Angel of Ash (34 page)

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 meet 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.

Turning on her heel she fled the room, Hunter running after her, not daring to waste a second and spare a look towards Asher.

“Angel!” They heard Hunter scream after her and Asher felt a dark blackness engulf him. He saw his future before him, bleak, desolate and wished himself a thousand deaths.

His pride. He had not meant one word he uttered, but his pride had crippled him, tried to make them believe that Angel still meant nothing to him. His pride had just lost him his life.

He could not move, standing rooted to the spot in which he’d first viewed Angel, staring at him and he’d wanted to run from her eyes, run and hide because he knew that he’d destroyed whatever hopes of reconciliation that they’d had.

And it was no one’s fault except his own.

Yet, it was Hunter’s screams, loud noises, a crash that uprooted them all, that caused the four to run towards the door and towards the large expansive hallway and there Hunter crouched, sobs and tears tearing her throat, and before her lay Angel in a pool of blood.

They waited outside her door, quiet, somber, reserved and fearful. Maria prayed fervently, but hours had passed, hours. She knew, she knew before the doctor opened his door, leaving his two nurses and assistant in the room with Angel. She knew that their family had been brought to its’ knees.

He looked sadly on, this doctor who’d seen so many of the pains of life that the family had known for more than thirty years. He’d seen to the birth of her six children and her first grandchild. He looked older than his sixty years and stared with no hope at the family who waited anxiously, filled with horror, anticipation.

He tried to clear his throat, tried and failed, opened his mouth to speak and forgot how. He met their eyes’ one at a time before his fell upon Asher’s.

“The babe, the babe did not survive the fall. Stillborn, it is dead. We finally were able to staunch the bleeding. She was hemorrhaging greatly. My lady has not regained consciousness, either. I do not know what to say. The lady…she will not last through the night. You must continue praying for her. It is outside of my hands.”

The soft weeping of Maria and Hunter met Asher’s ears. He shook his head as if befuddled, trying to come to the realization of the doctors words. Yet, he could not. This could not happen. Shaking his head he stared at where the doctor had stood but was no longer there. For some strange reason his eyes fell on the mantle above the fireplace, it was nearing nine in the evening. Strange, the doctor had come in right after eight, the bells had chimed. Where had the last hour gone?

He stared around the room, his heart thudding heavily in his chest. What was happening? He tried to comprehend it but his senses were muddled, addled as if he was drunk upon scotch or high on opium. He couldn’t think clearly, couldn’t move even if he wanted to.

Where had the time gone? He kept asking himself, why had no one moved? Why could he not move?

“Asher,” came Hunter’s voice, wet with tears. “Will you not go to her?” She asked in a strangled voice. “Will you not see to your wife?” Her voice paused, hesitated, sobs shaking her body. “Will you not love her, even now?”

He couldn’t speak, couldn’t move, he heard her words, comprehended them somehow in the recesses of his mind. He’d awaken, he decided. Yes, this was all a dream, he was still in London, still upset and angry and indecisive as to what to do with Angel. This was a dream. And if so, he could do this, make this dream turn into the way he wanted it. He’d ask for her forgiveness now, in this dream and when he’d awaken he’d go to Angel stationed at his parents estate and he’d make their marriage work. They would have a child soon. He’d make it work.

Walking towards the door he reiterated the words over and over again, just a dream, his vision narrowing on the doorknob before him. His hands trembled. If he stepped through this door he’d awaken and all would be right with the world. He and Angel would reconcile, the child would be born, and everything would be as it should.