Chapter 1: A Troubled Mother.
The snow fell copiously outside, and Victoria watched it through the window, with the emotion of a little girl. She felt deeply happy, feeling the warmth of a true home, the one she had longed for with frustration and sadness in the lonely years in Kensington.
She saw around her the garlands that decorated the spacious hall, and the ethereal light that projected the candles on the chandeliers. And the huge table on which an appetizing banquet had been served, from which there were no traces left. The guests moved away from the table, preparing to accompany her to the next room, while she was still excited enjoying the views, through the large windows, of the snowy landscape, wishing to be outside playing with the snow, as she had not been allowed to do in her childhood. Someone whose face she could not see well (her face was blurry) said something to get her attention and she followed that person.
Then suddenly she saw herself walking among those people she did not recognize, searching with her look at the only person whose presence she needed, to feel that this enormous space was really a warm and happy home. And then she saw him walking towards her with his beautiful and charming smile ...
With his tall stature that made him look like a giant next to her that was so short stature, with his strong and athletic body, his beautiful and manly face with that jaw that she liked so much when he made his expressive and funny faces or when he smiled charmingly, and those wonderful and beautiful green eyes in which she was lost ...
She saw him approach and felt her heart speed up and almost wanted to get out of her mouth. She was a silly girl, she knew, a silly girl in love ...
She could only laugh when he started talking to her ... she did not listen to his words, they lost themselves as if someone had lowered the volume of his voice to inaudible levels, but whatever it was was something that amused her as always. And the most important thing is that he was there, illuminating her life, giving her the best Christmas of her life, the one that as a child she thought with sadness that only other people could have but never her ...
Then a succession of images passed through her head, lovely and beautiful images ... in all of them was him, his beloved William, dressed in that elegant, formal ... and strange way ...
And they both danced, joined their hands, and he put a hand at the end of her back, and Victoria felt that she was levitating in his big strong arms, and she wanted which time stopped so she would not have to stop spinning around room dancing with him, in the tenuous and romantic light of the candles, while through the windows it could see the snow falling and the beneficial spirit of the celebration spread spreading love and peace ...
But suddenly the dance stopped and the light went out as if someone would have blow on each and every candle, and Victoria could no longer see the face of her beloved, and her fumbled him in the darkness, but could not find him. And suddenly she felt a cold wind hug her, and something dragged her away and took her to a place where she did not want to be. And in that place and moment, it could also see the snow falling through the windows, but there was no party and joy. There was only the blurred silhouette of someone who seemed to be a woman in front of her, an image that was almost a shadow, rising dark and almost sinister. And the cold air brought some words from that shadow to her, words that she did not want to hear. Because she knew that when those words entered her ears them would freeze her heart, and life and happiness would escape forever from her soul, and never again would a party illuminate her life. And she wanted to cover her ears, she wanted to throw herself on the floor, to shrink and disappear. But the feeling of anguish and pain pierced her heart, and the cold and darkness absorbed her into an infinite abyss of despair and loneliness ...
Victoria woke with a start, as always when that dream came to her at night. She sighed and ran a hand over her face, and slowly became aware of the place.
Of course it was her bedroom, her spacious and comfortable bedroom. The dim light was already starting to come in through the window and through the curtains, so by dawn it had been left behind a while ago. But the bedroom still remained largely in shadow, and that semidarkness together with silent peace invited to continue sleeping.
Victoria turned her head to make sure, as always when she woke up from that nightmare in the middle of the night or in the morning ... although she knew it was nonsense, because she did not really need to make sure. Because she knew it ...
She knew that beside her in the bed was him, her husband ... the man who was in her dream, the tall and imposing man, handsome and charming, with beautiful and hypnotic green eyes. Her beloved William ...
He was still asleep and Victoria smiled at the relaxed and happy gesture on his face like a child's when he sleeps, although he was much older than she was, so old that he was old enough to be her father. William slept and Victoria watched him her enraptured and enchanted, especially because underneath the sheets he was totally naked ...
Victoria was also totally naked under the sheets, and she bit her lower lip and her face was covered with a gesture of shameless pleasure when she remembered the night of passion they had both lived, the times their bodies joined with frantic lust, the times he took her to climax, to ecstasy ...
It was normal for him to be exhausted and she was also a bit tired, and her aching body in different parts was the best evidence of how much they had enjoyed. But she simply could not resist, because she wanted more.
So Victoria began to caress her husband's naked chest and then his face, until he woke up and smiled pleased ...
"Good morning, my dear ma'am," said William with a charming and mocking smile.
"Good morning, my dear sir ..." Victoria replied and kissed him on the lips, "did you sleep well last night? " she added mischievously.
"Sleep? ... No, I did not sleep much last night ... but I did much better things ... Things that would be worthwhile to keep me awake every night ... and all thanks to a beautiful woman, demonically hot," William answered with malice.
"Really! ... I think the woman responsible for that sleeplessness will love to hear it, my dear Mr. William," Victoria said with a naughty smile, "But I think you want to show your happiness in another way," she added raising a little the bed sheet to lean out and direct a significant look at her husband's crotch.
"Yes, indeed ... so, why to waste time with words if the facts are much more expressive ... and pleasurable? " William replied and rolled himself on the bed to begin to get on top of her body.
"Blessed be this man, for he dawn horny almost every day! ... So ... you go for the second round! " Victoria replied cheerfully, as she hugged him and began to place her body in readiness to receive him.
"The second! ... If I remember well this would be the fourth, Victoria," said William with a smile and a lewd gesture on his face, while caressing the naked body of his wife under the sheets.
They both laughed, gesturing to each other not to make much noise as they looked at a corner of the large bedroom.
"You're a stud! ... You're going to kill me! " Victoria said laughing, and then her face was covered with a gesture of lasciviousness when William placed himself on top of her.
"You will kill me! ... But it will be the most beautiful and hot death," William replied and then his face became serious and anxious, as he began to kiss her on the mouth, and both were preparing to make love again.
But then there were knocks on the bedroom door and voices were heard behind it.
"Mummy! ... Daddy! ... Mum! " exclaimed a childish voice ... the high voice of a little girl.
William and Victoria interrupted the act, and looked at each other with gestures of disappointment and anger in their faces.
"Sometimes I could just … argh!" exclaimed Victoria closing her eyes and running her hand over her face.
"I share your feelings!" William replied as he rolled and turned away from his wife, going back to bed down on his back, at her side.
"Is it too late to give them up for adoption?" Victoria asked sarcastically, making her husband laugh, while the knocking on the door and the calls of the child's voice continued.
But then the loud cry of a baby, who seemed to be using all the strength of his little lungs, came out of a crib in the corner of the bedroom where William and Victoria had directed their anxious looks moments before.
"Magnificent! " Victoria exclaimed in frustration, "For goodness sake, stop rattling the door, it's already woken up the baby! " she shouted as she turned her gaze towards the door.
"Victoria! " William exclaimed as if it was an affectionate scolding to his wife, "Calm down, I'm going to settle the baby."
"No ... I take care of the baby ... You go dress and get ready to take care of the little monkeys," Victoria replied.
While William left the bed naked and looked for his pajamas to put them on, Victoria also stood up and took a nightgown that was on the floor beside the bed, and passing it through her head was put to cover her naked body. The nightgown was semitransparent and that reached to the knees. Before going to the crib, Victoria took her mobile phone that was on the small piece of furniture next to the bed and checked the time, and then rolled her eyes in a gesture of annoyance.
Then Victoria went to the crib and put her arms inside, to lift a bundle ... a baby with little time of birth ...
"Easy, darling! ... Mummy is here! " Victoria said in a warm and motherly tone, while cradling the baby in her arms and then loading him, she went to the door of the bedroom and opened it with one hand.
Facing Victoria were two little girls, one who appeared to be no more than 8 years old and the other who appeared to be 5 or 6 years old. Both girls combined physical features of their parents on their faces, but the older girl looked a little more like her father, in her hair and eyes, and even in the incipient shape of her jaw. On the other hand, the younger girl looked more like her mother, also in her case in her eyes and hair (very similar to those of her mother) and in a face that it could be intuited it would have a markedly childish appearance like that of her mother. The girls wore their pajamas, and both wore no shoes, although the oldest girl had socks while the youngest was totally barefoot.
"I've told you before to be quiet, girls ... you woke Andrew! " exclaimed Victoria in annoyance, while the baby did not stop screaming really hard, and kicking and slaping like demoniac in the arms of his mother.
"I told her, mum! ... I told her to wait and not bother you! " replied the older girl.
"I'm hungry, mummy ... I want breakfast! " exclaimed the youngest girl in a tone of complaint.
"And you can't wait? ... And what are you doing up so early on the one day that there's no work or school! And do not you think your parents have the right to rest? " Victoria replied looking upset at the youngest of her daughters.
"But I'm hungry! " the exasperated little girl replied.
Victoria winced in exasperation. While the baby was still crying almost hysterically, and kicking and waving his little arms. Victoria whispered sweetly and then slid one of shoulders from her nightgown and began to feed her baby, relaxing.
"Yuck! " exclaimed the little girl with disgust, while the older girl laughed.
Victoria rolled her eyes, while still nursing her son, standing in the bedroom door.
"And why does he get breakfast before us?" the youngest girl complained.
"You're very silly! " her older sister replied.
"Oh for goodness sake! " Victoria exclaimed impatiently, "Don't ask such silly questions!" she added.
At that moment Wiilliam appeared at the door, already dressed in his pajamas.
"Good morning girls! ..." William exclaimed and the girls answered him in chorus, "Stop bothering your mother and you go brush your teeth! Then I'll prepare breakfast ... Lily go put on some socks," he added addressing his youngest daughter.
"But Daddy! " Lily exclaimed protesting.
"Put on some socks ... I will not say it for the third time, young lady! It's cold and I do not want you to catch a flu by walking barefoot ..." William said and saw Victoria's face with a stern gesture which demanded something of him, "And then we'll have a conversation on the subject of waking up your brother and interrupting ... the relaxation of your parents," he added and saw a satisfied gesture on his wife's face.
"Yes, Daddy," Lily said reluctantly and started to walk away.
"Lily is in trouble! " her older sister said mockingly.
"Shut up, poo breath! " Lily replied angrily.
"Lily! " exclaimed William and Victoria in chorus, both cross, "What have I told you about your language, young lady! " William added sternly.
"I'm sorry, Daddy! It just came out," Lily apologized as she turned to see her parents threatening a sterner rebuke.
"Well, try not to let it come out anymore! Go put on your socks and wash yourself if you want to have breakfast," said William as a stern father.
The girl hurried away and Victoria sighed.
"I'll call in an exorcist one of these days," Victoria said exasperated.
"I'm going to feed them, to see if they calm down ... It's like feeding the tigers," William replied and gave a soft kiss on the lips to his wife, and walked away.
Victoria went into the bedroom and sat on the bed with her son in her arms while he continued to feed on his mother's breast.
"At least you're calm and polite so far ... not like those little devils of your sisters," Victoria said to the baby in a sarcastic tone.
A few minutes later the baby felt satiated and Victoria patted him on the back. After a moment, she looked him in the eyes.
"Time for a bath, sweetheart?" Victoria asked him as if he understood.
Victoria put the baby on the bed and went to the bathroom of the master bedroom to fill the bathtub with hot water, and poured soap bubbles into the water. Then she went back to bed and undressed the baby, and when she finished with him, Victoria took off her nightgown and stood naked. She took the baby in her arms and carefully not to slip, she went into the bathtub with him. She started bathing him and bathing herself, and the baby seemed delighted.
"Why do I have those weird dreams, Andrew? ... Do you think your mother needs a psychologist? " Victoria asked speaking to herself, her eyes absent and a little distracted, but her baby, who was still in her arms, splashed the water with his little hands, lifting the water and splashing it to her, "You love water, sweetheart! Time for a wash ...splish splash splosh!"
While in the kitchen William was preparing to make breakfast, when his daughters arrived and sat in chairs.
"Very well ... what do the young ladies want to eat? ... Maybe a typical English breakfast? " William asked as he pulled a pan out of a cupboard.
"Pancakes! " the girls in chorus exclaimed.
"Maybe a little bacon and ..." said William apparently ignoring them.
"Pancakes! " the girls said again.
"All right, pancakes ... whatever my princesses say," replied William, sighing resignedly.
"Daddy ... do you think it could snow before Christmas? " the hopeful older girl asked.
"I do not know, Bella ... it's probable, but in these times you do not know. Although the winter seems like it will be very cold," answered William.
"I'd like to have a white Christmas! " Bella said excitedly.
"Me too, child," William replied with a smile, as he worked in the kitchen to make the pancakes.
"I'd like to make a snowman! " Lily exclaimed.
"I'm sure of that, my imp," William replied amused.
"Do you think that this year I can see Santa Claus? " Lily asked excitedly.
"Santa only visits the good kids, Lily," William said, looking at his youngest daughter in a mocking and sarcastic way.
"I'm a good girl, Papa! " exclaimed Lily making her sister roll her eyes.
"Yes, of course ... and I am the Prime Minister! " William replied with irony.
"You could be Prime Minister, Papa ... I would vote for you," Bella said in a childish and innocent way.
"I'm afraid I'll be very old, by the time you're old enough to vote, Bella ... but maybe your mother wants to be Prime Minister and you can vote for her," William answered amused.
"Mum the Prime Minister! ... She would be a dictator! " exclaimed Lily angrily, as if it were a real possibility and she was an adult scared and irritated with the prospect.
"I think we can agree on that, Lily! " William replied and the three laughed.
A while later William went to the bathroom of his bedroom to find his wife still in the bathtub with his son.
"My wife in the bathtub with another man! ... Should I look for my hunting shotgun or should I call a divorce lawyer? " said William mockingly and with a funny and charming smile.
"I would advise you to look for the lawyer, I can recommend a very good one ..." Victoria answered in a mocking tone, "But meanwhile you could lather your wife's back, and when you finish you could take your son, to dry him and dress him, and sing him a song until he falls asleep, while your poor and exhausted wife spends a couple of minutes more alone in the bathtub, before going down for breakfast," she added speaking more seriously but relaxed.
"At your orders, my ma'am! " William answered half jokingly, but obliging.
William, on his knees, soaped his wife's back, while she closed her eyes and had her baby resting on her chest. When finished, William took the baby in his arms and stood up.
"Do you remember when you and me could spend hours together in the bathtub together? " Victoria asked with nostalgia.
"How to forget it ..." William exclaimed funnily and with a mischievous gesture on his face, "Maybe when the children grow up and leave home we can do it again," he added with irony.
Victoria snorted frustrated.
"Then, this afternoon is your appointment with your agent? " Victoria asked.
"Yes, but do not worry, tomorrow I'll make up for it and I will not go out all day ... Do you think you'll be able to defend the fort by yourself in front of the little monsters? " William asked mockingly.
"I suppose ... give me strength!" Victoria replied with irony.
William left laughing with the baby in his arms, while Victoria threw her head back and closed her eyes.
A few hours later Victoria placed her baby on the bed and was about to change his nappy. She placed her mobile next to the baby and dialed a number in the memory, and set the handsfree function.
In a sleek, modern office, a beautiful blond woman, elegantly dressed in the executive manner, who looked the same age as Victoria at the time (a little over 30 years old) answered her mobile phone with a smile.
"Hello, Vicky! ... Enjoying your maternity leave? " the funny woman asked.
"Yeah, sure! ... I'm enjoying the exciting adventure of changing my baby's nappy! " Victoria exclaimed sarcastically.
The blonde laughed, and Victoria could not help but laugh a little.
"And you call me while you change poor Andrew's nappy? " the blonde asked.
"I've set my handsfree, and I would not say he's the poor one, but me. But, tell me ... How are things going in the office? " Victoria asked as she began to remove Andrew's nappy.
"Victoria, enjoy your Maternity leave. Do not worry about the affairs of the firm," the woman answered.
"Fuck maternity leave, Nancy! I prefer to worry about the affairs of the firm than about the exhausting work of taking care of three children ... I want to shorten the maternity leave and return to work sooner," Victoria replied a little exasperated.
"You can not do that, Victoria! " Nancy replied.
"Why not! " exclaimed Victoria wrinkling her face when she saw the dirty contents of the diaper before closing it and preparing it to throw it away.
"Why is it a social achievement of the women of the western world that our grandmothers fought for? ... Why in the future will you regret not having dedicated to your baby the same time and attention that you dedicated to your two eldest daughters? " Nancy answered half seriously and half jokingly.
"Okay, spoilsport! Why not…? " Victoria said resigned but was interrupted.
Her two daughters ran into the room, Lily pursued by Bella.
"Mummy ... she took my Tablet and she does not want to give it to me! " Bella exclaimed complaining bitterly.
"That happens to you for being so ...! " Lily replied mockingly.
"Do you two not realize that I'm talking to aunt Nancy on the phone! ..." exclaimed Victoria angrily, "Lily ... give back the Tablet to your sister or you'll be on the naughty step! " she added trying to sound threatening.
"The naughty step never works!" Lily replied almost mockingly.
Nancy's laughter was heard on her cell phone.
"That girl has caught you, Vicky! ... She's very smart! " Nancy said laughing.
"Then I'm going to tell your father! " Victoria replied looking at her daughter with furious eyes.
The girl looked angry and bowed her head.
"Snitch!" Lily said very quietly.
"What did you say, young lady! " exclaimed Victoria.
"That's okay mummy ..." Lily replied dissembling, "Take your stupid Tablet! " she added addressing her older sister while handing her the electronic device.
"Now I want the two of you to sit in that corner until I finish changing your brother! I want to keep an eye on them, lest they burn down the house," Victoria said authoritatively and saw that her youngest daughter was going to say something, "Without to question, Lily, obey!"
Lily crossed her arms sulkily, but the two girls obeyed her mother.
"I think you're having a lot of fun in the pleasant company of your little angels! " scoffed Nancy, mocking over the phone.
"Yeah right! ... Please, tell me something about the office to distract the mind from this nightmare ... How's Mrs. McKay's case going? " Victoria asked while resuming work with her baby, while he waved his small legs and arms, playfully.
"Very good! We have good news ... you were right, the husband had hidden part of the money through a limited company domiciled in Luxembourg, which channeled it through accounts in Gibraltar and with that ... he bought two houses in Spain, in a highly valued tourist area, on the coast ... our investigator collected evidence and we can prove in court that the husband had hidden part of the patrimony not to satisfy the demands of our client in the divorce," said Nancy excited.
"I knew ... Fucking bastard! " exclaimed Victoria enthusiastically.
"Oh! " scandalized girls exclaimed.
"Yes, mama said a rude word and she's going to wash her mouth with soap later! " Victoria apologized partly embarrassed and partly annoyed, "Well, I'm glad we did it, now we just have to attack with all in the trial," Victoria added to Nancy, "Surely Andrew is proud of the great lawyer who is his mother! " Victoria exclaimed smiling as she lifted her naked baby over her head ... but then something happened, "No ... Andrew, no! " exclaimed Victoria.
"What happens, Victoria! " Nancy exclaimed in anguish thinking that something bad had happened to her friend or the children.
"Andrew ... he just weed in my face! " Victoria answered, and the baby smiled as if he was happy.
Nancy and the daughters of Victoria laughed almost hysterically, while Victoria had a gesture on her face as if she were going to cry.
"I should have imagined that you could not have escaped the diabolical gene, Andrew," Victoria said resignedly, while the baby seemed to laugh.
The next day Nancy and Victoria were walking through a modern and elegant shopping center, with some shopping bags in their hands.
"You should not complain so much, Victoria ... after all you have a husband who is very competent as a father, and thanks to the fact that he stayed with the children we could enjoy this walk together," said Nancy as they walked stopping in front of the shop windows.
"I guarantee that if you were in my place you would not say the same ... how long ago that you and me do not have moments like this ... a 'girl time'? And if you knew how children cause problems, especially Lily ..." Victoria replied.
"Lily just looks like her mother, is rebellious and has a bad temper like you," Nancy said funny.
"I suppose you've been talking to my mother ... in any case, I prefer to be working, this maternity leave is unsettling me," Victoria complained.
"It's just part of the work–life balance, Vicky," commented Nancy.
"The work–life balance is a hoax! Do you really think that women have it easy to reconcile our professional life with family life and a relationship? " Victoria said with irony.
"It's strange to hear it said of a woman who has a comfortable upper middle class life," Nancy replied as if it were a political or philosophical debate.
"Upper middle class! You would see when William and me do the end of the month accounts you would not say that ... we are not exactly billionaires," Victoria answered.
"But you have a husband who works at home and he is a brilliant father ... you have a nanny who works for you almost every day, although now she is in her country visiting her family for the holiday, thanks to your generosity and understanding, a gesture that honors you ... think about the poor women of the past, my great-grandmother had to work in a factory more than 12 hours a day while taking care of a family of eight children ... we are very lucky compared to them," said Nancy.
"It is called evolution and progress, Nancy ... I will not apologize for complaining even though my life is privileged compared to that of a working woman 100 years ago, and much better than that of the millions of women of past centuries, especially in the case of the cavewomen," Victoria replied.
"Vicky, why do you always get so grumpy when Christmas approaches? Since I know you, you try to be happy and sometimes you get it, especially since you met William and since you became a mother ... but even in your happiest Christmas, I see that sadness and melancholy in you, particularly when you think that nobody sees you. And now I see you again almost as grumpy as on those Christmases before meeting William," said Nancy with empathy for her friend.
"I do not know, Nancy! We have already discussed it in the past, it is not that I hate Christmas, it is simply that in the middle of the happiness of the festivity I feel as if there was something inside me, that it does not let me be totally happy, as if I were missing something, as missing a piece in my mental chess ... sometimes I think it may be because I miss my father ... But when I was a child he tried to make me happy at Christmas, because even then Papa said I was a sad girl ..." Victoria said with sad nostalgia, "... as I've told you before, he loved carpentry and took me to his little workshop in the house, where he played with me and made me laugh while working on decorative pieces for Christmas and taught me how to work with wood ... I suppose it must be a bunch of things in my subconscious, but I do not know it," she added.
"That's why I thought you'd like my first Christmas present for you," Nancy replied with affection and enthusiasm.
"Since you talked about that for the first time you have me intrigued ... I do not know what you're up to, and I confess that I'm a bit nervous," Victoria answered cautiously.
"Easy, you know that when it comes to me, it will not be bad or foolhardy," replied Nancy with a charming smile. "Come on, the place where your surprise awaits is very close to here."
A while later Victoria and Nancy were in front of the door of an old house that had been remodeled and partially modernized, and on the wooden door was a gold plaque on which was written in silver letters: "Doctor Mary Dewsbury, Parapsychologist" .
"A parapsychologist! ... You're crazy, Nancy! " exclaimed Victoria.
"Surely you did not expect it! " Nancy answered with childish joy.