With the papers in his hand, Eli made his way trough the house. Lady Helena was with his father in his study, making it the perfect moment to talk to them in private. The play writings in his hands were merely a diversion – in case he changed his mind and needed a real reason to be in the study.

He took a deep breath to calm down his nerves, than knocked on the door.

"Enter," lord George called. Eli opened the door and entered, then closed the door again. There was no reason for people to know he was here. They did not have to know what he was going to admit. He did not want witnesses to his father's rage.

"Eli?" his father said surprised.

"Papa, Mama, I need to tell you something."

"That sounds serious," lady Helena told her husband before she stood up and walked next to her husband. "What is it, darling?"

With a sigh, Eli looked at the papers in his hand, contemplating if he should use the excuse or not. But then he realized that if he did not tell them now, he would never tell them. So he put the papers down on his father's desk and took a seat on the chair in front of it.

"I have lied," he admitted. He just threw out the words without thinking, knowing that if he had said them, there was no way out this mess. And he had to come clean.

"Lied?" lord George asked suspiciously. "Lied about what?"

He bit his lip. Mayhap there was a way out of this. Mayhap she does not have to tell them the truth to make him feel better. Should he lie? Take his play writings and tell his parents about that.

But then he thought about why he wanted to tell them the truth. Twas because of Mary. She had encouraged him not to break the rules of his punishment. She had been proud when he invited her to his house so that he did not have to lie anymore. She preferred it when he did not sneak out of the house.

Did Mary truly have such a big influence on him?

But then he remembered three days ago. The way he had held Mary in his arms, crying and sobbing, proved to him that she meant a lot to him – and he to her. And if she wanted him to be honest, than he would be.

He took a deep breath, then started telling the truth. "I have been breaking my punishment. I have sneaked out of the house. More than once."

"What?!" Lord George's voice was loud and dangerous. He was angry. Eli did not need to see his face to know that. His mother looked shocked, yet too angry to defend her son from the rage of her husband.

"I did it because I had to win a challenge from Mary."

"And you believe seeing a lady is a good excuse to break your punishment?!" his father said as he stood up and leaned intimidatingly over Eli.

"No," he admitted with a shake of his head. "But I did, because..." He looked at his hands and took a deep breath, gathering the small amount of courage he had in him, and admitted: "I did, because I like her."

He heard his mother gasp, but his father did not react. His intense eyes remained on Eli, his heavy breathing loud and obviously angry.

"And you believe that will excuse you?" his loud voice demanded.

"No," Eli said weak.

"George," lady Helena said with a warning in her voice. "He came to admit it."

His jaw tightened, but his look did not lessen. "But that does still not excuse him. He lied to us, and he covered it up with more lies. The girlfriend? That was bogus, and we all knew it. You sneaked out, did you not?"

With his head still down, he weakly admitted: "yes."

"Do not think this will come without consequences," lord George said sternly. "When we give you rules, you should not break them. But if you break a punishment, the reaction will be more severe."

"George," lady Helena tried carefully, but lord George would not have it.

"No, Helena. He should know that his actions have reactions, and bad actions have severe consequences."

"But he sees his mistake," Eli's mother's sweet voice said. "He would not admit them if he did not.

"That is not my problem," the angry man told his wife. "If he goes against us, then he should live with the consequences. And if he does not want that, than he ought to go live alone!"

"George!" lady Helena suddenly shouted. "Do not break your son for seeing his mistakes. Do you think he would ever admit them again if you give him consequences for doing so?!"

"He should not have made those mistakes in the first place! And since he did, he should live with them, and the punishment he receives."

"He will not be getting a punishment," lady Helena argued, not letting her husband break her down. "He should be praised for his honesty."

"Honesty?" lord George mocked. "You think he was honest when he told us he had a heartbreak over a secret girlfriend? Or when he was sick?"

"So are you going to punish lady Mary too?" she sternly asked her husband, not expecting an answer. "For she went along with his lies. And Ada? For I am certain she knew all of this. And Ivy and Cora probably too. Will you punish them all for that? Will you tell me you never made a mistake in your life?"

"I did, and I lived with the consequences. I did not break them once more!"

"As will he live with the consequences. He is smart enough now not to break them again."

"Is that truly what you believe? That he-"

"Papa," Eli interrupted as he stood up from his chair. "Give me all the punishment you believe I deserve. I shall live with it. But please, allow me to see lady Mary."

His father scoffed as he shook her head. "Allow you to see the reason why you sneaked out of the house? That would be absurd!"

"But it would not give me a reason to sneak out," Eli calmly argued.

"And what else do you want me to do?" he asked, not expecting an answer. "That I unlock the drink cabinet so that you can get drunk? Invite all your friends over and pretend you are a good man?"

"No," he answered sternly, but kind. "I do not want drinks, and I do not want my friends. I have enough with my sisters, and with Mary."

Lord George let out a mocking laughter. "Lady Mary," he repeated. "She is a lady. No matter how much you like her, you should not spend time with her. And you should certainly not sneak out because of her. She will never be able to give you what you want."

And with that, lord George found the conversation ended and stormed out of the room. As Eli fell down on a chair, he could hear the loud footsteps ascending the stairs, and he was certain his siblings could hear it too. They had probably heard it all, even his pathetic honesty.

He had done the right thing, he knew that. But he did not feel like that. He had hoped on some support, some advice, mayhap. But he had also feared his father would be angry.

And that fear had become the truth. So had it really been the right thing to tell them the truth? Had he better not kept it hidden? Have it remain a secret, and even not admit it when his punishment was lifted?

Suddenly his mother came to sit on the chair next to him. He had almost forgotten the lady was in the room, for his father's anger was all that was on his mind. They would be much more careful now. There was no possibility anymore that he would be able to escape the house unnoticed again.

Lady Helena laid her hand on her son's arm, and when Eli looked up at her, she was smiling encouraging. "I will speak with your father again when he is calmed down."

Eli nodded, for he was grateful for his mother's words. But he did not find the courage to say thank you, for he was not hopeful for a satisfying result. Lord George was angry, and he did not easily change his mind.

"I am proud of you," his mother's soft voice said. "We had been thinking you were lying, and we were waiting to catch you in the midst of one. But what you did, admitting your lies, took more courage than anyone can think of."

That was true, Eli must admit. He had been nervous the entire day about telling them, and even when he had entered, he had still been doubting if he should do it. But was it all useful? Did he not admit it all in vain? Lord George was not going to be mild about what Eli did.

"And who can say you did something wrong when you were willing to risk your father's anger to meet a girl?" lady Helena asked with a smile. "A lady, of all women."

"Forget about it, Mama," Eli said. "Papa will not allow me near her anymore."

Lady Helena pocked her elbow in his side. "Tis not because he does not allow you, that I should not have hope. You have met her despite your punishment."

Eli shook his head. "No. I do not want to sneak out of the house. Not anymore."

"Not even if I allow you?"

His head shot up and he looked at his mother. She looked honest. Her smile was one he had never seen before, but it reminded him of Mary's smile.

"Sometimes you must break the rules of your parents and learn what you can and cannot do, to find out who you truly are."

Eli looked at his mother with a frown.

"You do not think that your father and I only did what we were allowed to do, they you?" She laughed. "You are not the only one who sneaked out of the house. I did it at midnight, though."

Me too, Eli thought, but kept quiet and listened to his mother's story.

"I had already told your father I loved him, and he had told me the same. But he had never met my parents, and we first wanted them to know him before we announced our love for each other. So while waiting for the perfect moment to introduce them, I would sneak out of the house to meet your father in his."

Her eyes were on the chair lord George had been occupying only a few moments ago. There was a smile on her face, showing how much she loved the memory and how she did not regret anything.

"I would sleep in your father's bed, and sometimes he would hold me. But mostly he would take out a deck of cards and we would play games. Or he would read to me, or have a board game ready. Some nights we would do nothing and just talk. And when the sun came up, I would rush home and pretend I had been sleeping in my own bed all night."

Eli felt a small smile come on his lips. "You did that?"

She nodded. "Your father loved the secrecy of it all. The excitement is what made us closer."

Her posture suddenly changed and she lowered her head. "But then my parents found out I had sneaked out of the house. They did not allow me to meet him anymore. I could not even send him a letter or visit him during the day. That was until, in rage, I told them I loved him."

A smile returned to her face and she even chuckled softly. "They were so surprised. Their faces were hilarious to see, but I did not laugh then. I told them how we had met and how I had fallen for him. And eventually, after a week – though it felt like ages – they allowed me to speak with him again. I had to write him a letter in which I invited him for diner with my parents. And that night, he proposed. Twas not the best timing, and certainly not the best place, but I did not bother."

He clapped her hands together as she looked dreamily in the distance. "I loved him, and he wanted to marry me. That was all that mattered. Sneaking out to meet him had been important to our relationship, but when your father did not hear of me anymore for a week, he started questioning everything. He feared I did not want to see him anymore."

She turned toward Eli and took his hands. "I will not let lady Mary think the same of you. She should not have the worry what George had to worry, and you will not have to go through the heartache of not seeing her again."

"So you would truly help me sneak out if Papa does not agree?" Eli asked hopeful.

Lady Helena turned her face toward him and smiled. "Of course I will. But I might use it as blackmail for the most boring chores."

Eli stood up, happy and excited and thankful at the same time. He kissed his mother's cheek and smiled at her. "I will do anything you ask, Mama. I promise."

Lady Helena laughed. "Not too quick with your promises, Eli. I know you."

"But this time I mean it," he told her confidently. "This time I will not break my promise."

His mother smiled at him, and he could read in her eyes that she realized he would do a lot for Mary. Little did she know he would do everything for her.