Preys and Predators 3 Love Binds, Family Destroy Chapter 53

 53.

 

Lord Gencio Capulet was uneasy at the loss of update on the whereabouts of his son and the situation of Benvolio. He was later disturbed by the news that Jessica Judas was arrested on the suspicion of harbouring Romeo. He was in the library with Reynard.

“I do not have many I can trust in Genoa, except you now.” Lord Gencio Capulet looked to his guard. “How long have you served the family?”

“Long, my lord.” Reynard who was sidelined to be a mere guard for many years. “I have been more with young Romeo. I have failed the family.”

“Not so, Reynard. You tried your best, but Romeo is what he is; a brat and above all, a rebel.” Lord Gencio Capulet sighed. “I have …… one other son, Lorenzo who is more as a son to me than Romeo.”

“Romeo …… If I may, my lord. He looks to you for love, but you are always on travels. He has no one to relate to, but maybe us……. or Tybalt.” Reynard was to say. “Tybalt was a …….”

“A scoundrel at best. I know of his ways as much as I do with my trade. He protects young Romeo but he is not a food figure to follow.” Lord Gencio Capulet looked at the guard. “Benvolio, he is family but his dislike of the father made him an outcast, and he spends his time at war.”

“Speaking of Benvolio, there were rumours that he was killed by the Montague, but unfounded. His body was disposed of by the butchers who fed parts of him to the pigs.” Everyone knew the pigs will consume any flesh regardless and even bones were broken to be consumed. “His head was burned in the blacksmith.”

“How was it made …….” Lord Gencio Capulet was stunned.

“We are ……. Not indifferent to the acts, my lord.” Reynard confessed. “We …….”

“Do not say it. I will not hear of it.” Lord Gencio Capulet knew that in the line of business, there are occasions that killing was a needed task, and the guards was employed to ensure protection.

“These rumours were from my associates.” Reynard told the lord. “More to it, they disclosed that the murderer was ……. Unknown.”

“Earlier, you said it was the Montague?”

“I did and still believed it was by them, or through their influence. The city of late is visited by many strangers. There is the Count Paris who was the guest of Montague at the ball, the newly arrived Prince Escalus, and I heard of mercenaries with one other named Bran Branvonic, and our secret guest, the Impaler.”

“Yes, I am aware.” Lord Gencio Capulet looked away from his guard. “Vlad Tepes is my doing for the ………”

Lord Gencio Capulet did not mention the rumours of the jewels. He was sure that Reynard knew of it.

“Was the Impaler the reason they are all here?” Reynard asked. Lord Gencio Capulet did not reply but dismissed the guard. His other son, Lorenzo stepped in with the mother.

“Gencio, we need to talk.” Lady Sofia approached the man of the house. Lorenzo closed the door to the library.

“Gencio, Lorenzo wants to wed the Jewish lady named Jessica Judas.” The lady looked at her lover. “He had …… He is adamant on it.”

“Wedding? Lorenzo, you fool. How could you wed her? She is of a different faith.” Lord Gencio Capulet snapped in anger. “Even if I agreed, her parents will object.”

“I love her and told her of my real faith. I am of the Jewish origin. My is Karl Levi Tov, son of Abram Tov. My mother is Rachel Mencies. She ……. Died soon after my birth.” The younger man stepped up to the lord. “All I want now is the blessing……… No, it is not permission to you to leave the Capulet and lived outside of it.”

“Gencio, he is …….” Lady Sofia stepped towards the lord. “He …….”

“You are a Capulet, and will remain as that.” Gencio shouted. “Leave me now. I am to think out the issue with …… Romeo.”

“I will leave the house to wed my love, Jessica Judas.” Lorenzo, in turn, shouted back. “You cannot …….”

“Who? Jessica Judas? I was just told that she is in the Magistrate’s custody.’ Gencio looked from Lorenzo to Lady Sofia. “What has happened to us now? I got a missing son, and now ……. My other son is to leave and wed a Jewish.”

“I must go to Jessica. They only want to know on the whereabouts of Romeo.” Lorenzo stormed off from the library.

“Romeo? Does he know where our son is?” Lord Gencio Capulet looked to the departing figure. “Did he ……”

“I know nothing. It is the first time I hear of it.” Lady Sofia shook her head. “What am I to do now? I will have Rachel to blame me if anything happens to him.”

“Reynard! Reynard! Stop, Lorenzo.” Lord Gencio Capulet called out to the guard. Reynard was in the wing and rushed in.

“Stop, my son, Lorenzo. He knows of the whereabouts of Romeo.”

Reynard turned to leave the library.

In the library of the Montague, Lord Dante Montague opened the drawer and stared at the case there. He felt the urge to take it out but stopped there.

“Dante, do it please.” It was Angeline who stood there in the library door. “It may be the only item to save our daughter.”

“Do what, woman.” Lord Dante Montague slammed the drawer shut. “What is on your mind?”

“If the case contained the jewels wanted by Prince Escalus, use it to bargain for the freedom of Juliet. She does not deserve ……”

“Juliet? When has she become the issue here? She is not wanted by the authorities. It is the son of Gencio that is wanted.” Lord Dante Montague stared at her.

‘Your …… Our daughter is in love with the boy. She will be heartbroken if …….”

“With time and perhaps a trip to another place, or another better boy, she will be back with us.” Lord Dante Montague said. “I had …….”

“You were never over Juliette for a long time. You had our daughter named Juliet to remember her.” Angeline cut in. “You loved Juliette but she was …… beyond your reach. You duel over her love with Gencio, and both of you lost when she was sent to London. Gencio was heartbroken and joined the army. You were struck by grief and took to find the other which was me. I am not Juliette but a part of me was to you.”

“What madness prevails in you?” The man shouted at Angeline.

“Not as deep or hidden behind your mask of deceit.” Angeline snarled at the man. “I knew of the reports that you had requested of her when she was in London. You were courting me then to get know more of her. You loved her so much and upon her wedding that you stopped to think of her, but not for long. You were onto me, praising me and mother, while you leaned on the servants to know of Juliette. Was she happy? Was she returning?”

“Preposterous!” Lord Dante Montague snapped out.

“Preposterous was you. I had questioned my …… desire to be with you for over two seasons before we wed, courteous towards you I was, but it was mother who was impressed with your tenacious effort to get me. Or so it was seen then. Finally, you bought mother over, and with her ailing health, she found it fit to wed me off to you.”

“Angeline……” Lord Dante Montague was without words.

“Angeline I was, and daughter of the Dubier. Could I say no then? As could Juliet says no to you if you were to wed her too? To whom? Count Paris, he is rich, and above all, influential. Or even Prince Escalus, if he was to find another lover.” Angeline smirked at the man. “You will bargain with us like your wares in trade, but unlike the wares, we hold emotions. And we hid them most times……. Deep inside.”

“Dante Montague, how many days and nights were we together? Perhaps one week in a season, longer during winter, but when the mood calls for it, or you will be on the road. You claimed to love me, but does it come from your heart? Your whole heart? If it does, then why did the jewel you promised to my sister remain in your drawer? Mother declined you then, and even with our co-joining of the flesh, you will not let touch that case. Was it your last remembrance of Juliette?”

“I have given you many jewels.”

“But not the one that matters.” Angeline looked at the man. “Juliet’s arrival was the only jewel that held us together. We never held another besides her. It was not my desire to have any more with you. In my life, there is only Juliet.”

“Why do you torment me now?” Lord Dante Montague looked at the lady who was wedded to him. “I did love your sister but that was over soon after ours. I had kept the …….  Whatever of her, but it was not the reason which you mentioned. The jewel is gone. I had traded it a long time ago, but the case was kept. It was my ……. My body without the soul. It was to remind me of the lost love that was once there.”  

“I do love you, Angeline Dubier. It took me sometime to see you from Juliette but I do love you. And still do. Juliet was the name I wanted for it was the name of my daughter if I ever had one. It was my grandmother’s maiden name. She was a great lady and lovely grandmother. If it was a boy we have, then it was to be Andros but we did not have that child.” Lord Dante Montague sighed. “I never told you this before”

“It was coincidental that your sister was named Juliette.”

“It was not you that I did not desire any more children. It was just myself. I was not keen for the world around us was in turmoil with the wars. I was sad to meet the survivors on the roads, and listened to their woes. Was it fair to bring a child to this world to have them continue the hardship here?”

“I am sorry, Dante. I did ……” Angeline looked to her lover.

“You have every right to ask. I was away most times, and when I was with you, I hardly told you about myself.” Dante smiled. “We all lived in difficult times.”

A servant barged in.

“My lord, Lady Juliet left the house. She said she was to look for Romeo.”