Chapter 7: Witches and Stylists.
Victoria, Harriet, Nancy and Kate walked behind William, who showed them the inside of the guest house. The girls were impressed and Kate was delighted and happy.
"As you can see the pool is between the big house and this house," said William pointing with his hand to the pool that was seen through the sliding glass doors of the house that were directed to the space between the two houses, where it effectively saw the large pool with the big house in the background.
"Cool! Can I swim in it?" exclaimed Kate excitedly.
"Kate!" exclaimed Victoria as a reprimand to her little sister.
"Of course, Kate! I already said that from now on this is your house, you must feel that you are not a guest but the owner of the house ... if you know how to swim, and if your sister gives you permission you can swim as many times as you want," said William affectionate and with a lovely smile.
"Cool!" Kate exclaimed.
"Yeah, but first we will have to install us ... go unpack your things and help Harriet and Nancy ... Do not think you're going to laze," Victoria said.
Kate was grumbling to fulfil Victoria's order, while William came to talk to Victoria.
"I hope you feel comfortable in your new home," said William kindly and with that intense look that made Victoria nervous.
"Of course ... the house is very beautiful and naturally very comfortable ... Thank you very much, William," Victoria replied being kind and sincere, trying to hide her nerves behind a smile.
"I'm glad ... I'll send my housekeeper and the other maid on duty to help you all unpack and settle down," said William.
"No, please, William ... your offer is very kind, but Harriet and Nancy are going to collect a salary from you and I'm sure they want to prove they deserve that money, and I also want them to justify it, to prove that they work and do not receive money just for being my friends ... On the other hand, I want Kate not to forget that in life you have to have responsibilities and work, I do not want her to forget what our mother taught us and she becomes a spoiled girl," Victoria replied honestly.
"I understand, and that is something that honors you ... it is also something that reaffirms my conviction that all this is not a mistake," William said with a gesture on his face of admiration, and perhaps of other things, that made Victoria shudder a little and blush, "Well, in that case, I go to the other house to change me to return to work, in the afternoon I will see how you have gone."
William went to the big house and sometime later Victoria, from the large window of the guest house, saw him leave the residence to go to the car where Joe was waiting for him. Victoria remained focused watching him walk, dressed elegantly in a suit and tie. She watched carefully the movements of his legs, of his shoulders and of his arms, contemplating how well his body was dressed in that made-to-measure suit, and admiring his face in profile. Suddenly, as if he had sensed that she was looking at him, he turned to see her in the window and she felt the foolish and childish temptation to hide. William gave her a beaming smile and waved at her, and Victoria responded by greeting him with her own hand and smiling a smile that she was sure must have looked silly and embarrassed. He got into the car and then Harriet approached Victoria.
"What a good thing he does not make you horny!" Harriet exclaimed with a mocking smile.
"Do not be silly, Harriet! I'm still trying to decipher that man, and for the moment I only feel some gratitude for him, although I still do not trust him completely," Victoria replied, appearing somewhat angry.
"Of course ... you just clean up the slobber," retorted Harriet joker.
"Dumb!" Victoria protested and turned her back and went to her new bedroom.
Sometime later Victoria, her friends and sister were relaxed in the living room of the house, resting after finishing unpacking and settling in their new home. They were talking and laughing, and Victoria could forget for a moment the nerves that she felt in a strange and disconcerting new situation, without really believing that a billionaire would marry her and take her and her sister out of a poor neighbourhood from London to take them to live in a mansion.
The girls were disheveled and dressed informally, and they all went barefoot. Victoria wore a humble short dress slightly above the knees, which had been placed to work, and which had become dirty during the tasks of unpacking and arranging things. She wore her hair loose and disheveled, and her overall appearance was like that of a hippie walking on the beach.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door of the house.
"I think it must be William's housekeeper. I'm sure he gave her instructions to come and talk to me ... I'd better open the door," Victoria said, gesturing to Nancy not to get up.
Victoria went to the door and opened it. Victoria was disconcerted because in front of her was a tall woman with a nice body, white skin, dark hair and green eyes. She was dressed elegantly, with a dark blue women's jacket and pants set (of a luxurious brand of clothing) and were wearing high-heeled shoes. On one of her wrists, she wore a bracelet that was worth more than Victoria had won in more than six months of work as a waitress. The woman saw Victoria from head to toe with a frown and an intense and curious look, not exactly affectionate.
"I am Emily, William's sister," Emily said in her accent of an aristocratic woman and assumed an almost solemn tone.
Victoria was startled a little and her skin bristled, not knowing why. Harriet and Nancy rose from their seats, as impulsed by a spring, and only Kate remained seated but sticking her head out of the sofa for to see with curiosity.
"I imagine you are Victoria," Emily said hypocritically because she knew perfectly well that she was Victoria because she had seen an image of her on a copy of the report commissioned by William (a copy she obtained with her sources inside the company).
"Yes, I am Victoria ..." Victoria said nervously, with a hesitant voice, surprised by the presence of that woman who intimidates her with her look and her tone of voice, "It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am."
Victoria shook her hand and Emily shook it gently, but then Emily looked down to see her own hand when she withdrew it and Victoria remembered embarrassed that her hands were dirty from work with some family memories that she unpacked, and that she had dirtied the delicate hand of her future sister-in-law, that hand that wore exquisite manicure and a ring, with a small gem, that was worth a fortune.
"Excuse me, ma'am ... I was unpacking some things and cleaning them, and I did not remember that my hands were dirty, excuse me ... I did not expect ... I did not expect to meet you or anyone else in William's family today, he did not tell me anything ... that I was not ready," Victoria replied apologizing embarrassed.
"Yes, that's obvious," Emily said, watching Victoria from head to toe, looking down at Victoria's poor old dress, and staring at Victoria's bare feet ... the disapproving look of Emily did not go unnoticed by Victoria. She felt small and insignificant, ashamed and humiliated as if she were a homeless woman at a princess party, "Do not worry, I understand it, I skin the animals that I hunt, sometimes," added Emily taking a handkerchief from her purse, to wipe her hand, "In any case I wanted to know you since ... since you're going to be my sister-in-law," Emily added as if she were talking about her brother had been diagnosed a terminal illness.
Victoria was nervous and confused, very uncomfortable, feeling that this woman reminded her of a small part of her painful past, a past in which she suffered the cruellest humiliation and felt contempt and mockery ...
"Ma'am, I ... well, you have more right to be here than me, of course ... so maybe you see it as daring on my part, but ... I wanted to invite you to come on and you sit, and I can offer you something ... although of course, it is not my house but it's from your brother, but I just want ... I ..." Victoria said trying to control her nerves, trying to anticipate and avoid what it is always threatening her, crouched inside her soul, from that damn event.
"I'm glad to see you have good manners, that's a plus point. I thank you for your kind invitation, but I must decline this time because I must return to the job because I am the second most important director of the Maybourne Corporation, after my brother ... Victoria, I want to be very sincere with you, because I know you are a young woman, mature for your age, and I think you do not waste your time in nonsense, like me ... I do not agree with this wedding, and not for you, because I have nothing against you, because I do not know you ... And I am also aware that the biggest responsibility of this is of my brother, but I can not agree with something so crazy, and I'm sure your mother thinks the same. However, I am loyal to my brother for love and duty, and that is why I must support this wedding against my best judgment. And that's precisely why I must help you adapt to your new life and for that, we must change many things and build your new image ... The first thing to do is to put yourself in the hands of my team of stylists and designers, and start working with your Communication and Image consultant," Emily said as if she were giving instructions to an employee.
"Stylists ... Communication consultant? Ma'am, with all due respect, I do not think I need any of that, I'm very capable of deciding on ..." Victoria said, gathering strength and pride.
"Victoria ..." said Emily using the forthright tone and look she used when she wanted to impose respect or even intimidate a group of male chauvinist executives when they mistakenly thought they could underestimate her for being a woman, and in front of that Victoria was intimidated and more nervous, "You have no idea yet what it means to enter this family and nothing less than as the wife of the head of our House, and for that reason I will explain it to you ... Our lineage goes back at least to the times of William the Conqueror, and for centuries our family has served the country and the Crown in many different ways, at the price of their lives and their blood ... we are related to the Royal Family, William has a seat in the House of Lords and has often given advice to all the Prime Ministers. Surely you know that William's fortune is one of the largest in the United Kingdom, but what you probably will not be so aware of is what lies behind ... the Maybourne Corporation. We are one of the largest multinational corporations in the world, but what matters is not the vanity of saying that our family is still in control of such an important corporation and that we earn a lot of money ... What really matters, Victoria, is the tens of thousands of people who work for us all over the world, tens of thousands of people whose livelihoods and that of their families depends on the success of our corporation and its benefits ... when we expand our operations, for example, opening new factories or starting new real estate projects, we create thousands of jobs and we bring well-being to that site ... on the contrary, when we have to reduce or eliminate some of our operations, many people are left unemployed ... I do not think I must explain to you how terrible that is, especially to you who come from the working class," said Emily with a severe tone of a strict teacher.
Victoria was paralyzed and mute, and she felt the chill in her body and tried to clear her mind so as not to remember the past.
"So we have a huge responsibility with our employees, but also with our suppliers, with those companies whose employees depend on us to pay their employers on time ... we have a responsibility to our thousands of shareholders, with our millions of customers spread all over the world ... But we also have other responsibilities with the charitable foundations that we support generously and with the thousands of people who benefit from them both here and in the Third World. And of course, the money we pay in taxes is very good for the governments of all the countries where we operate to help their citizens, and we are especially proud of the money we pay to our own government, here in the country ... Now, the success or failure of a company depends on a lot on its corporate image but also on the image of its main shareholders and managers ... The stability and success of our corporation depend to a large extent on the trust that shareholders, investors, partners and customers have deposited in my brother as the CEO of the corporation ... Do you know what would happen if people lose trust in my brother? It would be a disaster for our corporation, it would be instability and uncertainty, and that could put us at risk of bankruptcy because financial markets do not forgive instability, distrust and uncertainty ... The livelihood of possibly hundreds of thousands of people would be in danger, the well-being of many families. Do you know what the greatest risk is currently for my brother's prestige? I'm going to tell you ... when my brother recognized me that he was going to marry you I said him, rather, I warned him that the faith that everyone has placed in him could evaporate, because people could question his mental stability to know that he was going to marry such a young girl, that he has just met ... a cafeteria waitress," Emily said in a firm and cold tone, and with an expressionless expression.
For Victoria it was like a slap in the face ... and there it was again, the feeling of fear that arose from her insides, that feeling that struggled to free herself and take over her body, and become an unbearable physical discomfort ... That sensation, that sickness of the soul born of humiliation and shame ... She had to clench her fists and repeat in her head the mantra that her therapist had taught her to calm down herself, to try to return the demon to the prison of her subconscious ...
Upon hearing Emily's words Harriet's eyes filled with tears and she made a move to go to the place where her friend was with that damn woman to defend her. But Nancy grabbed her discreetly by the arm and shook her head, silently, though Nancy's eyes were also wet.
"I do not say it with acrimony, it is simply a fact ... but if we want your wedding to not harm our corporation and the people who depend on it, we will have to build an acceptable image and build a version of your history that does not arouse so many suspicions. The story of a young, beautiful and educated student who fell in love with my brother and made him forget his painful past ..." Emily said and as she said this her voice trembled a little and a fleeting gesture of pain pierced her sphinx face, but then her cold determination returned, "So that people do not lose faith in my brother so that his credibility is safe, we must transform you from head to toe ... You must dress differently, to speak in a different way, behave in public in another way ... you will no longer be able to look simple ..." Emily added and her eyes went back to Victoria's poor dress and her bare feet, and Victoria felt as embarrassed as if she were naked in the street, "And you will need an employee next to you of the corporation, an image and communication consultant who will advise you on every move, every day ... You do not marry a man Victoria, you marry a dynasty and a corporation, you actually marry an Institution ... Spontaneity is over, the lack of caution is over, and to look like an ordinary girl is over ... old Victoria must disappear, and now we have to create a new one ... I hope you understand and collaborate."
Victoria needed a moment to process her last words and understand that it was a kind of demand that awaited a response. She nodded her head.
"Very well, in an hour some of my stylists will be here to start your treatment ... tomorrow I will give instructions to take you to the store of one of my designers ... Please, when you go there, wear your best current clothes ... next days will be hard, we must prepare you for the marriage commitment is communicated ... Well, it has been a pleasure to meet you, Victoria," said Emily.
Victoria could barely say a few words and shake Emily's hand to say goodbye. When Emily turned around and left, memories of the past came to Victoria's mind like disordered bursts, confused memories that she wanted to bury ... And inside her head, Victoria saw blurred faces of several people around her, faces of people she laughed, of people who made fun of her ... Their laughter tormented her, and Victoria recovered that terrible feeling of humiliation, fear, pain ...
Victoria fell to her knees on the floor, with tears in her eyes and feeling that she was drowning, that she could not breathe ... her friends rushed to help her, knowing that she had a panic attack again.
Half an hour later Victoria was still lying on the sofa, with her legs in Nancy's lap, while Kate stroked her hair tenderly, worried about her older sister, and Harriet was standing to smoke a cigarette.
"Dummy witch, I hate her!" Harriet exclaimed still angry.
"You've said it several times, Harriet ... and you're not trying to stop smoking?" Nancy replied as she massaged Victoria's bare feet.
"I can not help it ... that bitch put me in a bad mood!" Harriet exclaimed furiously.
"At least I must admit that she is sincere ... and her arguments, although said in an unpleasant way, have logic," Victoria said with resignation and a certain sorrow.
"Victoria, do not tell me you're suffering from a Stockholm syndrome," Nancy replied.
"A what?" Harriet asked a little confused.
"Forget it, Harriet, then I'll explain ..." Nancy replied shrugging and then turned to Victoria, "You should not let that woman affect your tranquillity and your self-esteem, Victoria."
"No, I will not, Nancy ... but I really have to accept the changes that she demands. If the well-being of my family depends on my marriage, if all this madness is done for them ... then I have to try to make it work, at least formally. Certainly, I can not remain the same girl after accepting William's proposal ... I will do everything that woman asks of me, as long as it does not represent an unbearable humiliation for me ... it will be like fulfilling my part of a labour contract, it is about fulfilling my obligations in this business ... And I will show that witch that a working-class girl, a humble waitress, can be an elegant and sophisticated woman, who does not need to be born rich to be cultured and educated ... I'll shut up the mouth to that witch, I demonstrating that I can be equal or better than her in her own game," said Victoria serene and determined.
"Well said, Vicky!" exclaimed Harriet as if she encouraged her favourite soccer team.
Sometime later a knock at the door announced the arrival of the stylists sent by Emily, and Nancy went to open the door.
They were two tall men, dressed elegantly but a little flashy. One of them was a black man, very tall and strong, the kind of men who live every day in a gym, judging by his muscular arms and the well-built pecs that were intuited under his flannel adjusted to the body. His face had virile features and a little hard, but attractive. The man had his head completely shaved, and appeared to be between 30 and 35 years old.
The other man was white and also tall, quite thin. His physical appearance was somewhat androgynous and strange, so rare that although some might consider him attractive, for other people he was a rather common or even ugly man. Those who had lived in the Court of Queen Victoria at the beginning of her reign, upon seeing him would have thought that he was Prince Albert, the Queen's husband since the only difference with him was the clothes it which would be strange for the Victorians, and the absence of a moustache.
Victoria was a bit intrigued to see him. Both carried elegant metal cases and presented themselves as stylists. The man who looked like Albert's reincarnation happened to be also called Albert, and the other man's name was Emerson. A few minutes later, the two men had gained the confidence of the girls, and while Emerson was in charge of manicuring Victoria's toenails, Albert was in charge of cutting her hair. Meanwhile, Victoria's friends were sitting around, and Kate had retired to play a video game.
"I do not know why, but I feel like I knew you before, Victoria," Albert said in a warm, relaxed voice.
"I also feel like I already knew you, I felt it since I saw you ... but I doubt it, I do not usually frequent high-society stylists," Victoria replied with a funny laugh.
"Don't believe ... not always my clients were wealthy. And my family is working class," answered Albert.
"So, you managed to hunt one of the most eligible bachelors in England," Emerson said with his foreign accent and somewhat effeminate voice.
"Well, I think he actually hunted me," Victoria said with irony and a certain mockery of her particular situation.
Albert and Emerson laughed.
"I love this girl! Literally, thousands of beautiful women would make a deal with the Devil and give him her soul in exchange for marrying Lord William, and she does absolutely nothing and he comes and proposes marriage her ... You have no idea how several actresses and models that we know would hate you, that they sighed for him and had done anything to hook him ... those harpies would not forgive you ... But who can blame them? Putting away his immense fortune, that man is so hot ..." said Emerson amused as a child.
"Emerson!" Albert exclaimed as a warning.
"Come on, Al, it's just a girl talk ... Or are you jealous?" Emerson said mockingly.
"Jealous ... me? Do not be silly," Albert replied scornfully.
"Yes, because you think I would exchange you for Lord William if I could, and I do not deny that it would be a very tempting offer with that hot man, because ... Who can prefer Albert instead of Lord William?" Emerson said in a lascivious and mocking manner.
Albert snorted with disgust.
"Calm down my love ... you know you are the man of my life," Emerson said to Albert with sincerity and a look of passionate love.
"Then ... Are you two ...?" Harriet asked with a mischievous and funny look.
"Yes, dear ... Albert and I are gay, and we are married ... among us, of course," Emerson answered smiling.
"Cool! I have some gay friends and once they invited me to a wedding, it was very funny," Harriet replied cheerfully.
"Where are you from, Emerson?" Nancy asked kindly.
"From Brazil ... from Salvador da Bahia," Emerson replied cheerfully and proudly.
For a few minutes, Emerson told the girls how he had met his husband Albert, and the girls listened to him happily and interested. Albert wore a funny and affectionate smile. Then Emerson returned to focus on William, telling anecdotes about some women with whom he went in the past, models and actresses very beautiful and hot.
"It is that this man is very hot, for many years he has been on the lists of the sexiest men ... but also, there are many things that people do not know because it does not appear in magazines ... Some of his old girlfriends or lovers are our friends, of Albert and I ... and they say that man is a beast in bed, one of the best lovers that any of them has ever had. He is an expert in the Kama Sutra, he seems to know and practice all the postures, and he does it very well, never getting tired and ... but, what am I telling you? Victoria knows this better than me, she can tell," Emerson said cheerfully and enthusiastically, winking at Victoria.
Victoria blushed a lot, she turned red as a tomato. Nancy and Harriet laughed, while Emerson was bewildered and curious, and Albert himself could not help but show a gesture of amused curiosity.
"What's so funny? ... Did I say some nonsense?" Emerson asked confused.
"It is ... I do not know, because ... I have not had, I ... I have not had ..." Victoria said embarrassed and hesitant.
Emerson stared at her and suddenly his eyes widened, and he made a gesture of surprise, scandal and amusement on his face.
"Have not you slept with him yet? ... I can not believe it!" exclaimed Emerson and then he laughed in chorus with Nancy and Harriet.
"Emerson! ... Do not be indiscreet! Do not you realize that you annoy Victoria?" Albert said a little angrily.
"No, do not worry, Albert ... it does not bother me. I am aware that it is weird ... but William and I are a peculiar couple and our relationship is atypical ... We have decided to wait for marriage to see ... to discover what it is like to live together as husband and wife," Victoria said, lying partly, but to her own surprise opening for the first time a small door, still very small, to the possibility of having a 'normal' married life, something that did not go unnoticed for her friends Nancy and Harriet who exchanged a look of complicity.
"Well, although outdated, I must admit that waiting for the wedding night has its charm, it's something romantic and exciting ... and especially when it comes to a girlfriend so young ... But do not worry, Victoria, you'll be in good hands ... my friend Sarah said that she discovered what it was like to be multi-orgasmic when she slept with Lord William, and I must say that is quite a feat, because my friend Sarah is very promiscuous and before going to bed with William she proved with thousands of men ... And besides, according to the women who have been with him, Lord William is very well endowed," said Emerson delighted to share horny confidences with a group of girls.
Victoria returned to blush, to put on like a tomato, and bowed her head, hiding the gesture of her face.
"Is it really well equipped?" Harriet asked with malice, curiosity and amusement.
"Of course! All the women who have been with him say he has a good package, very big and powerful," Emerson replied with a lascivious and naughty giggle.
"Emerson! You always do the same, you are very indiscreet and daring," Albert protested angrily.
"Do not get angry, Albert! Also, you can not blame me for making references to his endowment ..." Emerson said standing up and approaching Albert while he put his arm around Albert's waist and spoke to his near the ear but in a tone high enough for the girls will hear, "after all you love the well-endowed men, and that's why you went crazy for me," Emerson added seductive and mocking, while kissing Albert behind the ear.
"Enough, Emerson! ... This is unprofessional!" exclaimed Albert trying to look angry, but actually funny and horny, while he brusquely away from Emerson.
Victoria and Nancy blushed, though they could not help but smile embarrassed, while Harriet and Emerson laughed and Albert also blushed but at the same time he was smiling with a mischievous smile and a foolish gesture in love.
Emerson sat back down to continue working on the manicure of Victoria's toenails, while Albert combed a strand of Victoria's hair with skill and gentleness.
"In any case, I congratulate you, Victoria ... you take a good husband," said Emerson affectionate and sincere.
Then Albert chatted with Victoria about her hair, about hairstyles that might be better for the girl. When there was a pause, Victoria took the opportunity to ask questions in her head.
"Albert ... you've known Emily for a long time?" Victoria asked curiously.
"Yes, I've been working with her for several years. She is one of my best clients, I attend her at my beauty centre and sometimes at home or in her office ... the latter is something I do for very few clients, for the most important, so you can feel privileged, Victoria," answered Albert in a friendly tone and with an affectionate smile.
"She's pretty unpleasant, right?" Harriet asked seriously, and immediately received a poke from Nancy and Victoria fulminated with the gaze her.
Albert and Emerson laughed.
"It's quite a witch, is not it? Yes, she is not exactly the most affectionate and sweet woman, and she gives the image of being arrogant and unfriendly ... but deep down she is a good person, she is noble and generous. What happens is that despite being rich she has not had an easy life, she has suffered a lot ... And she is a naturally distrustful person, as she has to be in such an important businesswoman, who has to fight in the sexist world of the sharks of finance ... An executive woman like her always has to be twice or triple as ruthless and hardworking as men to prove their worth, to show that she is worthy of the place she occupies ... Besides, she is very protective of people who loves and is like a rabid dog to protect them. You must understand, Victoria ... she does not hate you or have anything against you, she does not despise you, she just does not trust you yet and it will take time for you to earn her trust ... but if you do, be assured that when she gives her love and her trust to someone, she never retires it in life," said Albert with sincerity and affection for Victoria.
"I believe you, Albert. But I hope she does not dedicate herself to making my life bitter while deciding if I am worthy of her trust ..." Victoria replied with kindness and mocking smile ... afterwards, she became more serious and shy, "Albert, did you meet William's previous wife?" Victoria asked cautiously.
Immediately there was a change in the atmosphere... Emerson and Albert became tense, and their faces darkened, while Emerson looked out of the corner of his eye at Albert who had been frozen with Victoria's hair in his hands. Harriet and Nancy noticed the change in the couple of men, and they were left in suspense and a little uncomfortable. Victoria felt an unpleasant current of energy and without knowing why her heart quickened and felt something like anguish and fear ...
"I met her ... unfortunately ..." Albert replied with a tone full of mixed feelings, among which stood out the repulsion, the fear, the contempt and the pain, "It is the darkest and horrible being that I have known in my life ... horrible for inside, obviously not on the outside, because she was ... or is, a beautiful woman. Her soul is rotten, she is a monster," he added with a certain grudge.
"I understand, I ... I just wanted to know something about her to better understand William ... And William's son, I guess you met him ... How was he?" Victoria asked shyly.
"The boy ... the boy was ..." Albert answered in a voice broken by emotion, and suddenly began to moan piteously as a small child and covered his face with one hand.
Emerson stood up and walked over to Albert, and hugged him affectionately caressing his back. Harriet and Nancy were surprised, and Victoria was very distressed.
"Sorry! I did not want to ... excuse me, Albert, I'm a stupid imprudent ... I did not want to upset you," Victoria said very nervously and worried.
"No, forgive me! It's just that this poor child was so sweet ... despite his autistic condition, he was a very cute and sweet child. As his aunt was my client, I ended up being the one in charge of cutting his hair since he was little, and I had to have a lot of patience, you know ... but with the help of his father, he always cooperated. I have never met a father better than Lord William ... that man was very loving and sweet with his son. There was nothing more important in the world for him than his son and he took care of it with patience and great care. And when the poor boy ... when the tragedy happened, that poor man was absolutely destroyed, he was broken by the pain ... It was so painful, for the boy and his father, and also for Emily ... the whole family was destroyed ... To see Lord William at the funeral broken and sunken, and to remember the images of the child, all the times I was with him ... It was horrible!" Albert said and then broke down crying again.
Victoria lowered her head and tears came from her eyes, she touched. Harriet and Nancy were also sad.
"It was a very big tragedy, Victoria! That's why in the family no one talks about it, nor the friends either ... it's a taboo," said Emerson watching Victoria while hugging and comforting his husband, Albert.
"I understand ... I also know how a tragedy can break a family," Victoria said sadly.
After a few minutes, they had all calmed down and talked quietly again, when suddenly William came to the house.
"Hello, Albert ... I'm glad to see you, I have not seen you for a long time," said William kindly, as he put a hand on Albert's shoulder.
"The happiness is mine, William," replied Albert affectionately.
"It's also a pleasure to see you, Emerson," said William, shaking the man's hand.
"Pleasure is all mine, Lord William," Emerson replied happily and a little coquettishly.
"Excuse everyone, but I have little time and I need to talk a couple of minutes alone with Victoria," said William amicably.
Everyone else went out to the pool and garden area, while Victoria and William were left alone in the living room of the guest house. Victoria was a little embarrassed because she was sitting covered with a hairdressing robe and curlers on her head.
"Something important came up that I must attend it, and I have to fly on my plane to Brussels ... but when I was on the highway I found out from a timely call from someone on my staff that a certain person was here ... So on the phone, I ordered them to delay the flight and I decided to come here before I left ... What did Emily tell you, Victoria?" William asked serene and friendly, but with an intense look.
"No, nothing important ... she just wanted to meet me ... It was kind, of her part," Victoria lied in part.
"My sister does not distinguish herself for being very kind," William replied with irony and a mocking smile, "I suspect what she told you ... surely I speak of the need to do what she wants, that you submit to her agenda and accept to change your way of being to be the perfect wife for her brother ... Did she make you feel bad, Victoria?" he asked with a worried look.
Victoria ducked her head.
"Victoria, do not listen to my sister ... I do not need you to change ..." William said with affection and tenderness, and then put his fingers under Victoria's chin and made her raise her head, to her surprise, "For me you-you are perfect as you are, you are one of the most special people I have met in my life and for that reason I would not change you, for any other woman in the world ... You are simply perfect, Victoria, convince yourself of that because I do not need to convince myself, I know," he added with an intense look that made Victoria tremble.
Through the large window of the house, the others saw what was happening inside the house.
"He's going to kiss her ... he's going to kiss her!" Harriet exclaimed excitedly.
"And she wants it!" exclaimed Emerson holding Harriet's arm.
Nancy and Albert rolled their eyes, but they were also funny. William turned to see them and everyone turned around pretending they were not watching.
"I'm sorry ... I think your friends and Albert are waiting for you, and they also waiting for me at the airport ... see you later, Victoria," said William with a charming and amused smile, and then he stood up and went to the door.
Victoria hesitated a moment as she followed him with her gaze, and then spoke hastily.
"William! ..." Victoria exclaimed anxiously and he turned around, "Take care ... that you do well," added Victoria affectionate and shy.
"Of course ... take care of yourself too, I'll be back tomorrow," he said with a smile that melted the ice and then left.
"Take care? You're stupid, Victoria!" Victoria said speaking to herself.
Then Victoria saw Nancy, Harriet, Albert, and Emerson standing in the doorway watching her with mocking and malicious smiles on their faces.
"The first one to make a joke I will strangle her with the cable of the hairdryer!" Victoria exclaimed although, in the end, she ended up laughing when the others started laughing and humming the wedding march.
