Ada & The Earl (The Woodhouse Series #1)

Chapter 41

CHAPTER 41

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*Belgravia, London/Herstmonceux Castle, East Sussex*

Repetitive knocking on my bedroom door awoke me suddenly.

"Adelaide?" Agatha's voice was on the other side and I groaned, pulling myself up and groaning for her to enter. "Ah...Adelaide." She entered carrying towels. "You need to get up and get washed and get dressed."

"What? Why? What's happening?" The door closed behind her as she headed to my bathroom and prepared me a hot bath. "You never wake me up."

"The entire family has been invited to a dinner and a ball!"

I groaned, throwing myself back onto my bed. "But dinner is not till tonight. I want to sleep!" Agatha marched back into the room and pulled open the curtains, the sunlight hitting me right in the face.

"But you are travelling to the countryside..." Agatha remarked as she stood over me. "You don't want to be late."

She returned to the bathroom and turned off the water. "Who's hosting?"

Agatha came back to me, pushing me into the bathroom and then clapping her hands for me to strip out of my clothes. "I don't know but it's very important. Lady Porthleven was very excited!"

I grumbled, climbing into the bath. I ducked my head under the water as Agatha pulled me to the surface to scrub my hair before leaving me to it.

I pouted, my arms draped on the edges of the bath as I wondered who could be inviting us to dinner and ball, and want me to go along too.

***

After my bath, I sat silently on my bed, in a dressing gown, my hair naturally drying as I ate a bowl of fruit, reading the papers.

My evidence had been given to the police and the case was presented in the courts. Clinton was found guilty on all charges and sentenced to twenty years. Emerson, unfortunately, reminded me that as he had money and status, he could probably get himself out sooner.

A simple statement from the Hatton lawyer stated that the Hattons are rebuilding their lives and will be making no more comments on the incident.

As it was Ada Carne who had solved the case, and she chose to remain anonymous, a proxy was chosen to go in my place to present the case in the courts.

My name was soon everywhere with Theodore stating letters of praise had been streaming into Scotland Yard for weeks, all of which he discreetly got bundled and sent to me in Belgravia and I spent days going through them all and sending replies, putting the return address as Scotland Yard and omitting any information that could identify me. 

It was heartwarming walking the streets of London and hearing the whispers about me, showering me with praises but nobody knew it was me, strolling past them. The Cornish firecracker who saved the life of an Earl? Fought for him, defended him?

I was a hero - like the legendary Joan of Arc and I felt pride within me.

And things only got better in the weeks that went by.

Mrs Fraser's autopsy was eventually released and it was revealed she died of natural causes after I had left, at least two hours later. This was proven by my train ticket which was stamped with a date and time for only an hour after. My brothers also learnt about the true things that happened at that so-called finishing school and demanded compensation through legal routes for deception and fraud. They wanted to bankrupt the school and force it to shut and with the help of Florence's guardian, Elizabeth Moore, in Scotland (who had raised her when her mother died), the girls would be given a proper education, with the Royal Caledonian Society Ball sponsoring most of them.