by Nancy Wells
“Willy is a child, Elliot,” Russell said, laughing hysterically. “He is a small pickpocket no more than twelve.”
It was the single most joyous moment of his life. He had falsely assumed that Emily was in love with someone else. She might not love him either, but he wanted to confess his feelings. She had to know about his true feelings.
“I have to go back this instant. I have to confess my feelings to her,” Elliot said.
“Congratulations, Elliot. You deserve it more than anyone.” Shane patted his back.
“You were alone for a long time, Elliot. It is time for you to have some happiness in life.” Russell smiled at him and he returned his smile.
Elliot understood his reasons for bringing her into his life. Elliot was alone and Russell wanted to gift him a companion. Elliot had severed his ties to everyone because he was tired of their fake smiles. Russell had brought a person into his life who was devoid of deceptions and was truly innocent.
“You two can walk the rest of the way,” Elliot said. “I am not wasting another moment.”
“Good idea. We will accompany you,” Shane said.
Elliot knew they heard him just fine, but as was their norm, they would never listen to anyone except themselves. It was hard to tolerate them for one trip and now he had to tolerate them again for a second trip. They were going back with him all the way to his house. Elliot was sure by the time this day was over he would, no doubt, consider pulling his hair out. They would not listen to him even if he argued, so what was the point in wasting his time. They were like two little boys who would pester him until they had their way.
“Fine. Both of you can come with me, but I will not escort you back to this place,” Elliot said.
Elliot was aware that this threat would not work against them either, but he had to try his luck anyway. Miracles sometimes happen before Christmas too. Elliot wondered whether these two were a gift from God or the Devil. In his opinion, the latter was far more likely the case.
“Works for me.”
“Me too.”
“Damn these demons,” Elliot mumbled. “They will not leave me in peace.”
The twins ignored his remark. They knew when to avoid answering him back. They kept quiet for only a few moments and then resumed their banter. Ignoring them, Elliot leaned back in his seat and thought of the smiling face of Emily. When he had returned home the other day, she was riding her horse in the garden. Whenever he saw her on the horse, he insisted on her keeping her hair unbound. It reminded him of the day she granted him another chance.
“Elliot, we are waiting for you to open the door.”
Elliot looked outside the window. They had reached his home. When they approached the main gate of the house, the guards at the entrance were sleeping soundly on the ground with a half-eaten cake beside them. Elliot sniffed it and detected the unmistakable smell of opium. Elliot ran inside, ignoring calls of distress from his friends.
“Wait, Elliot. Someone might be hiding inside.”
All the servants were suspiciously absent. A feast was laden on the dinner table, but no one was around. There was not even a soul present until he reached the kitchen. His entire household was lying unconscious on the floor. Someone had drugged them all. Elliot was reliving his past. His wife was gone and the house was empty. Leaning against the wall of the kitchen, he closed his eyes as a single tear escaped his lashes.
He felt a hand on his shoulder. “I know how this looks, but you cannot jump to conclusions. Your wife did not leave you this time.”
“I know,” Elliot said with a heavy heart. “She did not leave on her own, but someone did take her. I failed to protect her. I am feeling so helpless, brother. I left for only a few moments and someone abducted my wife from a heavily guarded house.”
Elliot’s head started to spin. Emily was not in the house. Someone had hurt her. This felt so much like the last time his wife had vanished, but this time he was confident his wife had not run away with a servant. Someone had taken his Emily against her will. She would never leave him on her own.
Elliot and the twins were discussing the possibilities of Emily’s whereabouts in his study when someone knocked on the locked door. He had no other friends so who could this be? Shane unlocked the door and held his pistol to whoever was on the other side. He was doing this for precautionary measures.
“My lord, I am here for the duke.”
Elliot saw his old butler standing in the doorway. He had thrown him out of his house in his anger. He had looked for the butler, but no one seemed to know his whereabouts.
“Let him in, Shane,” Elliot said.
The butler strode inside and stood before Elliot with his hands behind his back. He did not offer him the respect he used to give him, but Elliot did not blame him for this behavior. He felt he deserved it.
“Your Grace, I am hoping the orphan has softened your heart during my absence. I am not sure if it will matter to you or not, but there was no one else I could turn to. I heard rather unpleasant news in the village and wanted to warn you. The aunt is planning on selling the girl to someone dangerous. A maid from your house is aiding her. I heard the transaction will take place in the maid’s house.”
There was a storm brewing inside Elliot’s heart. He was not aware of the conversation between the twins and his butler. His only concern was Emily. A common maid and that old witch had the gall to abduct his wife. He was confident about the identity of the maid. The maid who was dismissed from her duties was behind this. Both her aunt and the maid would pay dearly for this transgression.
“Where does the maid live?” Elliot asked.
“She lives in the nearby village,” the butler said. “But I have no inkling of her address.”
Elliot went from door to door and asked anyone that would talk to him about the whereabouts of the maid. His reputation as the cold-hearted bastard was not playing well in his favor. Almost everyone shut the door in his face. Shane, Russell and the butler were knocking separately, hoping they might have some luck.
He sat on the side of the alley, pulling his hair and crying as his helplessness increased. He was picturing her lying unconscious in a ditch. She would have called for her prince. She would be scared of the monsters. She would be alone with her tormentors.
“I can help you find the house, but I would require payment.”
A child no more than twelve was pulling at his sleeves. Under other circumstances, he would have sent the boy on his way, but he was desperate and no one else seemed to be helping. Searching his pockets, he handed anything he could find to the child. From his pocket watch to the pouch of coins, he did not hold anything back.
“Here, take this,” he said, hurriedly. “Can you show me the house now?”
The child looked down at the heap with disinterest. Elliot had nothing else to offer the child at the moment. Taking off his coat, he handed it to the child too.
“I was testing you, mister,” the child said, holding his small hands behind his back. “I wanted to know if you cared for my friend. I will take you to the place where she is held. My name is, Willy. Emily is my friend.”
The child led the way while he followed through dumps, alleys and horrible smells. Elliot had left all his possessions in his haste to get to her. The child could be taking him somewhere dangerous, but he was not concerned for his own life. The child pointed to a small house in an alley ridden with poverty and diseases.
“This is the place where I saw her aunt,” the child said.
Elliot stood there, afraid to go inside. This was his last hope. If Emily was not inside than where would he go? If Emily was inside, but not alive, then would he be strong enough to survive her loss? So many confusing questions and yet there was no clear answer to even one of them.
“Elliot, how do you feel?”
He looked at one of the twins, standing behind him. Elliot shook his head in negative. He was not fine. He was frightened. He was breaking inside. He was afraid he had lost his
wife. Elliot had not felt so helpless before. His disheveled hair, tear stained and dust ridden face could not do justice to his real feelings. He was feeling far worse than he appeared.
“We will go inside with caution. I will check inside for any hidden traps while you keep watching for surprise visitors.”
The twin kept talking but Elliot was not listening to him. Ignoring his warnings and words of caution, Elliot ran towards the house. Kicking open the door, he went inside. There was no one in the house, but one particular door was bolted from the outside. With trembling hands and praying lips, he opened the door.
The sight that welcomed him would haunt him for a very long time. Emily was curled into a ball on the floor, holding her head in her hands. Her tears were gutting him and breaking his heart. She was mumbling constantly and shaking all over.
Elliot descended the stairs and took her in his embrace like the day he did when her fever broke. She was once again the same girl, holding onto his torso and saying words in her delirium. Elliot leaned down to hear her more properly.
“He will not come for me,” she mumbled. “He does not love me. I am his property.”
Elliot was hurt beyond words when he heard her. He did all in his power to make her feel safe and loved. He loved the silly girl. She meant a lot more than he was comfortable with. He never considered her his property.
“Emily, I am here. I did not abandon you.” Elliot held her more firmly to his body. “I—damn it, you mean a lot to me. Please, please, wake up.”
Emily heard Elliot’s voice and instantly felt hope. He had come to her aid. He was finally here. She had lost all hope a long time ago. No one ever came to her aid when her aunt brutalized her in the cottage; she was convinced no one would listen to her cry for help this time either.
Looking up at him, she cried in relief. Elliot looked like he had been through hell. His coat was missing, his hair was disheveled and his white shirt was covered in sweat and mud. His eyes were bloodshot while his face was covered in dirt.
“Elliot,” she rasped. “You came.”
“I will make them pay for this, Emily. They dared to touch what’s mine.”
Elliot was staring into the distance, thinking about his revenge. He would not rest until everyone who had a hand in her abduction was brought to justice.
“Take me away from here, Elliot,” Emily said. “We are not safe here. I want to go home, Elliot. My aunt will return any moment. She said she is selling me to the man who ran away with your wife.”
The man must have fled from his slavery and returned. Last time, Elliot had spared his life, but he did not intend to go soft on any of them this time. All of them would be punished for their crimes against Emily.
Emily saw her aunt standing behind Elliot. Raising her stick above her head, she was about to hit Elliot with it. Throwing herself over Elliot, Emily took him to the ground and waited for the blow.
“Not so fast, madam.”
She opened her eyes and saw one of the twins holding the hand of her aunt. The twin twisted the hand of her aunt behind her back and the stick fell from her fingers. Looking at Emily, the twin winked.
“I told you, Lady Emily, I am the nice one.”
“Oh, Russell.” She sighed in relief.
The other twin entered the house, holding the maid by her elbow. “Look, brother, what I found outside,” Shane said.
Elliot was still in shock. Emily threw herself over him to save his life. He looked around at the place where they were sitting and realized the danger to her life. The servant could arrive at any moment. Emily was not safe in this place.
Picking her up from the floor, Elliot turned towards the twins. “I am taking my wife home. Wait for that cursed man. He will surely come here. Use your resources and make sure all of them are punished.”
Chapter 12
Emily was sleeping peacefully under the influence of laudanum while Elliot kept a vigil by her side. He did not sleep a wink the whole night. He was tormented by his demons. This house was associated with many painful memories. He planned on moving away from here as soon as Emily got better.
Elliot did not go out of the room for a whole week. He stayed by her side, nursing her to health. He fed her with his own hands, washed her face with a wet cloth and slept in the chair beside her head. She asked him to join her in the bed, it was big enough for the both of them, but he never listened. He was afraid he would hurt her accidentally.
By the end of the week, his beard was grown. He had looked after her every need but ignored his own basic needs. He was refusing to take a bath because he did not want to leave her presence. Emily had to ask the maids to bring a bathtub to the room for him. Elliot took his bath reluctantly, all the while looking at her. His eyes were full of concern. The incident of her abduction had upset him immensely.
When the week ended, Emily went out of the room while he was asleep on the chair. Emily did not need rest after the day she was abducted, but Elliot was insistent on it. She could not bring herself to refuse him anything, no matter how childish it sounded. When she saw him sleeping today, she saw no harm in going out for a few minutes. She wanted to breathe in the fresh air. The confines of the room were suffocating her.
Emily had been standing in the garden for no more than five minutes when she heard a commotion in the house. A very scared Elliot was running out of the main door, shouting frantically. The empty bed had alarmed him. He was calling her name in distress.
“I am here, Elliot,” she called back.
Elliot came running towards her and embraced her in his arms. He was shaking all over. Emily rubbed his back and assured him that everything was fine.
“When I saw the empty bed, I thought you were gone,” Elliot said while holding her in his arms. “I would understand if you want to leave me, Emily. I would not stop you if you want to start a new life where you would be free of the monsters. I would help you settle anywhere you want, away from everyone who could ever harm you, away from your aunt, away from the maid, away from… me. This monster will never bother you again. You can finally search for your brave prince.”
Elliot had given her enough courage to face all her tormentors, but he never made her face her worst nightmare. He was the monster in her nightmares. He was the cause of all her suffering. He had been selfish so far in keeping her with him. Until now, he could not bring himself to release her from his cage, but now the time had come for him to face the truth. Emily was not his to keep. He paid money to have her, but she was not a piece of furniture. She was a living breathing person who had her own dreams. She could never look for her prince until he released her from his captivity.
Elliot closed his eyes, waiting for her response, waiting for her to either complete him or ruin him forever. He was not strong enough to endure the silent moments as the seconds went by and Emily remained silent. Opening his eyes, he looked at the stream of tears flowing down her cheeks. Emily held his face in both hands when he tried to look away from her.
“How could I ever leave you, Elliot? My heart would always be here with you even if I wanted to go. How could I survive without my heart? You big oaf, I love you. I have been in love with you for a very long time. The prince in my dreams always abandoned me in time of need, but you were always there for me. You are my real prince. How can I call you a monster when you are the only one who had been keeping them at bay? I love you, even if you love your dead wife, I still love you. It matters not that you love her more than me. I am content with what I have with you.”
Emily was crying. She had just declared her feelings to him. Elliot had told her that he would never give her his heart, but she was hoping that he had changed his mind with time. They had been through so much together; she wanted him to love her back. His respect and care were not enough for her anymore. She wanted his heart, broken or otherwise.
“Emily, when you came into my life, I was a broken man. I was damaged beyond repair. The ghost of my dead wife was haunting me. I was truly a monste
r back then, but you changed me. I will not call you a princess with a pretty face. You are more than that. You are an enchantress who made my heart whole again. You brought me back to life. You showed me kindness even when I humiliated you that night. How can you even think that I would love someone other than you?”
Emily believed she had conquered the whole world. The man who was once known for his cruelty was declaring his undying love for her. He was still fixated on that one night. Emily had forgiven him for that night a long time ago. She wished there was a way for her to assure him of her forgiveness. Emily thought for a long time and then she recalled the one thing she had desired the most.
“You are my family, Elliot. You gave me life beyond my dreams.”
Emily had asked him to make her forget her pain when she learned of her aunt’s betrayal. At that time, she had felt alone. She had no one that could be considered her family, but she was blind to the truth. Her family had been with her all along. Elliot was truly her family.
Emily shrieked when her feet left the ground. Elliot held her around her waist and twirled her around. They were both laughing hysterically with wild abandon. Elliot brought her back to the ground and kissed her passionately.
“I love you, Emily. I would not survive your loss.”
They stayed in each other’s embrace for a long time. Emily could not believe her luck. She got everything she dreamed of. She was finally in the arms of her prince. The most handsome prince in the entire world was afraid of losing her.
“Pack your things,” Elliot said, suddenly. “We are moving to my place in London.”
Emily did not argue with him. She was not feeling safe in this place either. Both of them were in need of a fresh start.
In the carriage, Emily was looking out the window. She wanted their life to return to normal. Emily shrieked when he moved suddenly and draped her over his knees like he did the night they were leaving the chapel.