and it has never been anything different. And you tried your best to destroy everything that she is.”

  Gabe walked towards Hunter, wrapping her in his arms. Turning towards Asher, he spoke softly. “I would be a hypocrite if I added one word to this conflict after the abominable way I treated your sister upon her return to England. Yet, Asher, Angel was entrusted in my care and the care of your father as we are the two heads of households. You must realize that you can no longer act as you do, treat her as you have. You must make a formal apology to the entire family and to her. And you must treat her with the respect due her. She is your wife, not chattel or a slave. If you treat her than anything less I will personally see to it that you suffer every day for the rest of your life.”

  Gabe’s words were softly spoken but his eyes held a dead glint of a promises for untold tortures.

  “You must get over your past,” Maria commented. “My son, why can’t you realize it is this past that holds you in bondage. Why are you children so stubborn?” She asked angrily. “We should not even speak upon this. There should be no ultimatums. You should not feel resigned to this marriage. Angel is a beautiful, sensitive, talented and giving young woman. She would make a perfect mate for any honorable young man. She is perfect for every man but not every man perfect for her. But for some reason she chose to be yours. Think upon that, Asher. At every ball we attended before you placed your stamp upon her every man in England was vying for her attention she was being sent gifts, flowers and invitations to every noble family in England and Europe! You should be thankful, you might be one of the most handsome devils in England but you have all the character of a rat. Your father was right; we raised you better than this. We expect more from you. When her father arrives it will be to pay if you do not right this grievous wrong towards his only daughter and most cherished love. Your sins stack before our Lord, you are dishonoring one of His children and the Lord will not deal so kindly with you as we have. Forgive, Asher, or I promise you something dreadful will happen and will rip the forgiveness from your hands and reach. You must forgive, you must seek it with all of your heart, son, please, I beg of you. I will not even be able to look him in the eye without some large amount of shame if I were you! You are an utter rake, and that is not said as a compliment. I have prayed for your soul and all the souls of my children every day since the day each and every one of you was born. Your misery shall come to a pass, my son. Know this now. I will have it no other way.”

  “I wish to hear your reasoning, Asher,” his father spoke, standing next to his mother, a united front. “I must realize somewhat of what occurs in that deep, dark mind and soul of yours. Why have you treated her, thusly? What is your belief that she had betrayed you? Where does it all lie?”

  Asher knew he would speak not of it, not to his family. Yet, he met his father’s glare with his own. “I am a man grown. I will not answer this question. I have come and my coming should be apology enough. She is my wife. We are not divorced, nor will we ever be. She will not return to America with her father. Her place is here, England is her home now. My past treatment of her will never again occur and this is all that I will say upon it. She will be treated honorably and with respect. I thank you for her care and the care of my unborn child these past weeks. That is all that I can give you.”

  “Oh, Asher,” her mother said softly. “You are still far too stubborn for your own good. What pride you have! I have always admired it, but I see now, I was wrong in doing so. It shall be your downfall. You believe that your actions are apology enough but how wrong you are! I will do all within my power to return Angel to her father if that is her wish. I will do all in my power to keep her in my home if that is her wish. But I will not help you in any form or fashion if her wishes lies outside of yours. You say that you are a man, but a true and honorable man would not be in this position as we speak. Think of father Isaac and his love for his wife, Rebecca, remember, how she comforted him during his time of sorrow, how she gave him children? Think of Paul’s words, to honor your wife as Christ honors the church. And if you are true and honorable then we should not even have to point out your flaws, you should wish to correct them. With the coming child her life doesn’t stay beholden to you, no if that is what you think you are sadly mistaken.”

  “She will not leave me,” Asher uttered in an angry tone. “She cannot. You believe that she chose me; the choice was outside of her right. It was outside of my right. I must come to terms with my past, I know this mother. And I will. But while I am in the process of doing such, Angel will stand by my side. I will die before I see her return to America; I care not what her wishes are on that matter. She will return to London with me, as is her duty as my wife. Soon there will be a child now to see after, and I am not so dishonorable or such a person with such low character that I would willingly tear apart my family.”

  “You should have thought about that before,” Caleb finally spoke, farthest from them, next to a large French window, his arms crossed. “I would wish I was in your shoes. I would wish your dilemma was mine for then it would be no dilemma.”

  The announcement came as a surprise to the rest of the family as Ethan, Maria, Gabe and Hunter turned with shocked at Caleb.

  “You speak to much brother, you lust after a woman who is my wife, it is a sin of your own, and I will not see it so!” Asher shouted angrily.

  “I dare not lust after her. I would want her for my wife.” Caleb interjected. “Oh and how you speak ‘wife’ now! But you only want her because you know that I wish her for my own. I would have been honorable and respected her. You are the biggest fool.”

  “You shall never touch her-”

  “I would never disrespect her while she is still your wife! But if she wishes no more for you I will make my intentions known to her.”

  Asher stormed to his brother, red in his vision. “I will kill you first!” He yelled a steady hand held him, however, as Caleb looked dispassionately on.

  “I will gladly m
eet you a field!”

  “Enough!” Ethan interrupted, holding on to Asher. “I will not have my eldest two duel. Never. Caleb you step outside of your bounds as the heir and Asher’s brother. You will honor his marriage and no more will be spoken of your feelings for his wife.”

  “I make him understand that even if he treats her dishonorably there will be many to fill his shoes. He does not deserve her and he knows this that is what is eating away at him. She is too good, too pure, too innocent for his treachery and its killing him, isn’t it, Asher? The lack of soul you carry within you agonizes…is tortured that you have molested such an innocent. Your guilt haunts and sickens you and so this is why you have taken your anger out upon Angel, because you recognize the fact that she is far more superior than you in loyalty, morale, and spirit. Therefore you wish her to relish in this anguish you have created…bringing her to your level in hell. ”

  Asher could not speak; he stared at Caleb with seething anger. Finally, in a hushed voice, he uttered words that he’d come to regret for the rest of his life, which he spoke to save his pride and to hide his fear. “Again, Caleb. Again, it has come to you wanting a whorish bitch that I’ve used and thrown aside. Just because I don’t want her and do not care if the slut and her child lives or dies, doesn’t mean I’ll ever let her go-”

  Chapter 10

  “Asher, no!” Hunter screamed but it was too late as everyone turned with horror at the recently opened door, Angel’s brown face, pale of its coloring standing there, listening, looking on.

  “God, no,” Maria whispered as she too stared at the trembling Angel, no one able to speak, fear of how much she’d heard, fear that they all knew she’d at least heard Asher’s acidic and caustic words.

  It was Angel who broke the silence, Angel who stared at each of them and it was Angel who lastly fashioned her eyes upon Asher. “It does not matter,” she quietly said, tears falling from her eyes before she was able to stop them, staring at her husband, pride making her head go up a notch. “I am sorry that is the way you feel about your wife, sir, if there is anything I can do to rectify the problem please feel free to let me know at your convenience.” Her voice was soft but had a steely resolution.