What Lies Beneath The Surface

The earl sitting beside me had clasped his hands together and sighed heavily as we entered the skirts of town. He was oddly quiet, and no smile parted his lips for the entire by the by. Throughout the ceremony he was curiously still, barely blinking a look in my direction. Now, don’t think me wanton, I’m very loyal to my newly pronounced husband, but he has been acting odd. Possibly he’s been feeling the heat of the summer’s sun and doesn’t feel right. I hope that’s all it is, because I want this moment to be the best we both will ever have.

Playfully, I tapped my husband’s knee, “Henry, be merry! We are married now. It is such a happy day, you should not be sad.” I said. I gave him a cheerful grin, which he returned with simply a half smile. He didn’t seem to be in the mood. I sighed and decided to spend the rest of the ride looking out the window of our phaeton. The coach and six were trotting about joyfully along the stoned-pathway.

Just as I was about to fall into a deep slumber, someone placed their hand on my shoulder and I awoke. I turned and it was Henry looking back. His eyes were smiling and twinkling brightly, I smiled back. Now that is the Henry I love.

“Alexandria, my dearest, please do not mope, I have just been feeling all over like and touching nowhere since the wedding.” Henry said. His voice a soft whisper, breathing into my ear. I nodded and smiled even wider. It was nothing, I am relieved.

Now he removed his hand and pointed out the window, “We are nearer than before. We can see the cottage from here.” I pressed my face against the glass to get a better view. It was exactly how he described it, lovely and stone-bricked with a vast forest surrounding. How peculiar, it’s beauty is simply so natural.

We arrived in front of the cottage within a heartbeat. The coachman unloaded our luggage from the carriage and fled as quick as we had turned up. I left Henry to deal with our bags to go and explore the inside of the bungalow.

The cottage was specious, inside and out. It smelt of apple; fresh, compared to the smell of London’s streets. Those ruddy, dirty streets piled with the dead and routs with filthy, soiled commoners. How distasteful; but this hut was luxurious and less repulsive.

“Do you like it?” Henry asked. He was standing at the doorway, his luscious blonde hair drooping in his face, mostly covering his emerald eyes. That rich, dark green colour, shadowing my vision and enveloping me in it’s kindness that winks back, devouring my soul and reading my mind. He can see right through me, entire.

Sheepishly, I twirled a long brown curl in my fingers and looked at the floor, “It is charming.” He smirked and stepped inside, shutting the door behind him.

“Oh you think so do you? It is all because you married nobility that you do not have to fret about trivial matters like plain work. With me you won’t have to worry about appearances because you will still have the best.” Henry said, almost mockingly. There was an odd twinkle in his eyes that wasn’t the same.

“Do not let people’s telling you your things are amazing, puff you up. It is not very becoming of you.” I said, smirking.

Henry’s smile faltered and he left to start preparing our dinner. He was feeling more and more peevish the closer to diner we got, almost as if he were impatient. Yet I dare not ask him what’s a matter because I do not wish to have a dispute on the day of the beginning of our marriage.


As twilight drew near, the walls of the cottage seemed to leave an eerie sensation in the pit of my stomach. The rich brown of the wood seemed to have faded with time. Curiously, I began raking my hand along the sides, trying to find the cause of the decay. I felt the age scarred upon the wood’s skin, it’s wrinkles prickling my finger tips and leaving permanent marks along my palms.

Henry was making himself busy by putting our clothing away in the drawers. He seemed even more distant than this morning, I wonder why he was acting so uncouth. He seems deeply troubled, maybe this marriage was too soon for him? Or is it possibly due to his mother who is soon to be passing? Incidentally, she caught the plague. I think it must be the latter.

“Henry, I-” I had started to say, but got cut off by a loud banging at the front door. Henry gave a contemptuous look in my direction, and headed to the door, seemingly eager. I decided to join him, so I rushed off my seat and stood next to him.

He unlocked the door methodically and it swung open, practically breaking off its hinges. It was a queer-looking stranger outside our cottage. He was at least 3 feet taller than my beloved and he wore a burly coat. He had a distasteful glare upon his mien. It was obviously directed at mine and my husband’s direction.

“Hello, what can we do you for?” Henry asked in his best conversational tone. The man simply stared at my husband with a certain distracted gleam in his eyes. I was petrified, and rooted the spot. What was this man here for? The man looked quite menacing with his back to the sunset, the darkness creating a demonic aura about him. His skin was ashen and his hair was a dark black, both complimenting one another. The contrast was frightening and beautiful at the same time.

Instinctively, I tugged on Henry’s sleeve, he looked down at me, warning filling his eyes. I nodded gravely, sensing the incumbent situation. The strange man smiled, answering my fears. This is no interview. He reached into his pocket and took out a sharp knife, the point shimmering with the last rays of sunlight bouncing off it.

“I do not mean to harm, but do not give me reason to, for I will.” The strange man said, he had an English accent, and his pronunciation was magnificent. I thought the man quite impertinent; if he is of high social standing, then why is he here, with a mad look in his eye? What a loon!

“Now, give me all your money!” He exclaimed excitedly. I shied away from the door, and hid more closely to Henry. What was going to happen? Will Henry give him the money?

Henry shook his head, “Young fellow, please we do not have but a mere penny to give.” He said calmly. The strange man furrowed his brow and made a disbelieving smile; but his smile quickly changed as soon as it had appeared.

“Of course you are not rich! How else could you possibly afford a villa and your own home? Oh, and your clothing! Completely out of style, there’s no way you have any money to spare.” The dark haired man exclaimed, sarcasm dripping off of each syllable.

The world turned upside down. The moon was below us and our feet above us. The stars, iridescent balls of light in the night sky, plummeted to their new seats over the heavens. The strange man had jumped my dear Henry, the two wrestling upon the wooden floors. I stood aback, thinking. What should I do? What can I do?

Just when I thought the world turned upside down, it flipped and rotated, knocking me off the floor. It was like being in a ship, the waves crashing upon the port and starboard, causing the bow to rock back and forth, all the while the ship members heaving their suppers’ from their bone boxes’. The strange man brought his knife up on my Henry. Shock covered my face like a veil, and tears stung my eyes. Now I really must do something! I cannot stand back and let this happen! My Henry! What if he were to die? What would happen to me?! No, I must not think like that. A small shriek escaped my pursed lips.

“I now have reason…” The dark haired, swain man breathed. His direction turned to me, sweat trickling down the side of his mien, he took a few paces towards me. My hands instinctively protected my face.

Henry got up but the dark haired man kicked him down. Panic filled my gut, and desperation filled my head. I’m completely devoted. Henry, please get up! Save me! My thoughts screamed.

“Run! Run Alexandria, go!” Henry yelled. The stranger’s attention was back on me, and I realized, I was the target, for now Henry is being ignored; so if I can get away from him, I can probably give Henry enough time to get help and we‘ll both be saved.

I nodded gravely at Henry, and made a run for the door.

I have no idea where I am running or if there is any civilization near the cottage, but my feet are pounding away against the wet grass. The sun is gone, and all I have left to illuminate my path is the moon.

The trees are separated in a twisty and winding way, revealing an almost-clear enough path for me to run through. The grass is unbearably long and untrimmed, its knots creating dense traps that I could easily fall down onto. The forest floor, unkempt and dark is surprisingly comforting; at least compared to being back in the nice, warm cottage with that melancholic mad man. And my dear Henry… Oh yes, Henry, my darling! Is he okay?

I stop running and turn back to get a glimpse of the cottage. The windows are fully illuminated and I can easily see through them from this distance. The front door is still swung open and the strange man has not run out after me. Frowning, I take a few steps back and squint my eyes; I see the stranger standing over my husband, the knife in his hand. Henry’s cowering against the wall, the stranger matching his every step with two. Henry is no longer within my view, and the stranger swiftly dives forwards, his knife out.

A loud woman’s shriek breaks the silence, sending the crows away from their nests. I realize this was my shriek. The tragic truth manifested itself through my skin, inflicting damage upon my heart. Henry is dead. He is gone. Never coming back. The end.

Good bye my husband.

Tears stung my eyes and I wiped them on my sleeves. What’s the point anymore? He is dead… I will be next, why should I even bother running anymore?

I started crying, that dreadful hiccupping cry in the starry night. The lump in my throat is gone, but there is a painful ache in the deep crevices of my heart and my head.

A dark silhouette has emerged from the cottage, in a large coat. For a mere second my heart fluttered, thinking it was Henry; but the moon’s light shown on something reflective in the man’s hand… his knife.

Adrenaline pumped in my veins, my mind racing a million thoughts per second. It is not Henry. I am still in danger, I must run! My tears stopped flowing and my feet kicked off the ground, running faster than I have ever run before.

I did not bother to turn back to see how close he is, I know now I must run and run. Keep looking on ahead and ignore everything behind me.

In the distance a maniacal laugh shattered the silence. I could not help myself from crying more deeply than ever. He killed my husband and now he is laughing!

Frantically, I try to wipe my eyes of my tears once more while still maintaining my run. The tears were blinding and blurring my vision.

All was quiet again, and the killer’s footsteps were sounding further and further away from mine. I paused for a break and hid behind a moss covered tree. This way I can be hidden and if I hear him I can easily run away again.

But all was silent. I did not hear him again. The silence was deafening, and eerie. Where did he go? Did he give up? Surely he would not because I am a witness to his crime.

I slapped myself mentally, ‘Do not think like that Alexandria! You can not lose hope, if you can get away you can just as easily find another rich earl to wed and hopefully this time he will not get murdered by some stranger in the night. You can still live your life.’ I nodded to myself. I can make it out alive.

Gaining some of my confidence back, I stood up and cautiously looked around for any signs of the stranger, sensing nothing I turned to sprint forwards once again.

I had not really looked about my surroundings because moments after I started forwards, a large rock was situated in front of me and I carelessly tripped over it, crashing to the ground. Panic -stricken, I quickly hoisted myself over the rock. My movements were jerky and shaky. As I tried to stand up, my heel swelled and I buckled over once more.

Great, wonderful! I sprain my ankle just when I am trying to escape a killer. Grief overflowed my bellows, making it difficult to breath. I am going to get killed. I am going to get killed. These thoughts ran through my brain. I let out a small whimper and crawled towards the tree I was hiding behind. Hugging the tree, I pulled myself up into a standing position. I peered around the tree vigilantly, eyeing everything carefully. There was no one and nothing moving. Everything was completely still. I drew in a shaky breath through my teeth and I slithered down the trunk once more.

I opened my eyes once I was settled comfortably; the stranger was standing three feet above me, his eyes and knife burning with the light from the moon. I screamed so loudly that I was sure I might have even woken Henry from the dead.

The stranger smiled mischievously and brought his knife down as he did to Henry.



I wiped the blood off the knife with the corner of my flowing coat. That was easier than I thought it was going to be. She was effortlessly overreached, truly thinking till the very end that Henry was dead and that he loved her. What a jade. I am terribly joyous that she is gone. It is sickening to see how mad I have become, but she deserved our demency.

I pranced back up to the cottage, smiling heartily all the while. She is gone. Gone forever. When I finally reached the cottage, the lights were still on, yet I felt utterly alone. No light can comfort me for what I have done. No inanimate object or temporary happiness can cure me.

Bating Henry of course.

Henry laid upon the fainting couch, his stiff and rigid body seemingly motionless. His clothes were in the same condition as they were when he put them on this morning. No blood. No cuts, no bruises, no burns, no scars. His skin perfectly sculpted and smooth, barely showing any signs of aging.

I stood behind the seat and caressed his cheek with my fingertips. He tilted his face into my hand, my fingers feeling that sweet and serene smile he always wears for me; only me. I place my remaining hand beneath his chin and pulled his face towards mine. Our lips brushed softly, barely resting on each other’s mouths. We were hesitating to go any further. The deed may be finished, but our work is still not done.

I was the first to pull away, my hands still cupped his face, “Henry, she is dead. We can finally be together.” His smile grew bigger.

He got off the couch and stood beside me, smiling all the while. “James, I love you.” I nodded and smiled back at my handsome Henry, loving every piece of him wholly; and knowing he felt the same about me.

That smile was all it took for Henry to jump into my arms and hold on to me as tightly as possible. He nuzzled his face deep in my neck and leaned on his tip-toes to finish the passionate kiss we had almost shared moments before.

A heavy burden was lifted off of our chests, we bathed in the glory that we were rid of Alexandria and her scheming ways. It was perfect, Henry could live the rest of his life, seemingly being a widow but all the while being with me, and he would not have to deal with Alexandria’s greediness. Her constant badgering for money and addiction for Henry’s fame.

We can finally live in peace together; without anyone bothering us.