THE DRIVER PARKED THE SLEDGE in front of the gates of the grand Rosenfield Abbey, its structure a looming gem over the white of the snowy landscape and the firm dark of the iron gates.

Jessie Churchill, The Viscount Graham and Lord Oscar Seymour poured out of the vehicle, their anxious and hurried steps taking them quickly inside.

The Butler met them, a bewildered expression on his face as though he may have missed The Lady Beresford's summons of the coming of these particular guests.

The Viscount Graham tapped the man on the shoulder, giving him a look as he made for Jessie and Oscar to rush past. The three, soon made their way to the main hall where the sobbing figure of the lady of house sat by a round polished wood table. The figure of Thomas Cranmer stood not much further, his back to her and hands pinned behind. Lady Acacia stood behind her sobbing mother-in-law a blank expression on her face. Jessie realized then, that the woman had long forgone her role in all of this. Perhaps, she had never meant for it to extend over a certain period.

The extension had took her by surprise, yet she'd let it knock her down. And now? Lady Acacia was just a leaf in the background, waiting for a strong wind to sweap her away to a better place.

Beside Lady Acacia, stood the calculating Lady Graham. Her posture was steel, and her brows betrayed a strange expression on her face. As though she was merely part of an audience, waiting and watching how the performance unfolds.

"Stop," The Viscount Graham called out, his voice booming, drawing every attention in the room towards him.

Jessie and Oscar stopped behind him. The Lady Beresford let out a sniffle, her eyes red, expression defeated.

Thomas Cranmer turned to face the new additions. His brow raised at the sight of Jessie, intrigued and amused.

"I see the imposter is out," He smirked, and the Lady Beresford let out a sharp cry at the word, breaking out into form shaking sobs again.

"She is here to help me stop you, Cranmer, and to expose you," The Viscount spoke, eyes glaring, hands fisting at his sides.

"Expose me?" The man let out a laugh, "Here I am offering to find my niece and bring her back in return for a comparitively small price. What have I done to deserve exposure?"

"I will sign it," The Lady Beresford broke out loudly, "Do not interfere Viscount Graham. Thomas Cranmer knows where my Aramina is."

The Lady looked at Cranmer, hate, fury and distraught so evident on her face that it made Jessie's heart break.

"No, he doesn't," Jessie let out, finding her courage throbbing like her pulse inside her, "He is lying, or otherwise unaware of the recent developments."

A flash of irritation washed across Cranmer's features as he glared at her. The Lady Beresford too, cast her eyes on her with curiosity lined with evident distaste. The woman hated Jessie, and there was nothing Jessie could do to help it but stay true to her purpose.

"Lady Embry is on her way to Bakewell," Jessie continued, glancing at Oscar briefly and receiving a nod of encouragement from him. "According to Lord Seymour, and word from Lord Beresford, they will be arriving at Rosenfield sometime today."

The Lady Beresford gasped, her hands on her lips, chest heaving.

"You lie," Thomas Cranmer seethed. "My men have located my niece in Portsmouth. She is with them, safely, and I am in the process of bringing her back here."

Jessie met his strong, hateful glare. "As I said, you are unaware of the recent developements, sir."

"Prove it," The Lady Beresford's sharp claim interceded, her eyes pinning Jessie down. "I find it difficult to believe a word you say. You are no better than him." She glanced at Cranmer with revulsion.

Something plunged inside Jessie, a sudden hollowness that caught her by surprise. She hadn't realized how much she had come to respect The Lady Beresford during her time as Lady Embry— so much so that such words from her could trouble Jessie so.

Jessie felt the ground beneath her feet. She was still standing, she could still fight, defend herself.

"Lady Beresford—," Oscar Seymour burst in, his voice laced with anger before Jessie cut him off.

"Don't compare me to him, Lady Beresford, because we are nothing alike," She began, her stance firm, voice levelled, eyes pinned to the lady of the house's. "I understand your sorrow, and if you only knew to what lengths Lord Beresford, Lord Seymour and I have went just to cease it from happening, you wouldn't be so angry." 

The Lady Beresford's eyes widened at her response, suddenly taken aback.

"And as for proof, my lady," Oscar added, his tone detached yet firm. He pulled out a letter fron his vest pocket and approached the Lady, sliding it over to her on the desk.
"I believe the words from your son will be proof enough for you."

The Lady Beresford reluctantly took the letter, and flicked it open, her eyes scanning over the words eliciting gasps of relief from between her lips. Jessie saw Lady Acacia peek over to read too, swallowing as she did so.

"Thank goodness—," The lady of the house murmered before the letter was viciously snatched from her.

Cranmer brought it to his fuming face, eyes narrowing as he read it. Then, with a frustrated shout, he crumpled the correspondence and threw it away.

The letter from Lord Beresford detailed only their departure from Portsmouth. It had nothing to connect Cranmer's hand in the kidnapping. It had nothing to frame him, both Jessie and Oscar knew that.

The only way this criminal could be truly exposed, was by the victim's testimony. The victim who could arrive any minute. And both Oscar and Jessie, as well as Cranmer, knew that.

"It is over now, Thomas Cranmer," Jessie managed, her eyes on Cranmer as he glared at her menacingly.

Suddenly, the doors of the main hall were pushed open and a flurry of footsteps cascaded, the sound like a newly sprung waterfall.

"I agree," A cool female voice came, and all heads turned towards the speaker.

There, at the entrance, stood the real Lady Aramina Embry, her eyes like fire as she announced her presence in the room, back in her life, back in her shoes.

Behind her, stood Lord Jack Beresford, and Lady Diana Buxton, the latter sporting a winning smile on her face, her eyes sparkling in satisfaction.

The Lady Beresford let out a sharp cry and lunged out of her seat, scurrying towards her niece. The old woman wrapped Lady Embry in an embrace, and as Jessie watched in awe, pieces of her heart glueing themselves together, both their bodies shook in sobs.

Immediately as if shaken out forcefully from a trance, Thomas Cranmer leapt towards the exit. With a hasty glance thrown at eachother, Lord Oscar Seymour, The Viscount and Lord Jack Beresford, bolted after the man, their reflexes astounding as the main hall erupted in their shouts.

The ladies in the room fell silent for a brief second, before acknowledging each other again. It didn't matter to them at present if Thomas Cranmer escaped. What mattered was that, heavy wrongs had been righted, and things had fallen back into place, and some people had found themselves where they belonged— whether in body, soul, or house.

"Jessie," Lady Diana Buxton spoke softly, gliding over to her friend and confidante from Southampton.

Jessie smiled, reaching her arms out and enveloping Diana in a tight embrace. She sighed at the familiarity of her childhood friend's presence. It was a balm— considering the fact that Jessie had went weeks upon weeks without any sort of familiarity when she was Lady Embry.

"You have come such a long way from Southampton," Diana murmered into the embrace before chuckling slighty. "I fear for the rector's sanity once he hears."

"It is delicate enough as it is," Jessie laughed in response, already hearing her father's shock reverbrating in her mind.

"Then you leave out the life threatening parts," Lady Aramina Embry spoke up with a smile, her eyes surveying both Diana and Jessie as she leaned into her aunt's embrace.

They broke their hug and glanced at Aramina, before looking back at each other.

"Wonderful idea, actually," Lady Diana Buxton beamed with a wink.

"Yes," Jessie smiled, turning to look at Lady Aramina Embry. "Thank you."

Aramina's brows furrowed, a soft frown appearing on her lips.

"No," She let out, stepping away from her aunt and approaching Jessie. "No, thank you."

Jessie looked at the lady in front of her. Her ginger hair done up intricately seemed to glow like a halo. She could see some of her own features mirrored in Lady Embry's face, the similar hair colour and shade of fair skin, but aside from all that, this lady was still different.

Jessie didn't realize before that you could still look like someone, but be your own true self at the same time. The thought that she had tried to suppress her true self at first when she was in Lady Embry's shoes, troubled her now that she thought of it.

"Words can not express my gratitude to you enough," Lady Embry continued softly, taking Jessie's hands in hers.

"I am truly so thankful," She continued, her voice breaking. "You can not even fathom—"

"Please, Lady Embry," Jessie interrupted, "I wanted to help in any way I could. Seeing you well and returned, is enough thanks for me."

A tear escaped Aramina's eye and she pulled Jessie into an embrace, weeping softly against her shoulder. Jessie found her own eyes welling up. This felt like nothing she had ever felt before, because, she had done something she had never thought she could do before.

It felt liberating, she felt so alive. Jessie Churchill felt brave, couragous, strong— feelings that had been so foreign to her before.

"Call me Aramina," The Lady whispered against Jessie's ears once her sobs had calmed down.

"And you can call me Jessie," Jessie let out awkwardly as they slowly parted from the hug.

Aramina sniffled softly before chuckling as she raised a hand to wipe her own tears.

"I don't suppose I have ever cried so much in front of others before," she spoke.

Jessie could only offer a smile in response, willing her own happy tears at bay.

"Miss Churchill," The Lady Beresford walked up to Jessie next, a regretful expression on her face, elderly eyes earnest. "I must apologize to you—"

"No, please," Jessie shook her head, "No more thank yous and apologies. I am so grateful for everything you did for me while I was here, and I am so grateful that everything turned out alright in the end."

And she was. If there was anything she would spend days in church thanking the higher power for, it would be this.

The Lady Beresford said nothing more, her lips twisting into a small sad smile.

Then, footsteps came pounding back against the hardwood floors of the room, and in poured the figures of Lord Beresford, The Viscount Graham and Lord Oscar Seymour.

"I will have him found," The Viscount announced to the searching faces of the ladies in the room. "Now that we will have a victim testimony, proof against his conduct, he will find himself in jail in no time."

"We must count on it then," The Lady Graham spoke for the first time, with a resounding and enthusiastic clap. "But meanwhile, we should celebrate."

The Lady Beresford blanched slightly as she was alerted to her friend's presence, and another realization that left her seemingly in a daze.

"But first," The lady of the house spoke pointedly, giving Lady Graham a look. "Introductions."

"Yes, aunt," Aramina chimed in with a smile. "Allow me to introduce, Lady Diana Buxton."

Diana curtsied, beaming.

"She is Miss Churchill's friend and Lord Seymour's cousin. Her husband and herself helped me and Jack immensely in Portsmouth."

"Lady Buxton," Aramina spun to her with a smile, and gestured one by one towards everyone. "This, as you must've gathered already, is my aunt and Jack's mother, The Lady Beresford. And this is The Lady Graham, and—" She broke off with a small start, a curious smile on her face as she fully acknowledged the Viscount Graham.

Viscount Conrad Graham offered Aramina Embry a bright smile, his eyes meeting hers with all the familiarity Jessie could never muster between herself and him, for the only place that kind of connection existed, was between him and the real Lady Embry. Their eyes glinted at each other, smiles deepening with warmth.

"And this is The Viscount Graham," Aramina continued.

"It is a pleasure to meet you all," Lady Diana Buxton spoke graciously. "Although, I feel compelled to apologize for any inconvenience my cousin Oscar, and my friend Miss Churchill, might have unleashed upon your party. I assure you, it was highly unintentional."
She teased, lightning the tension in the air if any was left at all.

The Viscount let out a laugh. "They were full of surprises."

"Speaking of surprises," The Lady Fiona Graham drew the attention of the room onto herself as she glided forwards, "What of your ball, Deborah? I believe this is perfect cause for a little something for us to enjoy."

"A ball?" Lady Aramina Embry asked, her face glowing at the mention of it. "Oh, yes please, aunt."

"Well then," The Lady Beresford shrugged promptly, "I do believe the arrangements are already in order."

"Huzzah," Lord Jack Beresford laughed, his arm draped around his wife, Lady Acacia.

"Goodness," Lady Buxton mused with a chuckle, "I don't understand how I find myself in midst of such celebrations."

"You do have a tendancy to attract such things, cousin," Oscar Seymour spoke with a smirk, walking over towards where Diana and Jessie stood.

Two big parts of his small world. They oozed comfort, and after weeks upon weeks of this debacle, Oscar wouldn't complain were he to find himself chained with the two ladies in a room.

"Lady Buxton, Lord Seymour," The Lady Beresford let out with an air of authority, and a warm smile on her face, "And Miss Churchill. You are our humble guests at Rosenfield and I request your presence at my winter ball."

Diana and Oscar exchanged smiles, before glancing encouragingly at Jessie, who grinned back them before turning to look at the Lady Beresford.

"And you shall have it, my lady," Jessie Churchill curtsied, with nothing but true gratitude in her heart.