Chapter 14

CHAPTER14

Several days had passed and Leah could not help but think that things were slowly changing for the better. Edward had started to open up to her, little by little, and in turn she was doing the same.

"He slept by your side the whole night?" Alicia repeated, sounding surprised.

Leah could understand why. There had been so many stories circulating about him that it was impossible he was capable doing something so sweet. That thought enraged Leah, because Edward was completely unlike how the ton was depicting him. He didn’t deserve to be called a monster, when he did not have a single malicious bone in his body. She was certain of that.

"He said he wanted to help me sleep knowing I was safe," Leah remembered his words, and once again, they filled her with warmth and tenderness for him.

"I never expected him to be so... gentle," Alicia admitted.

"Neither have I," Leah had to say the same thing. "I had been subject to what the ton thinks for far too long. Well, no more," Leah was now adamant. "I think my mother would be very disappointed in me to see me believe the ton over what someone like Edward had to say regarding their own life."

"Your mother never allowed others to think for her," Alicia agreed. "But it is dangerous to have an opinion, especially if it clashes with everyone else’s."

"I know that," Leah confirmed. "I mean, just look at Edward. The ton has shunned him and labeled him as the guilty party without any proof. My mother would never stand for it. She would solve this mystery, even if her life depended on it."

"Have you talked about that night?"

"A little," Leah nodded, sighing heavily. "You can tell that it is very difficult for him to delve into that subject. Of course, I completely understand him. He cared about his parents deeply and he misses them even more. Several days ago, we entered the room where it all happened, together. He had been keeping it locked up ever since that happened."

"That long?" Alicia gasped. "He just left it... like that... all burned?"

"It was such a frightful sight," Leah revealed, remembering that heavy feeling that settled inside of her, and it wouldn’t leave her for the rest of the day, as if the ghosts of his dead parents were trying to communicate with her somehow and tell her that their son needed her help. She could only hope that they could see that she wanted to help him. She would remain by his side, for as long as he wanted her to.

"I can imagine," Alicia shook her head, with a look of dread in her eyes.

"I thought he would speak more," Leah admitted. "That he would want to unburden himself, but I realized then that he keeps all that pain and anguish inside of him, unwilling to bother anyone else with it. I’m afraid that if he keeps things bottled up inside like that, he will get even worse, sick perhaps."

"He is very lucky to have you by his side," Alicia pointed out.

"I think we are both lucky, in a way."

"Really?" Alicia seemed to need a deeper explanation.

"He understands me," Leah said simply. "We are united in our pain, in our need to sort out our past, because until we do that, we know that we cannot exist in the present, and we also cannot have a future."

"A future together?" Alicia wondered.

"Any sort of future," Leah clarified. "But... I would like it to be together."

Alicia smiled. "That is what I was hoping to hear. I could tell that there were sparks flying between you."

"Those were sparks of clashing," Leah chuckled. "But lately, I feel like we’ve shared intimate things with each other."

"Intimate?" Alicia leaned closer, sounding more intrigued now.

"Not like that, you silly thing!" Leah pretended to be offended, but it was all in good fun. "We still haven’t... you know–"

"If he is spending the whole night holding your hand, I imagine it is only a matter of time before he is holding you in his arms and–" Alicia wasn’t allowed to finish, because at that moment, there was a knock on the door.

Leah pressed her index finger to her lips, signaling to her friend that such topics were now to cease. They had to behave. She cleared her throat a little, then called for that someone to come in. As soon as she did so, Edward peered through the door. "I just wished to greet you, Lady Alicia," he smiled. "Unless I am interrupting some very important girl talk, and if that is the case, I can return a bit later."

"Oh, nonsense!" Leah chuckled, a little nervously. A part of her wondered if he could have heard what either she or Alicia were saying. That would have been possible only if he was listening by the door. He would never do that, would he? She tried not to think about it and continued, "Do join us."

He smiled, walking inside and approaching Alicia. "It is a pleasure to see you, as always," he greeted her with a respectful kiss on the hand. "I hope your family are all well."

"They are, thank you for inquiring about them," Alicia smiled. Then, she seemed to remember something important. "In fact, they are partly the reason why I have come to see you today."

"They are?" Leah wondered, glancing at Edward, then back at the Alicia.

"My parents are organizing a ball which is to take place in a fortnight," Alicia announced importantly, with a huge smile on her face. "At first, I was considering sending you an invitation, but then I decided against it. I wanted to invite you both personally."

Leah smiled. "That is most kind of you, I’m just not certain if we shall be able to attend."

"Why not?" Alicia was surprised. "Everyone is going to be there!"

"That is exactly why," Leah pointed out. "I can just imagine all the prying eyes and the whispers behind our backs."

"Do you care?" Alicia made her think. "In my opinion, you shouldn’t, but the last thing I would want is to put either of you in an uncomfortable position." She got up, as she had already spent two hours in Leah’s company, prior to Edward joining them. She approached Leah and took her hand in her own. "Please, think about it. Without you, it won’t be the same."

Leah’s heart warmed at her cousin’s words. "You are so sweet to say that. But... are you certain that we won’t... well, ruin the party?"

"Absolutely not!" Alicia chuckled. "Why, I would make you the guests of honor if I could!" All three of them chuckled, imagining how awkward it would be for the entire ton if that were to happen. Leah actually considered the possibility and loved it.

"Thank you for coming and for the invitation," Edward joined in, sounding as courteous as always with his wife’s cousin and best friend. "We shall consider coming."

"Very well," Alicia nodded, realizing that it was time for the two of them to have a private conversation.

After cordial goodbyes were exchanged, Leah and Edward found themselves in the parlor, both standing up, unable to sit down. This upcoming ball was making them both slightly nervous.

"We don’t have to go," she immediately assured him. "Just because Alicia invited us personally, it doesn’t change anything."

He didn’t say anything to that at first. She assumed he agreed with her, and that he was silent for that very reason.

"I could come up with an excuse," she continued. "But, after all, this is Alicia. I don’t need to come up with excuses when talking to her. She knows me, and I’m certain that she will understand when I tell her that–"

"No." Edward’s no was so resounding and stern that at first, she thought she misheard him or that it was someone else talking. But the moment their eyes met, she realized the sound did indeed come from him.

"I know you don’t want to go," she assured him, hoping that she didn’t somehow and without meaning to, put pressure on him. "That is why I immediately told Alicia not to expect us."

"No," he repeated. "I want to go."

Her eyes widened in shock and disbelief. Again, she thought she misheard him. "You want to go?" she had to repeat his own question back to him, because it sounded so utterly incredulous.

"I want us to go," he corrected her. "Together."

Her eyes refused to leave his. She tried to read him, but she was unable to figure out why he was saying this. "But... those people told those terrible lies about you, about your parents."

"I have given them too much control over my life," he finally said what laid on his heart. "Their words do not define me. I am who I am, not who they claim I am. And with you here, I’ve realized something. I want to move on with my life, little by little. I still have to find out what happened to my parents, just like you need to find out the mystery behind your mother’s death, but that doesn’t mean that we must keep living in the past, bound by the chains of other people’s opinions about us."

Finally, she understood him. Her heart glowed with the strength of his words. She could not imagine how difficult it must have been for him to say this. This was why she appreciated it all the more.

"Are you certain?" she asked tenderly. "Everyone will be there."

By everyone she meant all those people who told numerous lies. They would be smiling to their faces, but as always, they would continue to gossip behind their backs and weave more lies, because they had nothing better to do with their lives.

He walked over to her and took her by the hand. "You will be there. That is all I care about."

Immediately upon hearing those words, she felt her cheeks blossom into a poppy red hue, but this did not make her self-conscious at all. She wanted him to know the effect his words were starting to have on her. In fact, everything about him had an effect on her, and she would not be able to hide this fact even if she tried to.

"So, we are going then?" she chuckled a little nervously.

"You can count on it," he smiled. "Only... I’m afraid there is one problem."

Leah immediately clouded up. "What problem?"

"We have to find you the most beautiful gown in all of London."

The moment he said that, she burst into a boisterous chuckle, expecting an actual problem, and now being faced with something so silly. A gown would be the least of their troubles.

"Don’t worry," she beamed. "I know just the place."