The Secret of Two

Chapter 10

I accompanied the agents to the palace, to the cells below for prisoners of the Crown where the other guilty traitor was. She was sitting on the wooden plank that would be her bed for the next days before her trial. The corridor split right in front of Mary's cell, the agents bringing Edward away down the row.

I stopped in front of Mary's cell. "Why?"

"For the money. The client who hired us gave us thousands of dollars for that kill." She stood up to come closer to the bars of the cell. "I know your question. It's written all over your face."

I had tried to keep a neutral face but she read right through it. I crossed my arms. "If you know then answer the question." Someone tried to bark an order from the other side of the corridor but the guards blocked whoever was trying to get through. I recognized Sherlock's tall and slender figure before seeing his face. "Let him pass."

Catching his breath, Sherlock halted right before he would've hit the cell's bars. "Your sister. I found her."

Mary only smirked. "Good job, Sherlock. Your sister now goes by the name Molly Hooper. An absurd name if you're asking me, but the name I gave her was Beatrice. Beatrice Blakeley. Ashton doesn't even know she exists."

I stared in shock. She had kept the baby, my half-sister. Before I could ask any more questions, Sherlock grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the coldness of the cells. The guards didn't even flinch as we flew by them but I knew they were surprised by knowing the man they had stopped was a man they had thought dead.

He brought me to a hospital, the same hospital where he supposedly fell to his death. A young woman was waiting at the entrance of the hospital, wringing her hands over and over. Her eyes landed on Sherlock first, then on me. Beatrice, or Molly, took a lot from her mother but she had the same eyes as Edward, the eyes I have.

She walked toward us, one slow and unsure step at a time, her eyes fixed on me. I whispered, "Beatrice." We were face to face and it felt strangely like looking in a doorway to another dimension. In complete disbelief, I hugged her.

Over my shoulder, she said, "No one has ever called me that since I was 8. I've never had anyone in my life like this, someone like a sister."

I laughed, breaking our hug to get a closer look to our similarities. They weren't that numerous but if you knew, you could tell we were somehow related. "I'm not the only one. I have a brother and a sister, so if you wanted siblings, I think you now have more than what you wished for."

In this moment, with my new-found sister in my arms and Sherlock behind us, I knew what I needed to do.

*          *          *

    I found my mother in her office, my first of three stops. She greeted me and gestured for me to sit on the other side of the desk. I refused, not planning to stay long. "I am leaving."

    Isabella dropped her pen, looking at me with an arched eyebrow. "What do you mean, you're leaving?"

    "This life," I pointed to the lavish office we were in, the corseted dress I was wearing and the expensive engagement ring Chris gave me a few days after our official engagement, "it's not what I'm meant to be."

    She just scoffed and returned to signing whatever documents she was reading. "Of course this is where you are meant to be. You were born in this family,  is your life and it always will be."

    I slammed my hands on the desk a little more violently than I intended. My voice was still calm. "Even if I was born in this life, it doesn't mean that I want it or that it's right for me. You should know that yourself, you ran away to follow your heart." I slowly backed away toward the door. "Well my heart tells me I need to leave, fly with my own wings."

    Giving me her full attention, she used that tone that would have made me back down only a few weeks ago. "You can't just leave. This isn't any other betrothal, this is the prince we are talking about."

    But I needed to stand up for myself now more than ever. "And I don't care. Plenty of other girls want the prince for themselves so let them have him, give him a choice. I'm leaving in two days and there's nothing you can do to stop me."

    I spun on my heels, closing the door behind and not leaving any place for further discussion. I walked through the white halls and reached our family's quarters. I knocked at Alexander's door, my second stop. He opened after a few agonizing seconds. Inviting me in, he picked up some clothes scattered around. "Sorry for the mess, what are you doing here?"

    "I'm leaving in two days."

    "Where? On a trip? I'd go with you but I have the MI6 training and... "

    "I'm leaving the court, leaving this life behind." And Alex did the most unexpected reaction I could get, he traveled across the room and hugged me. "I'm not totally cutting contact with you and Bessie but I won't be part of the family like I was."

    "I understand wanting to walk away from this life. As soon as I'm done with my training, I'm leaving our parents's control."

    "Oh, I almost forgot," I scrambled away, "we have another sister." He frowned, his face making me giggle, "It seems like Father had secrets of his own and had a child before meeting Mother. Her name is Beatrice, well she changed it for Molly and I don't really know how to call her yet but I'll make you meet her soon."

    Alex was left speechless and I hated to leave him like this but I had one last stop to make. To the palace for Chris and Elizabeth.

    I told the same thing to Elizabeth and let her cry on my shoulder even after telling her I would visit and call her as often as she wanted. Next was Christopher. I handed him back the priceless jewel that decorated my finger. The simple act of taking off that ring made me lighter than I expected, an unknown weight lifted off my shoulders.

    He didn't complain for a second. Of course he was sad to see me go but he was glad I could choose my own path. "You might not have known it but you're doing me a great gift by leaving. There's someone I had my eye on for a while and she would look good with that ring around her finger."

    I promised him to visit him to court just for the sake of our friendship but this reminded me why I wanted to leave. I didn't want to get married any time soon but if Chris had found the right one, then I would support him all the way.

*          *          *

    A few days later, as promised, I made Alex and Bessie meet Sherlock, John, and Beatrice. John immediately caught my siblings' affection but of course, Sherlock practically made them run away from simply glaring at them.

    I started studying to work in criminology alongside my half-sister and to help Sherlock. My heart had somehow grown to enjoy his company after all these weeks and I couldn't wait to get to know my sister and these people who formed my new family.