The dinner was set and Mrs. Trudor stood back watching to see if Edna would use the right utensils and I had flashbacks to when I was being taught myself.

"Uh this one," Edna said about the soup and Mrs. Trudor walked looked over and nodded and I did not interfere the teaching as long as Mrs. Trudor was around.

"Mrs. Trudor has been a great teacher," I said complimenting both of them.

"Yes she has been," Edna said taking up the soup to her mouth.

"You should be proud Mrs. Trudor," I looked back at her face and she nodded trying hard to not feel proud of her accomplishment.

Once the dinner was over with Mrs. Trudor, Edna and I were around the piano trying to learn new music when the new lady's maid Henrietta approached us.

"Lady Alice there is someone here to see you," Henrietta said and my hopes were that she would say Mr. Howard, that he had read my letter and was here to talk about it.

"Mr. Henry milady."

"Tell him to come in," I said and did not ask them to leave me.

"Lady Alice," Mr. Henry walked in on all of us four ladies together in the drawing room.

"Yes Mr. Henry."

"Uh I see you are doing well as mother told me."

"Yes I am," I signaled for him to have a seat.

"Uh well I wanted to talk to you about a delicate matter," Mr. Henry then made sure to tell me he needed them to leave.

"Uh Mrs. Trudor, Henrietta you may go," I asked them politely but Mrs. Trudor was not happy about it as Edna stayed behind when we were alone with only Edna I asked him. "Why are you here?"

"Because we must do something about an urgent matter, something that pertains only to us as we are soon to be married," he still did not wish for Edna to be there.

"You will have to say it in front of her or else..."

Mr. Henry grabbed me by the arm and took me to the other side of the room so no ear would hear us and Edna was about to scream at him when I shook my head violently at her not to.

"Edna, no..." I asked her and she stayed in place watching Mr. Henry threaten.

"I need money."

"What for?"

"I need money now; I was called into a business venture that cannot wait until we are married."

"Does your mother know about this?"

"I am my own man my mother does not need to sanction everything I do."

"Then no."

"No?"

"No, you are the puppet in her hands, and if she does not agree to this then neither do I have to bend to your will."

"Is that what you believe? We shall see how you will fare once we are married and your only duty is to please me."

Mr. Henry threw me against the wall and I fell on the floor as Edna came running over to aid me, I had never seen him that angry and desperate before, things had to be pretty dire for the family for him to storm in and threaten me so violently. I only wished Henry had not gone to off to convince his mother to press me out of money before the marriage, I had to think of something before it came to that.

"Milady," Edna helped me up.

"I am sorry you had to see that Edna."

"You must tell someone about this!" She complained.

"Yes but you cannot tell a single soul you hear me? I will take care of this."

"Lady Alice."

"Edna promise me."

"But..."

"Edna there are lives hanging in the balance," I tried to hint her.

"I... Promise," Edna understood and helped me over to a seat.

"Thank you," Edna understood and as she helped me over to a seat Henrietta rushed over to answer the door.

"Hi may I speak to Lady Alice?" I heard Sir Holloway's voice saying from the front door. "Let her know I had the time to spare now on the matters of her lawyer please."

"Yes Sir Holloway," she said and I knew he was standing in the hall just outside.

"Milady," Henrietta walked in I already knew what to say before she finished presenting him.

"Take him to the study please."

"Sir Holloway has been nothing short of the perfect man in love," Edna pointed out.

"Yes the perfect gentleman in every manner a man should be."

"So will you give him back the necklace he left the last time he was here?"

"I may hold on to it," I looked at Edna who wanted to rush me into Sir Holloway's arm after seeing what Mr. Henry was capable of doing and knowing the only one who could stop Mr. Henry was Sir Holloway.

"That is a very wise decision milady."

"Well then let us go see Sir Holloway," I looked at Edna and we made our way to the study.

"Tea sir?" I heard Henrietta ask him as I walked in the study with Edna by my side.

"Henrietta will you please excuse us."

"Uh... Yes milady, of course."

"Bring the tea, in fifteen minutes please."

"Yes," Henrietta was a nervous young maid and she scurried away to the kitchen.

"Edna," I looked at Edna who closed the door and then disappeared into a hidden entrance inside of the study leaving Sir Holloway and I alone or maybe just standing in the passageway in order to hear our conversation.

"Fifteen minutes?" Sir Holloway questioned my timing.

"Yes that should be more than enough for whatever conversation we are to have Sir Holloway."

"Oh this is not a complaint, fifteen minutes is more than enough to see you with my own eyes, make sure you are still alive, and breathing, and well," he came closer and closer with every and.

"Yes I lived though it is a bit hazy as to how or why..."

"So you have no idea how you survived it?"

"None."

"You know I have never met anyone as troublesome as you, you have been quite the handful ever since we met," Sir Holloway smiled.

"Troublesome sir?"

"I knew the moment we met there was something surrounding you, a black cloud, and this cloud scared you, every movement I made was frightful to you," Sir Holloway put his hand on my shoulder.

"Sir."

"Even right now you fear I might harm you, I would not dare, and I am here to clear up the haze for you."

"What haze sir?"

"My right hand man was following you under my orders and he was the one who followed you into that house, he was the one who saved you."

"Are you saying you are the one I owe my life to?"

"No a life is something I do not take from anyone not even yours whom I wish was mine to take," Sir Holloway touched my cheek and I flinched from the contact, "but I have no choice but to confess to what I have done."

"Why confess now?"

"Because I had Lady Walker followed and I know how to disengage you from the Walkers."

"How? How do you know? I told no one."

"Leave the particulars to me for now all I can say is whatever I do will be more than enough to drive them away from you..."

"Sir are you very sure you know, because unless you know everything about how this engagement was made please I urge you to not make a move until you do."

"Then tell me, what are you keeping from me? If you say it I can find a way out..."

Tears formed rising to the surface and Sir Holloway held on to my hands was this the time to tell him the truth?

"Sir Holloway my mother..." I tried explaining through the tears, "she is not with me and I miss her so very much but if I were to never see her again I could not live with that kind of guilt so please be careful."

"Do not fear," Sir Holloway came to the truth and then he made me look at him. "Although everything I have done has been drenched in selfishness, from stealing the fabrics from the seamstress to saving your life, to breaking this engagement I will not rest until you are free to be mine."

"Yours?"

"I will not push you for an answer, not until the Walkers are out of your life then I shall ask you this," Sir Holloway was quite serious unlike the other times we had met.

"Ask me."

"If you will marry me."

"Marry you."

"You should rest; I still have a lot to do while you are recuperating, like your lawyer Mr. Lawdon, I do not trust him."

"You will be searching him then?"

"Yes, there is no other way to find the truth and when I come back everything will be done."

"Done? Just like that?"

"Yes, just like the blink of an eye."

Sir Holloway blinked at me with his usual smirk and I was rocked over with his actions. I watched him open the door and go back into the noisy streets of London and then went back to the drawing room where Edna sat waiting for and Henrietta arrived.

"Milady?" Henrietta was carrying the tea not knowing what to do with it since Sir Holloway had left.

"Oh thank you Henrietta, we will have the tea now," I told her and she came towards Edna and I with the tea.

"So did Sir Holloway help you?"

"I believe he will, tell me do you like Sir Holloway?" I asked her confused myself about how trustworthy he was after being taught better over these four years than to trust men.

"Um well I am not sure I know how to answer this question, why do you ask?"

"Thank you Henrietta you may go," I did not want for Henrietta to hear what I was to say next.

"Why?"

"Because he asked for my hand in marriage in the near future I believe."

"Wait, in the near future? Does that mean he is going to ask or he has asked?"

"Both, he has asked and said he will ask again."

"So are you engaged to Sir Holloway?"

"No."

"Right you are engaged to Mr. Henry still."

"Yes."

"And when you are not, what will you do?"

"I have no idea, has there been a return to my letter from Mr. Howard?"

"Not yet."

"Have the dresses for the Summer dinner arrived?"

"No they arrive tomorrow in the morning with the seamstress."

"Good, I think my health is in perfect state to attend the summer dinner at Stanley Hall."

"As you wish Lady Alice," she said suspicious of my good mood.

The days were flying off the calendar, I wondered when Cynthia might have gotten the letter to be questioned for helping Lydia to get to me and soon the police discovered the burials of two other victims who had worked for Mr. Howard. Still no letter came from Mr. Howard so I kept thinking if this meant rejection if it did then so be it, to know something had come to an end was better than to live in the grey area of it.

July of 1891

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No part, character, names, plot, setting, conflict or resolution, point of view, theme or symbolism of this story may be replicated.

Copyright: All Rights Reserved to A. Sena Gomes.