AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"It just goes to show you that any one of us could be wicked," he mused. "Our outsides hide our inner selves."
"You could never be wicked," she turned to him, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Oh?" He raised his eyebrows. What she was doing right now, showing affection in public, was utterly inappropriate. And neither of them could not care one bit. The world was there for their own amusement. It was never the other way around.
"Mhm," she confirmed, staring lovingly into his eyes. "I knew that the moment I woke up next to you in your chamber."
"I still think you came on your own accord," he teased. "You saw me on the street, fell madly in love with me and you had to have me. Admit it."
"Never!" she chuckled. "I shall take that secret to my grave!"
They both laughed heartily. In fact, they laughed so loudly that a few passersby turned to look at them in astonishment. Again, neither of them cared about thetonor what they would think and say. Only one thing mattered. The opinion of the person they were holding in their arms.
For Edward, that was Leah. It was always Leah, and it always would be Leah.
"Let's keep that the last secret then," he suggested playfully. "I think I've had enough mysteries and secrets to last me a lifetime."
"No more secrets," she promised, kissing him tenderly and reverently on the lips.
The sun bathed them with its soft glow as they stood like that, in the middle of Hyde Park, embraced. The world dissolved around them. Nothing else existed. Nothing but each other and the love they felt.
CHAPTER29
"Icannot believe you took down the Marquess of Dawbridge!" Alicia squealed as soon as she arrived. She kept talking all the while, as she and Leah walked from the main door to the parlor, where they sat down. Leah wanted to share everything with her, but it seemed that her friend was already acquainted with the entire story from other sources.
"We did not really take him down, as you say," Leah chuckled. "My mother figured out who he was. She wrote down his address, that is the address of the home he had purchased so he could continue with his crime business without being spotted. This knowledge cost my mother her life, but I know she would be glad to know that justice prevailed."
"Your mother was a lovely woman," Alicia smiled. "And you are following in her footsteps."
"I thought that would mean that I would have to keep away from my father, but I am happy to say that he finally understands me, just like he initially understood my mother. Then, his love gave way to fear. But if you love someone, you have to allow them to be themselves. Otherwise, you do not truly love them at all."
"That is so true," Alicia nodded. "You know what is also true?"
"What?" Leah wondered.
"Now that this has happened, everyone wants you to attend their ball!" Alicia clapped joyfully.
"Ugh, I do not think Edward would like that very much," Leah chuckled. "You know that neither of us enjoys all that crowd and chattering."
"Oh, but you must! You absolutely must attend every single ball!" Alicia exclaimed. "Everyone is dying to hear your story!"
Leah rolled her eyes playfully at her friend. "That means that I would need to tell one and the same story over and over again, how many times?"
"As many times as is necessary, my dear. You are a hero! Do you realize that?"
"No," Leah shook her head. "At least, I do not feel like a hero. I feel like just a regular woman who was fortunate enough to have a good man by her side, who believed her doubts and who did everything in his power to help her. See? I'm no hero."
"Well, say it in whatever manner you wish," Alicia did not fancy this ordinary way of telling the story, obviously. She wanted it with a bit more pomp. But that was who Alicia was, and Leah still loved her for it, or perhaps in spite of it. Sometimes, she could not tell which one, but she loved her, nonetheless. "Everyone wants you to attend their ball, and you simply must."
"If we must," Leah giggled.
At that moment, the tea arrived, along with some biscuits. The servant girl placed them nicely before the two friends, then she left the room. Alicia immediately grabbed a biscuit and bit into it with much delight.
"These are my favorite," she said, with her mouth full. She was careful enough never to do this in public, but with her best friend and cousin, she was always much more relaxed. "Aren't you going to have some?"
Leah frowned. "I'm not really hungry. Besides, I have been having an odd feeling in my stomach for the past several days, especially in the mornings immediately after waking up."
Hearing this made Alicia stop munching on the biscuit. She quickly swallowed, unwilling to take her eyes off of her friend for even a single moment. "Mornings, you say? Like feeling nauseous in the mornings?"
