The Third Woman
"Find a place inside where there's joy, and the joy will burn out the pain." ~ Joseph Campbell
December 1926
When Isobel came home from the hospital for tea time, she was surprised to find Dickie not waiting for her in the drawing room as he usually did. It bothered her more than she wanted to admit. It was just one of their small habits that had developed during their first year as a married couple, but she cherished it beyond measure.
The maid told her he was in the garden and so she went outside. Bewildered, she walked around the corner of the house and stopped dead in her tracks. Her heart missed a beat and she swallowed hard. What she saw across the snow-covered lawn caused her a physical pain that only jealousy could cause. It was unfair against her husband to feel like this. He had done nothing to deserve it, on the contrary. He never lied to her, never made her feel unloved or overlooked. She couldn't blame it on him, but she fully blamed on the woman who was talking to him right now.
Annabelle Kent was a proud woman, beautiful and charming – and determined. Soft curls of Annabelle's blond greyish hair had escaped the tidy knot that was hidden under a what must have been very expensive hat that came straight out of Paris. Her tall and in fur wrapped appearance towered over Isobel who wasn't exactly small herself. There was a certain physical resemblance between them that was undeniable. She had witnessed Annabelle's behaviour with growing unease. The way she moved when Dickie was around gave Isobel goosebumps. Annabelle had a way to get a man's attention while the wife looked on and wondered what was happening. But there was something underneath the charme and the beauty. Something much more dangerous.
From the first moment Isobel had laid eyes on her, she had known there was something steely about her. Cousin Violet had felt the same and hadn't been shy to inform Isobel about her concerns. Annabelle was a survivor. She had an enormous inner strength and she knew how get what she wanted. She was widowed and as far as Isobel knew, well off. Her late husband, the owner of a large shipping company had left her a fortune that Annabelle was willing to use to her advantage.
But the worst of all was, there was something between Dickie and Annabelle - the power of a former love - that had Isobel in fear for her marriage.
A very long time ago Dickie and Annabelle had been there for each other when the world had been unkind to them. A past like this created a strong bond and if Isobel wasn't careful, if she allowed this woman to get at her, she would probably lose Dickie. She had fought tooth and nail to save him death and she hadn't done that to lose him to an already forgotten part of his past.
When he saw her Dickie raised his arm and waved. He smiled brightly at her and Isobel returned the smile. Annabelle turned around and her friendly expression froze when she realized his smile was meant for Isobel. Aware that Isobel noticed her unhappy face, Annabelle did nothing to hide to her displeasure about Isobel's appearance.
The truce between the women, if there ever had been one, was over.
'I wished you had stayed in Canada', Isobel thought, as she crossed the grass to meet them. 'I wish you had stayed as far away as possible.'
*tbc*