Page 85 of Isabel and the Rogue

Isabel’s brow crinkled as she considered that. She’d carried an enormous amount of guilt on her shoulders for how her lack of circumspection had brought such danger into their lives and changed the trajectory of Ana María’s future. Despite knowing how happy her older sister was, the guilt had always been a nagging ache in the back of her mind.

“Isa, no matter the failures you think you experienced, you ultimately found information that saved Presidente Juárez’s life.” Gabby’s hazel eyes swam with unshed tears. “Your quick thinking very well may have saved democracy in Mexico.”

Overcome with emotion, Isabel pressed her lips together and looked away. She certainly didn’t think her efforts deserved such praise…but it consoled her nevertheless.

Gabby said nothing else for a spell, and Isabel was thankful for a quiet minute to reflect on how much she would miss these moments with her sister once Isabel left for Mexico.

“Is there another reason you were so eager to accept Presidente Juárez’s invitation?” Gabby asked into the silence.

She wouldn’t miss her sister’s uncanny ability to knock her off-balance.

Isabel cleared her throat, feigning nonchalance. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Yes, you do, Isa.” Gabby slid off the bed and approached Isabel’s chair, crouching down to look up at her downturned face, her skirts pooled about her. “I haven’t pushed you, but now that you’re leaving, I have to ask if you’ve been nursing a broken heart over Captain Dawson?”

Isabel flinched before she could contain her reaction. “N-no. I told you there was nothing serious between us. This has nothing to do—”

“I heard you two talking. In your room.” Gabby placed a hand on her knee. “I saw him leave, Isa.”

She thought she had been so careful. Isabel was certain no one had heard them. Had heard the argument between her and Sirius, and later her throat-scouring tears. Neither Gabby nor Lady Yardley had mentioned it. Isabel had allowed herself to mourn the loss of Sirius and what could have been between them in solitude. Yet her sister had known the whole time.

Wrapping her arms about her waist, Isabel choked down the rush of emotions she’d worked so very hard to stifle.

Waiting while her throat worked convulsively, Isabel finally said, “My time with Captain Dawson was a finite thing. It was destined to come to an end.”

It was a truth Isabel repeated to herself over the next week as she prepared for her departure. She packed her books with care, setting aside several novels she thought Gabby would like. When she came across the book of poetry she never returned to Sirius, Isabel shed a few tears, thankful no one was about to question why.

Gideon had secured her a first-class ticket to Altamira, and Tío Arturo had coordinated with emissaries for the president to deliver her to the location where the cabinet had moved ahead of the French. Neither Isabel nor her uncle knew exactly where that was, but Tío Arturo speculated it was somewhere in Nuevo León. Isabel had never been to the northern state, but she looked forward to exploring it…well, as much as she could with her new responsibilities. She also looked forward to seeing her mother again and being enfolded in her firm embrace.

However, Isabel was apprehensive to be reunited with her father. She may have uncovered information that ultimately saved his life, but that didn’t necessarily mean Elías Luna’s opinion of her had changed. She knew Padre Ignacio had lobbied hard on her behalf, and the invitation to assist Señora Maza de Juárez was an honor not bestowed lightly. However, her father’s approval was a constantly moving target. Such a realization would have gutted her in the not-too-distant past, but now Isabel allowed it to touch her only with a passing sadness.

Isabel pondered that change of perspective as she watched Lady Yardley’s footmen unload her trunks from the carriage. Gabby stood on her right and Ana María on her left, their arms looped with her own. Neither of them spoke during the carriage ride from Yardley House to the docks, and Isabel was grateful. She had spent the last week with them, whether they dined together for meals, took walks in the park, or simply laughed over their shared memories. Ana María had even stayed in her old room at Yardley House for several nights, claiming she didn’t want to be away from Isabel for a moment. It had been a long goodbye, filled with deep discussions, lighthearted jesting, and heartfelt confessions. Her sisters had become her best—her only—friends, and she was leaving them behind. Isabel was just beginning to understand who she was as a person, and now she would have to be that new Isabel without the two most important people in her life. Her grip on her sisters tightened.

Was she making the right decision? Isabel thought she knew the answer, but now that she stood on the windy docks, the expanse of the Atlantic looming before her, she wasn’t sure.

“I’m so proud of you, Isa, and all you’ve accomplished.” Ana María leaned into her side. “And working with Señora Maza de Juárez will give you the opportunity to do so much more than you ever could have done here.”

Isabel swallowed audibly. “I hope I always make you proud, querida.”

“I have no doubt you will,” Ana replied, her dark eyes glassy.

“You were too much for London, Isa. Too intelligent, too brave.” Gabby’s voice broke, and she pressed her cheek to Isabel’s shoulder. “And too brilliant for this gray city.”

“Gabby,” she choked out, all other words strangled by her unshed tears.

“The only consolation I have in your leaving is that you will finally be able to show your worth for all the world to see.” Her younger sister patted her arm. “No hiding, when you were meant to shine.”

Gabby’s words were reminiscent of those someone else had uttered to her once before, and Isabel gritted her teeth against the memory.

Instead, she enfolded both her sisters in her arms and cried.

Isabel wasn’t sure how long they held on to one another, their sniffles and shuddered breaths the only sounds they shared, but eventually Gideon informed them that passengers were boarding the ship. Isabel clung several more moments to her sisters before she finally stepped back, patting her cheeks with a handkerchief.

“This is not goodbye forever, Isa,” Ana said, cupping her face and bussing both of her cheeks. “Once the war is over, we will visit. Perhaps you will be kind enough to introduce us to Presidente Juárez.”

“I’ll think about it,” Isabel replied archly and then chuckled at Gideon’s expression of mock offense.

After saying goodbye to her brother-in-law, and reminding him to care for Ana María, she shared her thanks and well-wishes with Tío Arturo and Lady Yardley. Finally, Isabel turned to Gabby. Her sister was no longer crying, her expression stoic and resolute. Isabel was not used to seeing her so somber. Without hesitation, she wrapped her arms around Gabby’s shoulders and buried her face in her neck.