Everything fell to silence for a moment and I saw the light blue of the sky grow yellowish it was hard to not screech from the pain as my heart tumbled inside of me making all kind of erratic noises while Henry and his man searched for me, my foot throbbed like pans bumping into each other and in my body there were so many noises it was hard to connect to the silence, to feel like everything would be alright.

"Alice?" It was Henry's voice the horses I heard galloping stopped and the leaves rustled, "Alice come out and I swear to you no harm."

"Hmm," I mumbled under my breath.

"Alice do not make me lose my patience, as you've seen this is not the day to trifle with me!" He kept on shouting hoping to make me come out.

"She is close sir I will go look this way." The man that was with him assured of my whereabouts and I was too close for comfort where they could easily find me if I ran, but if I stayed what chance of survival did I have?

"What are you waiting for?"

"You do understand this will cost you more than what we talked about, after this I will have to be on the run."

"Are you trying to threaten me?"

Then a loud shot was fired and I covered my ears turning my body into a protective shell when Henry's man fell not too far from me and I got up thinking now I had a chance to rub but as soon as I got up Henry grabbed me by the throat.

"No, no, no," I was taken hostage by Henry.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" Henry talked to someone even though there was only two of us, was he hallucinating?

"Let go of me Henry!"

"I will put a bullet through her if you do not show yourself! I swear I will!"

As I saw Henry was probably in some insane state of mind I did what I had to do to survive his attack and took the knife slipped underneath my nightgown and stabbed it into Henry's neck, once he let go of the gun I picked it up from his hand.

"No you won't, you will never hurt me or anyone I love ever again you demon."

One precise shot into his head he fell back dead as every man will be one day and I dismounted into a loud piercing cry.

"Oh! God! Oh!" I sobbed and then arms surrounded my stomach lifting me up from the floor and just as I thought I was the one hallucinating I looked to see it was Mr. Howard arms; he had shot Henry's man with his gun that was on the floor.

"Alice it's alright I am here."

Mr. Howard snatched me away into his arms until I could tell from a distance we were back at the house and the day had fully dawned leaving no traces of darkness in the nearby forest.

"My mother, Mr. Howard my mother," I repeated in shock.

"Shhh Alice, you are going home and everything will be fine," Mr. Howard tried to soothe me with a kiss on the head until he got in to the house where the staff was all in a frenzy of horror surrounding my mother.

"Alice!" Edna came running to get me from Mr. Howard's arms.

"Mother no," I said seeing my mother dead again.

"Go with her upstairs and I will account for every detail which transpired here."

"Sir what happened?"

"Henry."

"Oh no."

"Yes now please go take care of Alice."

"Yes sir, come on."

I was put in a bathtub where she and the maid cleaned me from the filth of the forest, mixed with blood and sweat that covered me from face to feet. Edna used the brush on my back and changed the red water of blood into a clear sparkling one so I could be washed the second time. For a period of time as they took care of me no one said anything, Edna who usually hummed tunes could not even look me in the eyes as I observed the clear naked warm water I sat in and then a glimpse of mother's smile.

"Mother," I immersed my whole self under the water as if to see her one last time as if the water had a power and it did, her smile faded the words "Behold, I make all things new" rang in my ears drawing a line between the earthly and her on her way to God, to father, to my little brother, my little sister a farewell to me on her way back to her home.

"Miss!"

"Yes?"

"Are you okay?"

Mr. Howard stayed at my house as a guest until the authorities came to pick up the bodies of the deceased and stories were testified to work out the whole truth of the facts eventually the asylum gave away the faces and nailed my story as the only truth. They called it self-defense as Mr. Henry was armed and so was his man and Sir Holloway gave away all the information he obtained on Mr. Henry and Lady Walker so that their condemnation would happen for sure.

Mother's funeral happened within the week and many were in attendance after hearing the horrible newspaper story of what had happened to my family. Many families from the slums came to the funeral to offer condolences with their candles, I was happy to see they had not forsaken us as we were told to do to them once we entered society. I was glad not all our past ties were cut out for our past was mother's joy and even mine as we walked hand in hand behind my mother's sleeping box as everyone learned of the Walker's wretchedness. My mother's funeral was her triumph, everyone from society had gathered around, from the poorest to the richest, this I know not even in death she was overcome by evil as I looked at the faces surrounding us.

"Alice, look at how many people are here," Edna asked as we walked not this many had showed up to the church service.

"I know we must make sure no one is deterred from saying their goodbyes."

"I will see to that," Edna ran back and asked them to form a line.

Placed by my father's side the priest read mother's favorite verse and then her casket was loaded into the memorial along with my family as only Daniel and I stood outside as the only living Stewarts. I guess it was being so close to death that in the moment all I prayed for was to be in another place altogether, I dreaded ever stepping back in that old Stewart manor so I put it for sale with my brother's permission.

There was one person who waited patiently to talk to me after everything and even though I had to go into mourning again I did not wish to delay meeting him any longer.

"Sir Holloway I have no words to thank you."

"To thank me? This was my fault if I had not told Henry to stay away from you then he would not have aimed a gun at you..."

"Henry was mad; it was his own fault that his expectations crushed him."

"Still the Duke and I were glad to be of service in the matter of the Walker family."

"About the other matter..."

"Ah well have you come to decision about my offer?"

"Sir Holloway I..."

"Alice! I love you! You cannot marry him!" Mr. Howard was out of breath barging into my study.

"Mr. Howard..."

"I love you Alice, I do, you know this, I would have died in your place a thousand times if need be, all I wish is for your happiness, stupidly I tied your happiness to everyone else but me but now I know I was hurt and that is the only reason I could not marry you, I was hurt and I wanted you to bend to my rules when I should have married you from the moment we kissed, I should have known you were my love, you were the one I had been waiting for and all the years I spent rotting myself away in regret of the past I could have been preparing for the overwhelming grace of meeting you."

"Lady Alice?" Sir Holloway looked at me finding it amusing and so did I.

"Please I know he can offer you a title, money, influence, a safe place to be a wife, honor to your name but I am a changed by the mere hint of any joy or sadness upon your face, I live to know you, discover your soul my love."

"Mr. Howard please..."

"Alice I know I have not earned it yet, that you may not forgive my wickedness but give me time and you will see I can be worthy of your trust and respect."

"Please Mr. Howard this is not the time, I must talk to Sir Holloway alone."

"Alice," Mr. Howard tried to touch me and I stepped back for all our sakes.

"Fine," Mr. Howard left us and I looked at Sir Holloway who was deeply troubled by the earl's outburst.

"I see why the delay in response."

"Forgive me for that scene Sir Holloway."

"No I believe him, he speaks the truth."

"Does he?"

"Yes."

"I will take that into consideration."

"Then there is nothing to say then I shall miss you Valentina," Sir Holloway held my hand.

"Sir Holloway no I did not mean that I wish to be with him..."

"Yes you do, and there isn't one man in all of London of his stature that would do what he just did in front of another, appearances and egos are fragile things for men, and the earl just shattered his for your hand."

"But..."

"It is a shame I did not steal your heart away first, if only, if only..."

"May you have luck but no cruelty in your theft."

"Thank you, so shall we say goodbye?"

"Goodbye Dionysus," I offered my hand and he kissed it.

"Goodbye Valentina," when his face lifted up I embraced him in thankfulness.

"Thank you, no man was as kind as you," I let go of Sir Holloway whose eyes twinkled back at me from no longer fearing his presence as I once did like a hurt little animal.

Sir Holloway left the study and when I went to the drawing room Mr. Howard hadn't left, he stood by the window watching Sir Holloway leave and then turned to me.

"What did you tell him?" Mr. Howard asked me.

"What are you doing here this early? How did you even know he would come?"

"I have to keep an eye on you, I have to make sure you are safe, I was remiss once and I shall not be again," Mr. Howard said and I asked him to sit.

"We need to talk..."

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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.