Chapter 26
CHAPTER 26
“Oh, constables. Thank you for the kind deed of checking in, but I suspect the Duke of Darrington may have some screws loose as well. Runs in the family, I believe. His father experienced hallucinations as well,” Josiah charismatically said as he reached the constables.
Griffin had exited the house out the back door, creeping past the conversation Josiah was having with the constables.
“We thought so ourselves, My Lord,” The taller constable laughed. “Thought we should send him to bedlam as well.”
“How about a beverage for the two of you, at least a small treat before you tend to more serious crimes. This place simply has the crime of some crazy people,” Josiah laughed, starting to lead the two men away from the shrubbed area. The constables happily agreed.
“I need assistance!” Griffin screamed. “Help!”
From the shrubbed, hidden area, Griffin emerged. In his arms- Leilah.
“She has a heartbeat, but she’s unconscious!’ he yelled. The constables turned to see what the commotion was about, but the shorter one nearly fell from what he saw.
Griffin saw Leilah start to reach a slow awakening, fluttering her eyes but barely keeping them open. “We need a doctor!” Griffin shouted in accordance.
He continued to carry her to the soft patch of grass near the feet of the constables, the tall one having a firm grip on Josiah, unwilling to let him go. Griffin doubted Josiah would have the physical capability to go; he grew paler each second passing by.
As Griffin placed Leilah’s body on the patch, he could hear Marina shouting at the men in white to let her go, allow her to assist, but they wouldn’t allow her. She mercilessly sat and watched the scene playing out in front of her.
“Turn her! Turn her!” Griffin shouted orders at the constables, forcing their help in the medical assistance of Leilah who had started to vomit. It appeared to be sorts of reflexes, forcing her head to rock unintentionally.
“Leilah, wake up, Leilah,” Griffin spoke, gently patting the side of her noticeably bruised head with his hand. “Please, please wake up.”
Lying on her side, the small figure of Leilah started to jerk a bit, at first her leg kicking until her eyes started to bat open, much more stabilized now, but undoubtedly weak. Griffin let out a large sigh of relief, nearly falling onto his own back.
“Miss,” the short constable said, assisting Griffin in getting her to an upright position, allowing her back to rest against the wall of the Cromwell house.
“It’s- it’s Misses,” Leilah said in her daze. She sounded weak, extremely weak, but she was conscious.
“Misses,” the constable corrected, nearly breathless from disbelief at the situation. “What had happened to you, Misses?”
Leilah opened her eyes slightly more, one eye unable to open as largely as the other. She looked straight into the eyes of Josiah. “He tried to kill me,” she said, lifting a shaking finger to point at him.
With that statement, the taller constable had knocked Josiah against the wall, attempting to arrest the man trying to scurry away.
“She’s lying! She is most certainly lying and you are believing her!” Josiah yelled, his voice at a higher pitch and the blood completely drained from his face. Griffin was convinced he was about to cry, but feared he wouldn’t be able to contain his laughter if he had done so.
“Stay still, my Lord! You’re under arrest!” the tall constable shouted, using nearly all his body weight to press Josiah against the wall in order to constrain him.
“No, no, no,” Josiah moaned, who Griffin noticed to have started crying. Griffin stood up, turning to face with his back toward him. He let out a chuckle into the sleeve of his jacket. He was unable to hide the fact that he found some pleasure in seeing Josiah’s horrid empire fall to bits.
“How had he tried to kill you, Misses?” the shorter constable asked Leilah as he knelt down beside her, wiping the vomit from her mouth with a handkerchief.
“With this,” a voice said as it exited the front door of the Cromwell. It was Nancy, holding up an envelope with a sachet of tea. Nancy had remembered about the forgotten envelope in the study.
“Tea?” the short constable asked as he neared Nancy. He was perplexed, unable to understand how one can be killed by a harmless substance.
“It contains high doses of Belladonna, if one drinks a sip of it, their bound to die. Everyone except Leilah, I believe,” Griffin replied from his position next to Leilah. Leilah attempted to give a faint smile, but still appeared weak.
“They all deserved to die! I-I,” Josiah stuttered, still desperate in his attempts to escape the grasp of the taller constable.
“Papa, if someone deserves the arms of death, it has to be you!” Nancy yelled; her voice high pitched in her scream. Griffin knew that this had to be the first time she had stood up against her father, and he couldn’t help but share the joy with her.
“Fine, go to your little Baron! See how life turns out for the two of you!” Josiah yelled back at his daughter, now shackled yet jerking with every movement.
Nancy smiled, not replying to her father’s cruel words. Griffin could only think that Nancy had to be pleased at the thought with how her life might turn out. For once, she might be able to be happy.
“Can you please let me go now?!” Griffin heard Marina shout. She was still in the struggle of fighting the men in white who, rather oddly, hadn’t let her go yet. The scene playing out in front of them had amused them too greatly for them to focus on the captive they had inside the carriage.
“Release her!” Griffin commanded urgently, walking toward the men who had started to act swiftly at his word.
Marina looked at the men holding her captive rather disgustedly, yet pleased that she had proven herself sane. Griffin stood at the carriage door, awaiting her movement to be free again.
Not a word passed between the two, but instantaneously Griffin felt the body of Marina hit his, her having jumped into his arms. He stood silently, enjoying the moment he was able to hold the one he undoubtedly loved. He could no longer deny the feeling he had inside of him for her. It was pure, honest love.
“Marina,” his voice said softly, breathing into her neck as he still held her in his arms.
“Your Grace,” she replied shyly, feeling ashamed of how she had jumped into his arms. She was still shy, he thought.
“Marina, I love you. I have no poetic words to describe it other than me wanting to drink tea on a porch with you for the rest of my days,” Griffin admitted. He felt a large weight lift from his chest, his soul screaming in joy of finally doing as he longed to do.
Yet, Marina looked at him puzzled. He had felt so sure of her mutual feelings in the moment that he had confidently confessed his love, not thinking as he muttered his heart’s inner feelings. Now, Marina was stood looking back at him with large eyes, possibly troubled by the statement he had delivered.
“I’m sorry, my Lady. I didn’t mean-,” Griffin started apologising, wanting to hide his face from the world in embarrassment. Instead, marina grabbed his hand, stopping him in the midst of his sentence.
“Your Grace, I love you too,” she said, causing Griffin’s world to come to a complete standstill. “I had just been thinking that I’d prefer any other beverage other than tea.”
Griffin laughed. A laugh he had been unable to laugh ever since his father died and his world had dimmed down. Now he had found a light in his life, and her name was Marina Bosley.
“I’d be sure to get us some coffee then, my Lady,” Griffin smiled, grabbing the other hand of marina and staring at her, deeply.
“Love is a strong word I hadn’t used much in my life,” Marina smiled, staring down at her feet in a child-like nervousness. “But I do feel it to be the most fitting word with you, Your Grace.”
“And I with you. If I were a poet I would’ve had much more to say, but I can confidently say that I love you wholeheartedly,” Griffin smiled back. He was unsure if now was the time to lean in for a kiss, but he had proceeded in his actions anyways.
Their lips met, and if Griffin had the words, he might’ve described it to be similar to the delicate shape of the rose. Soft and gentle, but the most beautiful thing he had ever experienced in his life.
“Leilah! L-Leilah!” a voice echoed, pulling the two from the kiss they were sharing. The prominent stutter meant there could only be one person, one person alone.
“Phil,” Leilah’s drained voice said, smiling even though she was going through a large amount of pain.
“My love!” he said as he knelt down beside her, gently cradling her into his arms. “Are you a-alright? Are y-you alright?”
“Josiah had tried to end my life on earth, but other than that I have no complaints,” Leilah joked in her dazed state, looking up at Griffin as he held her in his arms. Philip looked at her in a state of disbelief and horror before he gently placed her back to her position lying against the wall. Griffin watched as he rose from his position and started to walk.
“How dare you hurt my wife! May you be punished for all your action on this planet earth!” Philip yelled as he neared Josiah. Griffin looked at Philip in complete shock, unsure if his shock originated from the fact that Philip didn’t stutter on a single word or the fact that he had hit Josiah solidly in the face. The constables didn’t even stop him.
Philip had undoubtedly broken something in his face as he poured blood from some crevice. Griffin couldn’t help but feel like he wanted to offer his own punch at the man who had ruined the lives of several people.
“Come on, Josiah,” the tall constable shouted, having dropped the title Josiah had stolen from Marina’s father.
“It’s ‘My Lord’ for you, you poor commoner!” Josiah yelled back, his rage stretching to each and every part of his body. Blood dripped from his face, a splash landing on the hands of the constable.
“I might be a commoner Josiah, but we sure all share the same blood. Yours might just be slightly filthier than most.”