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Loud, thumping noises were heard from upstairs, then someone coming down. Finally, the man revealed himself and he did not look the slightest bit pleased when he saw them. He recognized them immediately.
"I thought I told ya not to come back 'ere," he said, but there was much less threatening in his voice this time. To Edward, he now sounded like a tired old man, who had life beat him up several times over, and now, he had no more strength in him left for anything. He was merely surviving.
"I know," Edward said. "But I think you'll want to hear what we came to say." He paused, giving some strength to the break between his words. Unfortunately, it was lost on the man.
"Well, out with it," the man frowned.
"Your son, Harry–" Edward started, not really certain how to say this. He wanted to use grand words, because Harry deserved grand words. What he did was brave. He could have remained quiet. He probably would have been alive had he done that. That was why Edward wanted to use the words that would perfectly convey the message of Harry's courageous spirit.
No matter how hard he tried, he could not find them. Leah immediately noticed this, and she jumped to his aid. Squeezing his hand, she took over.
"Harry recognized his old crime boss when he came to the duke and the duchess' home," Leah continued, and her words seem to flow effortlessly, just like she herself was. How he always admired her for that. "He recognized the threat that this man was. And risking his own life, he revealed everything to the duke and the duchess. He told them everything about this man, who he was, what he was dealing with and most importantly, that they should steer clear off him at all costs. This meant that the man lost a very lucrative business. This loss and the fact that Harry wanted to help the duke and the duchess ended up costing him his life. It ended up costing them all their lives. But what we came here to tell you was that Harry... your son, Harry... was the kind of man who risked his own life to help others. He might have made mistakes in the past, but with his last words and actions, he made up for all of that."
Harry's mother gasped. Edward watched the expression on the man's face change from complete paralysis to being stunned, to shock and disbelief. Neither of them could say anything for a very long time. Edward realized that he and Leah needed to leave and allow these people to process this information.
"That was all," Edward said, as they turned to head for the door.
"You mean... " Harry's mother suddenly started, "my boy did good?" There was so much love and pride in those few simple words, Edward could almost not believe it. Here he was, in search of the perfect words to convey the message of Harry's bravery and loyalty, and his mother used just four to say exactly how she felt.
"Yes," Edward smiled. "I would also not be surprised that in my parents' last moments of life, he tried to save them as well."
These words were too much for the woman to bear. She burst into tears, raising her apron to her face and wiping her tears with it. Her husband immediately approached her and embraced her sobbing body with his own. Edward could not tell if he was crying as well. Not that it mattered. The truth was finally out there, for the world to see. He deserved his own. Leah deserved hers. And Harry also deserved his own.
"Let's go," Edward urged Leah, leading her to the door, leaving the sobbing woman behind.
However, before he could close the door behind them, he saw the man rushing after them. Running, or even walking hastily was quite a feat for him. Edward wondered if now that he knew the truth, his life would change. Perhaps he would stop drinking as much, thinking he failed his son. That would be a nice way to honor Harry's memory. But Edward knew that it wasn't up to him to say anything like that.
"Thank you," the man said, sounding as if his own tongue got tied up somehow and he was unable to pronounce the words properly. Still, both Edward and Leah understood him well enough. "Thank you for coming to tell us this. It means... the world."
"I know," Edward smiled. "Harry deserved to have his side told. I would not be able to live with myself if I did not come to share this knowledge with you."
"You are a good man... Your Grace," the man offered Edward his hand. This was also the first time he had addressed him so formally, with so much respect in his voice. Edward knew that this meant a lot.
"Thank you," Edward replied, shaking the man's hand firmly with his own.
"Thank you both," the man added, addressing Leah this time as well. She only smiled, nodding gently.
After these words were exchanged, the man closed the door, and Edward was left alone with Leah. Finally, it seemed like everything was in its place. The truth was out. The deaths of his parents and Leah's mother had been avenged. The guilty man would spend the rest of his life in prison. Life could finally go on and he was more than happy to do it with Leah by his side.
She turned to him, beaming. "It is a lovely day. What do you say we take a stroll through Hyde Park?"
Usually, Edward shunned that place where all of thetongathered. He hated being the center of attention, because he knew what they were saying about him. He was a monster. He was even accused by some of murdering his parents. He was a loner. He was odd. And so many more things he could not even remember.
But that was before. Things were different now. The truth was out there, for the world to see. His name was finally cleared of all the dirty insinuations and accusations, and he had Leah to thank for it. How could he not accept her invitation for a stroll through Hyde Park so he could show her off?
"Why, I think that is a splendid idea, my dear," he grinned, leading her to the carriage, which was given clear instruction to take them straight to that very same location.
Several minutes later, they joined the busy crowd, who were enjoying a lazy afternoon stroll, soaking up the soft rays of the summer sun. The ladies were all wearing bonnets. All but Leah, of course. There were a few odd glances in her direction, as a lady should always wear her bonnet, because she needed to keep her face pale. But he knew that Leah loved the sun. Her mother scorned bonnets and so did she.The sun is good for your skin,Leah told him once. He believed her, because she shone in the sun. It was as if she herself was made of golden threads that made up her very essence which was shining brighter than all the stars in the sky. That was what he had been drawn to. That energy, that strength, that warm spirit.
They strolled hand in hand, paying attention to nothing and no one but each other, although everyone was looking at them. After all, the fact that the Marquess had been responsible for so much crime in the city of London was still fresh news. It was even fresher than Edward and Leah were the ones who revealed all of that. Suddenly, he remembered something.
"Do you know that there are still people who don't believe the Marquess did any of the things he was accused of?" he wondered aloud, as they turned left into a smaller, narrower path, in search of some privacy.
"It doesn't surprise me," Leah shrugged, walking languidly, enjoying both the sun and his company. "He was so good at playing his role that he made everyone believe it. After all, even the two of us believed him."
"Yes, but we did not know him that well," he reminded her.
"True," he agreed. "I still think that he was charming enough to fool anyone. I mean, he was connected with the Crown! You would never question someone with connections to the Crown, thinking they couldn't be anything but good, decent, law abiding people."
