Isabelle
“I feel ashamed.” Isabelle said softly and watched Agatha.
“You have no reason to feel shame.” Alfred said quickly. “I absolve you from it.”
“I have not provided you with an heir, I am a failure.”
Alfred’s tone became stern, “Isabelle. You mean far more to me than any heir.”
He glanced down at their daughter and became frustrated with his inability to seduce his bride. She enjoyed the company of a thief over a gentleman anyway, and he was finding it hard to contain his temper.
His words became sharper and louder. “What would it be to gain an heir and loose the love of my life?” he snapped at her. “Do you not realize I would treat him with contempt every day of his life for depriving me of the woman I loved?”
Agatha began to cry.
Alfred ignored the pleadings of his daughter to stop. He wanted to drive the point home and end this foolish endeavor. “What sort of a life is that for a child? What kind of a cruel mistress are you to wish such horror on an innocent child?”
Isabelle tried desperately to console Agatha.
Alfred reached down and snatched Agatha away. He practically had to shout to be heard over Agatha’s cries. “Do not pretend to care about this child’s cries, when you are determined to ruin her life with no regard. When you would willing throw a child to the wolves over society’s whims.”
The nanny came out and stood at a distance, but Alfred’s glare warned her to stay away. She wrung her hands and fretted as she watched the maddening spectacle take place.
“You care more about what other people think than your own husband? What place have they in your life inside these walls? Are they here? Will they help your son after you are long gone and he is left here with me, bitter and disillusioned? Will that ease your heart and conscience while you watch him from the beyond? You worry over this child’s cries as if they mattered to you at all!”
“Please stop!” Isabelle stood up. Tears were beginning to form in her eyes. She was afraid to reach for her daughter, she was afraid he might do something to hurt her. She’d never seen him act like this before.
“If you cared about this child at all, you would be happy with her. You would enjoy the time you have together, not wish to rip her world apart.” he walked over and handed the screaming child to the nanny to be taken in.
Isabelle felt a slight relief as the nanny walked inside. She tried to control her sobbing but ended up chocking all the more on the lump in her throat.
He walked closer to his sobbing wife, and said in a calm reasonable tone. “Have you no love in your heart at all?”
“Shame.” Alfred looked away from Isabelle. “You have plenty of reason to feel shame. You made a vow to me on our wedding day. A vow to stand by me. A vow that before God bound us together as one. You are free to go, that is called free will. I will not stop you.” His tone took that of deep warning, “However I forbid anymore children as long as you live with me, My Beloved.”
Isabelle was no longer shedding tears. She felt a little afraid of her husband, of what he might do. She had never seen him so angry.
He turned to her, “I will not live like this any longer. My dearest Isabelle. You must make a choice. Tonight.”