Roderick's Tale

I collected the weapon and removed the remaining cartridge before tossing both to the ground.

When I looked back up, Henry was white in the face. "He was going to shoot me!"

I nodded my agreement. "I'm afraid so."

When I turned to the others, the grooms had Mr. Jones under control. A groom was holding each of his arms, and another with an arm around his neck holding him secure.

"You tried to kill your son! You should be hanged, sir, for attempted murder!" I took a deep breath before stepping up in front of Mr. Jones, as close as he was to me in front of the manor. "Listen now, and listen well, Mr. Jones. You will forget about Henry. You don't want him for your son? Fine. You will never speak to him again. You will not try to contact him again. You will stay away from my family, my estate, and any of my people. All of the people here will have sworn affidavits of the events that happened here today. If you don't comply, then we will turn those over to the constabulary and have you arrested for attempted murder."

The entire time I spoke, Mr. Jones glared balefully at Henry.

"And sir, I hope you can explain to your family why you may never contact your son again--"

"He is no son of mine--"

"Good! That means you won't mind when he changes his name!"

When I said that, Mr. Jones' eye snapped to me.

"Do you understand what I have told you, Mr. Jones?" I asked, still in a quiet voice.

He spit in my face. My grooms tightened their grip on him. I could see his face beginning to redden as I pulled out my handkerchief and wiped the spittle away.

I looked at the grooms. "Walk Mr. Jones to the end of the lane. Take a rifle with you. He may mount his horse when he is off the property. If he attempts to return to my land, shoot him. When you are done with that, all of you come to the house. We will take your statements and speak more then."

The three grooms nodded, and one of the footmen ran off to grab the rifle.

Once they left, I turned to Henry and Mr. Jakobe. "Come. Let us get back to the house to change. This afternoon has become quite busy for us."

We all changed, collected paper pens, and commandeered the drawing-room, parlour, and my study. After a quick explanation to my grandfather, those of us with words took the statements from the grooms and footmen, who each placed their mark. Grandfather administered the affidavits to ensure they were legal.

Once that was completed, I gathered all the men together. "Thank you for your help today, men! You all went above and beyond your duties today. As a token of my appreciation, I have a gold sovereign for each of you!"

They all cheered as I handed out the coins.

Finally, Henry, Mr. Jakobe, Grandfather, and I sat in the parlour. Henry looked over at me. "Thank you, Roderick. I didn't know what to do, and I just told the coachman to drive."

I nodded.

"What did you mean about changing my name?" Henry asked.

I sighed before standing and pouring a glass of port for each of us. I downed mine and poured another before taking my seat.

"I was planning on speaking to you this afternoon when we all returned. Mother, Edith, and I will be changing our last names. We want to be rid of the Livingstone connection, and Faith would like to take the name as well. So, I wanted to discuss with you your thoughts. This incident forced the event somewhat. You will now have to change your name. The question is, do you want to take the same name as Mother, Edith, and I? Or do you, like me, wish to start your own name?"

Mr. Jakobe looked to his lover. "Henry, taking Mr. Liv-- uh-- Roderick's name would give you standing and possibly protection. Uh-- Roderick has made a good name for himself."

I couldn't help but smile at Mr. Jakobe's unease at calling me familiar.

"May I speak with Faith before giving you an answer?"

I smiled. "Of course. Though our relationship is unusual and complex, she is still your wife."

Henry smiled.

I glanced at the mantle clock. "We should change for dinner. If you can speak with Faith before we eat, so we may discuss the final plans while we sup."

Henry nodded, and we all stood. Grandfather held me back a moment.

"Roderick, assuming those statements were accurate, and considering how close they all are, I am inclined to believe they are, you could be making enemies of powerful men quickly."

I nodded my agreement and grimaced. "I know, Grandfather. Unfortunately, I don't know what could have been done differently to make the situation better."

He clapped me on my shoulder, and we went to change.

The family, joined by Mr. Jakobe, sat in the parlour after eating, though Agnes was in bed.

Henry, sitting on the sofa, with Mr. Jakobe on one side and Faith on the other, looked over at me. "Roderick, Faith and I shall take your name as well. Though we may have different reasons for wanting your name, we do both want it."

I smiled over at them. "Good! I'll begin doing up all the paperwork on the morrow. We shall post the deed polls to the creditors and publish them in the papers. Soon we shall be the Rodworth family. It may be cause for discussion, but name changes normally are!"

***

A week after we published the name change, I gathered the morning post. I looked over each piece and sorted it accordingly. One piece of correspondence stood out.

It was of the finest paper addressed in a bold yet elegant script. I broke the wax seal and removed the letter. When I unfolded the letter, another smaller envelope fell out. I read the letter.

Dear Roderick Xavier Ebenezer Rodworth Esq.:

It seems you made a liar out of my daughters and me, and for that, I would like to apologize.

However, I would like to commend you for avoiding scandal after scandal. First, your mother, sister, and cousin's pregnancies. Then your brother-in-law and butler's relationship. You separated your family from those that would bring you down.

Though not entirely how we planned, the best part is that your father has still been impacted. The people in the capital are talking about him, wondering why his family forswore his name, and are questioning his connection to the Lockwoods. The gossip is scandalous enough to hurt your father.

Truly, Roderick, we wish you and your family well. Enjoy your children, sister and cousin. And your mother should she wish to enjoy your companionship as well.

We bear no enmity to you or yours and hope you don't hold any toward us. Our goals have been accomplished, and we are done. One of our men heard of your renovations. To prove our sincerity, I have included notes for £1,000. Though this sum is not much, we hope it helps complete your renovations.

Best of luck with your life.

Your Facilitator.

P.S. Your half-siblings will be born soon. If you care to know them, then fly a white and black striped flag from the peak of your manor. We will know, and arrange the meeting!

I sat back stunned. I checked the smaller envelope, and sure enough, it held a single £1,000 note.

From the writing and the tone, I knew it was from the evil woman who set all of our lives a tumble. Yet, I also felt she was sincere. To the best of my knowledge, she had not lied to us other than to say she would not send this letter and then did.

I thought then of my half-siblings. They were the spawn of my father. Did I want to know them? Did I want to interact with them? Could I blame them for their parentage?

I did not know but would think about this more. Discuss it with my family.

Life had changed for my family and me in the past few months. Though we all wanted our lives to go differently, I wouldn't want to change much about my life.

As I contemplated the letter, Ephram walked in. "So, Cousin, what are you teaching me today?"

I set the letter and banknote aside and smiled up at him.

"Today, Ephram, I thought we could discuss human equality under God, once again. Henry should be here shortly. He was interested in hearing it as well."

End