The Forbidden Promise (26 page)

Meanwhile, Captain Jos
è
Pereira, who was appointed head of the investigation, went to see the remains
at
La Virgen del Mar
chapel. He had to make his way through the crowd of
onlookers and the poor people who had come to pay homage at the house of their
protector that had been destroyed. A profusion of flowers had been placed in
the rubble. The bodies of the two unfortunate men who had perished in the fire
had already been removed. He looked around discouraged, his blue eyes
scrutinized the area carefully looking for tracks. How would he find any clues
to clarify what had happened if the area was a bustle of people trampling
everything, moving the rubble and laying flowers?
Although he did not consider it unhelpful, he moved closer to the remains of
the building and carefully patrolled the perimeter of the chapel. Next to the
remnants of a wall he saw some blackened fragments. He bent down and picked up
a fragment, glass. Not far away there were the remains of what appeared to be a
lantern. An oil lamp outside the chapel, not inside. An idea struck him like a
knife, arson! Is it possible that someone had really wanted to set fire to
La
Virgen del Mar
chapel that all the inhabitants of Tampico were so fond of?
And what could have been the reason? In addition, the corpses ...had the
arsonist wanted to kill those people or was their presence in the chapel at the
time of the fire a coincidence?
Everything seemed very confused. What was a distinguished and respected man
like Don Costantino doing with a stranger at night in such an unusual place?
Due to the Don Costantino’s fame, Don Jos
è
would never suspect that he had been involved in any strange business, but Jos
è
Pereira was a man of law and in his life had seen so many ugly things done that
he was not surprised by anything anymore.
He stood up and resumed his inspection, a glint caught his attention. He
hurried over to it excited.
Maybe I've finally found something
! He
picked up the object, it was golden, slightly melted by the intense heat of the
flames, but it was still clearly recognizable as a cufflink. He cleaned off the
thin layer of soot and on the dented surface of the jewel an inscription was
visible, the insignia of its owner LNR.
Yes! A clue at last! If on the
second body we don’t find the other cufflink that means that I have in my hands
the name of the murderer!
"Captain." He heard his subordinate call him. Don Jos
è
went over to the young man and saw that he was pointing at the charred remains
of the front door.
"Look at the iron latch," said the policeman.
Don Jos
è
saw that the latch seemed to be closed from the outside.
So
it is true ... someone had locked them in, we’re dealing with a murder!
"Go and question the witnesses and try to track down the woman who
gave the alarm," Don Jos
è
ordered. Then he ran to the morgue, he absolutely had to see the corpse before
some kind soul thought of closing it in a coffin.
Jos
è
had optimistically called the small hall of the barracks where
they kept the bodies of the victims of crime a morgue. Certainly it did not
look like other morgues he had seen in Mexico City or Puebla, but then Tampico
was only a small coastal town and crime was not so widespread as to require
better equipped facilities.
The policemen outside saluted him.
"The doctor from the convent is already here and is examining the
corpses," said one of the two policemen.
Jos
è
nodded and went into the morgue. There he found Dr. Peron who
was observing the state of the bodies.
"Poor Dr. Costantino." Dr. Peron whispered, "It must be a
terrible blow to his poor daughter."
"You know her?" Asked José.
" Yes, she is a doctor and we worked together at Convent’s infirmary
before she got married to Lucas Navarra y Reyes. "
Lucas Navarra y Reyes? LNR?
Don Jos
è’s
intuitive mind began to work feverishly.
Could the son in law be responsible
?
Feigning indifference, Don Jos
è
began
to ask about the poor victim’s family. He found that Aurora was an only child,
that her marriage had aroused quite a stir and that the son in law was one of
the most talked about and ambiguous personalities in Tampico.
He was distracted from his musings by the doctor’s voice who had begun to
examine the corpse of the unknown man, in search of clues.
" What have you found? A single cufflink?" Don Jos
è
asked disappointed. In this case, it would mean that LNR were the initials of
the victim, not the killer.
" No, another type of jewel ... a medallion." Dr. Peron took a pair
of tweezers and gently pulled the chain from the neck of the poor stranger. Don
José immediately took a handkerchief wiped the black soot from the metal and
saw a symbol appear, a bull's head surmounted by a crown.
"Does it mean anything to you?" asked Don Jos
è
,
showing the object to the doctor.
Dr. Peron shook his head.
Patience ... at least I have something to work with
. Once the funeral is
finished he would start questioning Costantino Vargas de Coronado’s family. The
culprit of such a massacre would not escape from him.

   
Costantino’s funeral was very moving, all of Tampico encircled Viviana Vargas
de Coronado to offer their condolences. Don Cristobal, with a sad expression,
went over to Aurora and shook her hands warmly. Lucas glared at him, but did not
intervene.
After the funeral ceremony, officiated by Father Julian, the body was
accompanied to the cemetery.
The whole time Lucas had to support Aurora who was prostrate with grief over
the loss of her beloved father.
That night Aurora decided to stay a few days in Tampico to keep Doña Viviana
company while Lucas preferred to return to the hacienda.
"Unfortunately I have to continue the silver extraction ... it is now more
important than ever," he said hugging her.
Furthermore Lucas feared that the meeting with the banker from Veracruz would
come to nothing. The man had at times seemed mysterious, almost reticent, Lucas
had the impression that he was being made a joke of.
And to think that I was near here at exactly the same moment when this awful
tragedy happened...
Lucas had sincerely admired his father in law, he was the only one who had
always shown him courtesy and respect and he was very sorry for the pain Aurora
was feeling. The aura of mystery surrounding Costantino’s death and the
presence of a stranger did nothing but increase the doubt and suffering.
"I must go, my love. I’ll see you in a few days, I’ll send Santos to get
you," Lucas said kissing Aurora. He said goodbye respectfully to his
mother-in-law who responded with a nod. Aurora accompanied Lucas to the gate,
and after a last kiss, Lucas mounted his horse and rode away. Aurora, left
alone, went back into the house.
"Carmen will be pleased to have you here, like when you were still
unmarried," said Viviana, sadly.
Aurora sat down next to her on the couch.
"Mother, you really don’t have any idea who that man was? You don’t know
why my father went to La Virgen del Mar chapel?"
"I’ve already said no, my child, don’t go on about it," replied
Viviana in a tone that would tolerate no further discussion. "What your
father had in mind will remain a secret ... forever"
But I won’t have peace until I find out who did this to him...

Meanwhile Penelope and
Yolanda had remained in Zacatecas .
The two were in the kitchen and Penelope had allocated tasks to each of the
other servants, while Lucas, who had just returned from Tampico, worked hard at
the mine.
Penelope had established her dominion over the rest of the servants who treated
her with great awe. With Aurora absent, Penelope had a free reign to dominate
the people.
She saw Yolanda sigh sadly.
After drying her hands with a cloth Penelope caressed Yolanda’s face and said,
"Tell me dear, what’s bothering you? Are your thoughts still only for
Lucas? I think you'd be perfect for him, not like that dead cat - Aurora ...
but you'll never conquer him with that sulky air."
"What do you want me to say aunt, she’s his wife even though I'm sure he
doesn’t love her."
"I think he needs a little help to realize the error he has made and
..." Penelope encircled Yolanda’s face with her hands. "You’re so
pretty that he won’t hesitate to end up in your arms."
"Rest assured that I haven’t lost hope that one day he might fall in love
with me, aunt, I trust in fate!"
"Sometimes, darling, hope is not enough, we could give fate a little help
ourselves..." Suggested Penelope.
"What do you mean?" said Yolanda stepping back a few paces and
placing her hands on her hips.
"I can prepare a potion that will erase from his mind the memory of Aurora
for a few hours and then you will be able to be his and compromise him and
..." said Penelope with a grin.
Yolanda was silent for a moment then said, clenching her fists,
"No aunt! If Lucas ever falls in love with me it must be because the
passion was born from a true feeling and not a deception ... also if he found
out he would never forgive me and then yes, I’d lose him forever."
Shaking her head, Penelope thought how stupid and naive Yolanda was.
"As you wish dear ... but remember that if you ever decide to, I can help
you."
She took off her apron and walked into the living room, where from the writing
desk she pulled out a pen and a sheet of paper. She wrote a brief note to her
friend Don Gonzalo Sanchez asking him to send Alma to the
hacienda
for a
few days.
If Yolanda refuses to assist me, I’ll have to resort to that stupid girl.
I’ve got a job for her and Don Gonzalo certainly won’t deny me the favor, all
the more so as he’ll be handsomely rewarded for the trouble.
She turned warily and seeing no one in the living room, went to the stables to
instruct a worker to go immediately to Tampico to deliver the message to
Don
Gonzalo
.
She then went with her shuffling gait to the nearby wood in search of herbs
that could erase a man’s resolve that she needed to implement her proposal.
She was already imagining in her twisted mind, Aurora’s face frozen by the pain
of seeing Lucas in the arms of another woman.
When I tell Doña Raquel everything, we'll enjoy ourselves so much... I just
hope that Alma  arrives soon. I have to instruct her properly on what she has
to do and I don’t want Aurora to arrive first. It might be a nice surprise to
reserve for her on the very day of her return.
Silently, Penelope returned to the domestic chores that she so hated,
trying to make Yolanda forget as soon as possible the suggestion that she had
given her. She did not want Yolanda to immediately make a connection between
the impending scandal and her proposal.

Alma did not take long
to arrive at the
hacienda
.
Two days later she arrived in the morning by train escorted by one of Don
Gonzalo’s men, an ugly brute with garish tattoos on his arms. The two,
following Penelope’s written instructions, entered the estate by a side
entrance.
"Now walk, go into the house!" The man ordered roughly.
"Remember, I'll be keeping an eye on you and if you try to escape, I'll
beat you up. I'll wait for you at the inn."
Alma scared nodded and walked towards the majestic house. Cautiously she
entered the back door making sure no one saw her.
Yolanda who was busy washing vegetables turned abruptly on hearing the door
closing. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" She asked.
" Penelope sent for me," Alma answered shyly.
"Why?"
Alma shrugged, frightened by Yolanda’s brusqueness. Yolanda was looking her up
and down, grimacing as she recognized the flashy clothes and plunging neckline
that marked Alma out as a prostitute.
"I don’t know, in the message delivered to Don Gonzalo it only said that
Penelope had an urgent need to see me," she said, uncertainly.
At that moment Penelope entered with a bundle of firewood, " Well, well,
you're already here! "
"Aunt, what is she doing here?" Yolanda asked curiously.
"Come now, don’t be rude dear, poor Alma needs work and to find an honest
occupation," replied Penelope, while she patiently put the wood in the
fireplace.
Alma lowered her eyes shyly, she still felt dirty for having agreed to live in
the brothel without having had the courage to rebel against Penelope’s threats.
"And what kind of work is she going to do here at the
hacienda
? And
do Lucas and his wife know about it?" Asked Yolanda with her eyes fixed on
the new arrival’s face.
Penelope's face darkened, "Lucas and his wife will know very quickly that
Alma has arrived!"
Then pulling Alma by the arm she dragged her to her room.
"You mustn’t move from here until I come and get you and no one must see
you. Is that clear?" She ordered in a firm voice.
"Yes, but how can I be of help to you? I left my little one with the
others, but I'm so scared ... when can I go back?" Asked Alma sitting on
the bed and taking off her shoes now worn by time.
Penelope ignored Alma’s requests.
"At the appropriate time you will need to slip into the Master’s bed and
do what you’re so good at with him..."
"With Don Lucas? But was it he who asked to have this? And the Mistress?"
"Stupid, he won’t notice anything, he’ll be drugged..." Penelope
said, raising her voice slightly. "Drugged? But I ..." Alma
stammered.
" You'll do as I tell you otherwise I’ll put a curse on you that will
prevent you from living even one peaceful day in your miserable life..."
Penelope said approaching threateningly towards Alma.
Alma trembling pulled her shawl around herself and lowered her head ready to
receive a blow from Penelope. Penelope instead extended her hand and gave
Alma’s hair a loving caress.
"Fear not," she said in a voice full of tenderness. "Everything
will be fine and if you do exactly as I say, I’ll help you to win Federico’s
love forever."
Alma looked up at her with frightened eyes.
"Really you’d do this for me?" Asked Alma
"Of course, trust me, Federico will soon be yours."
Alma closed her eyes hearing the echo in her mind of her beloved’s name.
Looking at her with contempt, Penelope left Alma in her room and went back into
the kitchen where she found Yolanda and Santos.
She asked if there was any news about Aurora.
"No, The mistress will come back the day after tomorrow, I myself will go
to Zacatecs station to pick her up." said Santos biting into an apple he
had taken from the centerpiece.
"In two days you say?” Penelope asked curiously "And at what
time?"
" We'll be back after dinner."
Yolanda, frowningly, looked at Penelope but chose not to say anything.
" Well dear, I’ll make sure that everything and everyone is ready to
receive our Mistress!" And smiling she grabbed a jug of water and left.
"Sometimes our aunt seems very strange, I hope she isn’t plotting anything
suspicious..." Santos said, wiping his mouth with his sleeve.
Yolanda was silent and Santos went over to her and kissed her on the forehead.
"I'm going, keep an eye on our aunt, I’m ready to personally kick her out
if I find anything!"
He went out, leaving Yolanda alone in the kitchen. Yolanda felt a strange sense
of unease.
What if my brother is right? What if Aunt Penelope is really an
evil woman who I must watch out for?

Two days later, Yolanda
was busy preparing dinner.
"The Master has just returned from the mine..." said Penelope
entering.
Yolanda was overcome by a shiver that ran down her spine, Penelope came over
and taking the spoon from Yolanda’s hand said,
" Go, I’ll carry on here. He’s in his office."
Yolanda quickly ran her hand through her long chestnut hair, straightened her
skirt and camisole in order to highlight her generous cleavage and went out.
Penelope, taking advantage of the moment of solitude, quickly drew a vial from
the pocket of her apron and with a grin, she poured the contents into the
carafe of wine destined for Lucas.
The potion has turned out very well ...
that bastard won’t escape
.
Meanwhile, Yolanda knocked on the study door.
"Come in..." Responded Lucas’ voice from the inside.
"Good evening, Lucas," said Yolanda entering the room "Dinner's
almost ready."
Without looking up from the correspondence that was passing quickly through his
hands, Lucas said,
"Thank you I'll be there in a minute. Has Santos told you what time Aurora
will arrive?"
" He only said that she’ll arrive in the evening." Replied Yolanda.
" Good, thank you."
" Lucas ... "
" Yes?"
"Are you happy that today that woman will arrive?" Yolanda asked.
" That woman is my wife and the mistress of this house! I've already
warned you many times, if you're not willing to treat her with respect, as much
as I love you and your brother, I’ll be forced to kick you out...” said Lucas
jumping up and walking over to her.
His piercing green eyes stared at her hard and feeling him so close made her
breathless.
"You can’t be in love with her, until a few months ago you were going with
her cousin and then with the others... and now all of a sudden there is only
her."
Her voice was broken by tears that she was still trying to hold back.
"She doesn’t love you, she’s making fun of you!"
Lucas stood still.
" Only I really love you Lucas, only I can make you happy because we are
alike, real people, different from those fake, hypocritical and perverse aristocrats."
Tears fell copiously down her cheeks that burned red.
Lucas pulled her into a hug and kissed her on the head. He did not feel rage
any more, Yolanda so decisive, coarse but also so vulnerable that it made him
feel an infinite tenderness.
"One day, when you get over this absurd crush on me you’ll realize that
there are other men out there and among them you’ll find the right companion
for your life."
"I ... I can’t ever love anyone as I love you." she said hugging his
wide chest, hoping that the magic moment would never end.
"Yes you can ... true love is always returned!"
Lucas moved slightly away from her continuing to hold her wrists with his
strong hands.
" I love you but as a sister, I’m in love with someone else."
" With her ..." Yolanda said, wiping her eyes with her sleeve.
" Yes, her..."
Yolanda broke free from his firm grip and went out without looking at him
saying,
"Dinner will be served in a few minutes."
Lucas remained alone in the room sighing puzzled. Then he went to the dining
room.
It was Penelope who served him dinner and poured the wine in his goblet.
Unaware, Lucas took the goblet and drank it down in one gulp, oblivious of
Penelope who stood smirking behind him.
Immediately after drinking, Lucas felt a great wave of heat, his head spun and
he had blurred vision. He could not even finish his meal, he let go of his
knife and fork that fell clattering to the floor as he tried to focus on the
room, shaking his head.
He struggled to get up from the table and went to his bedroom where he could
lie down and close his eyes. Penelope followed him silently, then ran to get
Alma.
Alma was lying down, her face pale, her hand on her forehead, she had fainted.
Penelope yanked her to a sitting position.
"What's wrong with you?" Penelope asked acidly .
"I don’t feel well!" Alma replied, "I just want to be with my
baby ..."
Penelope stared at her intensely "It's nothing, go to Lucas’ room, he’s
already on the bed ready to receive you!"
I'm afraid that stupid girl has contracted some serious venereal disease,
she could give it to Lucas. What does it matter? My mistress will be even
happier if this happens
, she thought as she watched Alma walking away
quickly.
The unfortunate Alma entered, unbuttoned her bodice and although a bit
hesitant, she went to lay by the side of Lucas’ helpless body. She unbuttoned
his shirt and caressed his broad chest while her lips searched for his mouth.
Lucas, unable to open his eyes, feeling the heat on her body embraced her in
his arms and began to kiss her passionately.
"Aurora, love, you're back." he sighed, searching eagerly for her
breasts. Alma was startled to hear the strange name, but said nothing and
continued to guide his strong hand.
Neither of them noticed the steps that approached from the corridor, the door to
the room opened and Aurora came in, she had her hat in her hands and was tired
from the trip, happy to finally be reunited with her beloved husband.
She stood frozen in front of the scene before her. Her smile faded from her
face, her hazel eyes wide with surprise and horror, as pain hit her in the
chest like a hot blade.
She felt as if her legs would no longer support her and her knees were
trembling. The hat slipped from her hands and fell to the ground while copious
tears streamed down her cheeks.
Alma lifted her face and saw Aurora, still immobile by the door. She tried to
move away from Lucas but unaware of what was happening he pulled her back to
him and kissed her while his eager hands slid under her dress.
Aurora did not have the strength to open her mouth, her world had collapsed in
an instant. She felt as if someone had ripped her heart out of her chest. She
stood there for a moment, unable to tear her eyes from the lovers lying on the
bed.
She took a deep breath and managed to recover some of her senses, she look
around disoriented in search of an escape route. She ran out of the house and
towards the stables.
After a few moments, the powerful drug left Lucas with no strength or will and
he fell asleep, while Alma, with deep anguish in her chest, ran quickly out of
the room gripping the edges of her bodice in her hands. In her room she found
Penelope.
" How did it go?" Penelope asked, grabbing her by the arms.
"Tell me everything quickly!"
"A terrible thing happened ... the poor Mistress surprised us ... she was
upset, she had a terrible face ..." Cried Alma.
"Well done, my dear! Well done!" Penelope‘s smug tone disgusted Alma.
" You’re cruel ... evil ... you care nothing of the suffering you’ve
caused others!" Alma was close to tears " And you’ve forced me to
become your accomplice!"
"I’ve no time for your nonsense and scruples of conscience now! Remember
that thanks to my intervention this small service will allow you to get near to
Federico again. Now we have to go, though. Gonzalo’s man is waiting for us, we
can go straight back to Tampico."
Penelope pushed Alma towards the exit of the house, taking care not to be seen.
They took a route across the lawn and after a while they came to the boundary
of the property.
"It’s evening and we’ve got to get to the inn by ourselves, I'm afraid
..." Alma said weakly, "I don’t feel well, I’ve lost my strength
..."
Penelope was beginning to get annoyed with all her complaints.
"If you continue to annoy me with this nonsense, Alma I swear I'll beat
you and leave you here in the middle of the road! I’ve no intention of
listening to your grief a minute longer."
With one hand Penelope grabbed Alma’s arm and forced her to follow her, while
in the other hand she carried a bundle with her belongings.
Now I have to be
careful, Lucas will take revenge, and my foolish nephew will try in every way
to help him! I'll have to hide myself very well ...
"Will we at least go to Tampico, straight away?" Alma asked, worried
about her young baby that she had left in the custody of the other women at the
tavern.
Penelope sighed nervously.
"Tomorrow we’ll go back to Tampico, I promise. But tonight we’ll hide at
the inn, before we leave I still have to play a little trick on good master
Lucas ..."
Penelope smiled malevolently to herself.
Meanwhile Santos, oblivious to everything, was enjoying a glass of Tequila with
Pablo under the beautiful starry night and was intent on telling him about the
trip. When he saw Aurora rush out of the house he asked her, "What's the
matter ma’am? Have you forgotten something in the carriage?"
He noticed that Aurora was trying to hide her tears and sobs.
"Are you all right?" He asked worriedly.
Aurora stopped abruptly and turning to him with swollen eyes and choked up with
tears said,
" Take me away from here now! I want to go to Tampico!"
" Now? But ma’am, the next train doesn’t leave until early tomorrow
morning ... "
" I don’t care! Accompany me to Zacatecas, I’ll sleep at an inn, but I
don’t want to stay here a minute longer! "
" But Ma’am, I must first ask Lucas ..."
On hearing Lucas’ name Aurora burst into tears again, "If you don’t take
me right away I'm going to walk!" Without another word, she went to the
stables and ordered one of the grooms to saddle a horse. Santos, puzzled, did
not dare oppose his mistress.
"Pablo, accompany her and see if you can make her change her mind. I'm
going to warn Lucas,” ordered Santos.
Pablo nodded and hurried towards the stables, while Santos ran quickly into the
house, up the stairs and arrived at the master bedroom.
He knocked repeatedly on the door of Lucas’ room, but without getting any
response, he then decided to go in and saw Lucas asleep on the bed.
"Lucas, Lucas, wake up," he said shaking him, but Lucas did not
respond. Santos tried to slap him gently, but still got no response. Suddenly
he heard the noise of a carriage moving away from the stables. He went to the
window and saw Pablo in the driving seat, steering the carriage along the
avenue leading to the exit of the property. Pablo had therefore failed to stop
Aurora...
Shaking his head, he returned to Lucas to try to wake him. Despite his many
attempts, it was not until the following morning when he succeeded in tear
Lucas from the arms of Morpheus.