Lucille

I'm happy that you're here to read this new post! This is the fourth part of the Mrs. Clyde miniseries. Parts one, two, and three are necessary for you to read to understand what's going on in this chapter. If you would like to support my blog so that I'm able to continue writing, please visit my Patreon and be a patron. Patrons can view posts early and have patron-only content.

After receiving the upsetting news, the couple gets ready for the day. Rose Marie throws out the newspaper with the headline about Lucille's return heavily crumpled. Theodore finds his wife in her boudoir room when he goes to search for her. Looking at him in her mirror, Rose can tell that he doesn't want to be left alone. She smiles softly at him and gets up from her vanity. She reaches for him and Theodore opens his arms in welcome. They hug each other for a few moments and then Theodore leads Rose out of her personal rooms to his personal rooms. They walk in silence only holding on to each other. Rose Marie recognizes that they are heading to Theodore's music room. He opens the door and they walk inside. Theodore separates himself from her. He walks over to his vinyl records and grabs Mississippi John Hurt and puts it on the record player. When he turns around he sees Rose sitting on the leather couch. He smiles at her. If only he had a camera with him so he could take a picture of her. Theodore pins the idea of having a camera in his music room in the back of his mind for another time. Walking over to her, he lounges on the couch and pulls Rose Marie on top of him. She giggles at Theodore's antics and snuggles into his chest. They stay like this with the music being the only noise in the room. An hour has passed when someone knocks on the door to the music room. Rose Marie removes herself from on top of her husband but takes one of his hands in her's. He squeezes it.

"You may come in," Theodore calls to the person outside the room.

The door opens and Albert walks inside. His face is neutral but his eyes show his worry. He walks closer to the two sitting on the couch. He doesn't speak to them for a bit. He wants to stall what has brought him to disturb the peace of the Clyde's.

"Two investors have arrived to speak with you about the recent findings of the former mistress. They are in the library of the front wing," reports Albert.

"I see. I guess I'll go speak with them," Theodore says with a fake carefree smile.

Rose Marie holds onto his hand and stands up with him. Thinking that she is doing this as a way to comfort him, Theodore smiles and kisses her forehead. He tries to move out of the room without her but Rose holds on. Theodore looks at her and raises an eyebrow in question.

"I should be in the library with you," challenges Rose Marie.

Theodore sighs but a genuine smile comes on his face, "You should be there with me. Let's go meet our guest. Albert, please turn off the record player."

"Of course, Theodore," answers Albert.

Rose Marie and Theodore leave the music room to go to the library and Albert follows the order she was given. The walk to the library is quiet with only two pairs of footsteps being heard through the hallway. The daylight from the windows composes a song of happiness and bliss. Not a dreary cloud interrupts the joy the day display. It would be perfect to stroll in the garden but somber news awaits them as Rose Marie and Theodore stand outside the library door. Theodore pats Rose Marie's hand that is resting on his arm. With nothing left to stall what's next, he opens the door and they both go inside.

The investigators are at the wooden table in the middle of the library. They stand to nod their heads at the couple. Theodore and Rose Marie walk closer to the table. Theodore pulls out a chair for Rose to sit in first and then he pulls at the one beside her to seat himself. He gestures at the two men to sit back down and they do so. The look of surprise is obvious on their faces as they had not expected the current Mrs. Clyde to be here for their visit.

"I believe you are here to tell me more about this morning’s news?" questions Theodore.

Theodore tightens his hand around Rose Marie's hand. Neither he nor Rose Marie shows any sign of nervousness to the investigators. There is nothing to worry about yet and everything will be fine, Theodore repeats this over and over in his head. The library is quiet for another minute before one of the investigators starts.

"As this morning paper said, Lucille Clyde was found recently in a small boat that was not far from the shore. Because you filed her as a missing person and identified another deceased woman as Lucille the case must be reopened. The process should not take long and you need not worry about being taken to the police station, " he pauses and looks at Rose Marie, "You will need to show up in court however so it is best to leave any distractions at home."

Rose Marie tilts her head upwards looks back at the investigator, "I'm sure that my husband and I will have no trouble showing up at court that day."

"I'll receive a letter in advance for the court date correct?" Theodore directs his question to the other investigator.

"You will Mr. Clyde," he answers.

"If that is all gentlemen, I'll escort you out," instructs Theodore.

The investigators follow Theodore outside the library to the grand foyer. Rose Marie leaves as well but heads to their bedroom to wait for Theodore. Immediately upon getting there, she heads to the phone to call Bonnie in the staff wing. Rose instructs Bonnie to tell Theodore where she's at and that she wants to speak to him in private. The call ends and Rose Marie sits on the large bed waiting for him. She mindlessly looks at her painted nails until she hears the door open and looks up to see Theodore walking into their room. Holding out her hand he takes it and sits beside her. They both process what has just happened.

"I apologize for taking so long. I called my lawyer, Robert Williams, and asked him to come by this afternoon to figure out how we're going to handle this predicament," he says.

"Teddy, I want you to tell me everything I need to know about this reopened case. What happened on the day Lucille went missing?" she asks.

Theodore lets out a long and tired sigh as he rubs his free hand across his forehead and through his hair. Understandably, he doesn't want to talk about his last moments with Lucille but his current wife needs to know the whole truth. The past has come back to disrupt his life and he wants Rose to be by his side when he confronts it.

"Lucille wasn't at the mansion when I saw her the last time. She had taken a liking to spend time at the boathouse I bought her as an anniversary gift. My guess is that it is easier to spend time with her lovers there in private instead of at the mansion. I hadn't seen her for nearly two weeks and I couldn't continue living like that so I went to visit her," he pauses and his eyes gloss over in memory of what happened next, "I didn't bother to call out to her and walked through the boathouse looking for Lucille. I found her in her powder room. She looked on the edge and as if she'd been drinking."

Theodore closes his eyes and continues, "When I demanded why she wasn't coming home she simply laughed at me. She said she wanted to celebrate because she found out she was pregnant. I was devastated because I knew the baby wasn't mine. I did, however, feel sorry for the child, I was there to tell Lucille I wanted a divorce. She wasn't expecting me to say that and I told her that I would be back with some papers my lawyer gave me to discuss how to settle our separation."

He looks at Rose Marie and sees that she has a look of admiration on her face. He gives her a weak smile and breaths heavily through his nose. Licking his lips, Theodore rubs a hand on his pant leg.

He hesitates, "Upon my return to the boathouse, Lucille was dead in her bedroom and I panicked. I wrapped her body in a thick blanket and hid her body in one of her favorite boats. I tampered with the boat so that it would sink once it’d been out on the water away from the coast. It was pure luck that it was the time of day where most people were not at the beach. I knew that I was going to be questioned for Lucille’s disappearance so I filed a missing person report to the police the following day. This lead to my friends, colleagues, and Lucille’s former lovers calling the mansion and sending letters wishing for updates on the investigation. I spent the next weeks dreading the news of Lucille’s disappearance being connected to me as the cause of it. When the police found a drowned woman’s body at sea I identified her as Lucille. The unfortunate woman resembled Lucille greatly and I thought this may be my only chance to stop the constant coverage of my personal life.”

Theodore has a wistful look on his face as he lets out a sad chuckle. Rose Marie does her best to hug him and Theodore responds by reciprocating the hug. They stay like that for some time before Theodore kisses Rose on the forehead and straightens up.

“With the news of Lucille’s actual body being found and the case being reopened, I’m afraid that people are going to believe that I had something to do with her death. I know that I shouldn’t have hidden her body but what was I going to do? She had killed herself for no reason! It couldn’t be because I wanted a divorce? Could it?” he looks at his wife.

“I don’t know Teddy. Only Lucille knows. But I do know that I’m going to help you prove that you had nothing to do with Lucille’s death and are innocent of whatever false crime someone tries to pin on you,” she reassures Theodore.

A hopeful smile comes on Theodore’s face at Rose Marie’s dedication to helping him. He places kisses all over her face and Rose giggles. The couple spends time reassuring each other that they will be able to handle the upcoming investigation. A knock is heard outside the bedroom door.

“Theodore, Robert William is waiting for you and Rose Marie in your study,” Albert notifies the couple.

“Thank you, Albert. May you also tell Lois to make our coffee and bring it to my study, please?” asks Theodore.

“No problem, Theodore,” Albert goes to do what is asked of him and the couple gets up to meet Robert.

Theodore leads the way and opens the door to his study. They enter and Robert has a concerned smile but his eyes lighten when he sees that Rose Marie is there as well.

“We’ve yet to meet, I’m Robert Williams,” he holds out his hand to shake Rose Marie’s which she does, “I’m sorry I haven’t been by. I have been busy with other clients but I’m happy to finally meet you. I wish it was under different circumstances but that’s life.”

“It’s good to meet you too, Mr. Williams,” Rose Marie smiles at him.

“Robert is just fine,”

“Then just call me Rose Marie,”

“Excellent. We’ll have to get your story straight, Theodore, and I’ll need a cup of coffee before we get to work,”

“Albert should bring us some soon,”

They all sit down on couches with Rose Marie and Theodore sitting beside one another and Robert sitting across from them. Their conversation is light with Rose Marie learning about how Robert became Theodore’s lawyer and friend. This leads to Rose inviting Robert to the next friendly gathering at the mansion and he easily accepts. Albert knocks on the door before opening it to show that he has brought the coffee. They all thank Albert for the coffee and he excuses himself from the study. After a few sips from his mug, Robert places it down and asks Theodore to tell him everything that happened around the time that Lucille went missing. Theodore goes on to explain how he confronted Lucille at her boathouse, her revealing that she was pregnant, him telling her he wanted a divorce, leaving briefly only to find that she killed herself, and him hiding Lucille’s body out of fear by sinking it in her favorite boat.

“The most obvious hurdle is how you hid Lucille’s body. But because Lucille committed suicide there has to be a reason why she did,” Robert questions.

Rose Marie looks to Theodore, “Do you know if Lucille visited anyone before her death?”

Theodore scoffs, “The only person who knew of Lucille’s whereabouts were Lucille and maybe Edith. I say maybe because just like I, Edith lied too often because she was too devoted to Lucille’s taste.”

“Well, are Lucille’s things in storage?” she asks.

“They should be in the storage rooms in the front wing,” Theodore answers.

Rose Marie pitches an idea to the other two, “I don’t think it would be a stretch to look through Lucille’s things to find anything that would cause her to commit suicide.”

“Looks like we know where to start,” Robert finishes his coffee and stands up, “Lead the way, Mr. and Mrs. Clyde.”

Having already finished their coffee, Rose Marie and Theodore gets up and leads to the front of the mansion. The walk to the storage rooms is filled with the possibility of the information they’ll find in Lucille’s things. Entering the storage room that holds all of Lucille’s things, they gather all relevant planners, letters, a calendar, and her personal journal. They decide to split up the work with Robert going over the planners and calendar, Theodore reading over the letters, and Rose Marie reads through Lucille’s personal journal. They’re quiet for some time just as they go over what Lucille’s last days on Earth were.

“I just realized that Lucille has beautiful handwriting but reading it feels harmful to my eyes. What were her grade school teachers thinking when looking over her work?” asks Robert.

Theodore comments, “Style over content. Edith, I believe, usually drafted anything official but outside of that she just wrote whatever she felt and didn’t bother to look over what she had written.”

“I found entries of Lucille feeling under the weather and going to a doctor to find out why. There is also mention of her unpleasant feelings towards multiple individuals but that doesn’t matter. The words are smudged but the name and number of the doctor are in here.” Rose Marie announces.

Robert asks for the day Lucille wrote the entry. She tells him and Robert along with Theodore look through the papers they have. Both men make a sound that confirms what Rose found in Lucille’s journal. It seems that Lucille was diagnosed with an ailment and it was serious enough for Lucille to fall into a depression that led to suicide. They will only be sure once they hear from her doctor.

“I’ll call Dr. Lee to see if she’ll be willing to shed more light on what was wrong with Lucille. Is there a phone near here?” Robert looks to Theodore.

“Yes, by the closest staircase to us there is a phone you can use,” answers Theodore.

“I’ll be right back,” Robert leaves the storage room talking with him Lucille’s journal. Rose Marie and Theodore enter a light conversation before Robert comes back. It takes around 15 minutes before Robert returns with his briefcase at his side. He slips into the room with a grin on his face.

“Dr. Lee agrees to visit the mansion tomorrow to shed some light on the medical issues Lucille had,” reveals Robert, “For safekeeping, I thought it best if everything related to Lucille’s final days go with me.”

“Makes sense to me,” Theodore and Rose Marie gather the useful letters and planner to hand them to Robert.

“I’m guessing you already have the journal in your briefcase?” Rose Marie nods her head to the said briefcase.

“Yes, Ma’am,” Robert opens it on one of the flat surfaces in the room and puts the evidence inside, “If all goes well with Dr. Lee, this court case shouldn’t take very long.”

As Robert talks, Rose Marie and Theodore put away the other papers and do some minor cleanup of the storage room. With everything done, the three of them leave the room. With the days business finished Theodore and Rose Marie walk Robert to the front door. With final goodbyes said he leaves and Theodore takes Rose’s hand. Pulling her husband along Rose leads him to her parlor room. When they get there Rose calls Lois in the Staff wing to ask him to make a light lunch and bring it to them. Once she’s done talking to Lois, Rose offers to play a game of poker while they wait for their lunch. Theodore tries to tell Rose Marie that they should eat lunch in their dining room but Rose Marie already grabbed a deck of cards and holds it out to him. Not wanting to have a pointless fight, Theodore goes to sit at the table that sits two and starts shuffling the deck. Smiling at Theodore for choosing to relax, Rose gives him a small kiss on the lips and sits in the other chair. And they started the game of poker.

They’re in the third poker match when Lois comes into the parlor with a cart. Stalling their poker game, they move the cards and Lois places their lunch on the table. Theodore and Rose Marie say thank you to Lois. Lois leaves the cart and exits the room. The couple says grace and then begins to eat lunch. They’re in comfortable silence until Frank rudely interrupts their meal. Rose Marie and Theodore share a look with each other but turn back to Frank. Frank has a look of twisted confidence which confuses the couple.

“I want to let you know that from this day forth I quit,” Frank giggles, “I will also be speaking against you, Mr. Clyde, at court. Jack will be there as well to speak against you with me. There’s no need to worry about my things from the Staff wing as I have already moved them out. I simply wish to tell you to be ready for court; goodbye.”

Without waiting for either Rose or Theodore to say anything, Frank leaves the parlor and slams the door shut. They are left in shock because of Franks actions. What could Jack and Frank possibly say to discredit Theodore? Why do they want to do that? Is it something that they had planned beforehand? The pair can feel their anxiety rise because of what just happened. Rose Marie holds out her hand for Theodore to ground her. He takes her hand in both of his and they’re quiet. The only sound in the room is heavy breathing as Theodore squeezes Rose’s hand. They both manage to calm down and finish their lunch. Once they finish they place the dirty dishes in the cart that was left and Theodore calls Lois to come to collect the cart that is left next to the door. Lois enters the parlor and Theodore tells him that they will be out for dinner so there is no need to worry about food. Lois is dismissed and told to let Peter know that he will be needing a car out and ready at the front of the mansion in 30 minutes.

Rose Marie looks to Theodore for wanting to go out. He explains that he wishes to leave the mansion for the evening with just the two of them. Rose voices her understanding and they both get ready for a cool night out in the city. They meet back up in the grand foyer and walk out to the awaiting car. Peter hands Theodore the keys to the car and Theodore thanks him. Climbing in, the couple drives off to the city. The rest of the afternoon and evening is spent going around the city and distracting themselves from the news of their upcoming court visit.

Theodore and Rose Marie drift from one part of the city to the next only stopping long enough to sit down somewhere and eat dinner. Their city adventure is filled with fun little moments like a street artist drawing their portrait and coming across a blues band playing in the park. It's fun being a part of the nightlife but the unease of earlier events keep popping up in Rose and Theodore’s head.

As more shops close they decide to return to the mansion. The drive is quiet with Rose holding the drawing of the two of them in her hands. She gazes down at it and likes how the artist drew them. Rose wonders if she and Theodore will be able to do this again with the fear of others thinking that Theodore killed his last wife. It feels like Dr. Lee is the only one who can be their guarantee of proving Theodore innocent.

Theodore parks the car off to the side of the driveway near the driver quarters. They get out with Theodore leaving the car unlocked and the keys inside the car for Peter. They make the long travel to their personal rooms to get ready for bed. Done with getting ready they both get into the bed and face each other. Rose gently places her hand on Theodore's face and rubs light circles on his cheek. He sighs in happiness and kisses her hand.

They start to talk about their marriage. The conversation leads to possible children and finally ends in love. They whisper to each other even though no one can hear their discussion. It felt good to focus on only the two of them. The problems of tomorrow aren’t on their mind right now. Moving closer together the choice to get a bit more intimate before fully falling asleep.

The following morning is the usual routine of calling or writing to whoever they needed to speak to that day. Theodore and Rose Marie makes a light breakfast with Albert telling them that with the late morning Robert and Dr. Lee will be arriving. Thanking him for the news, Rose Marie and Theodore get ready for receiving their guests. They both get dressed for the day in their fitting rooms and stay separate for a few hours. Rose Marie goes to her day room with Bonnie accompanying her. Theodore and Albert work in their study focusing on Frank’s departure from the workforce. Albert shows him a list of possible new employees to replace the last three.

Done within her day room, Rose felt hungry again and asks Bonnie to help her make something to eat. Eating her late morning snack, Rose Marie’s thoughts drift to the meeting that will be happening soon with the doctor and Robert. She politely dismisses Bonnie from the breakfast room as Rose doesn’t feel up to having a conversation. Left alone, Rose’s thoughts move to what Lucille could have been diagnosed with. Finishing up with her food, Rose cleans up after herself as Albert enters the kitchen.

Taking over cleaning up for her, “Mr. Williams and Dr. Lee is in Theodore’s receiving room. They haven’t started the talk yet so you should go ahead, I’ll handle cleaning up.”

“Thank you, Albert,” says Rose Marie.

She tosses a quick smile at him and leaves the kitchen to go to Theodore’s receiving room. Rose makes her way quickly so as not to make the others wait too long for her. Getting to Theodore’s receiving room; Rose Marie lightly knocks on the door and enters the room. She sees Dr. Lee drinking from a teacup with Robert sitting near her with a pen and notebook. Dr. Lee and Robert say hello to Rose Marie as Theodore waves her over to sit next to him. She says hello back to their guests and thanks to them for waiting for her.

Now that everyone was settled in, Robert starts questioning Dr. Lee. The questions range from how long she’s been Lucille’s doctor to when her visits became more frequent. Dr. Lee answers all of them. Rose Marie, Robert, and Theodore are happy that Dr. Lee gave permission to record everything she is revealing to them. Theodore asks if Lucille was at any point pregnant during the time of her visit. He is relieved to hear Dr. Lee say that Lucille never was as far as she can recall. Rose Marie rubs Theodore’s back in reassurance. She thanks, Dr. Lee for that particular information.

Rose Marie takes a deep breath before she questions Dr. Lee, “Is it okay if I ask you what Lucille was diagnosed with that lead her to her poor health?”

Dr. Lee turns her full attention to Rose Marie, “Lucille was diagnosed with leukemia. During that time, I tried to call and inform Mr. Clyde about Lucille’s ailment. I only heard from a female staffer that he was away on business. Soon after, I got a call from Lucille herself and was told to stop calling the mansion.”

Everyone but Dr. Lee is shocked to hear that Lucille had leukemia. If there was a good reason to choose death over life, being diagnosed with leukemia is a painfully understandable reason. Rose Marie still doesn’t like the type of person Lucille was, but she would never wish for her to die in such away. The room is quiet and no one talks for a bit.

Theodore looks Dr. Lee in the eye, “Are you willing to testify in court? Having you there will help clear up any false theories.”

“I see no problem in testifying,” she agrees.

“Thank you for testifying for my client Dr. Lee,” Robert holds out his hand to shake hers.

“As long as it doesn’t conflict with my schedule I don’t have a problem,” Dr. Lee stands up, “I believe you have everything you needed from me?”

“Yes, of course, let me escort you out,” Robert leads the way out of the receiving room.

Theodore and Rose Marie accompany them to the foyer and say their goodbyes. Now that it’s the afternoon they go to their personal kitchen to make their lunch. The couple stays together the entire time. They walk through Cynthia’s garden even as the colors of the plants are dull because of the weather. It’s clear they are both in an optimistic mood but, Theodore is still worried about what Jack and Frank will say at the trial. Rose Marie does her best to keep him in good spirits and Theodore thanks her for her efforts. They move at a slow pace but the evening does come and they have to brace themselves for the upcoming day.

It’s finally the day of the trial and the gardens are now bare of any color. It's cold so early in the day but it has been growing cold since Rose Marie arrived at the mansion. What if the reason for all this happening is her fault? Theodore says he’s at his happiest now that she’s here but the predicament with the staff and return of Lucille is proof to her that she can only bring him pain. Rose sits alone in her day room with a plate of fruit, tea, and a muffin. She’s dressed and ready to leave but if asked she’s not ready to leave. Robert promises that the trial will go fine; Theodore will be fine, everything having to deal with Lucille will be over. She gradually finishes her breakfast, thinking that the slower she eats the longer it will take for them to leave. All that is before her is empty and there isn’t anything else to stall her because she hears a knock on the door.

“Mrs. Rose Marie, Mrs. It’s time for you to leave,” Bonnie’s voice causes Rose to get up.

“Thank you, Bonnie. Would you please clean up in here while I am gone?” Rose Marie seizes her coat and puts it on and exits her day room.

Bonnie answers, “It will be clean once you return.”

“Thank you,” Rose makes her way to the foyer and sees that Theodore is waiting for her.

Reaching him, she kisses him on the lips and holds onto his arm as they exit the mansion with Albert following behind them. Peter is waiting out front with the car and opens the doors for Rose and Theodore to get in. Albert opens the front passenger side for himself. With everyone in, Peter starts up the car and heads to the courthouse.

The ride isn’t long but Rose Marie closes her eyes and leans on Theodore’s shoulder. She hears the quiet conversation but she doesn’t want any part of it. It takes more than 30 minutes to get there and Theodore softly calls Rose Marie’s name to get her out of her daze. Smiling up at him, Rose surprises him with a quick kiss and leaves the car. Theodore follows her and sees that Robert is having a smoke not far from them. Walking over to him, Theodore goes to greet him. They talk for a bit as Peter drives off to be out of the way of the courthouse. It will be some time until the session starts but they still have to wait for Dr. Lee to show up. She does show up with Albert and Rose Marie going to greet her. They talk outside the building in the cold until they have to head inside as it grows closer for the session to start.

Robert gets Dr. Lee to follow him and Theodore to an area that she cannot follow. Albert pulls her attention away from that as it is time for them to enter the courtroom. Finding seats near where Theodore is, calms Rose Marie some but she doesn’t like that she isn’t by his side. The courtroom is buzzing behind her however she can’t take her eyes off Theodore. She can tell that his shoulders are tense. The judge comes into the courtroom and the session starts.

Rose Marie watches as Robert puts forth his statement. From what Rose Marie can hear, it seems that the case is going in Theodore’s favor. As long as it keeps going this way there is nothing to worry about. It’s going well and the jury seems to be under the belief that what happened to Lucille had nothing to do with Theodore. She can breathe easily with this type of atmosphere in the room.

“My former employer, Mr. Theodore Clyde, murdered his deceased wife Lucille Clyde!”

Everything went black the moment Rose heard that accusing statement. She can’t tell whether it was Jack or Frank who said it. The shock of those words has left her unable to see and hear what is going on in the courtroom. From what she can feel, the courtroom is energized will positive and hostile energy. Rose can tell that there are now people who are looking at Theodore with accusing eyes. She tries to keep her breath stable as to not draw attention to herself. Theodore has to stay calm; she has to keep calm for him.

“Mr. Clyde, please answer the question,”

Who said that? Was it the prosecutor? Did the judge say that? Why is it can’t see anything? Rose Marie can’t make her ears hear what is going on. How long has this session been going on?

Rose thinks she hears Robert’s voice. He must be putting forth the evidence they gathered to prepare for the trial. Hopefully, it’s enough, it has to be enough. Theodore is speaking again. What is he saying? She hasn’t had trouble listening to him this badly before. She can only pick up some broken words and sentences. The sound of rushing blood is the predominant sound that Rose Marie can hear. A woman is speaking now. It has to be Dr. Lee since Robert seems to still be talking. Dr. Lee will confirm that Lucille would want to commit suicide. Then she and Theodore can go home. Lucille will be out of their lives. It will be over soon. They will go home. Voices that she didn’t recognize started talking. Rose’s breathe speeds up. What’s going on? Are they questioning the authenticity of the evidence? Will this be dragged out? Rose Marie’s heartbeat pumps far too fast in her chest and makes her uncomfortable. 

“I rule that what happened to Lucille Clyde nearly four years ago was suicide. The court is adjourned,” the judge dismisses the court.

Light rushes to Rose Marie’s eyes. Without noticing it, she had her eyes closed the entire time. Tears gather on her bottom eyelashes as she tries to contain a smile. Theodore is safe. It’s over, it’s all over. There is nothing to keep them here any longer. Albert's hands Rose Marie a tissue and she thanks him for it. Lightly she blots her eyes to not mess up her makeup. He helps her up and they leave the courtroom to wait for Theodore outside. Making their way out, some photographers took her picture but Albert positioned his body to block most of it.

Once outside, Rose Marie takes deep soothing breathes as Albert goes to get Peter to bring the car around. It’s already dark out because of the time of year. The noise happening inside the building flows out as Theodore exits from there. He spots Rose Marie and quickly gets to her. Rapping an arm around her, Theodore gives Rose a kiss on the forehead and takes in her scent. A honk from a car has the couple look to see that Peter has stopped in front of them. Albert gets out and opens the back doors to let them in. They get in with camera lights flashing behind them. The drive feels longer than this morning but they eventually make it back to the mansion.

Leaving the car, Theodore and Rose Marie makes their way inside the mansion. There’s unspoken energy around them and they wait until they are in their bedroom to fully turn to each other. When they do both lean in to kiss. In their happiness, they continue to celebrate on their bed.