Nacre's Promise

Chapter XXXVI : Need help

The next day, after short hours of sleep, Isabel got organized. This rest had allowed him to recover, but hadn't blunted either his determination or his anger. She nevertheless took the time for a quick toilet and breakfast and went to Matéo's to ask for help.

She could have spoken to her family, but the workers' village was much further away than the house where Matéo lived. She didn't have the strength to get back on her horse to get there and preferred not to worry her father. He was no longer very young and, although he was still valiant, he often allowed himself to be overwhelmed by his emotions. It was best to leave him out of these issues for now.

— Hello, she whispered when the door opened. May I come in? I really need help, I'm so lonely.

She had a weary voice and an air so helpless that Rafaela, Mateo's wife, hastened to offer her to enter.

— Of course, don't stay in front of the door, come in and tell us about it, she proposed.

Isabel did not know her before she and her husband came to settle in Cuevas-Blancas but, as soon as they had met, they had felt like they had known each other forever. They had quickly become so close that the familiarity followed.

— She took my children away from me, and ...

The young woman could not hold back her tears. She had managed to stay calm until this moment because she had to keep a clear mind in order to make the right decisions, but the cup was full and the shell was cracking. Without Diego by her side, she felt very alone and above all helpless.

At that precise moment, she understood that her existence and that of her family were going to change. The point of no return had been crossed. All future actions would inevitably have an impact on his family, on his children, on their lives.

Putting an arm around her shoulders, Rafaela led her to the living room and made her sit down.

— Take your time, cry as much as you want, you will tell me as soon as you are better, consoled Rafaela, hugging her.

The young woman was devastated but this embrace comforted her and calmed her tremors. She had to pull herself together quickly, she would cry later, when everything was under her control again.

This reassuring and understanding presence contrasted so much with the wickedness of which she had been the target, that a snapshot of her life passed before her eyes.

The good times but above all the tears suddenly arose: the death of his mother, the isolation in Barcelona, ​​the budding love, his efforts to forget Diego, the physical dimension of work at the cooperative, the hunt for Diego, the hidden life with the resistance fighters, then the return, Elvira's hostility, the death of her child, the disappearance of her husband and now of her children.

It seemed to her that she had always struggled, given of her being to be able to overcome trials and worked so hard to improve what was wrong, that the feeling of failure, but above all of weariness and despair, was even stronger.

— I need help and quickly, Rafaela, I can't do it on my own.

— Tell me what's happening to you my dear. I'll do my best to help you.

— I always spend most of my time researching even if I am there as much as possible for my children. You know, I do the maximum but I still entrust them quite often to Inès and her mother.

— I know, how could you do otherwise!

— Yesterday, while I was scouring the countryside to look for traces of Diego's passage, his parents took my children away from me. They lied to Inès and took them away. I was able to extract from them that they are hidden at Léonor, Don Rodrigo's cousin. I have to go get them, but I'm afraid that if I get there on my own, I won't be able to take them back.

Sobs punctuated her words and she found it difficult to speak.

Rafaela measured her friend's despair. Asking Isabel to wait a moment, she left the house to call Mateo who was in the henhouse.

— Mateo, Isabel needs help. Her children have been abducted and she needs a strong escort to pick them up. They were entrusted by Don Rodrigo to his cousin at the Empuria estate.

— Oh, what a story! exclaimed Mateo. How can I help him?

— Bring in your brothers as soon as possible and get ready. I can't leave the house, but the three of you will accompany Isabel. She can't go there on her own because it could go wrong. We do not know what happened and it is possible that he is prevented from retrieving his young. Leave as quickly as possible, so that you can take them by surprise and bring them back quickly.

Matéo immediately understanding the urgency of the situation turned on his heels to seek reinforcement.

Back in the living room, Rafaela reassured Isabel. Matéo and his two brothers would accompany him. They could get going very quickly. These reassuring words comforted the young woman who could speak in an almost normal voice.

— We can leave from my house, I have already asked to prepare the car.

Isabel felt herself regain the upper hand. This unexpected and immediate care gave him back balm in his heart and tonicity in his fighting spirit.

They left an hour later. Rafaela had prepared a bag for them with provisions and water. Isabel who was still breastfeeding Marie had taken the jug of her milk which she had taken care to draw out and a puree for the little one. They would arrive so early that the children would probably still be asleep.

During the journey, she explained to her companions the circumstances in which the children had been taken from her servant.

— Inès is very young. She did not dare to oppose the grandparents' request in my absence. I regret so much to have imposed such a heavy load on her because she is inconsolable and blames herself a lot.

— Why did they do this? asked Mateo. I thought they were more understanding, or at least Don Rodrigo.

— It's Doña Elvira's fault, Isabel explained. She hates me because of my origins. She considers my wedding to be a misalliance and never stops trying to discredit me with everyone. She even tried to eliminate me several times. The last time was when I was expecting my oldest child. Don Rodrigo has become weak; he lets himself be manipulated without realizing it. I don't recognize him anymore; he's changed so much that I even wonder if she hasn't cast a spell on him or gave him an obedience potion.

— I had no idea she had roughed you up! said Mateo indignantly.

— What happened? his older brother asked.

— She deposited some sort of smelly paste next to a beehive, which caused a stampede. The bees fled and took refuge at the hacienda. I was pregnant at the time and the panicking swarm attacked me. I managed to get out of it by covering myself up before being bitten, but I could have lost my child and stayed there because my body reacts very badly to the bites. This bitch knew it, it was she who caused it all.

— Why didn't you say anything? We could have helped you by keeping a close eye on Doña Elvira, for example. You are not alone! We regard you as our own, finally, with all due respect!

— Me too Matéo, I feel closer to all of you than to this family, except of course Diego, she admitted.

In chatting, they had walked almost the entire distance between the two areas. The day was advancing slowly and the temperature was getting more pleasant.

Although determined to use force, if necessary, Isabel wondered what attitude to take. She was coming to pick up her children, but should she just show up and ask them to follow her, or should the exchange be more muscular? She was glad the three men escorted her under these circumstances.