Secrets In The Light

CHAPTER 7

The funeral for Eugene and Mark was simple and comforting, in a cemetery that not many people know about. They were buried under a beautiful willow, next to each other, as a reminder that death isn't always the end. Maybe they will meet his father up in Heavens and tell him how the lightning of the hotel went, or how good he managed to sustain the legacy.

But could someone lie in Heaven? Is that a thing, having all the freedom and being able to say whatever you want? Because not one single word above was true. Harold knew how much of a failure he had been over the past weeks, ever since Lord George Savile died of unknown causes. He hasn't been able to adapt to the new reality and it drove him crazy just how disappointed his father must be.

After all this time, there was no denying that Harold hadn't been born to be a noble, yet here he was, burying two people of his personnel simply because he couldn't take enough good care of them when they needed it the most. However, he promised himself to never stop until he found out who the criminal was.

A few days later, he went on and on to ask about lists with every person working for him, including names, hometown, family members, birth and everything that could tell him something. He's been spending every night reading every single name and detail up until the sun rose and he had to be back to work, managing the hotel as best as he could.

The nights kept passing, becoming colder and colder as October brought rain and storms far worse than last year's. For that, Amy was more than happy to stay in the Hotel given it had running hot water and lights. The fireplace was also stacked up with wood every evening and sometimes in the morning too. The only thing that made Amy upset was the extra layer of clothing she was forced to put on under every dress whenever she wanted to go out.

Other than that, the wedding preparations were going so smoothly that she couldn't be more proud of herself. The fact that she was finally able to do something herself, without her mother always telling her she was doing something wrong. Yes, she could have hired anyone to prepare the wedding, but then her only merit would have been in wearing the white dress. Nothing more, nothing less.

The girl has also been trying to help her future husband in his bizarre quest of finding the person responsible for the arsenic poisoning, but the only thing he had allowed her to do was bring some breakfast to his room in the morning and a cup of warm milk some evenings. Other than that, she had barely seen him, or heard his voice in what seemed like months.

Amy hasn't lost hope, however. She understood how important it was for him and never tried to push him on the edge. She simply bowed her head and behaved like her mother has taught her to. Her dress has been picked long before she had a saying in the wedding, by Lady Anson herself, who thought the Earl wouldn't have had a problem in paying an excruciating amount of money on a simple gown. Catherine was right though, because Harold never knew what to do with the money he owned, so when the proposition to buy his beautiful bride a too expensive wedding dress came via a telegram, he couldn't refuse. It was the least he could do.

That gesture alone proved Lady Anson that the young Earl could be easily manipulated into providing for her family with more than just the dowry over the years. Even more so when Amy was going to give him a male heir.

Too lost in his own papers, thoughts and worries, Harold almost forgot about the time flying at some point, and even about the wedding, though he could never admit it to himself, or Amy for that matter. One day, he simply woke up too early in the morning and looked across his empty, cold room. It was a cold October morning, just like the ones before, but this time, it seemed even harsher. The window to his right had opened during the night due to the powerful wind. The loud noise scared him enough to get back on his feet and walk to close it, so that the warmth of the room didn't vanish any time soon.

Putting on his robe, Harold started pacing around, at some point sitting at his corner desk, placed there recently for when he didn't want to leave the room. Across the table, there were many papers, some flat, some ripped and some wrinkled, all of them with theories about the arsenic incident. On the edge of the desk, in the furthest corner, there was a small red velvet box sitting there, almost covered in papers.

His eyes widened in surprise at the sight. Taking it into his trembling hands, he opened it carefully, hoping that the content was long gone and on the right hand. But to his utter disgust, nothing disappeared.

The white gold ring he brought for Amy was sitting in the small box, perfectly polished, looking like brand new. If it weren't for the thin layers of dust on the velvet, you could have sworn the ring had been brought not longer than five minutes ago.

Harold not only completely forgot about the wedding, but also about giving his future wife the engagement ring. She must have been waiting for it for so long, yet he was too caught up in his own mind to think about the reality of his surroundings.

He liked Amy so much, from her light brown hair, to her bright smile adoring her lips. He liked her spirit and her caring heart. He liked her innocence, but he also liked her shyness. And for 1889, that was enough to marry someone. A lot of people didn't know what love was, a lot of young women were promised to old, ungrateful men who only saw the flesh on their bones. And even though times have changed from just a few years ago, allowing people to have more freedom, especially women, there still wasn't enough.

Up until eight o'clock in the morning, Harold hasn't closed one more eye. He went back to his files, searching for every little detail he might have missed. But when the clock struck eight, he put on his nicest suit, alone, sending everyone who tried to help him away, and stormed out of the room, to Amy's chamber.

He only had to knock twice before the door flew opened, but his disappointment was clear in his eyes when he noticed Mary sitting in the doorframe with a bright smile on her face.

"Your Lordship, to what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you here this early in the morning?", Mary asked sweetly, stepping forward to the hallway to assure herself he wouldn't come inside.

Her behaviour looked strange to Harold, but he didn't mind it for now. The important thing was to find his fiance at all costs.

"I was wondering, Lady Mary, where would my future wife be at the moment?", he asked, taking another step back as the woman leaned in.

"She must be downstairs, having breakfast, My Lord." Mary explained, making a reverence as a sign for the Lord to excuse her, before she slowly stepped backwards, closing the door with a soft noise.

'Strange woman' , Harold thought. Nevertheless, he stormed down the stairs, stepping into the saloon and right through, finally opening the doors to the restaurant where she was supposed to be.

Amy was sitting at a small table, somewhere in the corner of the room. He realized she didn't want too many stares on her, so she chose to hide in plain sight from curious eyes. This made his task easier, because he hated too much attention as well.

The girl was wearing the most beautiful dress he had ever seen on her, a purple-pink long gown with beautiful embroidery on the collar and the front of the skirt. What draw his attention though, were the lace details that were supposed to cover her chest, starting from her waist and ending up near the neck.

She was too concentrated in her own thoughts, eating from the white silver plate in concentration. Her body was positioned sitting with one side facing him, and he decided then to try and sneak around until he could finally reach her from the back.

As soon as his cold hands touched her eyes, covering them with pure blackness, Amy jumped out of her skin in fear, but was immediately put back down by his strong hold.

"Why is the future wife of an Earl sitting here, eating alone?", his raspy morning voice lowered to reach her ear, speaking slowly, like a whisper.

The girl smiled shyly at hearing him, finally addressing two words to her. The past few weeks without sharing as much as a conversation have been cruel and depressing. Her only friend was Mary, but lately, she's been too preoccupied with walking in the gardens and meeting different people, to help her own sister with the upcoming wedding.

Feeling his hands on her skin made her realize that in fact, she really missed the man. That was why, after letting out a small giggle, she decided to play along and be a part of this innocent game of his.

"Well, she wouldn't have had to be alone if her future husband bothered to eat with her.", she tried to speak seriously, but another short laugh escaped her lips.

But to Harold, her remark didn't seem amusing whatsoever. To him, it was the truth he had been trying to avoid for too long now. As he uncovered her eyes, she could finally take a better look at him. Last time she's seen him, he was frowning to a certain writing on a paper, dressed in nothing but an ugly, green, ankle-length robe, with his hair a messy mop on his head. But now, he simply looked breathtaking. Although she figured out immediately that he's been trying to dress himself, by the one missed button on the upper side of his shirt and the shoelaces too loosely tied, Amy couldn't avoid admiring the way the dark brown suit fitted perfectly on his body. Even with the baby pink shirt and black straps.

"May I join you, My Lady?", Harold spoke right after catching her green eyes checking him out.

Blinking a few times, realising she's been caught, she quickly nodded her head, looking down at her plate out of embarrassment, hoping her cheeks wouldn't turn red as usual.

"Of course, My Lord. It would be a pleasure.", she answered, trying to find a small bit of strength to not look so weak and helpless in front of him.

Hearing her words, the Lord pulled the only chair remaining at the table and sat down, gesturing for a waiter to bring him breakfast as well. Today he didn't have to eat alone in his room, nor did he want to. Today was about spending some precious time with his precious fiancé.

"I apologize deeply for being so distracted lately. I must admit, some things might have slipped my mind and I let myself get carried away.", he excused himself, taking a bite from the warm English Breakfast that had been brought to him just moment ago.

Amy was watching his every move, from the way he blinked every few times before looking at her to his straight posture against the wooden chair. She hadn't expected any apology from him, nor did she ever think she would get one. Yet here he was, so sweetly telling her he was sorry for the dreadful behavior over the last weeks.

"I accept you apology, My Lord. And I do understand your concerns for the matter you are so preoccupied in.", she reasoned with him, taking small bites of the bacon layed out on her plate.

Noticing both plates were almost empty, Harold gestured for the waiter with his right hand to come and take the plates. The young man, who Harold had recently hired came rushing to the table, cleaning it while still keeping his head low.

"Bring us some desert. And some wine.", he commanded strongly, taking Amy's hand into his, joining them together on the table.

Amy looked up from her lap to the Earl in surprise. It was a small gesture, but publicly touching her like that before marriage could lead to unspeakable rumors running around the hotel and not only. However, she simply let her cheeks turn red like always, but didn't speak a word at his manners. Harold let the silence take over for a moment, having the opportunity to now admire her closely, her soft beauty, her green eyes and those rose-painted lips. There was no better way to start his morning than with her.

"Wine at such an early hour in the morning, Sir?", she asked shyly, but the surprise was clear in her voice.

"But of course, My Lady. We have a reason to celebrate.", he replied shortly, smiling gentlemenly at her, with that wide smile she adored so much.

She has always admired and questioned at the same time how his dimples could appear so prominent on his cheeks every time he put on display a big smile, just for her. But she loved it nonetheless.

"Celebrate what, My Lord?", she asked confused by his change in behavior, so much more different, even from yesterday.

Just as he wanted to respond, the waiter came back with an Almod Pudding, one of the best deserts the hotel offerd, and a bottle of old Chardonnay. Signaling the waiter to leave, Harold took the bottle into his own hands and poured some wine in both the glasses set in front of them. He then reached out into the pocket of his brown vest and took out the red, velvet box, placing it in the middle of the table gently, and slowly opening it.

There lied the simple white gold ring, accompanied by a small diamond on the top. Amy parted her lips in surprise, the gesture turning her speechless. There was a kind of tension between them now, like none of them had any clue as to what to say and there were no qualified words to begin with. Noticing the small discomfort, Harold decided to take the lead and start speaking.

"I know that this marriage is not what you wished for, but I hope with time, you will see me as more than just an inconvenient arrangement." the Lord spoke, feeling his palms starting to sweat from the nerves crumbling down on him.

"My Lord..." Amy started, but was shortly interrupted by the man in front of her.

"With this ring, I vow to be your faithful husband and I strongly hope for you to be my wife, for as long as God allows us... Miss Amy Grace Anson."

The girl couldn't hold back her smile, followed by a soft giggle that couldn't go unnoticed by him. He watched with frowned brows as her facial expression went from surprised to amused in just a matter of seconds. Was it something he said? Were the words wrongly chosen, or perhaps the way he called her by her full name didn't fit well into the picture?

"I must confess, Lord Savile, this is as much of a surprise as it is a well-expected gesture." she tried to clarify her not-so-appropriate reaction to him giving her the ring.

"What could you possibly mean by that?" he raised his voice a bit, getting quite frustrated with the whole situation.

Never in a million years has he thought that giving a woman a ring for an engagement would result in him being made fun of. He hated the whole idea of not planning it in advance, but being here now should mean more than some little joke she had hidden under her sleeve.

"Pardon my behaviour, Your Lordship, it is not to offend you in any way. I would like, however, to tell you a little secret I've been trying to keep for too long now. I have seen the velvet box on your desk many days before you have finally decided to gift it to me. " her voice turned into a whisper as she spoke the last words, as if nobody could ever hear them but him.

"Of course you have." Harold started laughing at his own stupidity.

In the midst of all his search, he even forgot to hide it better than on his desk. Amy did bring him meals once or twice, that's when she must have seen it. It surprised him she hasn't said a thing and let him believe this was all going to be all amazing news, but he had to know better of her than to underestimate the woman in front of him.

It wasn't like they weren't already engaged by the time he considered buying a ring, but the protocol in these cases was clear and he wouldn't want to avoid it at any cost. For her. To oficialise this amusing, but beautiful moment whatsoever, Harold took the ring out of the box and put it on her finger, right where it belonged. He couldn't picture it on her hand when he first landed his eyes on it, but now, it seemed like there was no other place to put it other than decorating her perfect skin.

As the conversation was about to continue, and the Earl wanted to kindly hold her hand and squeeze it tight for reassurance, a loud voice, powerful like thunder stopped him in his tracks and forced them to turn his gaze to the entrance, from where it came from.

"Where is he, boy? Tell me, now! I do not have all day."

Harold could recognise it even after so many years. It was the voice he longed to hear at his father's funeral. It was the voice he longed to hear when he had to burry Eugene and Mark. It was the voice he hoped to hear every now and then, to reassure him everything will be alright, just like it used to. Quicker than a rabbit, he stood up from his hard, wooden chair, and made a few steps towards the entrance, but was once again stopped when the person he hasn't seen in so long walked in.

Dressed in a perfect yellow grown, probably made of French textile, a nice, soft silk, paired with a darker yellow hat, that looked perfectly on her figure, Lady Anne-Rose Savile walked in.

His sister was here.

He couldn't belive his eyes as he stared into her ocean-blue ones. She swayed to him, her steps always as light as a feather, waltzing to the furtherest corner where Amy was still sitting tight at the table. The Earl couldn't understand what could she possibly be doing here, and without a notice. She would never come unannounced, knowing that her brother could be anywhere, not only in the hotel.

"Did you miss me, dear brother? Or should I call you 'My Lord' now?" she casually spoke, forcing Harold to look at her from the lost mind place he was in.

Anne-Rose took a seat at the table where her brother had previously sat, leaving no room for the Earl anymore, thus creating a noticeable tension between Amy and her future husband.

The young, poor girl didn't know how to react. Before the sister of the Earl was to sit down, she wanted to stand up and greet her properly, but now, she couldn't simply walk to her from the other side of the table. But the Lord didn't seem to be bothered by his sister's intrusion, simply reacting to it by moving another chair to the same table, taking a seat practically in the middle of the two women.

"What are you doing here, Anne-Rose?" Harold asked plainly, waiting patiently for an answer, with his arms crossed to his chest and his posture leaned too much into the chair. If you were to look at him, the way he was sitting so casually and unbothered on the chair, like nobody could see him, you would say he was disrespectful at any point.

However, his sister couldn't care less about it and was now mimicking him better than one might be able to, placing her big hat on the table to offer her more confort.

"I couldn't miss my brother's wedding for anything in the world, could I?" she spoke coyly, playing with the little spoon on the plate before taking a bite of Harold's desert.

Hearing this and definitely not believing one word coming out of her mouth, Harold stood up with a loud sigh and took Amy's arm in his, helping her out of the chair, looking straight into his sister's eyes.

"Anne-Rose, please, meet Amy Grace Anson, the daughter of Baron Anson, my future wife."

And to this, Lady Anne-Rose just laughed.