"Oh my dearest friend, here you are!" Cynthia said rushing over to my side like a dedicated friend.

"Ow," I said when she hugged me pressing on my bruises with her fingernails.

"Forgive me but I have been so worried about how you were after what I heard."

Edna looked at me in disbelief of Cynthia's performance; we expected for Cynthia to be sharing the same room with Lydia instead she was here attempting to terrorize me inside my own home.

"And we are grateful you escaped, Lady Cynthia has fetched for news of your health every day since we found out the news of the attack," Mr. Howard explained though he had no idea Cynthia's worry was that I might survive and tell everyone including him of how she was involved with Lydia

"Oh I am sorry I was not told you were seeking news, did you know Miss Edna?" I looked at Edna who shook her head.

"No sorry milady I was not told," Edna confirmed and Cynthia looked at me to see if I would out her in front of Mr. Howard.

"Forgive me someone must have been remiss with delivering you the news in my staff," I apologized to Cynthia she looked confused to me keeping her involvement a secret in front of Mr. Howard but Edna understood what I was doing.

"Oh that is fine, I am sure they were all very busy making sure you got better."

"Thank you for understanding, and also I would like to take this moment to ask you for your forgiveness."

"What?"

"We were once good friends and I understand now how you believe I treated you badly so without any excuses for my behavior will you please forgive me?" I said playing along with her story of her being the victim for I would not let Cynthia get the best of me in front of Mr. Howard, this time I was going to tell the story.

"I..."

"If you can please find it in your heart to forgive me for everything I have done towards you, for the bad friend I have been, I promise to make it up to you. I will never again be so vain, self-centered, silly, or egotistical as I have shown to be in the past, I am a new person after what has taken place and I would like the chance to start anew with you." I held Cynthia by the hands and she was cornered by my words for what else could she do but keep on pretending to be who she really wasn't in front of her fiancé?

"Uh..." Cynthia almost choked of surprise of my performance, though I intended the words for Mr. Howard rather than for her.

"Lady Cynthia?" Mr. Howard asked waiting for her to say yes and be of a saintly nature I had finally discovered she did not possess.

"Of course... I forgive you, my dear friend," she said taking pauses as if in disbelief of her own words and I embraced her as Edna stood impressed with the act I had put up just then but if I was to play by society's rules then I could not go on being as sanguine as I had been in the past.

"Thank you, I shall not let you down," I looked up at Mr. Howard with a smile letting go of the hug.

"Lady Alice please you should sit and rest," Mr. Howard said and when he helped me sit I celebrated a little triumph as Cynthia seemed annoyed that he would be courteous towards me.

We proceeded to talk about my injuries, my recovery and then I told them that I had been to testify and Cynthia waited to hear how I had told the story but I let her know that was only for the ears of the one who I shared my testimony to.

"Goodbye," I hugged Cynthia, "Goodbye Mr. Howard," I nodded and they left my home when Edna revealed his hat behind her dress.

"Edna what are you doing with Mr. Howard's hat?"

"Wait and see," she said, "better yet hide behind the door," she told me and I did.

"Forgive me Miss Edna but I seem to have forgotten my hat," I heard from behind the door Mr. Howard come back in.

"Oh yes I was about to go outside to give it to you milord," Edna said about the hat.

"Thank you."

"Before you go, I have something from Lady Alice."

"For me?" He questioned.

"Yes she wrote this for you and she did not know if you received it or not so she wrote it a second time and asked me to deliver it into your hands so that there would be no misdirection this time."

"Uh Miss Edna..."

"Yes?"

"I am engaged to Lady Cynthia."

"Yes you are milord."

"I... Are you sure this is for me?"

"Yes absolutely certain, she said to give it to you."

"Um alright then."

"Shall I walk you out?"

"There is no need Miss Edna, thank you."

"Goodbye milord," Edna stood in the hall until the door closed and I came out from behind the door.

"What sort of reaction was that?"

"The Earl looked pale as if I had found him out."

"Well I guess in a manner of speaking you did, I just hope he does not share it with Cynthia."

"Maybe a little prayer wouldn't hurt."

As the days went by and I got better it was good to know Cynthia was somewhere trembling in fear of me opening my mouth for she did not look like she had received any news that I had already given my testimony. Maybe they would first be going through Lydia's murders before calling Cynthia in for what she did and I just had to make sure to stay alive until then, make sure my story was going to be told and we would get some justice for the sake of Mr. Howard's future.

An unexpected invitation for a Summer Dinner at Stanley Hall came into the mail for June and I did not know whether to accept it as a blessing or not as I had not heard back from Mr. Howard on his feeling towards my letter. With the accident also came the delay of my wedding to Mr. Henry, I was under doctor's orders to not exert myself and take rest after the trauma for my full recuperation which made Lady Walker quite displeased.

"It is quite inconvenient what you have gotten yourself into," Lady Walker admonished me.

"There have been too many delays, you were to marry but Miss Campbell had to marry first. Then that irresponsible French seamstress made us postpone it another month, the attack another month and now the Earl's Summer Dinner pushed it off to the end of July so I urge you to be in nothing less than excellent health this month do you hear me?"

"Yes and before you ask I have not done anything to delay it," I looked back at her so she would not think this was some kind of plan.

"I hope you would not be so unintelligible as to neglect in our deal in any manner or the last thing you will have to worry about is the well-being of your mother because that will only be the beginning of your problems..."

"If ou are done Lady Walker please do get out and let me heal in peace!" I screamed at her face and she slowly got up and fixed her dress before strolling out of my chambers.

"Milady?" Edna came in as Lady Walker was leaving with flowers but because I received so many of them Lady Walker did not pay any attention to them.

"Yes Edna?"

"Flowers for you," Edna finally stopped staring down Lady Walker and quickly gave me the card.

Another day shines upon your face and all is well.

Dionysus.

Since my almost death every single day I received a different flower arrangement from Sir Holloway unlike Lady Walker who paid me random visits to see if my health was really getting better or if I was lying about the doctor's orders. I could not wait to get rid of her and I was starting to consider the too generous proposal Sir Holloway had made me for the sake of never having to see her or to let Mr. Henry enjoy my grandfather's money.

"And here is a postcard from Lady Martha," Edna walked in with a post card from Paris.

"It was a pity to have missed their wedding."

Unfortunately when I had the accident I was too bruised to be moved so I could not make it out to Martha and Sir Arthur's wedding it was a big loss for me so Miss Lilly visited me right after to tell me how wonderful it had been.

"Once she is back from Paris she will have a million questions so I will not bother to write her a letter."

"Yes I dare say it won't fit, it would turn into a book although I did wish there could have been some way for you not to miss your friend's wedding."

"I do too but she understood that if I went everyone would be too curious to know about my state when really Martha deserved the attention solely on her."

"True and she would not have it any other way."

"No she would not; oh I almost forgot the dinner is ready."

"Good let us go downto the dining room; hmm every time I say that it is like the first time I shallbe having some company at the dining table, thank you for making dinner timeless lonely Edna."

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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.