AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He extended an emerald ring to Isabella. She gasped at the size of the stone. It was a beautiful rectangular cut, and the rich hue of the green gem against the gold was impressive.
“I want to give you this ring as a token—a promise. I want you to marry me, and this will be our pledge to one another,” Diego declared.
“It’s so beautiful, but I dare not wear it. Please keep it for me. I don’t want to lose it.” Isabella closed his fingers around the ring.
“I cannot keep it with me. Someone is sure to steal it. Please keep it with your other jewelry. If your mother or father comments on it, tell them your aunt bought it for you.”
“Lie to them over a ring? I don’t think I could.”
He pressed the ring into her hand. “Please take it and pledge yourself to me alone. In fact, let’s elope. We could run away, and I could marry you.”
“We’d lose a lot. I have so little unless I marry a man my father approves.”
“Your father will hardly live long enough to approve me. He looks worse every day, I hear.”
Isabella took the ring and held it to her heart. She didn’t know why, but his comment left her cold and uneasy. “If we ran away together, we’d have little or no money. My grandparents’ money is still under my father’s care, and I haven’t received my aunt’s jewels yet. Although I would never consider selling them. So you see, we would be unable to take care of ourselves, and they would no doubt come after us.”
Diego thought for a moment. “Well, we could put on a pretense that would solve all of our problems.”
Isabella frowned. “What do you mean?”
“You and I could make it look like you’d been taken. Kidnapped and held for ransom. I could get a couple of friends to help us.”
“That sounds dangerous.” She bit her lower lip, her uneasiness growing.
“It wouldn’t be, because I would be there. The men would be good friends of mine.” His words gained speed as he seemed to warm to the idea. “See, we could agree on a place to meet, and you would go to a hiding place with me and my men. We would send your father a ransom letter demanding a certain amount of money and telling him where to leave it. I could even act as the hero and pretend to find you afterthe money was exchanged. My men would get a cut of the money, but most of it would be ours for our escape.” He grinned.
Isabella could hardly believe he was suggesting such a thing. Her father was in such a weakened state that something like this would surely push him over the edge—kill him.
“No. I cannot do that to my family. Besides, Papi would never let you marry me after pulling such a stunt.”
“He’d never know. I’m certain I can work out the details and see this through.”
“No.” Isabella shook her head. “We’ll find a way to convince my father to get you out of the mine. I don’t want you having to continue with such hard work. Just be patient. I’ll get this figured out.”
“But my way would be quicker and so easy.” Diego drew her to her feet and pulled her close. “Just think, we could be man and wife in a matter of days rather than months or years.”
His comment made Isabella angry. He had no consideration for her father or her mother. When Isabella thought of the fear it would cause them, she couldn’t stomach the idea in any form. It angered her that Diego considered it a viable plan.
“We are not going to do that,” she stated firmly. She saw anger flash in Diego’s eyes and reached out to touch his arm. “Don’t be angry with me.”
“I’m not. I’m just so disappointed. I want to be with you, Isabella.”
“And I want to be with you, but not like that. Now, I’d better get back to the house before someone comes looking for me. Will you be able to leave unnoticed?”
“I’ll be fine.”
He didn’t sound fine. He still sounded angry, but Isabelladecided to ignore it. She headed to the storage room door and cracked it open to look outside. “It’s all clear. I’ll go first. We’ll try to meet again soon.”
She made her way back to the house, cutting in through the arched opening to the courtyard. She was nearly to the hall door when she heard her name called. She turned to find Aaron Bailey coming from the same direction she’d taken.
“Yes?” she asked.
“Your father is asking for you, and no one knew where you’d gone.”
“It’s not important. I just needed some time to myself. Where is Papi?”
“In the library.” Aaron’s expression told her he didn’t believe her. “I hope you know what you’re doing. Diego Morales is not someone I’d trust, and you may find yourself in trouble if you aren’t careful.” With that, he turned and left.
Isabella was stunned that he knew she’d been with Diego. She’d been so careful and had been certain no one knew where she’d gone. She stared after him. Would he say anything to her father? She certainly didn’t want to explain her secret meeting with Diego.
She sighed heavily. None of this was Aaron’s business. He was nothing more than a worker for the railroad and her father. He had no right to chastise her, and at her first opportunity, she intended to tell him to mind his own business and leave hers alone.
