The Ember In The Storm (undergoing editing)

Part II

     A public execution.

This was the first time Elizabeth stumbled upon one. Of course she had heard of them countless times, she just never thought she would be able to ever witness one, God, worse of if she knew the condemned.

She opened the curtains again, examining the rod intently.

I don't recall the papers saying anything of this, who could it be? She thought to herself. She thanked the world that it was only hanging— don't get her wrong, Elizabeth was one of the few who did not support public executions, but hanging seemed like the best way to go out.

Anything besides that made her squirm.

Vaughn spoke up, "It is best we head back home."

Elizabeth's eyes did not divert. "But we just left."

Vaughn pursed her lips inward, looking for another excuse. 

Meanwhile, Elizabeth watched a sturdy man in black— she presumed he was the hangman— practically dragging a woman behind him. She had a sack over her head, but from her arms, Elizabeth could tell she was a negro.

The crowd cheered on at her appearance and turned more barbaric once the sack was pulled over. With kinky disheveled hair and small round face, Elizabeth was able to recognize that she was the woman from the previous night.

She had been sold off at the ball. Unlike before, she looked frail now. All the makeup and expensive dresses were pulled off her, leaving her with a cheap red stained under-dress.

As if on cue, the condemned woman spotted the carriage ahead of everyone and caught sight of Elizabeth within, bringing her eyes to hers.

She never averted her eyes away, even as she went up the stairs and had the rope knotted around her neck. The distance was long enough for neither of them to hear each other's shouts and screams, but it was short enough to hear the cries from within.

Elizabeth could see from her eyes the lack of remorse within, the power she thought she held and the small grin that appeared across her face proved so.

Whatever she did, she was glad she did it, Elizabeth knew.

A flying egg shattered on the condemned woman's chest, finally breaking the connection. The sack was immediately put back over her head before she could recollect herself.

The hangman pushed the stairs from under the woman and Elizabeth shut her curtains, cuing the deafening cheers of the crowd.

"Are you alright?" Vaughn rose her voice over the crowd.

"Y-yes. I think it is truly best we head back," she croaked out.

Vaughn examined Elizabeth for a while before shrugging her shoulders and opening the curtain barrier between them and the coachman.

"Take us back to the mansion."

*~*~*~*

                                      
  Evening had come by quickly, too quick for Elizabeth to catch up. She was able to take a bath and make her way down for dinner, finding Vaughn and Luke already seated next to each other and conversing between themselves.

She sat across from them, quietly watching as the servants set the last dish on the table. Luke let them all off with a nod of appreciation.

"Good evening, Elizabeth."

"Good evening, sir. Will Senior Anderson not be joining us tonight?" She looked around the room, expecting to find the old man standing  somewhere.

"He will. He arrived a minute ago so I supposed he went to freshen up. We can wait a minute longer," Luke poured himself a glass of water for the wait.