One Heart- The Greatest Showman

Chapter 47

Elizabeth's Pov 

The crackle of the ground grazed my bare feet. My shoes had been annoying me all night, peeling the flesh away from my heels. So when I got into the carriage, I just took them off and lightly chucked them onto the seat across from me. 

Once the carriage was out of sit, I pulled my hair out of its bun I had tried so hard to perfect. Letting my brown waves sit just above my shoulder. I walked exactly three steps before collapsing, a cry escaping from my lips. The pain just kept getting stronger and stronger, consuming me. I wrapped my arms around my shoulders, my fingertips grazing the smallest part of my scars. 

Blurry eyed, I finally looked up at the house in front of me. No lights on. Not even the faintest glimmer of a fading candle. It was dark, engulfed by shadows. 

Picking myself up from the ground, I somehow stumbled to the front door. Placing my hand onto the cold metal, jiggling it to see if it would open. Nothing. Either meaning he hadn't come home or he was home but locked the door on me. Both caused tears to come to my eyes, stinging them and most likely turning them redder than they already were. I shooed them away.No. I will not cry. I can't cry. Not any more. 

 I pushed my back against the door, slowly moving to the ground. The ground was extremely cold due to the falling snow. I closed my sore eyes and rested my head against the frame of the door. Hoping that I could slip into dreamless sleep.

****

Phillip's Pov 

Once Lizzy had left with my mother, Hannah and Lillia - there was just silence. The smell of cigars intoxicating the room. I, myself, have never been a fan of cigars. They were just an accessory, something to dwindle the human mind during periods of silence. 

"So, you and Miss Gray are getting married?" Thomas asked as he blew rings of smoke into the fire. 

I nodded while swirling my glass of gin. "Next week." I stated plainly. 

My father's eyes glanced up, meeting my own before he raised the question. "And are we invited?" 

"Elizabeth would love to have you there" I took a breathe. "As would I." 

He just gave me a small nod before his attention became fixated on his own glass of alcohol. Thomas continued to ask questions about myself and Lizzy, particularly the later.  After at least and hour or so, I excused myself so I could go into the kitchen. Trying to get some air from Thomas's suffocating questions. 

I splashed my face with some water from the pitcher, patting it into my skin. Trying to wake myself up. I could hear laughing from the women's room upstairs, and I could only pray that Lizzy was okay. I mean, I have no doubt that she would not. She is strong and will not back down. Outside the window, I could see the snow falling softly upon the bushes outside. Covering them with frost and snow.  

I went to push the door into the hallway open, only to discover it was locked. Bolted shut. Damm, I must of accidently hit the bolt as I walked in. I began to walk to the sitting room the long way, having to navigate in and out of several different rooms before arriving at the sitting room. It took around ten minutes, but I made it eventually. 

 Thomas had shifted his seat slightly to the left. I pushed this thought aside as his voiced once again radiated around the room. "So, you run that city of freaks down by the docks." He stated nonchalantly as he picked up the crystal bottle of whisky and begun to pour himself a fifth drink. 

"They are not freaks." I said, my tone harsh towards him. I couldn't understand why they were still being called that, majority loved them. It is the minority, those with wealth or alcohol problems, who kept that name alive. 

"All righty then." Thomas dragged out, about to ask another question, before my father spoke up. 

"What took you so long? I thought you were only going to the kitchen." He questioned. 

"I was in the kitchen, but it bolted itself shut when I walked in. I must of hit it accidently." 

He looked at me confused, "The kitchen doesn't bolt shut." He began before shrugging it off. " The lock must of been frozen." He took another sip from his near empty glass. 

My eyes followed along the edge of the room before coming to the fire place, which triggered something in my head. In the dinning room, which is exactly next to the kitchen, there is a fire place. One that points directly at the door, meaning that the locks couldn't of frozen over. And father said that they don't bolt shut. Which meant that they would of have to been forced shut.

My train of thought was interrupted by the chattering of the women, walking down the stairs. Three of them. No Lizzy.

"Where is Elizabeth?" I asked, trying to look past them to see if she was still upstairs.

"She left, like twenty, thirty? minutes ago." Lillia said, as she placed her glass upon the tabling, announcing her retirement for the evening.

I quickly bid goodbye to everyone before running out to catch a carriage back to the house. I couldn't help to feel a slight tinge of pain that Lizzy left me there alone. I knew that I had hurt her bad when I did it at the hospital but I thought we were past that. That we did everything together.

The carriage ride was slow and my fidgeting did not make it move any more quicker. The snow had sunk in heavily as the drive informed me that we were supposed to get a snow storm later this evening.   We pulled up around a mile from the house, the driving saying he can go no further because of the brooding storm.I almost slipped on the ice on the ground as I pulled my coat tighter, the cold weather evident this evening more than ever. 

I  walked through the gates, seeing no lights on except for the candle flickering in the doorway. On the ground, directly underneath, was a girl who was faintly covered in snow. 

"Lizzy" I silently yelled as I quickly went over to her, her skin cold, indicating that she had been out here for a whiel, against my palms. 

"Phillip?" She asked quietly, as I helped her up. She couldn't stand on her own, probably since she had been out her for a period of time. "He said you  had left." She whispered, barley audible. 

He said I had left? Who was she referring to my father? Thomas? 

"Hey, we will talk in the morning. Let just get you warmed up okay?" I said reassuring, unlocking the door. 

Note to self, give Lizzy another key to keep in her coin purse. 

I guided her inside as she huddled close to me, trying to warm herself up. I helped her up to her room, getting the bed set up while I turned away so she could get changed into her night gown. When she emerged from behind the screen, I could see the snow weaved into her hair as well as the fading colour of blue on her lips. 

I brought her to the bed, wrapping blankets around her in attempt to warm her up. I laid down beside her, watching her as she shivered from the growing warmness of the blankets. I wrapped my arms around her as she nested into the blankets. Her breathing becoming more steadier before it became uniformed. 

While waiting to ensure that she was asleep and okay, I began to format a list of questions to ask in the morning.  The first being, who told Lizzy I had left her?