In French soil the country was in a bit of war turmoil yet the people were decidedly lively and always partying up and down the flower filled streets. The women cared a whole lot less for their reputation and we enjoyed the space of freedom we had to be seen in cafes without feeling terrorized for what men might suppose. We attended many balls crowded with people dancing all sorts of non-sense and our entire wardrobe had gotten sillier as the English would put it and then something unpredictable happened.

"Oh dear," my aunt said reading something which arrived in the post in Paris when we were in France.

"What is it?" Edna asked.

"Your brother has written us some terrible news from England."

"Really?"

"Yes, it is Cynthia."

"What of her?"

"She hanged herself in her room before the day the authorities found proof of her attempt on your life and the scheme she was funding for Mr. Henry which left her family almost destitute."

"Oh God," I remarked.

"But how did find this out?"

"Lady Thomas sought out Mr. Howard for help."

"Did he help her?"

"Yes, he set her up in Bath."

"Oh right the house he used to live when he wasn't at Stanley Hall."

"He is too kind if you ask me," Edna opinionated.

"Yes and so he should be if he wants you to walk down a church aisle for him," my aunt said.

"You sound just like Mrs. Hall aunt."

"Yes when will we meet her again?"

"Soon hopefully."

"Milady?" The maid knocked as we took our tea in the hotel.

"Yes come in."

"For you," she delivered me a note that read:

"What does this..." I was surprised when Mr. Howard walked inside the room.

"Alice," he said and all of our eyes went wild over his surprise appearance in France.

"Mr. Howard what are you..." I got up ready to launch myself into his arms yet holding back for the sake of my aunt and the maid.

"Ahem, with the permission of your aunt, your brother, and your companion I would like to ask you a question," Mr. Howard walked towards me with the ring he proposed to me in secret before it was acceptable to do so.

"Before you go any further sir."

"Will you really interrupt me when I am trying to ask you..."

"Yes I will, did you by any chance ask Mrs. Hall what she thought of this?"

"He thought you might want to know so if you will I daresay the master is finally on his way to be a decent match for you," Mrs. Hall walked in too.

"Mrs. Hall you came along," I said excited and she hugged me getting in between Mr. Howard and I.

"Of course I am, I had to see this for myself."

"Uh never mind me, I was just in the middle of a big question," Mr. Howard teased.

"Oh you hush now and continue," Mrs. Hall stepped aside.

"Before anything or anyone else tries to come between us please just accept my hand and let me spend my life proving to everyone here that I deserve you Alice Stewart?"

"Well what was the luckiest day of your life?"

"The day I met you even if you didn't accept me."

"I do Sebastian Howard of Bridgeston."

"It's perfect," he put the ring on my finger and everyone clapped.

Later on we went down for dinner time to celebrate the engagement and as we retired to our rooms I went to spend some time with who I never knew would be my future mother-in-law Mrs. Hall.

"Mrs. Hall may I come in?"

"Oh of course my dear, come."

"So do you like the room?"

"Yes it's perfect I never came to France, Paris is a magnificent city not even in dreams I imagined it this way."

"I do feel the same, I feel sorry when I think of parting with it but nonetheless I wanted to come in to say I am privileged and happy to be your daughter in- law."

"He shouldn't have told you, I asked him not to reveal it to anyone but..."

"He loves you and he wanted me to know that," I wiggled the ring on my finger.

"Out of all the jewels he could have given you that ring is..."

"The best one," I embraced Mrs. Hall.

"Oh you are too sweet my dear," Mrs. Hall embraced me back, "now before you get married I think it is time for you to know a couple of things."

"Uh yes let's sit then," I took a seat and so did she in the chairs in her room.

"I think by now you know I was the one who separated Cynthia and Sebastian."

"Uh yes."

"Well before Cynthia there was Lydia."

"Yes."

"When Sebastian was young, seventeen and engaged to Lydia I found out a secret about her and the same way I revealed Cynthia I did so with Lydia."

"So you..."

"Being a staff I was in a great position to walk in everywhere without the confinements of ladies, and while I never approved of Lydia, her flighty head, her vanity, and her lack of love for him was clear to see, she was the Narcissus and he her lake, his only job was to make her feel like the center of attention every day of her life, and seeing he was headed there I searched her out and found out her wretchedness was deeper than I expected."

"How so?"

"She was not only throwing her charms on several men of rank, she was sleeping with her sister's husband."

"Lady Scott's husband?" That was new information; I was still in awe that Lydia could have gone to bed with her older sister's husband.

"Yes and when I led Sebastian to finding out about her affair and they broke off something worse happened to him."

"Worse?"

"Lydia came back insisting they had to marry because she was pregnant, except it couldn't have possibly been his because I knew that they had not been together."

"What are you telling me?"

"That the baby was most likely to be Sir Scott's son."

"Joseph is not..."

"Sebastian refused to marry her but Lydia came back and left Joseph inside his room one night and he let everyone believe Joseph was his and Joseph has never known otherwise."

"Of course he did that," I was in awe by how far and wide Mr. Howard's generosity flowed.

"So before you marry him, I think you ought to know the whole story and I wanted to say I am sorry for the part I played in insisting you be with Joseph for had I known about you and Sebastian I would have never..."

"Mrs. Hall please I understand you, you cared for them both and you wanted what was best, I should have confided in you earlier, I am the one who is sorry."

"Well you know this secret now so keep it Joseph does not deserve to suffer like Sebastian did when he found out his mother was not his mother. Joseph may not have his blood but he is his son, Sebastian devoted himself to that boy from the moment he came into their lives, he kept up the story for Joseph's sake never contradicting anyone for Joseph's sake."

"Yes it would have been a different story altogether if Joseph had been abandoned to an orphanage," I shook my head pierced with tears by the heart of the man I loved.

"Exactly I am glad you understand."

"I do, you can trust me."

"Now after hearing all of this will you still keep that ring?"

"Not even death will part me from it," I smiled at Mrs. Hall so looked relieved from the truth and so did I.

Mr. Howard and Mrs. Hall went back to London and sold Stanley Hall to a man who delighted in the morbid facts the deaths of the Cupid Killer had taken place there. Lydia's fame and her committed crimes were made into a book so the tours of Stanley Hall were given quite often. And as for Joseph instead of joining in schemes and risky business he began to teach the law where Daniel became one of his most accomplished students.

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No part, character, names, plot, setting, conflict, resolution, point of view, theme and/or symbolism of this story may be replicated.

Copyright: All Rights Reserved to A. Sena Gomes.