The letter Eli had sent Mary must have arrived hours ago. So where was she?

He had not written a time in it, for he knew she would come immediately if he did so. And when he would write that she ought to come right away, he would sound too intrusive.

While waiting for her, he had found his way to the steps in front of the house. From here he could see her the moment she rounded the corner, while his parents could also keep an eye on him. He might not be punished anymore, he knew his parents preferred to know he was near.

The front door suddenly opened and closed again, and not much later, Ada came to sit next to him.

"So where is she?" she asked. "My questions are ready, and so are Ivy and Cora's."

"I forgot to write a time," he told her. "She might arrive whenever she pleases."

Ada sighed loudly. "How can you forgot to have written a time, then remember you forgot when the letter is already send?"

"Just shut up, will you?"

Ada threw her hands in the air. "How will you ever woo her if you do not tell her when to come, then insult me for reminding you?"

"I did not forget," he sternly told her. She gave him a questioning look, and Eli sighed before he answered: "if I do not give her a time to come, she comes as soon as she gets the letter."

His sister laughed and bumped his arm. "You have got it bad!"

"Stop it," he ordered her as he bumped her arm hardly, but it only made her laugh harder. And Eli could also not deny the smile was on his lips at the thought that indeed, he had it bad.

"So when will you tell her?" Ada asked once she finally stopped laughing.

"Tell her what?" Eli stupidly asked.

Her face moved closer to his, and she whispered: "that you love her."

He tried to stop the smile that spread across his lips, but he could not. So he pushed Ada away from him and stood up.

"Oy," she shouted. "Answer me!"

He started walking away from her, but she stood up and started following him. Eli knew he would not be left alone until Mary came, or until he told the truth. So he turned to his sister and walked away from her backwards. "I will not," he said before he turned away from her again.

Suddenly he was harshly pulled by his shoulder until he was facing Ada.

"Why would you not?" she asked in disbelief.

"Because she is a lady," Eli answered. "And I am merely a man. Even if she felt the same about me, she would-"

"Do not doubt her feeling for you," the woman interrupted. "I know a lady in love when I see one."

Eli ignored her stupid statement, and finished his. "Even if she felt the same about me, she would never be able to admit it."

"You mean you would never be able to marry her." Ada smiled. "I like the fact that you are thinking of marrying her."

"What?! I am not!"

"Yes, you are," she said with a singing voice. "You love her, and you wish to marry her."

He gave her a soft push and ordered: "shut up."

While he could not stop smiling, he expected Ada would have the same look on her face, despite his push. But suddenly her posture changed and the look on her face turned from happy to terrified.

"What?" Eli asked. "Never been pushed before? I can tell you that you have been, for I ha-"

"Eli, stop," she ordered, her voice serious and a little frightening. He frowned, and she responded by pointing behind him.

He stiffened. Was Mary behind him? Had she heard what his sister had said and how he had not denied it? Did Ada look so terrified because Mary did too?

Did she not feel the same for him as he felt for her?

Slowly, he turned around, ready to tell her they were merely joking – or talking about someone else. But when he faced the person his sister had pointed at, he could not say a word anymore.

"Eli Byron," said Albert Jenkins. Within seconds, Eli regretted having his punishment gone. Staying inside meant he had not run into the man he had beat up so many times before. But Jenkins did not see it like that.

"You have been avoiding me, have you not?" he asked with a threatening look on his face. He was drunk, Eli realized. He could not speak properly when it was early in the afternoon. What of a life did the man have if he was kicked out of a pub at this time of the day.

"No, I have not," Eli said honestly, though he was certain the man would not believe him. "But I believe it is better if I do."

Jenkins ignored his words and peeked around Eli. "That is not the pretty lady from a few nights ago."

Mary, he realized. He was speaking of the time they beat each other up in front Mary. He was not proud of that moment, but for Jenkins to think that it was only a few nights ago meant his mind was far away – drunk.

Eli pushed the man to look at him, and not as his sister. "Keep your eyes on me," he said with a threatening voice. "You are not going to touch my sister."

Jenkins scoffed and turned away from Eli. "Not like you touched mine, no. But I shall find 'n other manner."

"No, you will not."

The man suddenly turned, his posture large and intimidating. But Eli refused to back down, so he levelled the man's look.

"And you'll make me?" Jenkins asked.

"I will not make you," Eli said, trying to sound calm. "But I will protect my sister at any cause."

Twas obvious that Jenkins had heard the second meaning in that sentence when his fist landed on Eli's cheek. Ada gasped and shouted her brother's name, but he did not react to it. Instead he turned to Jenkins.

The man did not have time to react. With angry steps, Eli walked to him. And before Jenkins could lift an arm, Eli slammed his fist against the man's face.

Jenkins needed a few steps to recover. And once he did, he looked as furious as Eli felt. Quickly he had reached Eli again, while a drop of blood fell out of his nose. The man pointed at his face. "You did this to me. But you did worse to my sister. And you will pay."

Before Eli knew it, Jenkins' fist landed on his eye. For a while, he could not see through on eye. A throbbing pain was at the back of his eye. But it did not stop him from fighting back.

Eli took Jenkins by the shoulder. With his other arm, he kicked the man in his stomach until he doubled over and fell on the ground.

"Eli, stop!" Ada shouted. But Eli barely heard it.

He fell on his knees and hit Jenkin where ever he could. His fist started hurting, but he bit through the pain. Jenkins' belly started weakening, his muscles tired of defending.

Suddenly a dark shoe entered his vision, and then there was a sudden blow to his head. His head hit the ground and a pain exploded there. When he opened his eyes, Jenkins' face hung above him. He gave Eli a mean smile, his teeth red from the blood.

A sudden pressure in his stomach made Eli curl, his hands reached for his belly. A blow hit his jaw, and he suddenly had the iron taste of blood in his mouth.

But he lifted his fist until he felt the soft touch of skin, and he heard the grunt Jenkins let out. The kicking stopped for a while. As Eli stood up, he only heard his own heavy breathing. The rushing of the wind was gone, even Ada's shouting was pushed to the background.

In that silence, he stepped closer to Jenkins, his fists at the ready.

And in that silence, there was only one sound that came through to him.

She first gasped, then shouted: "Eli!"

Jenkins startled, but he did not turn around to see "the pretty lady" on the corner of the street. Her green walking gown was a big contrast to the muddy streets and the pale houses behind her.

Time seemed to have stopped as he watched her brown hair catch the wind, and her hat almost flew off her head.

But then his vision got blurry as a painful surge exploded underneath his skin. As fast as Mary's voice got him out of the fight, the blow pulled him back in. And with a rage in him, he turned to Jenkins and lifted his foot. As hard as he could, he moved it forward into the man's manhood.

Jenkins doubled over, he hands between his legs.

"Eli!" a low voice suddenly barked. Eli stiffened. He would recognize the voice of his father anywhere – even in the middle of the street.

He did not turn around. He watched his father pass him and walk to the moaning Jenkins.

"Get away from here, Jenkins," lord George ordered. With a fearful face, Jenkins looked up. But when he saw the bundle of muscles in front of him, he nodded and ran away.

Then lord George turned around to Eli. "Inside," he ordered. "Now!"