Chapter 34

“_Going to the maids to ask for help?” She asked him, a leather whip in her hand._

_“No, I-” He said, stopping as the whip landed painfully at his back, leaving welts in its wake._

_“Oh? You think I wouldn't find out about the notes you slipped into your empty tea cup or the subtle pinches when they helped you with your bath.”_

_“T-there must be a mistake.” He stuttered._

_“You must think I'm as dumb as you. Who would believe you, Ershire? Did you think about that?”_

_“I didn't tell anyone anything. T-this is a lie. It's all a lie.” Ershire said with tears in his eyes, begging willing her to let him go for the thousandth time._

_“I thought I could keep you Ershire. Play with you. Form a bond, a connection I never had with any of my past husbands. But then again men just keep disappointing me again and again. But I guess the last time is a charm. After you, I will find my perfect one.” She said, her gloves and hands running down the bloodied welts on his back._

_He shivered at the the pain. “I promise I'll do anything you ask.” He said looking as desperate as ever._

_“It's a bit too late for that, Ershire. I've had my fun, and you're becoming too old and a bit of an issue to me, so I have to let you go.”_

_“Please, Geraldine. Please just one more chance.” He crawled to her side, clutching her dress._

_“Oh please. Stop. you're rubbing your dirty blood all over my dress.” She spat at him, moving away in disgust._

_“I'll do anything you ask.”_

_“You can't do anything. Don't you get it? I've had enough. I've done this long enough to know when it's time to just let them go. I have to admit, I will miss you.”_

_“No… Geraldine please.”_

_“Guards you can take him now. I need this to be seamless. Understand me?” She said stepping away from him._

_“Yes, my lady.”_

**********

Kents walked through the hallways seething. Banging through all the doors, trying to find Geraldine.

He bags through the main room, finally finding Geraldine weeping, her eyes swollen and her nose red. Her hair, usually done meticulously in disarray.

He looks at her in disgust, failing to finally find the words to say.

“You killed him.”

Geraldine paused, raising her head in confusion.

“Excuse me, Lord Kent?”

“You heard me. I said you killed him.”

“Lord Kent, are you perhaps full of rum? We are all saddened by my husband's loss but this…” She left the words hanging, dabbing furiously at her eyes.

“You should have done theatre. I know you would been a fine actress considering you did all that but yet you seem to be crying more than everyone.”

“I will not have you come here and lay false accusations on my name.” She said rising slowly. “I simply cannot believe Ershire even called you his friend, Now you barge into my home saying I killed my husband. The man I've been with for years.”

“If I didn't know what you did. I would have believed your flimsy little act.”

“Do you hear the words coming out your mouth? You're insinuating that I killed my husband.”

“I am very aware of the words coming out of my mouth and I'm not insinuating you killed him. I'm saying you killed him and that you did.”

“I cannot believe…” She said clutching her handkerchief, tears brimming in her eyes.

Kent almost doubted himself that he was at fault and he was falsely accusing her.

“You can't be serious.”

“I think you're full of rum at the painful demise of your friend's death which is why you would blame his wife with a clear conscience. So I wouldn't take anything against you.”

“Spare me the long talk. Why was his burial so hurried? You picked him off the streets like the papers said and buried him immediately. His parents left town as soon as they could and the maids were talking about how you hit him in the hallway.”

“My husband was buried hurriedly because it wasn't a thing of celebration. It is a sorrowful affair and I couldn't have people here giving me fake sympathy and pity when they didn't even talk to him.”

“Again. Spare me. Your facade is cracking. Everything coming out of your mouth is a big lie.”

Her mouth quivered as she met his stare, finally done with the act.

“Fine.” She said, moving to the side table to take away from the orchids.

Kent watched her moves closely.

“It's truly tiring to act like you care for someone, acting like the perfect trophy wife even after his death. Hell, I even brought orchids that I have an allergy to, just so I could have that red, crying look.” She sent the orchids far away, settling down in the chair.

“So you did kill him,” Kent asked, his jaw clenching.

“Aw, Relax Lord Kent. Well, I gave the order but I wouldn't go as far to soil my hands with murder. I'm just a lady.” She said taking the tea in her hands.

“Why did you do it?”

“Why wouldn't I? He was being a problem so I took care of it.”

“You hit him.”

“Do you see how weird the words sound coming out from your mouth? “you hit him.” There's no one you would tell that to, and they would pay you any heed.”

“If you wanted his money, you would have asked him. I'm sure he would have given you all he had.”

“His money? Wealth?” She threw her head back, laughing.

Kent looked at her with narrowed eyes.

“Oh Ershire didn't tell you, did he? Ershire was broke. Dead broke. He almost lost his estate. His parents were almost eating off scraps in town. They had all their domestic staff dismissed because they had no money. He had ensured a huge debt from his gambling addiction. You don't know your friend well.” She said looking at me with a wide smile.

“So what's your point? It still doesn't explain why you murdered him.”

“I took him off those streets, polished him. He took care of his parents and put clothes on their backs. Got back their estate and paid off the gambling debt. He was at my mercy. He was my slave, but then there's this complex that comes with all men if not all. This sense of superiority that he's at the top when he's barely in the air so I needed to show him where his space was. Where he belonged.” She paused, looking at him.

“The first few times he tried to backtrack me. I call it giving me a taste of my own medicine. But these lowlifes, he would try to defend himself, still trying to maintain that sense of superiority as the head of the house. But he was just a weak, poor man. His life was basically in my hands. I held the power to make or marr him. If he had known sooner, things would have been a lot better.” She took a deep breath.

“Finally, he came to the realization that I was on top, and he was just beneath my shoes, like flimsy dust. He tried to tell people. He tried to tell the maids something was going on. He gave subtle hints when I wasn't around. Trying so hard to get away from me but he didn't know I was his master.”

“You made his life hell. You did t have any right to do anything.”

She turned away, looking out through the windows as she continued the tale. “When he tried to pass you the message, inviting you for dinner in my own home without even asking for my permission. That was the last straw. He didn't seem to understand no one would believe him. The idea to anyone was absurd.” She paused.

“But luckily for me, you were too oblivious to notice that your dear old friend was in some kind of dungeon. The worst thing he had ever encountered.”

“I'm going to tell the authorities. You'll be left with nothing, and you will be hanged publicly. Your reputation in the dust.” Kent said, his eyes flaming with anger.

“I’d like to see you try. You don't get it. No one would believe you. This is a man's world. Who on earth would believe you if you told them that the strong, handsome, burly Ershire was being beaten and abused by a weak, docile, pretty wife? A mere woman.” She said batting her eyes slowly.

“A woman whose duty is to serve her husband and be of full duty to him and only him and whatever he does wrong. No one cares. That's your fault for not satisfying him enou

gh. It's your fault for not birthing children or it's your fault for not being good enough in the bedroom.” She smiled.