After seeing Timothy’s departure, they had all somehow went back to the safety refuge of Alex’s old bedchamber. Zachariah wasn’t exactly invited but he seemed to invite himself. Alex couldn’t do anything and was about to stop Zachariah but he failed. Izzy only laughed as Zachariah sauntered in as if he owned the place. That was always Zachariah.
“Remember when we used to play here with your toys, Zander?” Zachariah exclaimed, pointing to the very rug.
“Yes, I remember all too well. Your imagination got the best of you and you pretended that you were a bird. You proceeded to jump off my desk and break an arm,” Alex laughed, remembering the fond memory. Izzy held in a snicker.
“Okay, we were five,” Zachariah defended himself. “I was trying to release the tension between you two actually. You two were fighting about something insignificant.”
“I think it was a picture book,” Izzy answered, remembering the fight clearly well.
“Yes. Marge and Edith came in and made a huge fuss,” Alek chuckled. “They took the book away from us and told us to get a doctor.”
“I don’t remember much of that,” Izzy grumbled, hating how she couldn’t think that far. She would have been only three or four years old.
“Of course you don’t. It was a long time ago,” Zachariah said. “I remember everyone who took care of us. Although I think I liked Marissa the best.”
The name of her mother made Izzy’s heart beat faster. Did he know something that could help her find more about her mysterious mother?
“Zander, do you remember anything about my mother?” Izzy asked as they all walked down the hallway. She tried many times to imagine her mother walking these halls as a maid but it was hard to imagine when she barely had much description to go on.
“I do not remember much as I was still very young but I remember she was a very nice lady and very beautiful like you,” Alex answered, looking at Izzy with sorrow. They had both lost their mothers at such a young age. He understood how she felt.
“I barely remember her too but I have to agree with Alex. I remember we both tried to win her attention,” Zach laughed, making Izzy’s interest deepen. Was her mother loved by all or just these two men? She wished the other maids would talk of her but they kept their mouths shut.
“I also remember that I used to call her mother but she would never allow it,” Alex said and Zach laughed, agreeing that he had the same vivid memory.
Izzy stood as always but she wasn’t as alert as she usually was. She felt unease as they talked about her mother. She wished she could find her mother’s diary just as Marge had told her. It would be where she least expected it.
Izzy sighed as she walked along side Alex’s large collection of books. She wished again that she could read fluently but reading only a page would take her an hour or so. She knew she would never be graced with that much time.
Her hands felt the dusty bookshelves, touching the bindings of the books as if she were to read them. Her fingers felt a nice leather bound book that felt out of place among the rest. While the other books were bounded like new, the leather one looked very old and well used.
Izzy pulled it out and felt the worn leather in her hands. She flipped the leather book and found out it was an old diary. Her heart quickened as she turned desperately to the first page and gasp. It had said Marissa.
“Izzy, are you listening to what we are saying?” Alex said, looking back to check up on her. She had grown quiet.
“Oh, sorry. I was just looking at your books. May I borrow one?” Izzy asked, holding her mother’s diary but shielding it so the two men wouldn’t see.
“Yes, sure. Of course you can,” Alex said although he had to admit he was quite confused. She knew it would be hard for Izzy to read by herself. “Would you like me to read it for you?”
Izzy quickly shook her head. “No, no. I would like the challenge,” she said quickly.
“Then it is yours,” Alex smiled and Izzy felt the excitement welling inside her as she gripped the leather bound book. She finally had her mother’s possession in her hands.
******
Even though the weather was beginning to grow chilly, it did not stop him from visiting the grave. Not just any grave but her grave.
“I miss you every day,” he sighed, observing the cold air evaporate around him in a white puff.
He held the flowers in his hands and laid it next to the tombstone. Although her body was not in its rightful place, he pretended that she was still here. He reminded himself that her presence was still here. He could feel it more than ever since the recent events.
“Zander has grown into a fine young man, thanks to your care.” He felt the slightest smile appear on his face. “Izzy is growing into a beautiful woman like you were. You would be proud of her.”
He let out a sigh and felt his eyes water. He missed her so much that his heart ached physically and emotionally.
“However, the love I had for you is going down to the generation to my son but I am not surprised, she does come from your blood.” He let out a small chuckle and brushed the tears from his eyes.
“I saw the way he looked at her when one of my men kissed her cheeks. He loves her even though he cannot. His love is as forbidden as ours was.”
He continued to talk, despite the danger of being outdoors. He didn’t care though. His only thoughts were on the woman he once loved. Marissa.