Chapter 14

Caterina stood in front of the mirror, as Tori tried the back of the dress. Her mother squealed in delight and clapped.

"Oh you are a vision!" she gushed as she clasped her daughter's hand, "You look so beautiful."

Placing the veil over her head she stepped over to the mirror and smiled slightly, the cream coloured dress was stunning. She looked amazing, it complimented her skin tone and accentuated how red her hair was. Tori stepped back and beamed at Caterina.

"What do you think Victoria?" Lady Rebecca asked.

"Her Ladyship has never looked so pretty." she answered, before handed Caterina her flowers.

Caterina was so overwhelmed that tears began to streak down her face, "Can I have a moment please?"

Her mother nodded, "Of course Caterina!" she kissed her daughter's cheek, "You are certain to be the envy of every Lady in the county tomorrow!"

Caterina smiled back at her mother before left with Tori, chucking the flowers down she stared at herself. She should be happy, she was standing in a wedding dress. Everything was going according to plan, no one knew that she was her own fiancé and tomorrow meant that they kept to keep their estate.

So why was she so upset?

Because of Sir. Shapiro she thought. It would always be because of that man.

Caterina couldn't stop thinking about his betrayal, how horrible it was and how it made her feel... that was what was worrying her... how she was feeling. She shouldn't feel this way.

She had tried to suppress it, focusing only on the task at hand: preparing for the wedding tomorrow. Not permitting anyone other than Tori to see her angst she dived into her jobs; she checked all of the flowers, she visited the church to check that everything was in place. She looked over the guest list for her wedding, where she had viciously scrapped out the names Jadelyn, Trina and Robert.

Finally she had agreed to try on the dress that was specially made for her, a moment that she had tried to put off for as long as possible. She didn't want to wear this dress, it was just too perfect. It was everything that she had wanted for her real wedding day.

Her heart was banging against the satin dress, she couldn't breath.

"Tori!" she screeched, "Help!"

Her maid was there in a second, alert she rushed over, "What's the matter."

"I need out of this dress." she gulped, "I feel all wrong, I am going to be sick."

Tori nodded, beginning to undo the buttons and straps at the back, "Get me out of it" Cat pleased.

"I'm trying!"

Finally Cat kicked off the dress and scrambled away from it, staring at it as if it was a threat. barricading herself in the bathroom she slid down to the floor and banged her head against the door. Tori desperately clawed on the other side of the door, worried for her friend, desperate to help her.

"Cat please let me in!" she begged, "Tell me what's wrong!"

She finally understood what had angered her so much about Lord. Shapiro, it was not the fact that he had used her or the fact that he had a past with women. It was that he had made her alive, he was the first man who had ever made her feel anything.

And he hated him for that.

Cat closed her eyes,"I love him."

She had fallen in love with the most twisted man in the whole of England.

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Banging on the door, he kept banging on the door, he would not rest until someone answered. Sir Robert was a shell of a man, only he hadn't realised it until today. His entire life he had ran from everyone, never wanting to commit because he feared love. He had allowed his father to push him away when he really needed Robert, he should have stayed with him, he should have fought for him.

His old maid peeked out of the door, her eyes popping at the man before her, "Sir. Robert?" she asked, "Is that you?"

He grinned widely, "Yes, can I please come in?"

Opening the door, Robert handed her his coat and hat. She took them, gawking at the man who stood before her, wondering why he had returned after all of these years. Sir. Robert wasted no time in rushing down the hall in search of his father; he tried the main room first where his father had passed out countless time from too much brandy. Opening the door, he was surprised to see that the room was coated with a fine layer of dust; the room looked bare, stripped of all of their fine processions. What remained was covered in sheets. Walking over to the mantelpiece; he grabbed the ends of the material and pulled it down, sending a wave of dust into the atmosphere.

His mother stared back at him, smiling caringly down at him, her brown eyes as warm as a hearth. His gazed back up at her wondering why she had been hidden from the naked eye, why did the house look abandoned. Mrs. Grayson stood nervously by the door, speculating whether she should speak up.

He spotted her and asked, "Where is my father?"

She gulped her eyes flicking around the rest of the house, "Sir. Robert." She began, her eyes overflowing with tears. She could not believe that she was in front of him once more, she thought that she would never see the boy that she raised again, time was catching up with her a tremendously quick pace.

"Your father, he is very ill." She told him.

"Take me to him." Robert ordered, his voice commanding but not cold, "I need to see him."

She nodded, leading him up the staircase towards the smallest room, opening the door Robert gasped at the sight before him. This room was worse than the other, all it contained was a small brass bed and a bedside table that held a small photograph of his mother. His father lay on the bed, staring at the photo.

Sir. Robert grabbed Mrs. Grayson and pulled her outside, "What is going on?" he murmured, "Where is the staff?"

Mrs. Grayson placed her hand over her mouth, trying to suppress the tears that were breaking free, "I am the only one left and your father... well he lost a great sum of money Sir. Shapiro. We had to let them all go and we had to sell objects to pay for his medicine. He is a proud man, he would not except help and he didn't want to tell you.

"Why haven't I heard about this?" Sir. Shapiro asked, "Surely other people would have found out about this scandal."

Mrs. Grayson shook her head, "No one knows, he keeps to himself now. He hasn't left the house in two years."

Sir. Shapiro nodded understanding the situation, "Leave us for a moment. I need to speak with him privately."

Entering the room once again, Sir. Shaprio approached his father for the first time in seven years. His father regarded him, his eyes following him as he knelt beside the bed. Robert could not believe that state his father was in, he looked about ten years older than he should of been, his skin was leathery and covered in winkles. His grey hair was receding and unkempt but he still had those pale eyes, those blue eyes that pierced him with just a simple glance.

"Why have you come back?" he asked, his voice frail, weakened from a lifetime of pain.

Sir. Robert cleared his throat, "I have to make amends with you, I visited mother's grave earlier."

His father's eyes flashed, "How dare you go and-"

"And what." Robert caustically replied, "Say goodbye to my mother, forgive myself for causing you this pain."

He sighed heavily, clenching his fist to stop himself from crying once more, "You were never a good father to me. You would never let me forget that I was the reason she died and eventually I began to believe you."

"Stop!" he shouted back, his lip trembling in rage, "She would have been here today—"

"But she isn't!" Robert said, his voice cracking, "I was not the reason she died, she loved me and you let me forget that. But that is no excuse for what I did to you, I am sorry for leaving you seven years ago."

His father snorted, "What do you have to be sorry about?"

"I cowardly ran away from you when you needed me the most. I could have saved you from living out your life in this house. In this horrible room, how did you let this happen to you? Why didn't you tell me? I would have helped you."

His father eyes began to glaze over, he stared at the photo of his wife, "I made some bad investments and I lost it all. I couldn't leave this house."

"Are you dying?" Robert asked, his voice thick with remorse, "I should have come to you years ago."

His father smiled slightly, "I am old Robert, this is a natural part of life."

He gazed back at his only heir, the son he was so unkind too and for the first time he felt true guilt for his actions.

"You look like her." he admitted, "The same eyes and hair colour. I couldn't bear to look at you because of it, you reminded me so much of her that I had to keep you away from me. For that I am sorry, I knew I should never have hit you but I am stubborn, you unfortunately got that trait from me. You never wanted to come home and I didn't want to find you."

Lord Shapiro began coughing uncontrollably, grabbing the cloth he coughed into it, Robert's breath hitched when he spotted speckles of blood that dotted the dirty cloth. His throat felt thick from trying not cry, he had just found his father and had finally forgiven him, only to find that he was going to lose him.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" he asked, his voice pathetically small, "I can pay for a doctor, I can get you help."

His father shook his head sadly, "My dear boy, I am ready. I have been ready for quite some time. I prayed to God every night asking him why wouldn't he take me, I want to see you mother again. So much that it causes me pain. I now understand what it is I was waiting for. I was waiting for you to come home."

Robert couldn't stop the tears from falling,"But I don't want you to go."

His father began to cry slightly, his hand quivering uncontrollably as he handed Robert the small photo of his mother.

"I am proud of you and I know your mother would have been too. You managed to become a successful man without either of us supporting you. You became a man with out my guidance, you do not need me in your life. I know you will manage without me." he breathing hitched slightly, "Thank you for forgiving me, I can finally be at peace. I am sorry for not being the father that you deserved."

Robert clasped his father's hand, "You made up for it now." he told him, "I am proud to call you my father."

His father slumped back onto his pillow and smiled contently, his eyes fluttering shut, "Now leave me please Robbie. I want to rest my head for a while."

Robert nodded, he sat on the edge of the bed with his father watching, waiting for the inevitable moment. Mrs. Grayson stepped into the room and watched from the end of the bed as the life force surrounding her master began to fade. Sir Robert noticing her pain, stood by her side, placing an arm around his old nanny as Lord Shapiro took his final breath.

Trying to remain strong, he held Mrs. Grayson closer as she grieved uncontrollably into his jacket.

"They are together now." he told her, "He can finally find happiness."

EMOTIONS, so many emotions... cannot... deal...

Poor Robbie :'( Jeez I almost cried, I'm such a wimp! :L

LOOK AT HIM SAVING EVERYONE :(

guess who is next ;)

Anyway yay double update!

Okay pretty certain the wedding is next...

:O

xoxoxo