Through the confines of the clouds, the morning light peaked through and glittered in the droplets of last night's rain. Henry turned to Edward whose head rested easily on his shoulder. He felt the subtle movements from Edward's labored breathing.

"Oh, bother." Edward shifted from the crook of Henry's neck with stiff movements. "Where am I?"

"Morning, sleeping beauty." Henry rustled from his perch. "How're you feeling?"

"Ah, like, like a horse has kicked me in the back of the head." Edward rubbed his face until he realized what he'd done. "Okay." He got up swiftly to his feet. "I have to go see Lucy now. She's probably worried sick about me."

Edward and Henry both knew that was a lie.

"I," Henry smiled at Edward's moving lips. "Why do you look so cool? It's not fair that my drunken free spirit confided in you without my consent." Edward then turned and left down the street.

~~~~~~~

Resting upon the dais, a middle-aged woman, frail to the bone, rested cooly in her bed. Drapes hung from the bedpost, and at the foot of the king-sized bed, Lucy lay on her knees praying.

"Edward!" Henry hissed by the doorway. He tapped Edward's shoulder, pulling him away from the scene in the bedroom.

"Look at her, Henry!" Edward filled his lungs with contempt. "She has the audacity to pray! Her mother is for sure on her deathbed because of that!"

"Then why don't you pray for her? Scared you'd ruin your chance at the inheritance?" Henry almost let a laugh out.

Edward scrunched his nose in anguish. "I'm rather perturbed by your cynicism."

Mrs. Potter, Lucy's mother, turned her head to stare at the two men at the door. Lucy turned her head too to look, seeing the butler come near and close the door.

"Excuse me, Alfred, but I was going to see my mother-in-law."

"She doesn't want to see you, Edward." Alfred held his nose up. "Says 'if he hasn't come in now, he won't ever come in at this time.' Sorry, Edward, but it's Mrs. Potters wish."

Edward stood dumbfounded, "Alfred! Now see here, that is my mother too, and if she doesn't want to see me then tell her to give me back my wife."

"But sir,"

"But nothing, Alfred!" Edward began to stiffen with anger rising in him. He held his hand out and sharply began poking at the poor Alfred. "She has Mr. Potter for heaven's sake!"

Henry winced at Edward's hypocrisy.

"Mr. Potter is dead, Edward." Alfred's eyes widen with fierce intensity. "He was caught in a hunting accident. An arrow straight through his heart." Alfred pounded Edward's chest with the tip of his finger.

Edward froze in despair. "No..." He said in disbelief. "That can't be." He turned to Henry, briefly looking into his eyes. "That can't be at all." Then, he started to run down the hallway.

Henry's low eyes shifted to Alfred where they exchanged a look of unsureness.

"He had a soft spot for Mr. Potter's anecdotes."

Henry nodded slowly in reverence.

When all was left alone in the bedroom, Henry snuck into the damp room. "Mrs. Potter..." His shadow from the lamp rolled over the limp figure in the bed. "Mrs. Potter..."

Mrs. Potter shifted her eyes to Henry. "Are you coming to send me away?"

"Yes ma'am." He nodded. "But first, I need something from you." Henry felt his breast pocket and pulled out a handkerchief.

~~~~~~~

That afternoon, Lucy found herself at the Rolfe's residence, calling for Veronica.

"Yes?" Lucy's presence startled Veronica. "I thought you were in Canterbury with Henry?"

"I was. Then, I wasn't." She snuffed the story.

Lucy wandered into the house, past the dining room. There was a warm air that tickled her nose and called her to the kitchen. There: a barrel of water big enough for someone to drown in sat next to the rickety stove. Peering in, Lucy saw her reflection mysteriously looking back at her, whispering nonsense.

To the highest degree, you shall be condemned.

"What?" Her voice was airy with confusion. "What do you mean?"

You broke the rules of conduct, and for that you must pay.

"I—I feel ill, Veronica." Veronica wasn't there when Lucy called for her, so she yelled: "Veronica!" And flopped to the floor.

It was at that moment that Edward and Henry came in from their nightly adventures in Canterbury, and Veronica had to tell them what happened. They were in shock of what they heard.

"Her mother must have made her ill." Henry spat.

There was a silence between them as Edward ventured to the barrel. As Veronica and Henry spoke about Lucy's condition (coughing up blood and weakness to the point of paralysis), Edward found his pitiful reflection.

Give in. It spoke.

"Give in to what?"

Dip your toes in the water. It's not too cold.

Slowly, Edward leaned forward, touching his nose to the water. Then he placed his face in, then his whole head, and then he started putting up a struggle. A hurtful hand weighed him down, and he started kicking until the barrel flipped, and all the water fell rushing away, soaking him through his clothes.

"Edward!" Henry rounded the corner: "What have you done!" He had taken it too far now. Henry turned to Veronica, "He's not waterlogged, is he?"

Veronica only shrugged as Edward started to cough up water.

"Bastard," Henry hissed. He quickly turned and rushed out the door. "Don't let him near me!" He yelled as he disappeared into the trees.

Within the coming days, Lucy had become weaker and weaker by the hour, going from sane to completely mute. In between those, a latent period of intense sickness, Edward stayed close by and mothered her.

"The light, it's so bothersome. . ." She managed to mutter one day. She turned on her side away from the open window.

"It's so stuffy in here, I can barely breathe, darling." Edward brought a soup bowl to her face and began to prod her with it. "Eat, my dear, it's good for the soul."

She sipped it, licking her lips. "I'm sorry, Edward." She tried to sit up, to which Edward forced her back down. "No, please, I'm really sorry for what I've done to you. You had no right to be treated with such disrespect as I had."

Realizing that she was repenting, Edward stiffened. "No, don't be. There's no need. Please, don't."

"But it's true, don't you see! I was so selfish to have not considered myself lucky to have someone like you!"

She's going to be forgiven! "No, No! Shut up this instant!"

"No, you're wrong, Edward, I had done some terrible things to get you to feel awful about yourself, and I apologize."

This can't be happening! She's about to die!

He felt it in his bones. He felt it in his heart. He was seeing his wife dissolve into death. "Don't waste your breath, darling, please." He stroked her hair and gave her a passionate kiss.

Her blood speckled his lips. "I'll always be there for you from now on, okay, Edward?" She rubbed his arm.

"Okay."

She let go weakly, and Edward watched as her eyes dropped.

"Lucy?" He whispered.

No answer.

"Lucy? Wait, just one more thing, please."

But she was already gone.

Chapter 7

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