Left to Ourselves; or, John Headley's Promise. by Catharine Shaw
other, I'm sure you may trust me!"
"My child, I trust you for all that you know; but there are things which no one but a mother can know."
"Of course there are. Oh, I don't for a moment mean that I shall do as well as you, mother, only--"
"Yes," answered Mrs. Headley, thoughtfully, "you see, Agnes, your dear grandmother in America is pronounced to be failing very fast. I have not seen her for twenty years, and if I do not go now I may never see her again in this world."
"And father's having to go there on business now makes it so easy."
"Easy all but leaving you children."
"But I am nineteen now, mother-quite old enough to be trusted; besides, grandmama and aunt Phyllis live next door, and if anything happened I could run in to them."
Mrs. Headley smiled, looking half convinced.
"Who is it you are afraid to leave?" asked Agnes coaxingly. "Is it me, mother?"
"You?" echoed Mrs. Headley, stroking her face tenderly. "No, not you, dear."
"Then it is John."
"No, no; John is a good boy, he will help you I am sure."
"Then is it Hugh?"
"No; Hugh is steady, and very fond of his lessons; and he will be sure to do as you wish him, if he promises beforehand."
"Then is it Alice?"
Mrs. Headley shook her head.
"Then it must be Minnie, for there's no one else. And as to Minnie, you know I love her exactly as if she were my own child."
Mrs. Headley laughed a little, though bright tears filled her eyes and fell down into her lap.
"Don't you think I do?" asked Agnes soberly-not half liking the little laugh, or the tears either for that matter.
"You love her as much as you possibly can, dearest, but that does not give you my experience. No, Agnes, it is not Minnie or any one in particular, but it is the five of you all together that I'm afraid to leave. I am so afraid they might get tired of doing as you said."
"They never have yet, mother. You ask them, and see."
Mrs. Headley looked thoughtfully into the fire, and was silent for a long time. So was Agnes, till at last she roused up suddenly and put her hand into her mother's.
"There's one Friend I shall always have near, nearer than next door; always at hand to help and counsel-eh, mother dear? We had not forgotten Him, only we did not say anything actually about Him."
"Yes, my child, I do not forget; and if I were more trustful I should not be so afraid."
Mrs. Headley rose and left the room just as the door opened, and John came in.
"Holloa, Agnes, all alone in the dark," he exclaimed, stumbling over the stools and chairs. "Why don't you have a light?"
"Mother and I were talking, and we did not want any."
"About America? Don't I wish it was me instead of her, that's all!"
"But, you see, that is not the question," said Agnes, watching her brother lean back against the mantelpiece with nervous eyes. "John, you'll knock something down."
"Not I. Of course it isn't the question; but why doesn't mother want to go?"
"She does want to go; only, you see, John, she's afraid we shall not all get on together."
"Is she afraid we shall quarrel?"
Agnes nodded.
"I shan't."
"Perhaps not."
"But Hugh will?" he asked, smiling.
"Hugh and John together," answered Agnes, smiling too.
"Very likely."
"Do you think you will?" asked his sister, drawing back.
"What a frightened question! Agnes, look here; I'll promise you--"
"What?"
"It takes two to make a quarrel, doesn't it?"
"Yes."
"Then I'll promise you to walk out of the room at the first indication of a squabble. Will that make things straight?"
"If you will not forget."
"If I do, you look at me, and I'll fly, or be 'mum'!"
"All right, I will," answered Agnes soberly. "John, I believe mother thinks she ought to go, and so I am sure we ought to make it easy."
"I mean to."
Agnes kissed him gratefully, but did not speak, yet John understood, and when she had gone out of the room he fancied he felt a tear left on his coat.
He roused himself up, and turned round to poke the fire into a blaze.
"My eye!" he ejaculated, half audibly, "it will be a go to do without mother for three months."
* * *
Three years ago, the Moore family opposed Charles Moore's choice to marry his beloved woman and selected Scarlett Riley as his bride. Charles didn't love her. In fact, he hated her. Not long after they got married, Scarlett received an offer from her dream university and jumped on it. Three years later, Charles's beloved woman fell terribly ill. In order to fulfill her last wish, he called Scarlett back and presented her with a divorce agreement. Scarlett was deeply hurt by Charles's abrupt decision, but she chose to let him go and agreed to sign the divorce papers. However, Charles seemed to delay the process deliberately, leaving Scarlett confused and frustrated. Now, Scarlett was trapped between the consequences of Charles's indecision. Would she be able to break free from him? Would Charles eventually come to his senses and face his true feelings?
In order to fulfill her grandfather's last wish, Stella entered into a hasty marriage with an ordinary man she had never met before. However, even after becoming husband and wife on paper, they each led separate lives, barely crossing paths. A year later, Stella returned to Seamarsh City, hoping to finally meet her mysterious husband. To her astonishment, he sent her a text message, unexpectedly pleading for a divorce without ever having met her in person. Gritting her teeth, Stella replied, "So be it. Let’s get a divorce!" Following that, Stella made a bold move and joined the Prosperity Group, where she became a public relations officer that worked directly for the company’s CEO, Matthew. The handsome and enigmatic CEO was already bound in matrimony, and was known to be unwaveringly devoted to his wife in private. Unbeknownst to Stella, her mysterious husband was actually her boss, in his alternate identity! Determined to focus on her career, Stella deliberately kept her distance from the CEO, although she couldn't help but notice his deliberate attempts to get close to her. As time went on, her elusive husband had a change of heart. He suddenly refused to proceed with the divorce. When would his alternate identity be uncovered? Amidst a tumultuous blend of deception and profound love, what destiny awaited them?
Betrayed by her mate and sister on the eve of her wedding, Makenna was handed to the ruthless Lycan Princes as a lover, her indifferent father ignoring her plight. Determined to escape and seek revenge, she captured the interest of the three Lycan princes, who desired her exclusively amid many admirers. This complicated her plans, trapping her and making her a rival to the future Lycan queen. Entwined in jealousy and vindictiveness, could Makenna achieve her vengeance in the intricate dance with the three princes?
"I, Sophia Addison, of the Crescent Moon Pack, deny your rejection, Jacob Carter." I smiled triumphantly at him and he just glared at me. I can hear loud gasps and whispers throughout the place. They cannot believe that their goody-two-shoes of a senior year president is rejecting me in front of everybody. What goody-two-shoes? More like a two faced jerk! That is why, here I am, denying his rejection. Oh well, I refuse to suffer alone. So...let us both suffer together my dear mate.
Rena got into an entanglement with a big shot when she was drunk one night. She needed Waylen's help while he was drawn to her youthful beauty. As such, what was supposed to be a one-night stand progressed into something serious. All was well until Rena discovered that Waylen's heart belonged to another woman. When his first love returned, he stopped coming home, leaving Rena all alone for many nights. She put up with it until she received a check and farewell note one day. Contrary to how Waylen expected her to react, Rena had a smile on her face as she bid him farewell. "It was fun while it lasted, Waylen. May our paths never cross. Have a nice life." But as fate would have it, their paths crossed again. This time, Rena had another man by her side. Waylen's eyes burned with jealousy. He spat, "How the hell did you move on? I thought you loved only me!" "Keyword, loved!" Rena flipped her hair back and retorted, "There are plenty of fish in the sea, Waylen. Besides, you were the one who asked for a breakup. Now, if you want to date me, you have to wait in line." The next day, Rena received a credit alert of billions and a diamond ring. Waylen appeared again, got down on one knee, and uttered, "May I cut in line, Rena? I still want you."
She was a world-renowned divine doctor, the CEO of a publicly traded company, the most formidable female mercenary, and a top-tier tech genius. Marissa, a titan with a plethora of secret identities, had hidden her true stature to marry a seemingly impoverished young man. However, on the eve of their wedding, her fiance, who was actually the lost heir to a wealthy dynasty, called off the engagement and subjected her to degradation and mockery. Upon the revelation of her concealed identities, her ex-fiance was left stunned and desperately pleaded for her forgiveness. Standing protectively before Marissa, an incredibly influential and fearsome magnate declared, "This is my wife. Who would dare try to claim her?"