summer’s leaves stood up tall beside it.
The three travelers arrived at the vicinity two hours before the event was to begin, and
Anne knew that she had to use this interval to walk through the mansion, see everything for
herself, and consider when and where she should deliver her speech to the crowds. During the
week in which she had been preparing for the journey, she had continuously thought about what
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she was to say once the time for making toasts and speeches throughout the course of the party
had arrived, and she now had a plan of what her words would be. Not a single grain of pity or
guilt had lived in her heart as harsh, cruel lies about Rad had flown to her mind, for the love that
she had once concentrated on him was now completely centered on her. She did not know much
else than her tremendous fears and feelings of damnation if she did not do what she had her heart
and mind on doing.
The hour of the occasion soon came about and Anne, her strategies figured and her
inquiries satisfied, pranced toward Rad to stand beside him before his friend Adhelm began
speaking to everyone at the head of the main hall.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, good friends of Rad Quincy and his company!” he
barked. “Thank you all for your attendance tonight. My name is Adhelm Grey, and I am the
rather proud friend of Mr. Rad Quincy, a young man who has become affianced to one of the
loveliest ladies in all of England.” He paused to smile at Anne across the hall. “I arranged this
event so as to call all of Mr. Quincy’s and Miss Falkman’s friends together to celebrate their
being betrothed, and that is why you are all here. This party is in their honor, so ladies and
gentlemen, will you please join me in welcoming Mr. Quincy and Miss Falkman!”
Eruptions of applause flowed out from the crowd as Rad and Anne joined arms and
turned around to face the joyous faces and various cheers and shouts from everyone, their own
faces painted with happiness, though Anne’s was less sincere.
“Thank you, everyone,” Adhelm continued. He turned toward his friend. “Now Rad, will
you be so obliging as to step over here and tell these people a bit about your past with Miss
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Falkman?”
The man smiled. “Certainly,” he replied, and he led Anne toward Adhelm, his shoulders
held back proudly. Once he was standing by his friend’s side, Rad dove into a heartfelt account
about how him and Anne had met, how they had grown in fondness for one another and how she
had changed his life. Anne glanced from Rad to their audience actively throughout the delivery,
her face a picture of happiness and gratefulness, but beneath this innocent exterior she bounced
with anxiety and growing anticipation. Her time to speak would come soon, as soon as Rad was
finished with what he had to say.
“Thank you very much, Mr. Quincy.” Adhelm’s voice came to Anne’s ears in a wild
flourish. Here was the time that she had been waiting for a week and the moment that she had
longed for almost since the day that Rad proposed to her. Her turn to tell everyone about Rad
was nigh.
“And now, Miss Falkman, what would you like to say about this pleasant young man
whom you will be married to?”
Anne blinked, casting a glance at the speaker. She drew a breath, then abruptly jerked her
arm out of Rad’s grasp and took a couple of steps forward. Raising her chin and mounting her
eyebrows critically, she proceeded to tell the crowds about Rad, her frantic desperation melting
away from her as the condemning words poured from her mouth.
“Thank you, Mr. Grey. Ladies and gentlemen, I have known Rad Quincy to be an
especial individual. I have known him to be brave, polite, and humble. But most importantly, I
have found him to be quite comforting in times of trial and need. Ladies and gentlemen, as you
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have all learned from Rad, I have been through horrid tribulations and troubles throughout my
life, and whenever I became upset because of the memories of all that I have known Rad would
pull me close and whisper words of solace and blessings to me, as is moral for any loving man to
do. However, I believe that in these times Rad would occasionally let his love for me
preponderate his propriety.”
Gasps and horrified mutters rose from the lungs of most of the members of the crowd,
including a stunned Rad, who was standing behind Anne uncertainly, appearing offended and
confused. Anne noticed his appearance at a quick turn of her eye over her shoulder, and as her
mouth turned up craftily she resumed telling of her accusations.
“Yes, ladies and gentlemen. Though appalling, it is most true. Now let me tell you all
about one particular morning in which Rad and I were about to travel to another city. This was a
time in which I had no maid of my own, and so who was to assist in dressing me for the place in
which we were going to that day? Well...Rad, of course.”
The horror of the listeners was better emphasized this time. Rad’s blushing face grew
redder and his eyes dilated in shock, but he did nothing to defend himself or put an end to Anne’s
speech.
“You see, during breakfast that morning there was discussion between Rad and our butler
about who was to assist me with my gown, and they were not two minutes into the conversation
when Rad eagerly agreed to assist me. I had been seated at the table with them, and believe me
when I tell you, ladies and gentlemen, that he agreed with the greatest enthusiasm. I could easily
tell that he was not just thinking about assisting a friend. But I could not be rude, so I accepted
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his kind offer and he met me a few moments later in my bedroom, where I was standing before
my mirror dressed only in my undergarments. The moment that he entered the room, I knew how
deeply he loved me with the way that he stared so hungrily at me. Nevertheless, I trusted Rad. I
had known him a couple of months, and he seemed of such a pure character that I felt certain that
he would never abuse me in any way whatsoever. He knew that I had experienced many terrible
abuses in my life, so why would a man as sweet as him add to those abuses? But after he stared
at me in the doorway, Rad proceeded to throw himself onto me and attempted to tear my clothes
off.”
The crowd was becoming increasingly excited, gasping repeatedly and talking to each
other in shocked voices. A woman ejected a scream and a couple of men lifted up their voices as
if the words that they were hearing caused them agony. Anne glanced at Windsor, who was
lingering on the edge of the crowd, and tears of hurt and shock stood in his eyes as he watched
her unbelievably. She could imagine that Rad looked the same way.
“I screamed over and over for Rad to get off of me but he paid no heed, and soon I was
lying on the floor by myself, naked, injured, and wanting to be dead. When I had ceased crying, I
glanced around for Rad until I realized that my door was shut and locked. I assumed that our
butler, Windsor, had started to wonder what all the commotion was upstairs and Rad had gone to
him and fed him a mean lie about why I had been exclaiming so. Indeed, moments later, Windsor
unlocked my door and came inside to help me to my feet and care for my bruises and abrasions,
continuously blaming my own past and anxieties for the incident which had befallen me. I cannot
believe how stupid he was, but Rad must be an excellent prevaricator.”
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The girl glanced once more at her butler. The tears that had been in his eyes just a bit ago
were now coursing freely down his cheeks, but his expression showed only deep pain and
disbelief. Sighing dramatically, Anne went on with her discourse.
“I had not the courage to tell Windsor what really happened that morning, nor did I want
to have that courage. In truth, I wished to live as if it had never happened, I mean, Rad had only
desired me so because he loved me. I was simply not prepared for such an advance as he made,
though I am sure that I would be when we were married. Anyway, what kind of a woman would
I be to dissuade our engagement or even to run away from the situation when all of our dear
friends believed so strongly in our relationship? Therefore, I did nothing-until now, at this
engagement party. I thought that everyone should know the truth about what happened to me on
that morning two years ago, and what a splendid character dear Rad Quincy is.”
At the conclusion of her words, the entire hall went mute for the longest, most awkward
silence that Anne had ever known, but she was not intimidated by it in the least. She stood tall
and haughty, reveling in the immense relief and satisfaction that now overflowed in the spaces
where wildness and fear had occupied so previously before. Happiness was hers for the first time
in a long time, and she did not care about what anyone else thought of her at the moment.
Relaxing, she told herself that she had done as she had promised: to take care of the spirit of life
within her.
An age of time seemed to pass before Adhelm Grey found his voice again, but when he
spoke this time it was quiet and shaking. “M-Miss Falkman, I...” He turned to his friend, hardly
daring to hope that what Anne had said was completely false. “Rad, is...is any of this true?”
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Anne turned to the man whom she had once loved, and the appearance of his face
satisfied her greatly. His posture had declined through the course of the story, for he now stood
as a coward might, the color totally drained from his face as he stared ahead of him blankly. His
face was tear-stained, he hardly seemed to be breathing, and was beginning to tremble. Anne
thought that he would never be able to answer in such a state, but after a couple of moments he
began to speak in a very quiet voice.
“It’s...true, it is, it’s...”
Adhelm frowned, then stepped closer to Rad. “What are you saying, friend?”
Rad’s lip trembled as fresh tears fell from his eyes. Some color returned to his cheeks, but
he shook now as he confirmed what Anne had said.
“It’s true,” he repeated in a louder voice, holding back sobs. “It is...it is all true, I-I’m
afraid. Everything that she said...” He buried his face in his hands, trying to gather all that Anne
had said with the amount of reason that he had left. He felt not a fraction of anger as he recalled
every last word that she had proclaimed, but he could not keep his tears from falling. His mind
battled confusion and pain as he fumbled for the reasons behind her actions.
Could it be that she is so frightened to be married to me that she has been fabricating this
story ever since I proposed to her? But no, that can’t be. How many times through these past
months have I told her that I would take care of her, that I would never do anything to harm her?
How much love have I shown her...does she honestly believe that everything I’ve done for her
has been false? A realization came to him then. Perhaps I don’t fill the emptiness in her life, I
mean...perhaps she needs something better, someone better than me. Lord, I’ve been so
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concentrated on my own wishes for the future that I never even took hers into account, did I?
God forgive me, I’ve been so selfish. Well, I’ll do what she wants now. If this is her way of telling
me that she doesn’t need or want me in her life, then I will do whatever it takes to make her
happy. I will leave her life totally, if that’s the way she wants it.
When Rad unveiled his face again it was still filled with pain, but there was more life
amongst its members . Inhaling shakily, he took a step forward and looked straight at the
audience, his chin held up bravely as he spoke.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I...I am afraid that everything that Anne has said is true. I abused
her and it was wrong. But I am not sorry,” Rad lied now, stepping forward once more so that he
was almost standing exactly beside Anne. “I would do it all again. She is an incredibly luscious
young lady, and I enjoy dreaming about the next time that I shall intrude into her bedroom and
pounce upon her again.”
Anne glared at him confusedly and almost repugnantly, but her attention was soon
distracted by the angry numbers of people ahead of them who were quickly forming into a mad
pack of wolves. The conversations that they were having with one another were becoming more
and more pronounced; the exclamations from the men and women growing in intensity and
strength. They looked as if they were trying to decide about a particular action, and such tumult
went on until a strange man suddenly raised his voice to address a question to Rad.
“So you are sure, young man, that everything that was said of you is true?”
Rad blinked back additional tears, but nodded willingly. “Yes, absolutely, sir. I would do
it all again.”
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As if to prove his statements he walked toward Anne, but the man who had spoken was
restraining him in a moment. People who were not friends to Rad or Windsor followed
immediately, grabbing Rad, slapping him, and doing whatever else they could to keep him from
touching Anne while she looked on approvingly. The remaining members of the crowd, who
consisted of Rad’s friends, Windsor’s, and Windsor himself, stood where they were uncertainly,
though a couple of them let out their voices in some protest when Rad was captured. None of
them except Windsor was sure about the incident that had been described and the butler was, like
his master, much too bewildered to even believe that Anne had turned her back on them.
However, if he had possessed a clear mind and figured why his mistress had created such a tale
he likely would have thought like Rad had, that perhaps Anne was not in need of them. She had
lived fourteen years by herself within one of the worst parts of London and did not need any help
from anyone. His understanding was dim as to how she could act so insensitively when she knew
how Rad cared for her, but like his master he knew that her contentment should come before
both of theirs. Thus, he watched the various men and women take his young master away, his old
heart searing. Anne watched as well, but her heart was a piece of heaven in comparison with her
butler’s. Triumphant, she blissfully felt the warm blood travel through her veins in such a lively
way in accordance with her pulse and she knew that she was all right. For her the worst was
over, and she had nothing more to fear because the sole reason for her fears was gone.
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11 A Former Way of Life
After the infuriated crowds had dragged a submissive Rad outside the walls of the
mansion, Anne strode toward her butler victoriously, looking at him like she never had before.
Her gait was long and patient as her feet eventually aligned with his and she began to gaze at him
expectantly and a bit dangerously, as if she forbade him to do nothing other than what she
ordered him to do. He stared back at her without expression, for shock still hardened his
emotions.
“Well, Windsor?”
The man blinked once and then struggled to assess everything once more. Tears again
flowed down his face as he slowly shook his head at her. His eyes presently filled with a
heartbreaking manifestation.
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“Miss Falkman, I...don’t understand. That story that you told...it’s false!” His face told of
anguish and his tone was slightly desperate as he looked deep into her eyes.
Anne did not deny what he said but took up a strand of her hair and twirled it around her
finger, grinning heartlessly. “And what do you understand by such a speech, Windsor?” she
carelessly inquired.
He stammered for a moment, and then finally threw up his hands in despair. Grief and
worry for his master was now making the disbelief ebb away and he even looked a bit panicked.
“I don’t know. I don’t understand how…”
Anne jumped toward him so that she stood a few inches away from his face, scowling at
him so menacingly that even a man as experienced as he felt a rush of apprehension. She then
began to murmur to him in a murderous tone.
“You will listen to me, you idiot of a man. You will give me all of the bank notes and
shillings that you are now holding on you and then you will allow me to leave Birmingham and
return to London, where I will reside in an inn until Rad is convicted. Hopefully it will be a
difficult sentence for him. You will also never tell anyone about what I am telling you now or
that the story was created by me, for if you do, Windsor, I promise that you will know worse
than what has happened here today. Am I to be understood?”
Windsor stood motionless for a moment, and then thrust his hands into his pockets,
pulling out a pile of notes and the few shillings that he had. He laid the coins on top of the notes
and handed it all to Anne meekly. She grabbed it from him greedily, ridiculing his wretched
expression and broken gaze. Stepping backward she clutched the currency in her hand, nodding
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to him thanklessly, but he stared at her as if she was a stranger to him and he could only mutter
one word:
“Why?”
Anne grinned slyly, smoothing out her dress daintily. “I simply do not need either you or
Rad taking care of me. I never have. I can take care of myself.” She lifted herself up. “Goodbye,
Windsor.”
Stepping away from him, Anne soared out of the mansion, where she saw the assemblies
driving away toward the city in haste with their wagons and carriages. Rad must be in the first of
those vehicles, Anne pondered. She thought that she had never felt so full in her life. As she
looked around she wondered how she was supposed to return to London, but then her own
gleaming carriage caught her eye. She strode toward it, breathing in the sweet air that drifted all
around her while snickering to herself.
Anne sat comfortably in her room at the Adelphi, thinking about the options that were
available to her now that she was not under Rad’s and Windsor’s control. She had not been on
her own for more than two years and now woke up every day feeling the same refreshing airs of
freedom and independence that she had not known since she had resided in the streets. Staying
alone in an inn was a pleasure that she never thought she would know, but what exactly was she
supposed to do with herself? When she had arrived at the inn, which was adjacent to the Thames
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in the heart of London, she had trusted the citizens of the area to take care of Windsor’s horses
while she had settled herself into the lodging, giddily dwelling on the sum of money that she had
stolen from her butler. The currency was hers to spend at her own choosing, but having never
held such worth in her hands before, she knew not how resourceful she should be. Anne knew
only that she planned to live in the Adelphi until Rad was convicted of his unforgivable crime,
and she could only hope that his trial would take place before her money was gone. However,
she thought that becoming empty-handed again was not such a problem, for she could always rob
another person on the street if she had to. She was well aware of how convincing she could be.
Anne did not have to wait long for the news about Rad to leak into the word of mouth in
London. Within a week of returning to the city, the newspaper the Daily Courant spoke a bit
about the wealthy criminal who had sexually abused a poor, orphan girl who had known a world
of trouble in her life. Anne also heard talk about how few of Rad’s friends had defended him
after Anne had told her story, so it might be assumed that it was absolutely true that everything
she had said was true. The crowd who had carried her former beau away had thrown him into
prison that same day but had since transported him to Newgate Prison in London, which was his
hometown. The girl had since been hearing talk about a trial for him that was to be taking place
soon. She thought that the officials of the courts would soon find her and request her presence at
the trial, but she hated the prospect of retelling the false story. However, she thought that she did
desire to see him once more so that she could boast of her triumph over him, and surely there
was no better time to do that than the day before the trial, when he had no thought as to what
would happen to him. Therefore, Anne determined to discover the date of the trial so she could
travel to Newgate the day before.
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On a windy afternoon before Rad’s meeting with the courts was to be had, Anne fitted
herself in a plain, homespun dress for her visit to the prison, for she knew not what to expect
from such an ugly institution. She then went out of the lodging and hired a hackney coach to take
her to her destination.
Newgate Prison was an old, sinister establishment, and when Anne arrived at its large
doors she wondered how Rad could stand to be locked up in such a place. She went to the
keepers and told them why she was there and one of them led her into the dark interior, which
was lined with chambers that held the captives. Anne had been curious about the space that was
allowed each prisoner, but she soon discovered that a few men were put into each chamber, with
their limbs chained to the walls. She looked into each chamber as she passed by until the keeper
stopped at a particular one, the one in which Rad was. At first she could not decipher him from
his fellow inmates, since they all looked similar, snug in their clothes of prison dress and filth,
but she eventually recognized him sunk against the tough wall, his head lowered and hidden
from her sight. Anne stepped closer to the chamber, sadistic joy welling up inside of her as she
gazed at him in his pitiful state, and then he slowly raised his head and saw her. His eyes
widened in initial surprise, but then quickly darkened, to Anne’s astonishment. Thinking that she
would like to be closer to him to fully observe the way that he felt, Anne turned to the keeper
with a question.
“Excuse me, sir. Would it be all right if you unlocked that man from his chains so that he
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could come to speak with me face to face?”
The keeper was hesitant for a moment, but Anne’s pleading gaze forced him to do what
she asked.
“But I can only allow it for a short time, ma’am, and do be careful. Many of these dogs
have the devil lurking within them.”
Anne thought that Rad was sure to not show such behavior, but she began to doubt that
when a freed Rad clambered up onto his feet and slowly advanced toward her. The girl could not
help gasping quietly when she saw him at a closer distance. His snowy wig gone, Rad’s short
brown hair was the dirtiest that she had ever seen it, and it was badly tangled and sprinkled with
dust and spiders. The cheekbones of his face were sunken, his color pale, and an indistinct look
covered his eyes. Anne had never seen him so desolate and angry. He stared at her inquiringly,
bitterly, almost violently, yet underneath all of this she noted an expression of