Everything started to make sense.

Before, I had just thought Mr Warrington hadn't liked me because I was a servant, because that was the way he treated everyone he deemed to be beneath him. Only that appeared to be far from the truth. He had known who I was the moment he had heard my name, I was a danger to him and he knew that. To protect his position, to protect his lifestyle, he needed to get rid of me and the only way he could do that was to convince Doctor Ealing that I was the wrong person to employ. It wasn't as if Mr Warrington could turn around and say he knew me from somewhere else without exposing his knowledge of his brother's actions.

In a way, I was glad to know why he hated me without having met me, but on the other hand, he had known about everything and never saw in wrong in it, only money. He was just another person who cared more about profit than human life.

"You mean to tell us that just the other day we were dining with a man who knew of the factory and its conditions but said nothing?" Robert said. His voice was hard, and his gaze was still fixed on a spot in the grounds. He had been so quiet I had hardly even realised he was there until he spoke.

"It seems that way. From the correspondence we found, Gregory Warrington was purchasing the cloth off of his brother to sell to tailors across the country. One of the girls told us she saw both Gregory and his son around the factory floor a few years ago. Miss Grey, did you ever see them?"

"Not that I remember, but my memory has never been the best if I'm being honest. It would explain why Alexander locked in me linen cupboard if he knew how many times for the foreman had locked me away."

"All right, I'll have to talk to the others again and confirm that both of them were seen in the factory at some point. Unless they had direct involvement with any deaths, I doubt there is anything we can arrest them for. We have the foreman and Mr Luke Thompson for child endangerment, breaking the 1833 Factory Act and possible murder charges. They'll be going away for a long time."

"But there's nothing you can do about Gregory and Alexander?" Doctor Ealing asked. His eyebrows were furrowed together, and he knotted his hands together in his lap as though not entirely sure what to make of the whole situation, and I couldn't blame him.

"Unless they committed a crime, no. I don't think we can arrest or charge them simply for being aware of the factory and Edward Warrington's actions."

"Alright, well, thank you for your help, Constable. We appreciate all the hard work you're doing do send this coward down."

"You're welcome. Do you have any more questions about anything, Miss Grey?"

"What's going to happen to Isabel?" I asked, glancing down at my hands and refusing to look the Constable in the eye.

"The coroner will determine how she died and after that her body will be released for burial. If we can't get in touch with her family, it may well be an unmarked grave."

"We'll handle the burial if you cannot reach her family," Doctor Ealing said.

I glanced up at Doctor Ealing, furrowing my eyebrows together in confusion as to why he would do such a thing. Despite Doctor Ealing doing so much for me already, the idea of him volunteering to arrange the burial for Isabel shocked me more than I thought it would. He hadn't met her and knew next to nothing about her apart from what I had said to the Constable that afternoon, he had no reason to offer to do such a thing. Burials were expensive, we had been told that by the foreman countless times when someone was killed and the idea of Doctor Ealing offering to assist in the burial of someone he didn't even know made me wonder why he was doing it.

After lying to his face for over a week and risking his son's life in the fire, he was still willing to do something for me. I didn't deserve any of it after what I did. I didn't deserve Matilda being nice to me, Robert running into that fire to help me or Doctor Ealing paying for Isabel's burial. None of what I had done over the past week earned those actions. All I had done during my trial period was cause trouble for them and the idea of them being nice to me for it made me feel physically sick.

"I'll be in touch within the next few days if that's the case. In the meantime, if you remember anything else Miss Grey don't hesitate to get Doctor Ealing to reach out. No matter how trivial you may think it is, it could help us considerably in our case against Mr Warrington."

"I will."

"Excellent. Doctor Ealing, I'll be in touch."

I watched as the Constable tucked his small notebook into his pocket and stood up with his helmet still under his arm. Doctor Ealing followed suit, using his knees to push himself out as he stretched out his hand for the Constable to shake. As they exchanged pleasantries, I glanced around towards Robert who was still staring out of the window as though it was the most important thing in the world. Since the Constable and I had started talking, he had barely said two words other than to answer questions directed towards him about the fire or the comment he made after the Constable had told us about the foreman. Something was on his mind, but I didn't know what it was.

Whilst Doctor Ealing escorted the Constable out of the drawing room and down the hallway, I pushed myself up from the sofa and slowly approached Robert at the window. The shaking in my hands had slowed down considerably since I started talking to the Constable, but I pressed my hands tightly together as I approached him. The sun was shining through the window directly onto Robert's face as his eyes were fixated on a small spot within the treeline. His eyebrows were furrowed together, and his mouth was drawn into a thin line as though he was in deep thought.

The sound of Doctor Ealing and the Constable's conversation faded away, I stood beside Robert with neither of us saying a word. Instead, we both stared out the window at the trees that looked as though they were glowing in the sun. A comfortable silence fell across us and I felt as though I could hear Robert's heartbeat, though I knew that wasn't possible. The two of us had grown used to just standing in the silence, allowing it to sit there as though it were another person in the room. With anyone else, I would have felt the need to say something and break the silence, but I was fine with Robert.

"I've known Alexander for as long as I can remember, we grew up together and all this time he knew what was happening. I knew he was strange, but I never thought he would be involved in such a thing," Robert said, removing his hand from his trouser pocket and running it through his hair.

"You couldn't have known what he and his father were doing. I didn't even know who they were, and I would have seen them both. You cannot blame yourself for what they were doing," I said.

"I know, I know." He sighed slightly, shoving his hand back into his pocket. "I shouldn't be complaining, how are you doing today?"

"Dealing with it, I suppose. I'm just glad the foreman is finally getting what he deserves, we've been waiting for this day for a long time."

"Were you really there for seven years?"

"It felt like a lifetime. Suzanna was there longer, twelve years or so I believe."

"Wow. I can't begin to imagine what that was like for you all. I suppose it explains why you are all so close."

"We're family. We all had to grow up far too quickly, but we always had each other to rely on. Isabel was only five when arrived and, although I was terrified about it myself, she needed someone to look out for her. We had to look out for one another, only I wasn't there when she needed me most."

"Stop that, okay? The only person at fault here is the foreman. You can't blame yourself for something he did." Robert placed his hand on my upper arm and squeezed it slightly. I know he was trying to be reassuring, but no amount of reassurance could stop the guilt that was bubbling away inside of me.

"I know, it'll just take some time."

"I can't believe this, the nerve!" Robert snapped, turning his attention back to the window.

His hand dropped from my arm and I watched as it clenched into his fist down by his side, his other hand was pressed against the window. As his eyes moved across the grounds, his fingernails dug into the palm of his hand and he slapped the other against the window pane, the smack echoing through the room. Before the sound had even finished rattling through the room, Robert had torn his attention away from the window and was hurtling out of the room before I even had a chance to call his name.

Not really understanding why he took off the way he did, I followed behind him, trailing behind him as he sprinted down the hall. On his way, he brushed past Doctor Ealing, who was talking to his wife, almost knocking him over in the process. Both Doctor and Mrs Ealing glanced towards me I passed them, but I had nothing to say. I had no explanation as to why Robert had taken off the way he had, but I was going to find out. Robert's footsteps retreated down the hallway as he disappeared round one of the corners and towards the front door. The sound of the door being pulled open echoed through the hallway and I caught it just before it swung shut.

Robert practically threw himself down the steps and across the gravel path. I stood on the top step, watching him as he darted across the gravel towards two people walking up the path towards the house. The door behind me opened as Doctor and Mrs Ealing joined me on the top step, just in time to watch Robert punch Alexander in the face.

"Robert!" Mrs Ealing shrieked, the sound seeming to bounce through the trees and caused several birds to take off in alarm.

"Robert, stop!"

"Control your son, Albert!" Mr Warrington yelled, joining in the conversation.

Beside me, Doctor Ealing ran down the few steps and across the gravel path. When he reached Robert, he grabbed him by his shirt collar and pulled him backwards and away from Alexander, throwing him onto the grass. Robert quickly pulled himself up and went to launch himself at Alexander for a second time, stopping just before he could strike him again as Doctor Ealing grabbed him around the stomach and held him. He continued to struggle against his father, wanting to escape so he could get another round of punches in.

Alexander struggled to his feet, blood running down his chin from his mouth and nose. Slowly, I walked down the steps and towards the confrontation unfolding on the grounds, Mrs Ealing stayed behind, watching it all rather than getting involved. Robert looked as though he was about to break free of his father's grip before Doctor Ealing threw him behind him and held him back with one arm, standing between the two of them so neither of them could punch the other.

"Enough, both of you!" Doctor Ealing roared, shoving both of them in the chest so they stumbled backwards.

"You need to have better control over your son, Albert!"

"Robert, take a step back and I'll deal with you in a second." Doctor Ealing gestured across the grass to where I was standing. Robert, sighing loudly, took several steps back and joined me on the gravel. "You shouldn't be here, Gregory."

"We're leaving for India tomorrow, Alexander and I thought we would stop by to say goodbye," Mr Warrington said.

"You just missed the Constable, I'm sure he would like to have a conversation with you and Alexander."

"I have no reason to talk to the Constable, not unless I'm saying goodbye to him before we leave."

"Actually, I think he'd like to talk to you regarding your knowledge of your brother's factory. We know you knew about its existence and have profited from his actions and multiple child deaths, we also know that that is the reason why you dislike Rosie so much."

"You bitch! All you had to do was keep your mouth shut until we were gone!" Mr Warrington lunged past his son towards me, but he didn't even make it past Doctor Ealing. He swung his arm out and caught Mr Warrington in the chest, forcing him backwards. Robert, on the other hand, stepped in front of me the moment Mr Warrington went to move.

"Your brother gave himself away, Rosie had nothing to do with it. She doesn't even know who you are. Your brother started a fire and the whole place went up, he murdered a young girl and countless others and they know you were involved in some way or another. Now, I suggest you and Alexander leave my premises immediately, or your son won't be the only one bleeding from the nose."

"Is that a threat. Albert?"

"Yes. Now get off my property."

Mr Warrington took a step back, glaring directly at me as he placed a hand on Alexander's shirt sleeve and started to pull him down the gravel path. Alexander glanced back towards Robert and wiped his sleeve across his mouth and nose in an attempt to clean up the blood. Slowly, the two of them started down the gravel path and towards the carriage which had stopped a little distance away. I watched as they climbed onto the carriage and it pulled away and up the path. Mr Warrington watched before eventually turning around to face me and Robert.

"I need to talk to your mother so if you two could make yourselves scarce it would be appreciated," Doctor Ealing said.

"Of course, Father."

"Get those cuts cleaned up."

"I'll help, come on," I said.

Leaving Doctor Ealing on the grass, Robert and I turned and started walking along the path, quickly following a secondary path away from the house and towards the kitchen. The gravel crunched under our feet as we approached the back door, the sound of a bird in the trees breaking the silence. As we went, Samuel stood up from his spot next to one of the flower beds and watched Robert and me as we reached the door, pushing it open. Holding the door open, I gestured Robert inside and shut it behind us.

Inside, Miss Jenkins was pottering around the sink, scrubbing dishes and leaving them on a drying wrack. She paused as Robert and I entered but said nothing as she went back to the work in question. Esther stood off to the side with her elbows deep into a new batch of pastry, she smiled slightly as I forced Robert into one of the seats at the table. As he sat, I grabbed a bowl from one of the cupboards and filled it up with water before placing it beside Robert and slipping into the side room to grab a small piece of cloth. Pulling the chair beside Robert out, I took a seat and grabbed his hand, soaking the cloth in the water and lightly wiping it across his knuckles.

"What on earth have you been doing?" Miss Jenkins said, noticing the marks on Robert's knuckles.

"Punching Alexander in the face. It wasn't unwarranted, he deserved it," Robert said.

"I'm not in a position to judge. If you say he deserved it, I cannot say anything against it as I wasn't there."

"You certainly got some good punches in, he looked as though he had gotten into a fight with a brick wall by the time you had finished."

"He got off lightly considering," Robert murmured.

I wasn't about to disagree with him. Ever since I had met Alexander he had been determined to cause as much trouble as possible and I never had any indication as to why. Until now. Both he and his father had known about the factory and about what the foreman was doing. They were in on it and involved in everything he was doing and never once tried to do anything about it, even after the countless deaths that had occurred at his hands. Deep down, I wished Robert had done a little more damage then a cut lip and a bloody nose, I wished the foreman, Mr Warrington and Alexander all had to experience what we went through on a daily basis, so they could understand what it was like.

We witnessed some of the worst injuries a person could suffer, and they made money off it whilst not even bothering to look our way. They deserved more than a jail cell, but neither Mr Warrington nor Alexander was even likely to end up in that position. Seeing Robert punch Alexander like he did made me feel better about the whole scenario, as though he was finally getting what he deserved after what he had put us through. I knew it was never going to bring Isabel back, that it wasn't going to turn back time and solve any of my problems, but it would have made me feel a whole lot better than I did.

I wanted to see them suffer for what they had done to us, I wanted revenge for everything that had happened. They could have done something to help us, anything to stop what had happened but instead, they sat back on their heels and let it unfold. They did nothing to stop any of it and they all had blood on their hands because of it. My mother always said that there were bad people in the world but that there were twice as many good people as well. I believed her for so long, but after meeting the foreman and everyone who had kept his secret for so long and I started to believe that that wasn't the case. There were bad people out there and it is those bad people that made the most impact.

"There you go, I expect the bruised knuckles are worth it," I joked, placing the cloth into the water bowl.

"Most definitely. I don't think we'll be seeing Mr Warrington or Alexander again in the near future, not if they value their lives. I think it's safe to assume that any future engagement between Matilda and Alexander has officially been called off, though I don't think she'll be that frustrated about it."

"Hm, I'm sure it'll be a shock for everyone once the news gets out."

"If it ever does, I expect they'll be trying to keep it out of any newspapers to protect themselves from any backlash."

"If you don't mind my asking, what exactly are you talking about?" Miss Jenkins asked, taking the bowl off the table and pouring the water down the sink.

"The foreman, he's Mr Warrington's brother and both he and Alexander knew about what was happening inside those walls."

"I suppose that answers a lot of question about their attitude towards you, Rosie."

"Hm."

"I was sorry to hear about your friend, Rosie. If you need to take some time off, Esther and I will manage."

"I'm fine, I just want to keep myself distracted."

"Mother and Father have made a decision about your work placement," Matilda said, stepping into the doorway of the kitchen.

"Here we go." Was all I was able to say.

~~~

A/N - ONE CHAPTER LEFT!!!!  That's all there is until this book comes to an end and the sequel begins! I'm so excited for what is to come and I hope you stick around to witness Rosie's ongoing story!

Anyway, is anyone else glad Robert punched Alexander in the face? I've been waiting for someone to smack him for a long time and it finally happened! 

What did you guys think about the chapter? Will Rosie get to keep her position?  What about Doctor Ealing threatening Mr Warrington?

Comment below!

Dedication - This chapter is dedicated to memey6 who has been voting and commenting on the book recently :) I do enjoy your comments! 

First Published - May 7th, 2019