A carriage stopped in front of Edward Drummond's home. A woman, clothed in black, stepped out and hurried through the rain to the house. A simple cloak protected her from the water and her face couldn't be seen in the dim light of the evening. She knocked and the nurse residing there to care for Mister Drummond opened the door and let her in.
The person she wanted to visit was housed in the bedroom upstairs. Wooden steps creaked under her feet as she made her way up. She stood still before the oaken door, a look of doubt crossed her face. Why was she even here? She did know why: she wanted to talk to them, confront them. But still there was this nagging at her mind that reminded her that she had nothing to do with it.
She sighed and knocked on the door. Now she was here, she might as well accept her own stubborn and curious personality. Alfred appeared in the opening, a small smile adorned his face. He seemed much happier than when she'd seen him at the palace the day before.
"Hello, who may you be?" His voice was soft and a questioning look lay in his eyes. Victoria took of her hat, so revealing her identity. "Your Majesty," Alfred said shocked and bowed his head.
"No need for formalities Lord Alfred."
"Then you should let the title drop Ma'am." Victoria smiled at that and Alfred opened the door wider so she could enter the room. "We have a royal visitor," he announced her to Drummond, who lay in bed. The man looked tired, but Victoria was thankful to see the colour was not drained from his skin. She'd expected him to be in a much worse state, but she didn't need a doctor to tell her Drummond was going to live. The triumph in the expression of both men said enough.
Drummond looked surprised when he caught sight of who their guest was. "Your Majesty," he said, just like Alfred had done a few seconds ago.
"Like I said to Alfred," she turned to smile at him, "there's no need for formalities. I'm not here as the Queen. At the moment I'm simply Victoria."
The men didn't know what to say, but as the silence grew uncomfortable, Alfred took the word. "As you can see, Edward is finally getting better. The doctors had given up on him, but he made it. They're calling it a miracle." He let out a disbelieving chuckle. "I don't know what I'd have done if you hadn't made it." The words were directed to Drummond and the loving smile the two shared made Victoria feel like she was too much in this room.
She scraped her throat and spoke: "I'm glad to hear you'll heal, but though I came to receive this news, it's not the only reason I'm here."
Edward and Alfred both looked up at that. "Than what else did you want to discuss?"
Victoria took a moment to collect her thoughts, meanwhile stopping her fingers from fumbling with her dress. A deep breath entered her lungs, calming her down a bit, before she spoke: "Recently someone has made me think about love." The two men shared a cautious glance. "And I've come to the conclusion that love can not only be experienced through a usual relationship, but extended to all sorts of relationships." The worried glance from a minute before changed into a hopeful sight, because, thought both men, maybe she understood.
"I've heard you two fall under the special category, for a lack of another term." A soft smile appeared on Victoria's face. An expression Edward and Alfred mirrored. There was still some fear in their countenance, but more joyful feelings seemed to have the upper hand and Victoria was glad for that. "I want to help you."
'What do you mean?"
Victoria contemplated her response, but instead of answering she asked a question: "Do you want to be together?"
Edward and Alfred shared a look before they replied in unison: "Yes, of course." But before Victoria could speak Alfred gave a broader answer: "But we know it will never happen. It's-" He sighed. "I can't explain it correctly, but when we're together I feel, happier than ever. I don't want to give that up, but what else can we do."
The smile Victoria gave them as answer confused the men, but when she spoke all became clear. "That's where my plan comes into play."