Chapter 31

Her voice echoed and everybody heard that. Herbert and Liza knew that nothing can be done now. She will make the move, she approached him and asked, 'Why are you doing this to me?'. He looked at her with confusion. She spoke in anguish, 'Why don't you understand?'. He asked her in restlessness as he held her shoulders steady now drooped with exhausted that she felt since he left. She shed a million tears, and said to him, 'I love you, Johnathan! I came here just for you not to sit with those strangers!'. She paused to regain a spur of energy and told him, 'I have loved you since forever!'. Johnathan couldn't believe what she said, 'I . . .. I thought you loved someone else!'. 'It was you the whole time! You idiot! I wanted to tell you, but I was afraid! But the thought of losing you terrified me more . . .. it almost . . .. consumed me!'. He held her in a hug as she said, 'I don't care if you do not love me back! I just have to tell you or else I would have died with it!'. Johnathan told her, 'But I do love you!'. She said to him while she oozed and wept 'I just cannot take this silence anymore! Why are you so mean? Why are you doing this to me? She cried like a child and battered his chest with her exhausted hand which he now held in his hands. 'I am sorry love! I am awfully sorry that I didn't tell you that I loved you since I saw you the first time! I didn't know it was love but my heart did! It didn't desire anything else but to see you and be with you! That was all! But the thought of you leaving forced me to escape with this aloofness in my imagination!'. She looked into his eyes and said, 'You are an idiot, I am still here with you, and I wouldn't leave till you desire!'.

Eliot paid visit to Catherine's house repeatedly, after this incident. She didn't ask for a separation or a divorce from him. He checked on her and developed a sort of affection for her. It was not out of pity or empathy; it was out of love. He began to like her, and she was so lost that she didn't notice his feelings. It was only when the caretaker mentioned him and said he looks interested in you. She ignored her remark and ask her to engage herself solely to her duty. Catherine thought about Eliot and his visit and none of them felt like he desired her in any way. 'She must be just naïve to say that!' she thought to herself. Eliot again went to her home and this time she requested him, 'Eliot, please you must not visit here quite frequently! People here are talking about us, and I do not want that!'. Eliot looked at her with concern, and asked her, 'Are you sure because people will not be visiting you when you will be sick! Do you worry about them who see your husband with a mistress and do not do something about it!'.

She was not comfortable with his words, and she requested him to leave, 'I am sorry Eliot, but you must leave!'. Eliot saw the agony in the manner she sends her off, as it was not the people, she wanted her out. And the way he gazed at her spoke more than words can. Eliot said good-bye to Catherine and left. He was not there for a good many days. Then he sends Nora off to her house but Catherine who looked fine and healthy was not alright at all. She talked to Nora about not seeing Oliver for weeks now. Nora asked her about her decision to which she didn't respond at all. She said I will live with this sentence that I brought upon myself. Nora knew how Eliot felt about her and told her, 'You should at least have let Eliot visit you! It only comforted him to see you fine!'. Catherine told Nora to remain silent on the matter as she is a married woman herself. 'It is a sin to think of a man beside your husband!' she retorted.

Nora got infuriated at her answer and desired to latch at her to stir some sense into it. But she remained composed and told her, 'What about when a man is constantly seeing other women beside her wife! Cathie, you still have both time and choice! It is not a final verdict! And we are all there to support you!'. Catherine listened to her, but she didn't want to think about it or talk about it. To avoid further argument on the matter Cathie simply reassured her, 'I will certainly think about it!'. Nora hoped while Richard came to pick her up in the evening that she does that. Richard asked her, 'How is Cathie doing?'. She replied, 'Cathie looks fine, but she has not recovered from the betrayal and still holding on! You know what she just asked Eliot not to visit her!'. 'That is not good, poor Eliot!' remarked Richard. 'No, way Richard! Eliot will be fine he can cope well, and he knows Cathie too! He knows that what she is going through that is why he satisfied her request!'.

Catherine didn't visit her mother and therefore, Mrs. Holdcroft accompanied Eliot to her house. She went inside as Cathie opened the door for her, but he waited outside. When Mrs. Holdcroft noticed his absence, he called her to join him in the house. As she went out to call him in, she hesitated at first but them requested him to come in. He didn't look at her with the slightest glance and acted like a stranger to her. When the evening set Mrs. Holdcroft noticed Oliver's absence and questioned her about him, 'Where is my dear son? Where have you hidden him?'. Eliot also asked her about Oliver, and then she cued him not to do that. She told her that he is out of town for business.

Eliot knew she was just lying and desired to tease her, but he spared her. He was angry at her but still didn't desire to trouble her. She thanked her for that, and he just ignored her again as he did during the whole stay in her house. Mrs. Holdcroft noticed that rift between her and Cathie and inquired, 'What is that manner Eliot? You behaved like a stranger, did you two have a fight! And Cathie seems off too! Will you just tell me what is that all about?'. He told her about his conflict with Cathie that she told him, 'Not to visit because people talk bad about us!'.

'Oh! What non-sense! Which era she thinks she is living in? She had never been so absurd? I think that is the matter that troubled her! She should just let these people not meddle with her life!' she added. 'I think it is more of her own mind then anyone's else she is distancing herself from friends and is just hiding out! She doesn't visit Nora as well!' he told her. 'You should have told me when we were in the house! I would have provided her with an earful! What on earth has gotten into that woman!'. Eliot acted as a snitched against her for the first time. And it was all intended to benefit her.

So, he took her by the shoulder and led her to out in the night sky where they sat near the fountain. She placed her head over his shoulder and rested till Mrs. George Earl suggested, 'It would be right for us to return to Johnathan's estate, now!'. Johnathan agreed and they return back home late. Rosalie went to her room, and she slept as she was exhausted. Johnathan was calm as he knew that Rosalie was not going anywhere, Mr. and Mrs. George Earl had to leave but he requested Angie (Mrs. George Earl) to stay with her here. The next morning Mr. George Earl was sent off by Angie. Rosalie slept through the morning and woke up when the maid knocked at her door. Angie brought breakfast for her in the morning that she couldn't eat out of exhaustion. Johnathan requested the maid to check on Rosalie again and she woke up with a fever. It concerned Johnathan who called for a doctor. He told him that she is probably exhausted and needs rest. He prescribed her some medicine which were delivered to him.