***

The lively atmosphere at the luncheon was a contrast to the gloomy air that hung over the Mclears household.

Like the previous meeting, the study held the presence of four people; Mr Mclears, who was soaked in sweat and seemed to have gone balder, a very angry Mrs Mclears pacing back and forth the length of the study, and their two sons, Tam and Lionel, who glanced gloomily at each other.

“How could you let the ministry have him? How do we find the royal gold now?!” Mrs Mclears fumed at no one in particular. She wanted to scold her sons, but what had they really done wrong? Could they counter the ministry? No matter how much money they had, she knew just how long their hands reached.

“We were early, but the man had already committed a crime and was taken before we could. They had him for one night before he committed suicide,” Tam, the younger son explained.

“That kind of money, even if we sold ourselves, we could not produce. If only father had not accepted that kind of money. Anybody, yes, But the royal family,” he turned his attention to his shaking father. Though he understood his mistake will not be shouldered by him alone; as the king would have their entire generation executed like in the Townsdale matter decades ago; he could not help frowning at this disappointing father before him.

“Enough!” Mrs Mclears' voice returned them from their deep thoughts.

“Darling, you know a way right? You will help your husband out, right?” Mr Mclears grabbed onto his wife's skirt, falling on his knees to plead. He was too busy crying into her skirt to see the glint that flashed through her eyes. She patted his bald spot slowly.

“Go rest, dear, I will handle this. Remember your blood pressure; you need not be involved in this,” Mrs Mclears comforted him in a soft voice, making him smile and leave the room weakly. It had always been like this for him. The

woman was a strategist, that was why he married her. She had always found ways to get him out of his problems.

He understood he was a leech of a man who enjoyed dirty tumbles in bed; He had no good point except how much he loved women. His wife would have left him a long time ago, but she wanted to walk among the nobles of society. No matter how many times he failed, it always came down to this; she will make all his troubles disappear.

Mrs Mclears had maintained her smile till the door closed, then a vicious sneer replaced her smile. This cowardly husband of hers, did he have no pride? Though it was normal for him to leave all his troubles for her to handle, this was not any other case. Could he not see that their necks were just suspended below the cleaver's edge?

An idea flashed through her mind. The need to drown this useless husband of hers so he can make up for all the sins he committed, filled her mind.

“Mother...” Lionel started to say.

“Let your father rest. He needs to enjoy this moment while it lasts,” her voice was very soft and would make one think of her as a loving wife, but her sons shivered instead.

“The money, we will not be able to pay it back,” she stated matter-of-factly.

“Then what?” Tam asked.

“Pack everything up; do it quietly. Only take the money we have left; we will not be touching the businesses. We must leave,” she declared.

“Why only the money left? If we sold all our stores and businesses, we would have much more money to set ourselves up,” Tam asked.

“What about Leah?” Lionel asked.

“What do you mean, 'what about Leah?'; she will be coming with us, that's what,” Tam frowned. How could they leave the little princess behind? When all is exposed, she would be executed with their father.

“No. She can't come with us,” Lionel knew why he had asked. He wanted to know what they could do for her before they left.

“You have always been strict with Leah, but you need not take this too far,” Tam's frown deepened. What was his brother thinking? This was Leah, they were talking about.

“We are taking what we can to leave. Because we can not create suspicion, we are taking little. That means, where ever we go, we would have to keep our head low and if we can, finally go back into society. We will no more be the rich family that could deal with nobility with our heads high. Mother understands what I’m saying, right?” Lionel explained his point of view. He knew his brother was always slow, but his mother would see his point.

“Mother, you can't be considering this, right?” Tam asked in horror, as he saw his mother deep in thought.

“If we leave with Leah, she will lose all possibility to marry into nobility, talk less of marrying well. We would lose the ability to set a good marriage match for her, as we will be nobodies where we are going. But, while we still have influence and no one knows of our impending doom, we can have her married off,” Mrs Mclears said thoughtfully.

“She is twelve years old!” Tam exclaimed, “Even the king could not pull off such; marrying out a girl that has yet to drop her first blood under the eyes of The Religion,”

“Worry not, I am no king,” Mrs Mclears eyes glowed, as a plot clouded her mind.