For the next months mother's behavior deteriorated along with my peace of mind; even with the staff around her distaste of life became dangerously infantile to everyone in the house. The whole of my mind had soon been occupied with taking care of her, most nights I slept before Edna helped me out of my day dress for how tired I was. Then some nights I thought of Mr. Howard of our last encounter, if only that tenderness was a bigger part of who he was I sighed. Though after catching him kissing Lydia, Joseph's mother which he knew nothing of, and how Mr. Howard felt no remorse, would I ever know his character with certainty? What did he cling to? What did he mean when he assumed I could not fathom it? He had sent a couple of calling cards asking to come see us but I said it was best he did not come, it was never wise to see Mr. Howard for I was so alone that the loneliness would drive me right into his arms.

As for Mr. Henry he never sent any letters or cards though Mrs. Campbell visited us once with Lady Scott and Lady Thomas but they were very put off by mother's lack of conversation and decided it was best to not come back. So at the end of every day I was alone with mother, it was only us two and whenever Daniel asked how we were I replied with encouragement for him to study, then I began to see just how mother had been changed when she opened the door to my bedchamber in the middle of the night.

"Alice! Alice!"

"Mother? What is it?"

"Where did you go? I woke up twice and you were gone. Why did you leave? Is Mr. Henry here? Has he come to get you from me?"

"Mother I only came to my room now, I was with you until you fell asleep, I only left you to eat."

"Are you calling me a liar? I am not a liar Alice! You are hiding something from me!"

"I am not please do calm down and let me take you to bed."

"So you can go away again? No I will not go to bed alone! You promised to stay with me and now I am left to the care of others."

"I need the help of others to take care of you mother, I cannot do it alone," I tried to touch her arm but she shoved me off and my head hit the bed post.

"Mother!" I yelled seeing a little blood coming from the back of my head, "look at what you did."

"I..."

"Nurse! Nurse!" I yelled out for the new nurse we had gotten for her.

"No! Leave me alone you wretched nurse! You and the others want me gone!" Mother yelled when she saw the nurse coming in.

"Hold her please," the nurse asked the staff this was not her first fit but her worst one yet.

"I am the Mrs of this house! I will have you all fired!" My mother said as the nurse forced my mother to drink a strong tranquilizer.

"There there Mrs. Theresa you will wake up fine," my mother fell and they carried her to the bedchamber.

"Milady your head," Edna reminded me as I too preoccupied watching my mother being hauled away like there was nothing left of her clarity.

"Yes my head right."

"I think it best we lock her in the bedchamber tonight Lady Alice," the nurse gave directions and I nodded in agreement ready to burst into tears as Edna tended to the small bruise on my head.

"Milady, here you go," Edna gave me a handkerchief to wipe my tears.

"Edna is she getting worse? Or am I not seeing this clearly?"

"I believe she may not be getting better milady."

"I... I have never been so... Oh you must think me a fool, a young stupid little thing who cannot handle any distress."

"No milady, I think the world of you, I cannot think of another who would bear such nights and days in these last seven months."

"Oh Edna..." I finally let out my cry for help putting the side of my head on her skirt as she cleaned the blood while I crumbled into water on one of my staff like I had not worked so hard once upon a time to be a good and proper mistress to them.

"I have to find a way to help her."

"Yes and meanwhile you are doing everything you can," Edna said tapping the place with cold water and I felt hard pressed to find something to help my mother readily.

It was another sleepless night though I tried so very hard to ignore my mother's insanity caused by death, maybe even riches of this new life, these effects clearly existed though I had tried so hard to ignore them. Mr. Henry must have heard about my mother because I did not hear any news of him until eight months later since the funeral he showed up at our country home on one chilly winter's day.

"Lady Alice," Mr. Henry Walker got up when I walked in with Edna behind me.

"Good afternoon Mr. Walker," I nodded.

"Yes good afternoon," I said without giving him my hand to kiss but I would not receive him any other way for I did not know what he was doing there. Although I expected Mr. Henry would come to tell me about being engaged I was glad to receive his visit it was only upon seeing his face I knew how much I missed the company of other people.

"Sit please," I sat on a chair while he sat on the sofa and Edna served my tea, "thank you."

"How are you?"

"I am well, glad to see you and yourself?"

"Good yes."

"Great, so any news?"

"Well it must sound boring to a lady but hopefully I shall soon join a business venture in America."

"America? Would your family approve of it? I heard you mother complain of how wild Americans are."

"Yes they are quite diverting people but what my family does not know cannot hurt them right?"

What Henry said was the opposite of what I had learned so far, the lies had nothing but led me here. For what I knew for sure was all the hiding had gotten me nothing but anguish upon too many painful days to count. Yet was I ready for the truth to set me free even if I did not believe lies were a merciful goodness as some people called it?

"And your sister and Lord Stanley when are they to marry?" I changed the subject since Mr. Henry would be the only news of the outside world I would receive for a while.

"This coming month, I came to deliver the invitation in hopes to see you again."

"You wished to see me?"

"Did you not wish to see me too?"

"I... Well yes but after more than six months without a word from you I had no expectations to ever see you again."

"Forgive me but you were the one who never said anything as the months passed."

"There was no reason to reach out to you after our last talk, I told you I would not interfere in your life."

"Yes but you said once the year was over you would..."

"Let you ask my mother to court me, yes but without any news of you I had nothing to expect from you."

"Without any news of me? Are you saying you did not get my letters?"

"What letters?"

"I wrote you letters and they all went unanswered, which is why I decided after such a long time I had to come in person."

"Mr. Henry I did not receive anything, not even one."

"I will inquire after their loss but you should comb through your servants make sure they are not guilty of misplacing them, the older a staff is the more forgetful they become."

"I will..."

"I am glad I came to sort this out."

"Yes so am I," I smiled knowing the truth of the only thing I had to hold against Mr. Henry was now explained, in all this time he had not changed his mind, he had written to me after all. "So what did you write to me about?"

"Well the first letter I wrote was to tell you..."

"Alice!" I heard my mother's voice and she busted through the drawing room door as Henry and I held hands. "Get away from him! Now!"

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Copyright: All Rights Reserved to A. Sena Gomes.