The Vicious Viscount

chapter 24

Chapter twenty-four

Her aunt was cold sweating, Mabel took of the expensive cloak and wrapped it around her, she was rocking her back and forth after the doctor had told her she needed movements in her body, she had low blood and could faint any moment. They were in a carriage heading back to home.

Home.

The word she could finally say now that she found her aunt. After years of sending men searching for her around the country it had not occurred to her that her aunt was in a hospital.

"Who---" her aunt suddenly shrieked up and something inside of mabel twisted as she crowded her aunt in a tight embrace, the face of suffer and sorrow was in her wrinkles, she had grown old. Only six years and she had looked different, her once stern behaviour into a fragile person, "Its me.. its me.. Mabel" she muttered.

"Who?" she continued snapping her neck as she watched Mabel with confusion, Mabel held in the tears threating to fall as she sniffed trying to control her emotions at the fact that her aunt had lost memory of her. She could not recognise her face, she could not remember her name.

She was a stranger.

"Mabel, your nephew" and god if it would take thousand years for her to remember she would make sure of it. Her aunt was alarmed at everything, the sound of the carriage ride and every movement, what have they done to you she wondered with shaky breath.

Back in London the ball had came to an end. With no thought of taking one of the woman as his wife he was content with it. For heavens sake he was twenty nine. He had plenty of time to take a wife in the future. Now he was more than ready to return back to work, after all that had happened for the past five months he needed structure and organization.

His cousin seemed to have other thoughts on that, "Thirty five ladies, thirty five. And I have failed my mission" Annabelle slumped back after all running back and forth she had done to bid all the guests goodbye. Malcolm laughed silently.

"What am I to tell your uncle? That I have just wasted time and preperations? I was so sure that yould get married to---" she stoped herself, Malcolm retrieved his gaze and muttered, "You don't have to treat me like im a fragile glass, it does not matter wheter you say her name"

He meant it, he did not want to think about her, yes, but her name was Stephanie In Annabelles eyes, she was not Mabel. The one that had hurted him the most.

"Yes, well I really thought it was going like I planned. How bloody hell am I to explain to your uncle!" she groaned in horror, Malcolm shook his head, a smile dancing on his lips at her mortification, "Leave that to me, dear cousin."

His uncle had no words on wether he married or not. No one did. When he thought of marriage he imagined  small brats running through his house and filling the silence with their cooing and chirping voices. That was everything he ever wanted. A family of his own.

"He shall arrive anytime soon and we shall be prepared for his wrath"

Two days of sitting straight like a board in the carriage had turned Mabel immobile and practically as steel, she did not move a muscle to ease the tension from her aunt, but ashtonishingly her aunt had not shrieked or made a move to hurt her. Besides the claw of fingers dugging into her skin everytime her aunt had a nightmare, which was every time her eyes closed. Mabel heart hurted, she herself knew the toturre of nightmares and its affect on turning her life upside down. She wanted to keep her aunt from all harm, no she would from today never live in poor.

, it was surreal that in a span of five months she had found her aunt and the love of her life. Who hated her more than ever. It crushed her, it killed her. But he was not to blame when she had not given him her truth answer from the start, where she still had the chance six years ago. His cousins words replaying in her mind when they took a walk around the garden, Malcolm has always been like his father, both protective but kind and loving, I hope beneath that cold surface he has that you can see how much of a like he has for you, and believe me when I say you are the only lady he had common to even court. And I would feel very sad if my cousins affection is unrequiered.

Oh if only the woman knew that she left her life for that man, to not ruin his life. And now that she was a lady she still ruined him. This time not in societys word, but him. Simply him.

No there were no time in her life to think of the past, it was irrelavant for it would not change anything.

The carriage stoped at their estate and as the footman opened the carriage and tried to help her pick out her aunt she declined, "I will do it, Martin,"

With a soft nudge on her aunt she opened her eyes slowly, the once light brown eyes that held warmness now cold and distant, time it would take time she told herself. She intertwined their arms and helped her aunt who had dropped way to much weight out of the carriage. Here she would never suffer from starvation.

Just as her footman was about to open the door, it swung open by itself and her fathers eyes widen with warmth when it landed on her before he saw the weak woman in her arms, "Dear god! What have happened" he asked before yelling for maids and the servants who came in great speed.

Mabel wet her mouth, she had forgot after all that took place in the ball to write her father a letter, "My aunt," she told him and he widened the door open and helped to carry her. Her aunt shrieked back as if he burned her, "Calm, he is no harm" Mabel held her tight and mouthed for her father which face showed deep concern, it was as if he knew her aunt.

And than it made sense, her father knew her when she was two years, he of course would know her aunt. After all her mother married her father.

With still shock on his face he breathed, "Beatrice"

____________________________

Vote and comment!