The Runt of the Litter

Chapter Twenty-Four

10th October 1835

"You told him?!" Jonathan roared. "Today?!"

Angelica hid her ashen face in her hands.

"I know...I don't know what came over me. I just felt he had to be told as soon as possible, to put an end to all this nonsense..."

"WHAT nonsense, Angelica? Please, DO enlighten me!" Jonathan demanded harshly. He knew he was being unfair. But she wasn't telling him something. His own father had left him, and now there was Angelica to deal with.

"Well at that party, Azure went missing for a while..." Angelica bit her lip, trailing off.

"You are not serious...why didn't you tell me?!" Jonathan groaned. "What happened?"

"She went outside with Robert Gardens and..."

"And?"

"Well, he was being very romantic. Took her under the stars and..."

"Oh God...please don't tell me it gets worse."

"He kissed her. He loves her now, Jonathan."

"And that means he might want to..."

"Yes. Marry her."

Well, Angelica had said it all. About time too. She had certainly kept her cards close to her chest...too close.

"Angelica, if we are to work in alliance for Azure, you have to tell me EVERYTHING that happens, okay? EVERYTHING. As soon as you can," Jonathan explained, kneeling down to her level. She was slumped in a chair, close to tears. "I'm sure we can figure this out but you have to tell em EVERYTHING. Now, what happened when you told Robert Gardens...and what did you tell him?"

Angelica closed her eyes and began to recall what had happened.

"I asked him to step outside with me, where we couldn't be heard. He told me he had business to attend to, would this take long? I reassured him, no it wouldn't take too much time at all. 'Is it Azure you are trying to find?' I asked. 'Yes', he said. I sighed and told him: 'You don't know much about her do you?'

"He replied that no, he didn't and he supposed I did? 'Of course...but it may not be what you want to hear. Azure had a very complicated past, most of which she won't understand. When she was born, Azure seemed a normal child. But as she grew, it was clear something was not right. She was having difficulty learning to speak and she was obsessed with certain things...like the colour blue. She used to cry at strange things, such as putting on a green dress. She would get lost in strange games or fantasies and often lost time crouching down, rocking back and forth. She still does.

"So we had a doctor over when it was clear we were making no progress. The day he told us our daughter was mentally challenged was one of the worst...

"My husband, deceased now, was extremely angry. He hit her, tried to beat it out of her. He hit me when I tried to protect her. He threw her into the attic and made the vow that she would stay there, forever hidden...in case she shattered our reputation. I gave her some food, desperate to keep her alive but not get attached. But I could't help it. She started asking why she couldn't go down and be in the parties she saw. I tried to stop the desire by having her walk around, but it didn't work.

"She came downstairs to a party. I believe she met you then. She also saw the man who had promised to seal her captivity. He didn't recognise her. Now he is captive in his own small space fo a coffin.

"I began thinking she could go to all the parties. I gave her a new name. I called her Azure myself, but she needed a middle and last name. Her favourite colour was blue...so why not Azure Bluebell Indigo?

"Then the night my husband died, she disappeared...with you. I asked for her to tell me where she had been, and now I have no more to say. She is a prodigal daughter, yet she never disobeyed us. By default she became what she is...' then I sat on the verge of tears waiting for a reaction"

Jonathan had listened carefully. Angelica told the story well. She had left out a few things, but Robert needn't know that.

"How did Jonathan react eventually?" Jonathan questioned softly. No need to make Angelica weep yet again. She had cried enough tears to flood the house.

"He stayed silent, then his face went white and ashen. He just stood there, calculating. Then he just let out one swift yell, and stormed off. He didn't know what to say...he just seemed...confused. Angry. Mixed emotions. I'm not sure..." Angelica sighed desperately. "He left. Didn't even go after Azure. What should we do?"

Jonathan was stumped.

"I honestly have no idea..." Jonathan groaned, running a hand through his hair. "I honestly don't have a clue"