Chapter 6: A bite of Jealousy

"There should be a reason for this."

"The reason is right there before your eyes, you just don't want to acknowledge it."

"And when did you suddenly get elevated in this household to raise your voice at me? Tell me, did my dead father marry a second wife?"

"I can't but she often do?"she thought and looked up at him with tear clouded eyes, threatening to drop any moment," I'm sorry sir."

" I thought so."

Amanda walked out of the room weaker than when she showed up at first, barely dragging her legs along, downcast, and resentful of everyone but she had sown the seed of jealousy and doubt in the heart of lord Nicholas Chamberlain.

"Please, at least let me see your face. Let me hold you as well," she moaned as the feeling resurfaced with the caresses that she could feel but not see.

Slowly, she felt a finger going down her chest and stopped midway, between the twin peaks, undecided, and disturbed by the agonizing wait, she reached out to feel him and lead him, but from the left, he pulled down gently the strap of her top and once more, the touch swept across her skin, teasing and breathing on the hairs on her bare skin.

"Please. Let me just hold you," she moaned and in response, she felt him nibbling her right earlobe, gently and suddenly breathed on the back of her ear. She gasped for air, with racing heartbeat, clinging onto the invisible him, wrecked by desire and drowned in the passion. Moaning, the name left her lips, and almost immediately, someone barged in from behind.

"What's going on here," Nicholas thought, looking at the two happy faces, deeply asleep.

He rushed over to the window and found it safely locked, and in a frenzy, he ransacked the entire room, almost overhauling the entire furniture in a bid to catch the adulterous partner of his secret crush.

"Oh dear...we slept off.

Nicholas? Son, what are you doing in here? I didn't hear you come in."

"Sorry mother," and then, Bella woke and met them both, puzzled at their expression.

"Are you certain of what you heard?"

"Mother, I am! There's no way I could have been mistaken. I clearly heard her call the name but I was just as surprised as you are when I walked in and not only found her asleep but you as well.

Oh hell!"

"Well, going by the mission you had earlier, I can summarize that your mind was playing tricks on you."

"Well, you better not, Henrietta."

"Nicholas, " the two women scolded.

"There! There, how does it feel having a taste of that medicine?"he mocked, and shot her a cold glare, pacing about the room, restlessly brushing his black swamp of a hair, low and carved square to his face, meeting his equally low neat beards, complemented by his pink lips.

"Hey guys, anyone see Amanda around?"

"No, but the bitch have been frequenting the laundry for a good cry and I assume she would be there."

" Pet!"

"Yes."

"You weren't this evil."

"Sure, I love you too," the boy who was about her age replied laughing only to turn and meet the furious look on the girl beside him, " oh don't cry...the laundry room is fully booked already, we have no other space for people who want to cry their eyes out,"he added nonchalantly and walked away.

"You wait there," the girl called to him but he went away whistling in his faded brown crossed belt pants.

Hurrying back home, Bella took her usual shortcuts, going through to the back of the mansion to meet the forest floor of Benign Woods that ended few yards in front of her home where she was already knew would be fully drenched by the aroma of her granny's special bacon with special recipe, which she was yet to share with her.

"Oh Olaf, how are you there, " she waved at the only colourful squirrel that she had known in those parts from childhood, and standing nervously, undecided whether to run away with its food or stay back to watch her disappear, away from him, Olaf sat for a while, scratched his but hastily and sped off before Bella could turn around just in time to be knocked out.

"I have never seen him this angry," Henrietta whispered to Mary and when she didn't reply, she drew closer to join her in reading the letter that Nicholas had thrown into Mary's hands.

"I know she's a whore but I loved her same."

"Oh you shut that good for nothing pink lips of yours and find another hobby. I could spare you for anything else but don't you even dare to call that child a whore when you are no less than the king of them all."

"Like seriously, you gonna bite me now? Well, for your information, I wouldn't be this mad if you had groomed her well."

"We both know if there's someone who wasn't groomed well, it would be the one man silly enough to say trash and argue with a woman."

"What?"

"Yes, I agree. I didn't groom someone well but that isn't her. You just judged me for my inability to raise a better you."

" Mother, did you hear that?"

" Don't Nicholas," she snapped at once, " I hate it when you are like this.

Even if you assumption is right, what gives you the dumb idea to use such language."

"But he can't possibly be right, Mary."

Picking up the letter Mary flung on her before sitting, Henrietta took a tiring time, going through the content without an inkling of what they both had seen.

Locking from one to another, she raised it up," So?"

"Well, since it didn't occur to your biased mind of what was being alluded, permit me to inform that, that there is a love letter for saint Bella, whom you are defending, from her lover."

"So?"

"Henrietta," Mary called, "Nicholas heard her calling to one Mr. Sky in her sleep, but this letter is from ...."

"Vincent Dagama!"