The Forbidden Promise (24 page)

"Something terrible has happened." Gasped Penelope visibly agitated.
"Speak, go ahead." Encouraged Raquel.
"It’s about my niece. She told me something that I just can’t
believe." Said Penelope.
Raquel, nervous, took Penelope by the arms and began to shake her.
"Stupid! Do you enjoy keeping me in suspense?"
Penelope quickly told her about the note that Yolanda had handed over to
Doña
Viviana on behalf of a mysterious man.
"The note was signed by Hector!" Concluded Penelope, "And gave
her a time to meet him in exactly one week in
La Virgen del Mar chapel,
to
finally clarify all the mysteries of the distant past..."
Raquel suddenly let go of Penelope’s arms. She sat down on her bed, staring
into space.
"No, it can’t be ... not now." She murmured scared.
Penelope came and knelt before Raquel.
"We’ve got to do something and now. It's definitely Don Hector Navarra y
Reyes and he wants to tell
Doña
Viviana everything, including the true
paternity of your child."
"Shut up!" Raquel said, standing up. She began to pace nervously
around the room, rubbing her temples.
" I can handle it if you want." Offered Penelope.
" No, I need you somewhere else." Raquel stared at the fire. The
magical flames of the hot tongues of light enchanted her for a moment. She felt
instantly relaxed, while her mind began to work feverishly to devise a perfect
plan.
The sacred purifying fire will give me a hand in getting rid of my
enemies.

I’ll put everything in
its rightful place. It would be a risk and a gamble, but she had always liked
risks as they made her feel wonderfully alive, especially when she was about to
put an end to the existence of those who were obstructing her path.
She quickly told Penelope of the meeting she had had that afternoon with
Cristobal and the wicked plot she had agreed to with him.
" That's why I need you to go to that bastard’s
hacienda
in
Zacatecas." Continued Raquel "There you’ll make his marriage fall
apart as quickly as possible. I have to get hold of my husband’s real will as
soon as possible."
" But how am I going to make Lucas accept me?" Protested Penelope.
" Do not bother me with your stupid questions!" Raquel retorted,
"You should remember that your niece and nephew are his close friends and
work for him in Zacatecas. Invent some excuse, idiot, and make them take you
with them."
" And what about Don Hector?"
" I'll personally deal with him, although your help will be very valuable
to me."
" What are you going to do?" Penelope asked, intrigued and excited.
"I’m going to go to Hector’s meeting with that woman ... and I’ll sort
them out once and for all. You’ll give me a helping hand from Zacatecas."
Doña
Raquel went to the jewelry box on her dressing table and opened it.
She pulled out a small piece of gold jewelry and handed it to Penelope. It was
the lost cufflink from Lucas’ shirt. Raquel smiled with extreme complacency.
"Fate wanted to give me this wonderful gift ... I found it on the lawn on
the evening of my son's wedding after the brawl that beggar had with Don
Cristobal."
Penelope looked at her quizzically.
" You’ll lure Lucas away from Zacatecas, so that on the evening of the
meeting he’ll be in Tampico. Tomorrow you’ll get someone to pretend to be a
banker from Mexico City. You’ll also send an invitation to Lucas so he’ll go to
an appointment with this person at my family’s old home. I'll take care of the
rest."
Raquel was already looking forward to the pleasure of framing Lucas.
"I’m thinking of leaving this nice trinket where it’ll be most
appropriate." She continued.
Penelope approached Raquel and gently caressed her shoulder.
" You’re evil." She whispered in Raquel’s ear.
"However, it will be better if you prepare one of your sacrificial
rituals. Your adored infernal powers must also help us this time, I absolutely
mustn’t fail." Said Raquel.
"I’ll do it with great pleasure, ma’am." Penelope replied with
satisfaction "And as far as the reward for my efforts?"
"If everything goes through as I’ve planned, you’ll earn a fat wage, fear
not."
"I’ll do whatever you command me,
Doña
Raquel, don’t I
always?" Penelope concluded in a persuasive voice.

    Aurora went to say
goodbye to her parents before leaving for Zacatecas. Viviana and Costantino
were sad to see her go.
" I hope you can come back and see us again soon," Costantino said,
hugging her.
" I hope that the next time you can come to Zacatecas ... you'd be
enchanted, I'm sure," replied Aurora with enthusiasm.
Viviana hugged Aurora, but said nothing.
" Mother, are you well? You look worried... is there something troubling
you?" Asked Aurora.
Viviana replied sharply.
"Of course not, I'm fine ... it's just like your father said, I’m already
very sad to see you go."
Aurora looked at her puzzled. She knew her mother very well, something was
really bothering her.
She decided not to further the discussion, as she clearly saw that Viviana was
uncomfortable, so she just kissed her.
"I’ll miss you," she whispered, moved.
Lucas who had accompanied Aurora had already said a cordially goodbye to his
in-laws and had left straight away. So it was Carmen who escorted Aurora home.
Aurora left the Vargas de Coronado home with a certain melancholy, but hastened
to dispel any negative feelings. Soon she would restart her married life with
Lucas under totally different auspices, as if the last time had just been a
dress rehearsal. She felt eager and excited, as though her marriage were to
take place soon after.
Instead I’m already married to the love of my life
without even knowing it ... no one is luckier than me ...
When she returned home, she saw Lucas already busy giving Santos the last
instructions for their departure for the following day.
“Welcome home, Aurora." Lucas greeted her, brushing her forehead with his
lips.
Santos greeted Aurora.
"I'll be in the kitchen with Yolanda if you still need me, if you’ll
excuse me." He said, taking his leave.
"I’ve something to ask you, my dear," said Lucas.
Aurora sat down curious.
"Santos asked me if we want to have his aunt, Penelope Robles as an
assistant housekeeper for our
hacienda
. "
"His aunt?" queried Aurora.
"Yes. More importantly, it was Yolanda who asked this favor of Santos, and
Santos asked me."
"And you’re asking me," Aurora concluded, laughing.
"It’s fine by me.” She continued, “I don’t have anything against her...
you however seem a bit doubtful. "
"You don’t know the reputation that surrounds Penelope Robles here in
Tampico?" Lucas asked.
Aurora shook her head.
"You could say that she is the town’s witch who reads tarot cards,
prepares love potions, chases away or casts the evil eye as needed and sells
herbs and amulets." Explained Lucas.
Aurora laughed.
"You don’t believe this nonsense that is without scientific basis!"
Lucas suddenly hugged her and kissed her passionately.
" Ah, my little scientist! I forgot your analytical and skeptical
mind!"
" Don’t mock me!" Aurora protested, laughing, "Don’t tell me you
believe this nonsense?"
" I don’t, but Santos isn’t so sure. He hates his aunt and has strictly
forbidden Yolanda from using her skills. In addition, from when she was young,
Penelope has been my stepmother’s maid ... and she’s not very friendly to me.
If it hadn’t been for Amparo’s protection on several occasions, she would have
been rather cruel to me."
"Then I don’t understand why he recommended her to you, and above all why
you're thinking of taking her on."
" Because it seems that on this occasion she has a positive influence on
Yolanda. She's helping Yolanda to overcome this silly jealousy that she is
suffering from. And I’m no longer a shy child who used to play with colored
stones, now I am a man who owns an entire
hacienda
."
"In this case I would say that her presence is more than welcomed,"
said Aurora." But seriously, if it bothers you ... "
"No, don’t worry, I have no objection to Penelope’s presence."
Lucas kissed Aurora on the lips again.
"Yolanda should be very grateful for the kindness that you are showing
her." Lucas said, "If she doesn’t understand she is a real
fool."
" Enough about Yolanda." Aurora said, "Now let’s think about us,
our
hacienda
lies ahead. Our life awaits us, forever."

The next morning
Penelope reached Lucas’ house at dawn and presented herself to Aurora with
great ceremony. She thanked her several times for having accepted her as a
maid, and when she saw Lucas, she threw herself on her knees at his feet and
asked forgiveness for the way she had treated him as a child.
Lucas, embarrassed, grunted that it had all been forgotten and, though he
appreciated Penelope’s apology he would have preferred it in a less obsequious
way.
Santos arrived with the carriage and Aurora and Lucas got into the carriage,
while the three Robles took their seats on the top.
The trip to Zacatecas was far different from the previous one. Aurora no longer
felt the thrill of the novelty nor the anxiety of the unknown that she was
going to be facing, but instead she felt complete and total joy and the
certainty of living with the greatest love of her life.
She rested her head on Lucas’ shoulder and dozed quietly. After they reached 
the higher elevation of San Luis Portosi, she cuddled up to Lucas and made him
warm her up, just as she had dreamed of during her first trip to the
hacienda
immediately after the wedding.
I’m the happiest woman in the world
...
They arrived at the
hacienda
at dusk. The magnificent colonial-style
house appeared majestic from the driveway.
Aurora climbed down from the carriage and hurried to enter the house through
the main door. Pablo came to welcome them and Aurora greeted him happily.
"Pablo, how are you? How are your burns?" Asked Aurora
"Very well, Mistress, thank you. I followed all your instructions to the
letter. Ah, welcome back master!"
Lucas had entered the room and greeted Pablo.
"Can you carry our luggage to our room," Lucas said, entering the
room.
Pablo nodded, meanwhile he saw Yolanda enter, accompanied by her aunt. Pablo's
eyes lit up with joy.
" Yolanda, how are you? Are you tired?" he asked diligently.
" A little. Thank you," replied Yolanda a bit annoyed. Then she
turned to Penelope.
" Come, aunt, I’ll show you your room." The two women made their way
to the servants' wing.
Aurora and Lucas, however, climbed the stairs and entered their room. Aurora
threw herself wearily on the bed.
"I just want to sleep!" She yawned and added, "The journey has
made me really tired."
Lucas lay down next to her and began kissing her ear.
"I can’t believe you just want to sleep, we’ve just got home and we need
to celebrate.” Said Lucas.
“We’ll have dinner at any rate, before ..." She whispered, trying to hold
back a shiver of excitement "The cook will have prepared a great meal to
welcome us…"
She was silenced by a passionate kiss that removed all thought of food from
her.

It was not difficult to
resume the activities that had been suspended before their departure from
Tampico. Lucas went to check on the work at the mine and to see how the
extraction was proceeding. Aurora returned to her clinic and began to work
immediately, visiting those patients whom she had left with a treatment regime
to follow.
Meanwhile at the
hacienda
, Penelope began to integrate herself among the
domestic servants. She had sworn that she would never be anyone’s servant
again, but she was now engaged in a particular mission, and that made her very
excited. In a short time Penelope managed to inspire a certain awe among the
servants, as well as the laborers in general, and Yolanda basked in the
resulting importance that she received. Only Pablo viewed the newcomer suspiciously
and did not become friendly with her.
Stupid highlander! He still hasn’t understood what I'm capable of ...
thought
Penelope.
In accordance with the sinister agreement drawn up by
Doña
Raquel,
Penelope was weaving her plot, like an industrious evil spider. She adopted
irreproachable behavior in the presences of Lucas and Aurora, so that they
trusted her as much as possible, but in the meantime, she had already planned
every aspect of the terrible trap that would incriminate Lucas permanently.
Before leaving for Zacatecas, Penelope hired a wandering actor who was working
with a group of traveling acrobats. They had been camping outside Tampico and
Penelope had immediately thought of him. On stage, the actor had performed
disguised as a clown so no one would recognize him in civilian clothes and he
would be perfect to play the fake banker. The evening before Penelope’s
departure the actor had received instructions on the role he was to play, the
man also had a lot of creativity, so Penelope felt quite confident.
She had already written the invitation card for Lucas and jealously guarded it,
waiting for the right time to come to use it.
Now the moment had arrived. The trap had to be sprung as soon as possible,
Lucas would be imprisoned in its web without even being aware of it.
Penelope smiled to herself, meanwhile with the excuse of going to the kitchen
garden she walked away from the house. When she returned she would begin to
help the cook prepare the lunch.
When mealtime arrived, Aurora returned from the clinic and waited for Lucas,
who arrived late. The two immediately sat down at the table, cooing like two
lovebirds.
Enjoy these moments, because they’ll only last for a short while more
... thought Penelope watching them unseen.
Immediately after the meal, Penelope approached them and waited with a resigned
attitude that made Lucas looked at her curiously.
"Mr. Navarra y Reyes." Penelope addressed him with mock deference,
"Today we received this letter addressed to you. I kept it until now
because I didn’t want it to end up in curious hands," she added in a
conspiratorial tone.
Instilling some doubts about the loyalty of his
servants can do nothing but benefit me.
Lucas took the letter and opened it. Immediately a look of surprise crossed his
face. Noting, however, that Penelope was still there standing next to him, he
dismissed her rather abruptly.
" If you’ll excuse me," hissed the woman between her teeth.
" What’s happened, love?" Aurora asked curiously, "bad
news?"
Lucas shook his head.
"No, that is ... I’m stunned, that's all. This letter is from a member of
the Bank of Veracruz where I went to seek a loan to buy this
hacienda
.
He tells me he would be willing to give me a loan despite the first negative
response and wants to convince the rest of the directors. He asks me if I am
still interested and willing to meet him urgently."
"We’ve already purchased the
hacienda
, we no longer need a
loan." Aurora objected.
" Yes, it’s true, but keep in mind that with a single loan we could repay
all the small debts that I took out for the improvements to the house and to
the mine. Also, I still have to pay the men and they’re becoming impatient ...
we still haven’t  sufficient silver that we can sell. We might need the cash
..." Lucas looked embarrassed "... and I could also give you back the
money from the dowry."
" Don’t be silly, you know that I don’t care about the money, much less
now," said Aurora. "I’ve begun to consider this
hacienda
as my
home ... "
"It should be, you're my wife."
"I think it would be better if you tore up that letter. You no longer need
a loan." Replied Aurora.
But Lucas was not convinced. It could be an opportunity and additional
resources to take advantage of in case a need should arise. Managing a
hacienda
entailed  the need to evaluate alternative sources of funding for bleak
periods.
Lucas decided to accept the offer. He would have to leave immediately to reach
the meeting place in Tampico by the following evening. He would arrive late at
night, but he could rest before meeting the banker.
Aurora did not approve of his decision and she also did not want to be
separated from Lucas for even a day.
"If you’ve decided, then I’d like to accompany you," She offered,
kissing him.
But Lucas shook his head.
"No, my love, it would be an unnecessary marathon for you. I’ll go and
come back, you won’t even notice my absence. I’ll go by horse, so I’ll get
there quicker as I won’t be able to catch the last train leaving from
Zacatecas."
Lucas then went directly to Santos to organize finding someone to stand in for
him at the mine and afterwards he prepared his horse.
Penelope, watching his movements, laughed to herself
. I’ve done one part of
my duty ... now I only have the second mission, to separate that bastard from
his beautiful wife permanently. It’ll be a breeze ...

Lucas’ trip was exhausting, spending so much time in the saddle
was certainly not painless. He could have taken the train, but there was a
greater risk of missing the appointment. After changing his horse in a post
station in San Luis Potosi, he reached Tampico when it was almost dawn and he
went straight home to rest. Around noon he went to the Fisherman's Tavern for
lunch and to chat with the other customers.
Later he went to the harbor to see his old associates, and to the church to say
hello to Father Julian. 
Maybe I should also go and extend my greetings to
Aurora’s parents,
he thought, but the idea of facing his mother-in-law’s
unhappy face made him decide against it.
He therefore waited for the evening and the appointment. He rode out of Tampico
to the place chosen by the banker for the meeting.
It’s an uninhabited house
that belongs to some of my friends, it’s on the road to Ciudad Victoria. You
understand that the other bank directors don’t know anything and I would prefer
not to be seen in public with you until I submit my proposal to the council
.
The letter was clear in its instructions and Lucas had no trouble finding the
house.
The banker, a tall man with a bushy black mustache, was waiting for him at the
entrance gate, dressed in an elegant gray dress coat, carrying his hat in his
hand.
"You must be Don Lucas Navarra y Reyes, if I'm not mistaken," said
the man, holding out his hand.
Lucas dismounted and shook the banker’s hands. He noticed that he was a bit out
of breath.
"Are you all right?" Lucas asked politely.
The banker laughed.
" Oh, yes!  I really struggled to find my friends’ house and I was afraid
of being late."
In fact, the actor had wandered around trying unsuccessfully to find the house
described to him by the witch who had paid him. He had had to ride back to
Tampico in a hurry and at the end he had been forced to ask for directions for
the road leading to Ciudad Victoria. He was a native of Durango, in a
neighboring state and was only in the area for the usual tour with the other
artists. He knew he had disobeyed the witch who had told him not to be seen by
absolutely anyone once he put on the banker’s outfit. But the risk of not
finding the house was too high and he had decided to disregard the instruction.
He had stopped a servant in the market and with courteous manners, had asked
for directions to the closed up house on the road to Ciudad Victoria.
Servants
always know everything ...they know every inch of their town, they never leave
their area ... also the servant won’t remember me ... it was just some
bourgeois’ maid ...
Distracting his mind from these thoughts, he conducted Lucas towards the house.
"We'll be comfortable here," he said in a soft voice. "I'm
afraid it will be a fairly long chat.”
Lucas followed him inside.
"Then let’s get started now," said Lucas "I intend to go
directly back to Zacatecas without returning to Tampico."
" You’re brave to travel such long distances at night. Aren’t you afraid
of bandits?" Queried the banker.
" No, I’m not afraid of them, I've done it before and nothing has ever
happened." Replied Lucas.
" In any case, don’t worry, you'll have time to do everything.” Said the
banker.