Prolouge

Isabell ran through the town. Running still while her sides hurt and her breath came faster, but she would not stop until she reached her home. On the other side of town.

She heard from a messanger that her father was ready to go. He was asking for her and the Preist was already there. They were only waiting for her. She could not believe what the messanger had said. He was going to die? How could her father, who had promised to stay with her always was going to leave her. Yes, he was old but why? 'He had promised me he would stay.' She thought childishly.

She came to her home, finally where her husband, Masimo, was waiting at the gate. From the look on his face she knew it was true.

Her father was dying.

" No...No not yet." she said to herself.

When she stepped inside every one was quiet even the objects in the house seemed to quiet down, although the objects made no noise.

The only noise in the house was her mothers soft weeping and her fathers labored breath.

The prist was standing near the bed praying silently over her fathers bed. He stopped at the noise of her entering.

" Isabell." Her father looked over and called to her in a faint voice. "I'm so sorry. I can't keep my promise to you this time."

"You kept every promise to me ever since I was a little girl." She said as she went to his bed and held his hand.

"I want you to have something." He said and handed to her a gold chain that connected to a beautifull little gold cross. Her father took her hand and pressed it into hers as he said. " Wear this every day for the rest of your life. Through it I will Always be with you."

"Papa don't go." She pleaded, with tears in her eyes and a tremble in her voice.

"Isabell." He said between gaspes. "I'll be fine. We will see each other again."

He took his last breath, leaving Isabell and her mother alone. Just like that. So simpley was he takin from her life. She knew that what her father said was true. She had to believe that. Isabell also felt terriable pain in her heart at his loss. Who would always be there for her? Besides her mother and husband. 'No one.' she thought. With this thought the tears finally came in a rush. Besides her mother and husband all she had were tears and a broken heart.

Over the next few weeks every one in the town seemed to be taken over by the mysterious illness that had taken her father along with most of the villagers. Even now her husband was sick with the illness. Everyone, it seemed was leaving her. Even her mother had grown distant from her.

Her husband had come down with the illness and was now confined to their bed. The day he died was one of the sadest days of Isabells life. He awoke during the day. Calling out to her. When she came he asked her to sing to him.

"Why?" She asked.

"I want to hear your voice again." He said.

As she sang to him he seemed to relax and fall back to sleep. Then when she had finished her song he opened and narrowed his eyes at her and said. "I love you, Isabell."

Suddenly she knew. Some how she knew. She just knew that he was going to leave her too. She stayed with him untill he took his last breath. Then he left her alone in the the room they had shared for not long.

With her fathers death she had shed many tears. But with her husband, it seemed she had no more tears left to shed. Isabell sat there in silence. Finally she recovered from the shock, only then did she move.

There were no other last words from Masimo other than ' I love you, Isabell.' He gave no advice on how to live without him. How to get over his loss. He had no last wishes, at least not worth remembering. He just died in their bed.

She did every thing that needed to be done for a dead man. She paid her respects to her in-laws and baried the last person she beleived would love her. She decided then and there that she would never seek love. She felt they would just leave her.

As Isabell walked from room to room in her empty house, she decided to leave. To where? She did not know, but she would leave.

Some of the women had been left alone as she had. All of these women were talking about leaving on the next ship to come in to port. To where it went no one knew and no one asked. It was good enough for Isabell . Some people drank or cried from the pain, but like the other women she would run.

So she packed her few tatered belongings and boarded the ship when it came. On the ship she learned where it was she was heading.

England.

Isabell had never been there before, but soon after she arrived she had found work as a maid. She would settle down and find a new life.