by Ella Edon
The Earl had made a deal with some French spies, his information on the Regent, for a large sum of money. Henry could not believe what he was seeing. He could not believe that his father had truly done this. He spotted an open box behind the desk, near the shelf, it had papers inside of it as well. He bent down and picked up the box, placingit on the table. He recognized the box. It had belonged to his mother. He had not seen it since his mother's death. There were folded papers inside it, and seals were above them. He raised one and looked at the seal. He recognized it as the seal of the house of Elesmere. His eyes widened. He saw who the letter was from.
Lady Grace Thorton, Countess of Elesmere.
The letter was addressed to his mother.
Lady Anastasia Blackmoor, Countess of Drysdale.
He knew that they had been good friends, but he had not known how close they had been. He opened the first letter he saw and glanced through.
Dearest Ana,
It has been quite sometime. We have not written to each other in a long time. A lot has happened in these last few years. Oh Ana, how I miss the times we spoke always. How I miss when you would often scold me. I think that I had done something terrible, Ana. I think that I have done something that I am certain you shall not be pleased with. I wish to tell you, but I fear whose hands this letter shall fall into. I must see you.
Grace.
Henry tossed the letter down. These letters were the answers to all of Emma's questions. Emma's mother had confided in his mother. They had been good friends. Although Henry wished to read them and discover the truth, he also felt that it was Emma who was supposed to be given the letters. It felt wrong to read them, so he closed the box and hid it behind the shelf. He decided that he would inform Emma of everything. She always knew what to say, and perhaps, she would help him out of the dilemma they now found themselves in.
He was about to walk out of the room when he saw crumpled papers inside the box. He picked them up and opened them. There were about three crumpled papers. As he unfolded them, he was surprised to see half written letters, letters that were incomplete and ink smeared over the papers. From what he could see, the ink was still fresh. He creased his brows. The letters always began with Dear Edward or Dear Ana.
That did not seem right. He opened the last one and saw a fully written one. It was from Lady Grace Thorton, but why then were they crumpled — the ink was fresh. Henry shook his head as realization struck him. His father had been trying to forge letters from Lady Grace Thorton. Emma needed to know.
He walked out of the study and headed towards the salon, to inform Emma that he was home, and tell her about what had happened. As he headed towards the salon, he heard a soft giggle, although sad, it was a giggle nonetheless. He stopped. He wondered what could possibly be making them happy.
"Oh, Emma. My life is turmoil now. I feel like a fugitive. I remember the earlier years of our marriage." There was a giggle again. "I had looked at Loftus like a knight in shining armour, I did not know that he was anything but. Over the years, we grew apart. Or perhaps, I began to notice that we were never really together. I began to see him for who he truly was. A man full of deceit."
He heard a shuffle. A dress against the floor perhaps, and clump of shoes. "Oh Rachael. It will be better. All you have to do is prove your innocence. "
"How?"
"I shall bear witness for you and so shall the maids who know who you truly are. No matter what the Duke of Loringham says, you have us behind you."
"Oh, Emma. Thank you!"
"I do feel responsible. This is all my fault —"
Henry took a step back. It was wrong that he was eavesdropping. He decided to wait in the study until they had finished their discussion but was stopped by a whimpering sound.
"I feel dizzy again." Emma sighed.
"Take a seat," Lady Allen chuckled. "I wanted to tell you when you had come over, Emma. These are signs that you are with child."
Henry froze. His brows ridged, and his hands raised in the air. Emma was with child?
Emma spoke up. "I do not know Rachael. And I am afraid. With everything that is happening, is it safe for me to be with child?"
There was a long silence. Henry inhaled sharply. He began to think back to all the signs he had seen. Her pale skin, her glow, her instant tiredness. He moved his hands through his hair. How had he not known that of course she was with child. He inhaled sharply and shook his head. Her question haunted him.
Is it safe for me to be with child?
She was right. Was it save to bring a child into the dangerous world his father was creating for them? Henry shook his head, his eyes closed. The news was supposed to be joyous to him. It was supposed to make him feel extremely happy, and yet, all he felt was fear. With his father's threat towards their lives, and with his betrayal to the crown, Henry knew that his father's treason would forever be a dent to the family name. It would tarnish his reputation, but his child was to be born, and he needed to make sure that the life of his unborn child was secure. For once, he felt the need to take a hold of his life and do what was best. He walked into the study and took all the papers that were proof of what his father had done. He swallowed hard as he did this. Although it would affect him, and the Blackmoor household forever, he needed to do what was right.
He took the papers and rushed out of the house. He was doing this for his family. He was doing what needed to be done.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Lady Allen took a seat. It seemed as though she were recounting Emma's words in her head. She nodded. "You are right. "
Emma shrugged. "It is not safe, because even I am threatened by the Earl."
Lady Allen sat up. "I wonder where I shall go now. I cannot return home. The guards have surrounded our home, and I am most certain that all the help are no longer there. That house is for the Duke of Loringham. With this, Loftus will be stripped of his title."
Emma sighed. "There is no need to keep worrying about him. You shall face the Regent, and before them, you shall speak your truth."
Lady Allen nodded. Meanwhile, Emma kept thinking about the unborn child in her womb. She held her stomach and hoped for a bright future. She hoped that all of this would end soon.
She heard a booming sound, and then, laughter followed. Emma exchanged glances with Lady Allen. She rose and rushed out of the salon. She was not astonished, when she saw the Earl walking towards her, his arms spread. He seemed happy, but his smile dimmed when he looked behind Emma. Emma looked behind her and saw Lady Allen standing there.
She swallowed.
"Of course, you ran here when you should be rotting in the towers with your husband. He is a traitor!" the Earl snapped. "Where is Blackmoor? Is he aware of the good news?"
Emma shook her head at the Earl. Lady Allen stepped forward.
She seemed in shock, "Of course, you would have done this. You called the royal guards on Loftus?" She seemed distraught. "Of course it was you.I had been wondering —"
Lady Allen turned to Emma. "You knew that they were in my home."
Emma held her arms. "Rachael, I would never known that they were spies...when he threatened me for any information on you, I had just said that you had visitors."
Lady Allen put her hands over her hair. Emma felt her heart sink. She never meant to hurt her.
Lady Allen looked up at the Earl. "I knew that Loftus was involved in many bad doings, dangerous even, but I had not known exactly what. And I had never known that he would betray his country. Perhaps, his time has come," she said, her eyes glistening. "Your time shall come too. When all of your evil deeds shall catch up to you."
The Earl snarled. "Do not speak to me in such a manner. You are no longer the duchess of Loringham. I shall call in the guards to take you with them as well."
"You know that she is innocent. She has done nothing!" Emma snapped.
"And you take her side?" He moved dangerously close to Emma and although she flinched, she stood her ground.
E
mma nodded. "I do not stand by evil."
"You shall not be saying that when you become duchess."
Emma closed her eyes. The Earl kept conquering her at every turn. She wondered how it was that despite how evil he was, he prevailed.
The Earl wagged his finger before her. "I told you before, I have no problem sending you off to the convent, where you can rot for all I care. I shall find Henry a wife that shall obey all I say. So, if you know what is good for you, you better be obedient to me."
He turned to walk away but stopped and turned. "Where is Henry?"
Emma clenched her teeth. "I have no idea."
He laughed. "He should be made aware of the good news. The struggle for the Duchy is over. We have conquered."
Emma turned away from him and headed into the salon. Lady Allen followed her. They heard the clump of the Earl's shoes as he walked away.
"Mr. Anders, bring me my case." he said as he walked.
Emma said to Lady Allen. "You have to be prepared, and no matter what, you must speak the truth. I am well aware that you shall be called before the Regent. I am so sorry. I brought all of this on you by telling the Earl."
Lady Allen shook her head. "I bear no grudge. I understand that he had threatened you. And perhaps, it was time for Loftus to pay for all his evil deeds. You have no fault in this."
Emma seemed relieved that Lady Allen was not angry at her, but she still felt scared, for Lady Allen was still in danger.
"Oh, Emma. I fear for my life. I wish I had known who Loftus was, but I was a lass, in love and naive —"
Emma took her hand. "It matters not now." She shook Lady Allen's hand as she spoke.
Lady Allen sighed.
The door to the salon burst open and the Earl emerged, his eyes wide. He looked around helplessly. "Where is Henry?"
Emma rose. "I do not know. He left immediately after you did. He said he had some business to tend to."
He growled. "Liar!"
"Henry has done nothing!"
Emma did not understand the Earl's actions, but from his behaviour, she felt that whatever made him angry was serious. She was curious to know what had him so agitated, after his excitement for taking down Lord Allen.
"Henry!" he screamed. "He dared to go through my case."
Emma creased her brows. "Perhaps, it is a good idea for you to query Mr. Anders."
The Earl shook his head. "I have lived with him for years. Anders would never betray me. It was Henry. I know this! Anders would never lie as well. He had said that he had left the case with Henry in the study!"
The Earl rushed out of the salon. Emma exchanged glances with Lady Allen, and together they headed towards the study, after the Earl. He waved his hands in the air and began calling for the help.
"Anders! "
Emma saw Mr. Anders rushing towards them. It was as though chaos had been let loose.
"How dare you be so foolish. I had asked that you keep it, and then you left it with Henry?! How foolish of you!"
The entire household seemed to be shaking. Emma began to feel fear. For it seemed that the Earl was furious, and she did not trust his reaction when he was furious. She wondered what he was looking for.
She turned to the Earl. "What bothers you so much that it has taken away your happiness upon your victory?"
He ignored her and pushed past her. He headed for the hallway. Emma watched, as he approached the door, it swung open. Henry walked in, and behind him were Royal guards.
He faced his father and pointed. "This is the traitor. He has also been working with French spies."
The Earl lunged for Henry, but was swiftly caught by the guards, and his hands were pulled behind. The Earl struggled to be let free, but he was held down.
"You think that by betraying me that you have won?!"
Henry faced him head on. "You have brought great shame to this entire household. You have made us a mockery before all of England. You betrayed the Crown."
The Earl was dragged away, but he kept shouting. "Oh, Henry! Such a naive man you are! Thinking that all shall work in your favour because it was you who called in the royal guards. Foolish! There is no stopping the inevitable. Your name is forever ruined as well!"
Henry ignored him. He sighted Emma and ran towards her. Tearful, Emma hugged him. She began to sob, because great fear had gripped her in the past minutes.
Henry soothed her, whispering in her ears that all was well. "We are finally free from him, Emma. There is no need to cry."
Beside her, Lady Allen sighed. "This is not the end. I fear that they may take us all away."
Emma and Henry pulled apart. They turned to see a guard walking towards them. He bowed.
"Orders from the King, you all are to stand before the Regent... Your innocence will be decided then."
Emma shook her head. "But we have done nothing wrong."
The guard shook his head. "These are direct orders from the King"
Lady Allen sighed. "Just as you said, Lady Blackmoor, all we need to do is to speak our truth. We know very well that we have done nothing wrong."
Subconsciously, Emma touched her stomach. She hoped, for her child's sake, that nothing happened to them all.
Henry nodded at the guards. "That will be no problem at all."
Together, they all headed out, and although it seemed like fate was against them, Henry's confidence and Lady Allen's strength, gave Emma hope that all would be well. For her, Lady Allen, for Henry, and for the child she carried. All they needed to do was speak their truth.
Epilogue
Emma sat before him, her hair was pulled up, and her skin glowed like never before. She was more beautiful than ever as the baby grew inside her. But as she sat before him, her face was gloomy. Henry understood that she was perturbed, but she needed to read the letters. She had been so afraid of opening it, because she feared for her faith. Although, Emma had promised that her father would never learn of the affair her mother had, she wanted to reconcile the truth to herself.
It had been weeks since they had stood before the king and declared their innocence. The King had granted them immunity for their help and truthfulness. Henry had thought that revealing the truth about his father would also affect him, and it did, but in a positive way. The King had surprisingly offered them a place in court, for what they had done, but they had refused. He then proceeded to make it known that a royal debt was owed to them. Anytime they wished, the King could repay them. They, as well as Lady Allen.
The Duke of Loringham, and the Earl had been sentenced to death for treason, as expected. Henry felt some sadness creep into him upon hearing his father's sentence. Although he had expected it, it did not stop him from feeling guilty. He wondered, if there might have been a way for his father to pay for his deeds without him having to die. Irrespective of what his father had done, he was still his father and Henry loved him.
Henry had attempted to speak to his father before his death, but he had denied him. He had turned his back on Henry. Henry, however made sure to tell his father that he cared for him very much, and that he wished that there was another way to end it all.
Henry left with a heavy heart. He could not bear to witness his father's execution, so he and Emma left for Brighton before his sentence was carried out.
"Everything would be fine, Henry. Do not feel guilt for all of this. Your father made his own choices."
He knew that she was right, and so he bore her words in mind. His father had made his own choices.
They left London and moved to Brighton, as planned. Sally and Cecil followed them, while Mr. Anders confessed that he had wanted to retire for a long time. He was sad about what had happened to the Earl.
"The Earl did not grow up with so much love. He had a rough childhood, and perhaps that had affected who he turned out to be. But your mother's death affected him greatly, for he loved her more than anyone else, and she understood him. She was able to calm him."
Henry did not know what to think, but he kn
ew that Anders was right. His mother's death had made his father worse. In his grief, he had drowned himself in trying to take everything away from Lord Allen. But all was in the past now, and he wanted to move on.
Henry was lucky, Hamilton owned a property in Brighton, and sold it to him.
It was the home their child would know. Henry wanted to make the best of his new life, happy and fulfilled, which was why he wanted Emma to know the truth about her birth, no matter how hard it may seem for her.