CHAPTER 51

Arthur Cummings never considered himself an intellectual person. He’d never been anywhere near the honor roll in school, nor could he do complex math. But he was street-smart, methodical, and patient.

Very patient.

He moved with a singularity of purpose that would amaze even a Tibetan monk. Patience is a virtue, he believed. And now, he would be reaping the rewards of patience. Glancing at the sleeping form on the rumpled bed made his heart leap.

Louisa Almendrez. At last!

He still couldn’t believe he’d finally done it. He’d waited for this moment for years. The moment when he would have the girl he’d been dreaming about since he laid eyes on her. True, she was no longer a girl now. But the woman she’d become turned out to be even more desirable than the one who haunted his dreams. And consummating their love would be even more pleasurable now, too.

He looked at her with longing. How many nights had he spent dreaming of her? He could no longer tell. But everything he’d done for the past ten years had been for her, for this time when he would be able to claim her for his own. And he would not let anyone come between them anymore. When they come back for her father’s blessing, she would already be carrying his child. He would make sure of it.

No one knew, not even the parents who disowned him, that he had been amassing a neat fortune for himself. He’d acquired a few modest properties in Yorkshire. Two of which he’d turned into breeding stables for his Thoroughbreds. The London apartment he’d told his friends he’d been renting was actually his. His parents had looked down on his modeling career. But it had been very lucrative and had opened doors to new business adventures for him. Yes, he still gambled, but he was not as reckless as before. And truth was, he’d become more of a financier than a gambler since he’d returned to England. It was only these past few days when he was getting restless that he’d indulged his old habit. But not too much and not enough to put a dent in his finances.

Everything he’d done was because of, and for, Louisa. The only woman he’d ever loved.

He could spirit her away, take her to his place in Sao Paolo where neither of them would be easily recognized. But it would make them a little more like fugitives, and he couldn’t do that to her. He could not cut her off from her life completely. He knew how hard she worked for her furniture shop. He also knew how much she loved her father. Why else would she have denied their relationship before, had it not been for her devotion to her Papa? Besides, once they rekindled their love, he was confident she would see the wisdom of his plans.

Arthur rose from his chair and sat down on the bed beside Louisa. He moved a strand of hair covering her eye. She stirred a little but did not wake up. The ether he used on her would wear off soon. Just as well. He needed to talk to her as soon as possible, yet he couldn’t rush waking her up. It might cause her to resist him again. His ire rose. remembering how she tried to run away from him. He shook it off and excused her earlier action to nerves. And a little anger, too. He left her to fend for herself for ten years with nary a word. Of course, she would be mad at him. But once he’d explained his side, she would forgive him, and they could go on as before.

Being this close to Louisa wreaked havoc on his senses. The sweet scent of her that he remembered from long ago made him want to lose himself in those dark tresses. How he longed to taste those lips again, to once more feel her body against his. The soft rising and falling of her chest made him think of the night in the caves. Had it not been for the arrival of her mutt, Matthew, he would’ve had the pleasure of sampling those soft mounds. Of course, they were not as well developed as they were now. But still, he would’ve loved to be the first, and the only one, to have claimed them. Now, he feared she was no longer as pure as she was before. No woman who passed through Gabriel Montoya’s hands would ever be able to remain pure. He was the devil incarnate.

Thinking of Gabriel Montoya made Arthur jump to his feet. He promised himself he would deal with the bastard as soon as Louisa was back in his arms. And that’s what he needed to do now. He must do away with the greatest threat to his and Louisa’s happiness. If only he had been wealthier than the Montoyas, then he would've been able to strike a deal with Gabriel. Isabella had assured him Gabriel was only marrying Louisa to claim his inheritance. If only he had the means to compensate Gabriel for breaking his engagement to Louisa. Unfortunately, his modest wealth would not even compare to what Gabriel would inherit. Which forced him to resort to something less honorable. He should’ve done it a long time ago, he realized now. Too bad he placed too much faith on the charms of that inept fool, Isabella.

It had been quite easy at first. He had kept in touch with Anselmo, one of the vaqueros working at the Hacienda Constantina. Anselmo kept him up to date with all the developments in Louisa’s life. The man assured him that Louisa never brought home any boys, which pleased him. It made him believe she was waiting for his return. But everything fell apart when he met Isabella. She was the one who told him about Gabriel’s betrothal to Louisa. Looking back on it, he realized fate was still on his side despite everything.

His meeting with Isabella was plain accidental. And something he never thought would benefit him. She was drinking up a storm, trying to heal her devastated heart, and he was there waiting for his buddies. She was a very attractive woman, and he was in the mood for some fun that night. He rarely dabbled with women, feeling guilty of cheating on Louisa whenever he did. But he was a man, and he had his needs. And that night, his need was pouring out of his ears, having spent too much time without a woman. And so, he approached her, and they ended up in bed. Somehow, Isabella poured her heart out to him in the afterglow.

He was quite surprised when Isabella confessed she was dating Gabriel Montoya. He knew Gabriel, and he rarely, if ever, saw him with a woman. He once thought the bloke was gay and was only hiding the fact due to his illustrious lineage and pedigree. They’ve also been friendly with each other due to their mutual interest in horses and racing. It amused him to know Gabriel was dating Isabella, albeit in secret. But then Isabella told him of Gabriel's engagement to Louisa Almendrez. Arthur started planning Gabriel’s elimination from Louisa’s life from that moment on.

At first, he didn’t know how he could use Isabella to put his plan into action. He thought her desperation to marry Gabriel stemmed from love. But when she admitted her feelings for him, Arthur concluded she was only after Gabriel’s money. Which by all intents and purposes, was more helpful. It made it easier to manipulate Isabella into doing his bidding. Seducing Isabella and making her fall for him was easy enough. She was lonely, hurt, and very vulnerable. She would’ve run away with him, but she, for some unknown reason, needed Gabriel to marry her. And he, too, needed Gabriel to marry Isabella to free Louisa from their engagement. Thus, the plan to trick Gabriel into marrying Isabella came into being.

His acquaintance with Gabriel proved helpful, too. It enabled him to get close to the fool and put their plan into motion without him suspecting anything. Isabella would’ve preferred to be in truth married to Gabriel, but Arthur couldn’t care less about it. All he needed was for Louisa’s father to break her engagement to Gabriel. He would then whisk Louisa away and convince her to marry him.

Everything was falling into place until Isabella got herself pregnant.

With his child.

There was no question about the child’s paternity. Isabella had not been with Gabriel after they started dating. He knew he should’ve stopped sleeping with her once he had convinced her to cooperate with his plan. Still, he didn’t want her to doubt his feelings for her. She must keep on believing he was doing it for both of them so that they could get their hands on the Montoya fortune. It took a lot of convincing to make Isabella pass it off as Gabriel’s child. The silly woman actually wanted to give up on their plan and marry him.

As if he would ever acknowledge the child was his!

It’s not that he disliked children. He planned on having a couple himself, but only with Louisa. For him, only Louisa was worthy of bearing his children.

The thought of having kids with Louisa stirred him anew. And before he could stop himself, he was lying beside her, staring at her sleeping form. Her lips, red and plump as always, parted in sleep. It drove him mad with desire. Before he knew it, his lips were on hers, tasting the sweetness denied him for so long. Soon, he was craving for more. He started to deepen the kiss, his hands moving to Louisa’s waist, pulling her closer to him. He felt her move against him, igniting his passions even more. It was only when she began pushing away from him that he disengaged from her to see if she was awake.

Indeed, she was! And she was glaring at him.

“I’m glad you’re awake now, my love. We’ve got a lot to discuss,” he said, smiling at her incredulous expression. He dismissed it as nothing more than surprise at seeing him again. The momentary shock would fade in a few minutes and joy at their reunion would replace it.

“Arthur? Arthur Cummings?” Louisa croaked.

“Yes, my love. It's me. In the flesh. I’ve finally come home to you.”

Louisa shoved hard at him and rolled to the edge of the bed. She jumped to her feet and made a quick dash for the door. But he was more agile than her and he was already blocking the door by the time she reached it.

“Sweetheart, I know you’re mad at me for leaving you. But your father gave me no choice! And I understood his point. You were too young to marry me back then,” Arthur said, leaning against the door.

“What are you talking about, Arthur? Let me go.”

“Please, my love. Hear me out. I didn’t mean to leave like that. And I’m sorry if I didn't keep in touch. I didn’t want to let your Papa know of my whereabouts. He was so against our relationship he even threatened to have me arrested if I ever talked to you again. And I couldn’t let that happen, could I? It would’ve ruined my preparations for our future.”

“What future, Arthur? And what relationship are you talking about?”

Arthur sighed in frustration. She was going to make him grovel at her feet for forgiveness. Well, he would indulge her this one time. It was his fault anyway.

“Louie, I know I was an ass for keeping you waiting this long. Preparing for our future took me longer than expected. Oh, but you’re going to be so proud of me, my love. I may not be as rich as the Montoyas, but I can now provide for our family in luxurious comfort. I have several properties in Yorkshire. And I’ve already started breeding Thoroughbreds as we’d planned before.”

Louisa's reaction bewildered and disappointed him. She was backing away from him, her eyes wild and filled with fear. He could not understand why she was afraid of him. Had her father succeeded in poisoning her mind against him? Had Gabriel turned her head and changed her heart?

No! This can’t be! I waited too long to be with her! I cannot let anyone get in the way again! I must have her! She’s the only one for me!

“Louie, forgive me, please. I’m here now. I’ve come back for you,” he said as he approached Louisa.

Louisa swerved to the side in a flash and darted past him. She almost made it to the door, but Arthur was able to grab her shirt and pull her back to him.

“What is wrong with you, Louie? Have they poisoned your mind against me? Why do you fear me?” he said, his heart breaking at the sight of Louisa’s teary eyes. Despite his anger, his arms went around Louisa, enclosing her in a tight embrace.

“Arthur, please let me go. I will not tell them about you. I won’t tell them you kidnapped me,” Louisa said, sobbing against his chest.

The word ‘kidnapped’ slashed at his innards like icy steel. It was the threat Don Ramon had used against him before. “Leave or I will have you thrown in jail for kidnapping!” Louisa’s father had said.

And Arthur finally realized what was happening. Don Ramon had convinced Louisa he had kidnapped her when he took her to those caves. It's why she’s afraid of him. Now he knew what he must do. It was obvious it would take more than one night to revive their interrupted love affair. He must keep her away from everyone else. He must woo her back with patience and love. For that to happen, he must hide her from anyone who could turn her against him again. He must make her stay. Even if against her will.

“I’m sorry, Louie. But I can’t let them separate the two of us again,” he said. He took out the ether-soaked handkerchief he used on her earlier with reluctance. If only there was another way.

And even as Louisa struggled against him, he covered her mouth and nose with the cloth. He didn't remove it until he felt her slump against him. He lifted her and laid her back on the bed. He thought of tying her up but decided against it. Waking up tied to a bed would not endear him to Louisa. Still, he needed to make sure she could not run away.

As he debated with himself about what to do with Louisa, his phone vibrated against his leg. He knew without even looking that it would be Isabella. Another aspect of his life he needed to address posthaste. He was not in any mood to talk to her, but he could not afford to raise any undue suspicions. Plucking out his phone from his pants’ pocket, he composed himself as best as he could. When he finally answered the call, his voice was as sweet and syrupy as honey.

“Isabella, my dearest! I was just thinking about you.”