The story was rather long and we had tea while Edna and I both went through the story and then I even told of Lady's Walker threat and Sir Holloway's speedy return of mother back to the house.

"You have a great debt to Sir Holloway's generosity right?"

"Yes we do, he has been an honorable man."

"Do I detect other motives for his help?"

"Yes but like I said he would never force me into anything I did not wish myself, or so he has tried to make it clear."

"I do not feel right about leaving you so vulnerable and exposed to influences from outsiders on your future my dear."

"Well surely you do not have to, when did you arrive?"

"I arrived earlier today the family came to a house near here for a funeral so I tried to come pay a visit when I saw my sister walking around for some fresh air like the ghost of winter in the middle of summer."

"Forgive me aunt..."

"There is not much you could have done under the circumstances so what about your mother? She is back and what will you do? I have to go back to my work tomorrow the family will not do without me for much longer."

"Well why do you have to go back? Would you not feel that for our sake you should come live with us? I know you have refused it before but would you consider it one more time please aunt?"

"It won't do, I am only a housekeeper, the Stewart name would be better left off without me and at my work I can be very proud of my position."

"Well you would still be working here, taking care of mother is not an easy job but you were a calming presence to her."

"All I did was read one of her favorite verses growing up and that did it," she talked about the Bible since my mother was a devoted woman.

"Then would you consider staying here? We have more than enough to share, unless you would rather a paid position but if you did then you know we could not call you aunt we'd be prohibited to disclose our family ties and do you not think it would be harder on us?"

"Yes but my dear niece you..."

"Please stay here, rejoin our family, do you not see how mother needs your company and her family?"

"I..." Her eyes hid away for a moment, "I have never known you to insist on anything and if it this important then I guess I shall stay for my sister."

"Thank you aunt, I am deeply grateful and mother will be so happy," I hugged her though she was not woman of emotions, the opposite of my mother, and the embrace was even a little awkward but worth it.

"Alright then I will leave today to talk to my employers and I will be back as soon as they let me come back," she turned away to dry her face with her little piece of cloth.

"Right then I will take care of the expenses of you trip aunt," I nodded and went to my room.

During the night I laid thanking God for how things had worked out and the only thing left to fix was Mr. Howard in my life, I went over what I heard, the words did not have the same effect as when I heard them, I could catch my breath finally. If Mr. Howard had really been in love with Cynthia and she broke his heart, if these were the circumstance I could not accept him I had not loved him with such ardor to accept second place in his life and I would hear him out about his reasons for keeping the story away from me if I could not make sense of it then everything between us would be over, drifting to sleep with those thoughts I was surprised by a hand that woke me up.

"How peaceful you sleep my future wife," Mr. Henry's hand woke me up.

"Henry how did you get in my bedchamber?"

"That was not the reaction I was hoping to receive from my bride."

"It is the middle of the night, why are you here?"

"So you thought you would ruin my life and I would let you go into the sunset peacefully?"

"What?"

"I've had a visit from Sir Holloway, who threatened my ever going near you and announced my descent into nothingness."

"What?"

"You little evil creature."

"Wait Henry no..."

"No? So you did not seduce Sir Holloway into helping you ruin my life in London!" Henry smacked me in the face so hard my jaw pumped with pain.

"Henry stop it..."

"Put on a dress, tonight we will elope if it is the last thing I do," he pulled me up by my tunic.

"Henry I did not seduce him, I swear, please listen to me."

"No that's enough from you, you filthy little whore, all this talk of God so you could get with Sir Holloway behind my back."

"I did not, I swear it!"

"Shut up!" His hand hit the other side and there was too much weight behind it, I had never felt so overpowered so I decided to not shout at him.

"All I need is for you to sign those damn wedding papers and then I will be rich again and I will dispose of you since I will be left with your title. Then we will see if Sir Holloway will not be knocking on my door to get me to join them," Mr. Henry was filled with ambition as he spoke of his grand expectations and dreams.

"Dispose of me?"

"You think I would ever forgive you for the humiliation you have made me endure, the Walker name has been dragged through the mud since Sir Holloway told everyone of my debts and my family's constant loans which they cannot dream of paying. But once we get married I will prove to everyone it was only rumors, the money will pay everything and then once you have served your purpose I will remarry someone even richer than you."

"Someone like Cynthia?"

"It is not my fault if every girl's skirts' are raised for me but Cynthia made a wise choice, she will be that much richer and powerful by marrying into the earldom, and then yes who knows I might marry her just for the title, imagine me? Joseph's new father?"

"I will not go with you anywhere," I put my foot down once he mentioned Mr. Howard and Joseph.

"Really and what makes you think I will leave you?"

"You have nothing to hold against me anymore, my mother is safe and sound so you should leave and count your losses somewhere else..."

"Really? Nothing to hold against you? Well that is not what I would say if I saw one of these," he took out a gun from his jacket. "I think your mother might be the first target I will aim for, unless you have another suggestion?"

"You are mad."

"All the more reason for you to do as I say!" He put the gun to my face and I began to put on the first dress I saw in the closet and tried to think of what I could use as a weapon to hurt him and saw an opportunity to use the heavy room divider to throw on top of Henry.

"Alice!" Henry shouted but I ran away from inside my room wearing only the white corset which would go under the dress and ran inside my mother's room to get her before Mr. Henry could do away with her or use her against me.

"Mother wake up, we need to go, please hurry," I asked her and she was slow to wake up so I grabbed a candelabra to use on Mr. Henry if needed.

"Alice is it you my daughter?"

"Yes so please get up I have to make sure you are safe," I said hearing Mr. Henry's footsteps come down the hall.

"I am back in your arms and you are safe again my love, so you have seen everything I do has been for you."

Mother smiled at me without understanding how pressed I was to get her to safety so I tried to push her off the bed to follow me.

"Yes so please mother come with me, I need to get you out, Henry is here and he means us harm!"

"Do not worry let me cover you and you will always be safe," mother stood up from the bed to put her shawl around me as if I were a child still.

"Will you never learn!" Henry shouted and the gun fired off into my mother's stomach as blood gushed out everywhere.

"Noooo! Oh God! No!" Her dead body slammed against me and I tried to keep her up by the arms but she slid against me as I knelt on the floor with her.

"No mother, mother?"

"I see a new heaven and earth, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; there shall be no more death, sorrow, crying, or pain."

Mother's eyes no longer moved but the tears which had previously formed fell to the side and I stood holding her body close to mine.

"Alice!" Henry shouted trying to pull me off but I was one with my mother so much as he could not tear me away, "Alice I mean it, let her go!"

"No mother please!" I put my ear against her chest and did not hear anything so I laid down and then Henry began to pull me by the hair.

I was too far removed from the servants that I could very well scream and they would not hear me unless I rang the bell and if I did ring the bell and only one of them heard me then who would I be sacrificing in my place? I only had one option, try to get rid of Henry myself.

"Alice! Get up from there before I have to convince you..."

Henry dragged me way from her and down the secret passageway that lead out into the gardens the one Lady Walker had shown us and I did not know if I had much more to fight for other than survival.

"Go walk in front of me and do not wake the others or I will shoot," Henry followed behind to make sure I did not escape though if I went with him he would get everything he wanted.

Once we came out into the garden I shoved him back inside for him to trample down the stairs and ran into the tall dark gardens we had as I heard a muffled shout come from Henry, "Alice!"

The leaves caught on to me but I ran and ran in my stained blood clothes even when the branches hit my skin.

"Oh dear God help me," I looked ahead trying to make it in deep to the forest where I could hide from Henry it didn't take long for me to start hearing him shout out again.

"Alice come out at once I cannot shoot you until we are married!" He stated but I kept mum and very still wishing my heart would settle too afraid he would hear it.

"I hear noises this way sir!" A man declared, Henry hadn't come alone, he had help to kidnap me, and whoever it was who was I to win against two men?

"Then get her now!" The order frightened the tears out of my soul and I ran further in to where it was darkest where the rising sun wasn't touching yet trying but in my haste I fell over a branch and my foot was badly injured.

"Ow!" I shouted getting my face up from the dirt then dragging myself behind a tree to hide trembling praying to God no one else in the house would be used as a form of trade by Henry.

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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.