Ignacio's Reaction

"You are coming with me, Senora," Ignacio said with firmness. He was acting impulsively, she had no idea who he was, and what she meant to him. "You need to be warm and well fed…for the child's sake."

"You are kind," she murmured. No light came into her eyes. They were still cold and stony, and disinterested. Her manners were impeccable as always, but there was no meaning to the words. She was resigned to her fate, and his actions would just prolong a life that was painful. He had to make her see there was hope. She was giving up, and without him being there she would have soon laid down and died in some alley or laneway, and no one would have cared. He wouldn't allow it. He had to do something.

He helped her to her feet and made her lean on him for balance. Her steps were tiny and faltering, and she looked as if she would collapse at any moment. Her whole body trembled in his arms. He helped her walk out the nearest door of the church and onto the street outside.

The effort of moving exhausted her and when she fainted again, he lifted her tiny frame into his arms and carried her. He wasn't sure where he was going, he just needed to find somewhere warm.

He found himself at Armand's mansion and knocked on the front door of the stylish hacienda. The butler who opened the door frowned at him. The man was perfectly dressed for his class, and haughty in the extreme. He looked down his nose at Ignacio, and made him simmer with growing impatience and blossoming rage.

"Senor, we have no interest in either you or your baggage…"

"Tell the Colonel that Alcalde Ignacio De Soto is here, and be quick about it!" The butler paled and obeyed quickly, rushing back inside the hacienda, leaving the door wide open. Ignacio stepped over the threshold, and stood in the tiled foyer, waiting for something to happen.

The butler didn't return, but soon Armand was there in person, staring hard at him. The Colonel stared at his face, and then down at his clothes. Thank goodness I never wore the eye patch, Ignacio thought. Diego was sometimes a little too melodramatic for his taste. Armand sniffed at him a little, and wrinkled his nose.

"Ignacio?"

"Don't just stare at us, Armand," Ignacio said with annoyance. "Help me. She may be just a skeleton, but she's still awkward." He shifted her in his arms for emphasis. Her hands had reached up and were clutching his shirt and her face burrowed against his heart. Gushing Stream must know deep down it was him, he realised. She trusted him to help her, even though she didn't realise who he was.

The servants were too busy staring at them to be of any use, so Armand quickly took charge of the situation. He led Ignacio to a comfortable guest room and ordered a servant to fetch hot bath water and a doctor. His orders were obeyed immediately, to Ignacio's relief.

"Who is she?" Armand asked. Ignacio shook his head at wonder. How thin she was – her own employer couldn't even recognise her, and he had lived in the same house for months. If he hadn't loved her so much, he probably wouldn't have believed it was her either.

"It's Gushing Stream," Ignacio murmured. He laid the woman he loved on the soft white sheets, and pulled the warm blanket up over her. He placed a hand on hers as she stirred and fussed, and she held it. He pulled a nearby chair up and sat on it, so that he could rest. Carrying her had been easy enough, but he was exhausted.

Armand stared at the gaunt woman with shock. He blinked a few times as if to make sure he was seeing properly.

"Why didn't she come to me, and get help?" Armand said. Ignacio remembered the harshness of the butler, and thought he might know why. The servants sometimes had higher morals than their employers. They probably would have judged her as a fornicator or something, Ignacio thought.

"I would have helped her….She's pregnant?"

Ignacio stared at her. "Yes," he said. "She is pregnant - with my child."

Armand turned abruptly, and Ignacio wondered if the Colonel was about to strike him hard across the face. The military commander drew in his breath was a startled hiss, and clenched his fists tightly. Ignacio sat strong and tall, and braced himself, stiffening his back for a blow. It wasn't as if he didn't deserve it. The Colonel unclenched his hands, and stared at his brother-in-law.

"You knew better," he growled. "Ignacio, how could you use her so disgracefully? How could you abandon her to this fate?"

Ignacio knew he had no excuse. He had desired her so intensely that he'd had no thought to any consequences of his actions. He had wanted to hold her more than anything in the world, and he would never regret that morning. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity for them to enjoy each other, and the memory would always be with him.

He had not abandoned her. He would never have abandoned her completely to her fate, even if she had wanted him to. He would have provided money, if he had known she needed it. If she had told him of her pregnancy, he would have fully supported her.

"She ran from me," he said thoughtfully. "I had no idea of this, until Monday," he added, gesturing to the woman in the bed. "I thought perhaps she had some money…"

They both stared at the woman in the bed, wondering for a moment if she was still breathing. They both caught the slight rise and fall of the blankets, and heard a tiny sigh, and were satisfied that she was still alive.

"I can't lose her, Armand. I love her. She is dying of starvation in what I thought was a city of Christian people…"

"There is always the workhouse," Armand murmured, reluctantly. Ignacio chose to ignore his comment. "Women find help there."

"She should have come home to me," Ignacio said. Maybe she didn't have the means to pay for transport. Maybe she just had too much pride in her stubborn heart to ask for help when she needed it. He brushed a strand of brittle, lack lustre hair from her face, and kissed her gently on her forehead.

"You should have come home to me, Gushing Stream. My arms are always waiting for you. I love you," he whispered. Taking the hand he was already holding, he begun to rub it gently, trying to get the circulation moving a little quicker. She should not have been so cold, so icy.

The bath water arrived, and Armand cleared his throat to remind Ignacio that he was still in the room.

"That, my friend, is for you. Get washed, and get that muck and grime off you before Marcela sees her brother dressed so strangely. You can borrow one of my suits, and we can throw those rags away, until we can locate your clothes. Did you ride over?" Ignacio shook his head.

"Well, someone will find the horse wherever you left it. Relax for a few moments."

Steam was rising from the bath tub and Ignacio watched it eddy and spin above the bath. It was definitely inviting.

"Thank you Armand. I appreciate all your help."

"It's only hot water," the Colonel said with a twinkle in his eyes. "The least I can do."