Soon, Walter was before the the cell where the man was locked. He looked at the man illuminated by the oil lamp and recognized the face. The man noticed his cell being opened and got up. He recognized the man that walked in. It was the young man he had met in the drinking corner. A chair was set for Walter and he sat without worrying about the Lady behind him. She pouted at his action, feeling wronged."A gentle man should always let the lady sit." she muttered and he ignored her. He looked at the man before him calmly.
"Mr. Barney, Do you recognize me?" he asked the dirty man.
"Yes." Barney answered with a nod.
"A pity. It would have been best if you did not." Walter sighed. Though his words said so, his voice betrayed him. Walter had already decided what to do with the man. Coming to this decision was easy. He just needed to remember the first words Lady Wickshire had ever spoken to him.
"You have a wife and three children. Your wife has two brothers that are not much older than your children. I believe you have a lot on your shoulders." Walter said and the man seemed to see a ray of light shine on his situation when he heard Walter speak of his plight.
"The people you talked about the other day, the Mclears. They are searching for you. Finding you, it is but a matter of time. The magistrate has taken care of sending away your family this afternoon. How do you intend to pay off this debt." Walter asked.
"Anything, sir. Anything." Barney pleaded. Though the young man before him was not finely dressed, his outfit was clean and fresh. He spoke really well, meaning he was of a respectable family. If he knew the only reason why Walter still smelled fresh after working in the stables was because he only had to water the horses today, he would have fainted at his a.n.a.lysis.
Walter did not mind being addressed as a gentleman. It only gave him more confidence in his actions.
"The men looking for you will kill your entire family, but we took them away. How are you sure we will not kill your family?" Walter asked and the man finally understood the words "being taking up to the heavens only to be plunged into h.e.l.l". He started to fidget. He regretted it. He should not have gone out looking for buyers for those fake diamonds. Now look where he is. His wife, oh his poor wife.
As though Walter could see this regret and agony in Barney"s heart, he let him feel it a lot longer by remaining silent.
"You have seen my face, Barney. You know too much. They will kill you... I will kill you. But I"m merciful. You are the only loose end. Why would I need to hurt your family. This is all up to you of course. Take your time and weigh your options. You could let me do it, or you could do it yourself and save your family. Take your time, we all want what is best." Walter said, placing the rope before him and leaving.
If someone did not truly listen, he would have thought this was a conversation between a father advising his child. The righteousness in his voice was almost as clear as his footsteps walking away.
Lady Steinhouse stared at the back of the man walking ahead of her, in a daze. What was this feeling? She could not describe it. They had not even made their way back to the sitting room, before a servant delivered news to her; that the man in the cell had hung himself. She looked at the calm and straight back of the man who had not paused, even when she was sure he had heard the report. She nodded, waving away the servant. She had noticed she was starting to refer to him as a man. Little did she know, the man in front was not truly calm. He had heard what the servant had said. His hands lost life at the thought. This is obviously the effect he wanted, but he was no killer. The thought of sentencing someone to death, did not sit well with him. He suddenly remembered the lady following him, and stopped. His abrupt pause caused Lady Steinhouse to crash into his frame. She was a dainty woman, and he, a much stronger and well built man. Working in the stables meant, he at least had a stronger and firmer build than a lady that had never lifted a finger.
Lady Steinhouse discovered she had crashed into him and her wandering mind returned to her flesh. She turned red as Walter turned to face her.
"I do not guarantee I will help, but I will give you an answer soon." Walter said, ignoring her red face.
"Mn." she nodded absent-mindedly. Walter looked at her lost look and sighed.
"What are you distracted about?" he asked.
"You planned to kill him from the beginning, didn"t you?" she asked looking up at him. They both seem to have forgotten how closely they stood. But being this close, the lady finally realized in her head, "he"s tall."
Walter frowned at her question.
"What makes you think so?" Walter"s face darkened. Does she think he just sits home planning how to kill someone? He had not decided what to do until he arrived. Or else he would have brought his own rope to offer the man. Did she think he just walked into the ministry, hoping they had a rope waiting for him?
"You asked for a rope the moment you arrived. You talked him perfectly into a corner. You even said something about us having his family safe, which I"m very sure, I never instructed the ministry to do so." she explained. He understood her logic but, it didn"t make him feel any better. If not that, is she saying that he has done this before?
If she understood that he was just as clueless as she was, she would not believe him. He had already made up his mind the moment he heard the Mclears were looking for the man. He immediately thought that he must make this man disappear. He had only decided to kill him when he walked in; it was the safest disappearance he knew. What would she think if she knew he had but talked to the man, in hope that the man would not make him do it himself.
"Is that what you really want to ask me?" he changed the topic. She had obviously done all this so as to get a reaction or help of some sort from Lady Wickshire.
"Oh...will you really consider my problem?" she asked.
"Is it really up to me to consider it? I will see if she has a problem with it. Don"t really expect help. Instead, pray she is does not truly care. That may be your best response. How do I tell you the result?" Walter asked.
Though he had talked to more n.o.bility these days than anyone his status, he still knew he could not just show up anywhere. He still needed his head. The Mr. Jodanham affair, was an attempt to gain trust from gentlemen that would not have looked him twice and believed his wild claims. He had to show some courage.
His question reminded her of her status. She immediately discovered their proximity and took a step back in embarra.s.sment. She took out a token from the small purse hidden in her skirt and handed it to him.
"This is a token of my family name. Present this when you arrive. And you will be let in through the side door." she said, then winced at the meaning of her words. The side door was the servant"s entrance. For some reason, she did not want him to feel as though she was haughty.
"It"s just so you don"t get noticed. .. I mean for secrecy..." she rushed to explain. Walter was not offended at all nor did he think it was necessary for her to explain herself. He nodded and left the same way he came, leaving the lady, slightly fl.u.s.tered.