Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The next day, Alexander made his way from the house towards the woods just behind the Russel Estate, no longer dressed like George.

He had already been planning to reintroduce Eliza to the masked stranger from the party, but he needed to be extremely careful with the execution of this plan. He only wished to do so, for he wanted Eliza not only to be able to trust George but also trust the masked stranger, and that could only happen if the two of them had ample interaction.

The only problem with the entire situation was that without the mask, Eliza would recognize him, and he could not afford that to happen.

Not yet, anyway.

At the masquerade, he had done an excellent job at making George and the masked stranger look like two entirely different people, but he would need to continue this charade rather staunchly.

Hence, simply slicking back his hair into a ponytail wouldn’t be able to cut it, and he would need to completely hide his face to make sure Eliza did not discover his true identity.

Just at the edge of the woods, Alexander slipped on the full-face mask he had decided to wear instead of just a half mask before meeting Eliza.

He hoped for his serious demeanour, slicked-back hair, deeper voice, and gentleman’s attire to be enough to draw Eliza’s attention away from him being George, and that she would only see him as the masked stranger from the party who knew her true identity.

This way, Eliza would be able to trust both of them, and Alexander would be able to keep both of his identities.

Being George would allow him to infiltrate the house, but having the identity of the mysterious stranger would allow him to use it whenever it was required.

He quickly made his way to the exact spot where they had met yesterday and sat down on the log, his eyes on the scenery ahead of him. With evening almost approaching, the birds in the skies were beginning to return to their nests, and Alexander was engrossed in watching the colours in the skies.

“You!” Eliza’s voice behind him made him turn around, realizing how he had completely failed to hear her footsteps.

He smiled at her shocked expression and cleared his throat to make sure his voice came out much heavier and more velvety than George’s voice. He certainly could not afford for Eliza to find any resemblance between him and George and ruin this entire charade.

“Hello, Lady Eliza.” She flushed as he called out to her but came closer still. “George told me you wished to see me?”

“That was not what I said,” Eliza stuttered, clearly feeling at a loss for words. Her pale skin had stained scarlet, and Alexander understood she must be feeling caught. She had perhaps never expected George to somehow find the masked man and bring him here to meet with her. Her shock was clearly visible through her eyes.

“Should I leave then?” he asked, his tone indicating his jesting manner, and Eliza shook her head.

“Please, no!” she interjected, “Now that you are already here, leaving would be counterproductive. You must stay.”

Alexander remained seated on the log but angled his body to face Eliza. He watched as she took a few tentative steps towards the log and sat down as well, exactly where she had been seated yesterday when she had been with George.

She was uncomfortable and perhaps even nervous, but Alexander understood all of those emotions. The last time she had met him was several days ago, and their meeting had been tainted with mystery, and now here he was again, still behind a mask.

“How are you doing, Lady Eliza?”

“Can you stop calling me that?”

“I can only call you by your real name, and I know that to be Lady Eliza. I will not be calling you Beth and becoming a part of the forces that have stolen your very identity from you.”

She sighed.

“Who are you? And why are you still wearing the mask?” she asked, staring into his eyes. “And why do you feel oddly familiar, as if we have met before or I know you?”

Alexander wanted to do nothing more than reveal his identity, her pained and confused expression beckoning him to do it almost immediately.

However, he knew this was not the right time. It was much safer to remain anonymous for both his and Eliza’s sake until he had concrete proof to expose the Russel family.

“You must think of me as a friend,” he replied at last, “a friend who knows who you really are and would be honoured if you decide to confide in him about your true feelings, emotions, and everything that has happened to you in the past few years.”

“Why would I choose to confide in a man who refuses to reveal his name or his face?”

She was right.

“You have no reason to confide in me except for the trust you might feel towards me in your heart.” He smiled underneath the mask. “Although, you must remember that people often find it easier to confide in strangers than to the people they know closely. This mask is for both of us so you can talk to me about yourself openly without worrying about who I am or what I might think about your situation. I am simply a friend, even if both nameless and faceless.”

Eliza blinked, her face tilting to one side as she regarded him with interest.

“There is an appeal to that idea of talking to a nameless face.”

Alexander felt as if he was going in the right direction and just a little more coaxing would make her reveal the truth about herself and everything that went on with her in the Russel house. He needed to hear the details from Eliza alone to make more sense of the situation, and for that, he would need to make sure she trusted him enough to divulge the truth.

“You can be honest with me, Lady Eliza,” he replied. “You must tell me what happened with you about twelve, thirteen years ago? How did you end up being a servant in the very house that belongs to you?”

Eliza stayed silent, staring at the tree behind him. He could see she was lost in her own thoughts.

“What happened to your inheritance, My Lady? What happened to all the old servants of the house who knew you?”

“How is it that you know so much about me and my life? No one knows these things about me but you. How could this be possible?”

“Just consider me a good friend, Lady Eliza,” he replied. “Everything about me will be revealed to you in good time, but the time is not now. You must simply take my word and trust me enough to tell me what happened. I must hear it all from you to make sense of the situation.”

Her face shifted as she turned to look at Alexander, her eyes turning softer. Alexander felt as if, at that moment, she looked at him differently, and part of her was ready to trust him. Eliza sighed deeply, smiling a sad smile as she stared into his eyes, for it was the only part visible through the mask on his face.

“It was rather difficult after my parents died. Things were very difficult because I had to grapple with their loss along with settling in with a new family, which had moved into my house and was living there as if they owned it. Everything felt wrong, but I still had all the old servants who loved me, cared for me, and wanted the best for me. Despite that, it only took Uncle Edgar and Aunty Beatrice a few years to gain complete control of the house.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just two years after my parents’ death, Aunty Beatrice casually started asking me to do chores here and there, and I never thought much of it until one day she fired all the old servants, and a new set came in. My room was taken away from me, and I was asked to move to the attic, and they told me that from now on, I was going to be a servant in the house rather than the lady of the house, and I must do everything asked of me. They told me my new name was supposed to be Beth, and everyone was going to call me just that because Eliza no longer existed.”

Tears stung her eyes, but she remained steady, not sobbing one bit even when the shiny wetness stained her cheeks. Alexander had the urge to get closer to her and wipe away the tears from her face, but he knew it was not appropriate. He forced himself to stay put.

“Did you not protest?” he asked, his words soft.

“Of course I did.” She was no longer trying to hide her tears. “But they shut me up in the attic when I tried to write letters to friends of my parents or contact anyone who might help me. I was too young to do much, and they took away all the means for me to contact anyone outside the house. I was trapped.”

“And then you gave up?”

“I had no choice,” she sighed, wiping her cheeks. “When I was a little older and had enough freedom to finally contact someone, I had no recollection of any names or addresses, and I knew no one would believe me since I had no proof either. I had no choice but to simply accept my fate and be strong in order to survive.”

“You have been strong enough, Lady Eliza.”

“It feels like distant history now.” She chuckled sadly. “I can’t even remember what it was like all those years ago when I was not a servant but a lady, and I know I can never return to that life. It is no longer meant for me, and I must learn to accept it and move on.”

She breathed in deeply.

“I must apologize to you for crying like a little girl.” She chuckled, wiping her face once again. “I had no idea it was weighing on my chest so heavily. Thank you for listening to me.”

“You have every right to cry after all the terrible things that have happened to you, My Lady. I feel immense anger towards Lord and Lady Leicester for putting you through this tragedy and even getting away with it. They are living on nothing but your inheritance right now, and they have no right to it at all.”

Alexander could feel himself getting worked up.

He shifted a little closer to Eliza, who remained quiet at his comment as if being angry towards her aunt and uncle wouldn’t bring her any peace either.

Alexander understood the severity of her emotions and how giving up on hope must have felt like the easiest thing to do, especially when one was faced with survival. She could not have resisted forever. He tentatively put a hand on Eliza’s hand, feeling uncertain about the touch.

“Isn’t it funny?” Her question made him look at her.

“What is?”

“Just a few nights ago, you had no apprehensions about letting me sleep on your lap, and today, you look uncertain about holding my hand to simply comfort me.”

Alexander laughed at her comment, knowing she was right. He felt no such thing when he pulled her close and held her against him at the masquerade, but he suddenly felt conscious of his actions.

Despite that, her words gave him courage, and he held her hand confidently, growing bolder when she did not pull away. Instead, he took both her hands in his and held them in her lap, looking deep into her eyes.

They were as beautiful as ever, even with tears swirling in them.

“I admire your courage and bravery, Lady Eliza. I truly do,” he sighed, “and I wish I could tell you enough how proud I am of you, but my words will do no justice to the emotions in my heart. Despite everything that happened to you, you still did not allow bitterness to enter your heart, and not everyone is capable of being this kind. I wonder how you did it and maintained your own warmth through this tragic fate, but you somehow did it.”

Eliza’s eyes were lined with tears once again, and he could sense the effect his words must be having on her. That was just what he had wanted: for her to feel at ease around him. With this one meeting, he felt as if he had accomplished the task.

“Why are you so kind to me?” she whispered, her expression vulnerable.

“Because I have never met a person in my life so fully deserving of love and kindness as you are, and it is about time someone shows you that you are worth everything. I will never take anything about you for granted and keep reminding you who you truly are in your heart and mind and how perfect you are in every way imaginable.”

“You say all of these things which make me hope again when all I have ever known is for hope to break hearts.”

“I know life has disappointed you, Lady Eliza, but you must learn to trust fate again. This time, it just might surprise you.”

She laughed softly.

“I will try.”

He gently squeezed her hands and sighed, not wanting to part from her one bit. Although, he knew it was time for the masked stranger to leave. The temptation of revealing himself to Eliza was stronger than ever, but Alexander controlled it, not wanting to mess things up.

“I must take your leave now.”

“You are going?” she asked, appearing slightly disappointed.

“It is time for me to leave, but you must wait here. George asked me to let him know once I left so he could come see you, too.”

“That sounds reasonable.” She smiled. “Will we see each other again?”

“If you wish to see me again, I promise you I will come meet you. Do not worry one bit.”

“I look forward to it.”

“I am glad.” He smiled at her, definitely in no hurry to leave her.

“I have another question,” she said.

“What is it?” His eyebrows furrowed underneath the mask, and for a second, he felt that despite the mask, she could easily read his expressions, their connection one of the soul.

“Does George know?”

“About the truth of your identity?” he asked, immediately understanding what she meant.

“Yes.”

“It is not my secret to tell, Lady Eliza,” he replied, “George knows nothing except what you have told him about yourself. He only knows you as Beth unless, of course, you wish to tell him who you really are. He will never hear it from me, I promise.”

“Thank you.” She smiled at him, and Alexander felt as if everything in the world was right again. The power of her smile made him feel a thousand things, and one of those things was a sense of peace in the world.

“Until next time, My Lady.” She nodded wordlessly, keeping her hands back in her lap.

He stood up and walked slowly away from her, only beginning to run once he was certain she could no longer see him. He quickly needed to change clothes and meet her as George, and he needed to do it all in a manner where she did not suspect them to be the same person.

He knew he had only made things more difficult for himself with double identities, both of them false, but this was the only way to come close to Eliza.

This was the only way to bring justice to her, and he was on his path to do just that.