Elizabeth looked to Laszlo, her eyes wide and lips parted. Her mind was in a whirl and she was struggling to comprehend what had just happened. Had he truly just asked her that one question she had wondered about him asking her for weeks? He didn't blink, his gaze set firmly on her and he waited patiently for her to say something to him. He kept his arm around her, almost as though it was the only thing keeping him grounded as Elizabeth's eyes flickered over his face. She tried to speak, her mouth dry and her chest heaving, heart beating fast and pulse racing.

"You…you just asked me…" she babbled, knowing that this perhaps wasn't the way she had imagined him asking her to marry him. No doubt it wasn't quite the response he was hoping for either. "You want to marry me?" she managed to question him.

His lips arched for a second despite the nervousness that he was currently feeling. He nodded his head, hand flattening on her back and she gripped hold of his shoulders firmly, almost as though she was scared he would turn away and leave her, telling her that this had all been a mistake and he had no desire to marry her. But he did none of that.

"Yes," Laszlo replied. "Hence why I have asked you, but I confess that you are making me apprehensive that I asked too soon."

"No," she exclaimed quickly, not wanting him to feel that he had done something wrong. Her fingers squeezed down on his shoulders and her head shook back and forth, hair bouncing around her shoulders. "No, you didn't. You just took me by surprise…I mean…I know that we spoke about the future, but I never thought that you would actually ask me so soon."

"If I tell you that I bought a ring months ago, would that surprise you?"

Her mouth seemed to drop open even wider then at that piece of information. He chuckled at the sight of her and let go of her waist. Moving over towards the drawer in his dresser, Elizabeth kept hold of his hand, their limbs stretching apart. He opened up the drawer and reached for the box that he had hidden underneath his clothing. Placing the box on the top of the dresser, he shut the drawer and picked it up once more. He moved to stand in front of her once again, letting go of her hand so that he could open the lid to the box. She let her eyes roam over the ring, seeing the green emerald on top of the gold band.

"In hindsight I should have had this ready when I asked you," he said to her. "And I should be down on one knee."

"What is it we say?" Elizabeth said. "We're not entirely conventional, are we?"

"Indeed, we are not," he could agree with her on that.

He watched as she raised a hand, a finger running over the stone softly and his gaze lifted back up to her face. She still hadn't given him an answer. Instead, she just stood there silently, admiring the ring in front of her and Laszlo, usually always so confident and self-assured, was beginning to feel uneasy. Was she going to give him an answer?

"Elizabeth…I know that this might have come as a shock…but…well…I confess that I am growing weary," Laszlo said and she looked up to him again and he wondered what was going through her mind. "You haven't answered the question."

"Oh!" she exclaimed, realising that he was right. "Well, I thought that it was obvious."

"As someone who can read people, I truly hope that I am right in what I am thinking, but I would quite like verbal confirmation," Laszlo said and Elizabeth laughed at hearing him, reaching her hand up and stroking his cheek as she stood on her toes and nodded her head.

"The answer is yes," she said confidently. "But you are certain? You really-"

"-I would not have asked if I was not certain," he interrupted before she could begin to doubt him and if this was what he truly wanted. "I wanted to ask. I have no doubts."

"Nor do I," Elizabeth agreed and Laszlo continued smiling widely at hearing her. He held the box with the ring in his bad hand, using his other hand to pull the ring out. Leaving the box on the chair besides him, he reached for Elizabeth's left hand and he heard her let out a noise in between an excited squeal and a laugh.

"Then that is settled then," Laszlo said with a stern nod of his head and he slipped the ring onto her finger, pushing it firmly into place.

"It's lovely, Laszlo," Elizabeth said, looking down onto the stone as he kept her hand inside of his, lifting it in between them so that he could also look at how it fit on her finger. He wondered if it was slightly tight, but she didn't bother to complain. She was too busy beaming down at it, her smile wider than Laszlo had seen it in many months.

"It…well…as odd as this sounds, but it reminded me of you," Laszlo confessed. "And I have had it hiding in my drawer ever since I impulsively bought it."

"Laszlo Kreizler being impulsive," she teased him. "That is quite a novelty."

He chuckled. "You've always been the exception to all of my rules," he reminded her.

"I suppose that makes me special," she replied, her free hand going to run up and down his arm, the motion firm but comforting. "And you're sure about this? And you best be honest because I'm not going to give you another chance to back out of this. You really want me to be your wife?"

"No doubts from me," Laszlo promised her. "And you're certain that you want me as your husband?"

"No doubts," she echoed his own words back to him and moved to kiss him, the motion soft and tender and she wondered if she had ever felt as happy as she did that evening. She sincerely doubted it.

…

"I hear congratulations are in order."

Elizabeth looked to the doorway in the parlour to see John stood there, hat in his hands and Sara Howard next to him. Moving from where she sat on the couch, she left the notebook she had been holding on the seat, pen tucked away in the pages. Laszlo had asked her to look over some of his notes for a recent paper he was writing. She didn't entirely know why he asked for her help, but he told her that he enjoyed gaining an outsiders perspective.

"How do you know?" Elizabeth wondered.

John laughed and moved further into the room, embracing Elizabeth momentarily and pecking her on the cheek. "I was at the paper when the announcement was made after you were seen at Delmonico's wearing the ring," he said to her. "And it is quite the gossip in high society. You know that Laszlo's reputation precedes him."

"And I imagine people have had something to say about my own reputation," Elizabeth said and she pulled back from John as Sara offered her a smile and Elizabeth went to embrace her too, uncertain if she was the hugging type, but she didn't care. She had grown quite fond of the young woman.

"Well, you know that people talk," John simply said to her.

"But you should ignore them," Sara said. "Besides, I had expected that this to happen sooner rather than later."

"Really?" Elizabeth asked.

"Everyone did," John responded and Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, I am glad that I did not disappoint what people expected," Elizabeth said. "Please, do sit down, but Laszlo is not here. He is at the Institute and I have to go in another hour to pick Charlotte up from school."

"How is she settling into school?" Sara enquired.

She took the armchair as John sat at one end of the couch and Elizabeth moved her notebook. She remained stood up, her hands in the skirts of the green dress she wore. She rocked on her heels for a moment, nodding her head. It had been several weeks since Laszlo had proposed and in that time, they had agreed to keep the news quiet for a few weeks, just wanting that time to be their own. They had told Charlotte alongside Cyrus and Stevie, but apart from that they had existed in a bubble.

And Charlotte's adoption was going as smoothly as possible with thanks to Laszlo's help and ability to tackle paperwork quickly. Charlotte, while still not talking often, would occasionally talk to Elizabeth. She was beginning to open up and Laszlo confessed himself intrigued as to why she was only now just gaining the confidence to talk. He didn't know. He suspected it was to do with her beginning to feel like she had a place, like she had someone to trust. And so, they decided it would be best for her to attend school and further her education. She had settled in as best as they could hope after explaining her history and condition.

"She is enjoying it, I think," Elizabeth said. "She has made a couple of friends and she is talking a bit more…but it will still take time, I think."

"Understandable," Sara said.

"Anyway, would you like a drink?" Elizabeth asked, not wanting to be remiss in her hosting duties. Looking between the two of them, she saw how they exchanged a nervous glance and she wondered just what was going on.

"I would love a lemonade," Sara suddenly said and John nodded.

"Coming up," Elizabeth said and moved into the kitchen, her mind whirling as she wondered why they were here. Was this to do with the case that had been wrapped up? Was it to do with Laszlo? She didn't know what else it could be to do with. She poured two glasses of lemonade, lowering the jug back down onto the worktop before heading back to the parlour.

Handing them the glasses, Elizabeth took the seat next to John on the couch, moving the notebook out of the way and onto the table next to the seat. She leant forwards, hands clasped together and she shrugged. "So…it is lovely to see you both, but I imagine there is a reason why you are here," she said.

"There is," Sara admitted after taking a sip of her lemonade. "We actually came here to see you."

"Me?" Elizabeth checked.

"Yes," John nodded his head. "You see, there has been talk at the New York Journal, according to my sources, that they intend to run a piece with Marianna and Barry Martins…Jacob's parents."

"Why?" Elizabeth questioned, unable to comprehend why his parents were still trying to discredit her? What more could they do to her? Had that family not caused enough pain? "I do not understand why they would do this?"

"They are friends with William Hearst," John said, "the owner and chief editor of the New York Journal. From what I have gathered, ever since knowledge of your engagement was made public, they have been most unhappy. There has been some talk in high society that perhaps you deserve to move on and be happy with someone…and that their son was not as innocent as he seemed."

"He was not," Elizabeth said, furrowing her brows. "But where have these rumours come from? The Martins always did everything they could to keep what he did to me a secret."

"I do not know where it came from, only that they are trying to quash it and believe that Hearst can help them do that on a more public scale. I doubt they would want the truth revealed," Sara said, looking to Elizabeth. She knew the truth. She knew everything that had happened. John picked up on the knowing look between them and Elizabeth chewed down on her tongue.

"I…I do not know the truth," John said. "You have never told me what happened, but based on what I saw in the hospital and Laszlo's reaction, I have my own suspicions."

"He beat me," Elizabeth blurted out, looking to John and she glanced down to her lap. "Laszlo figured out that he beat me and he…he spent months trying to persuade me to leave…he was the only one who knew. I was very good at hiding the bruises most of the time and Jacob was very good at manipulating the truth."

"I am sorry," John said to her, moving to rest a hand on her arm.

"It is in the past," she responded, not longing to dwell on what had happened to her. She had moved on. She still had nightmares, but they were becoming infrequent with thanks to Laszlo's help. "But I just wonder where the rumours are coming from. I never said anything because I knew that Barry and Marianna Martins would simply…well…I did not want to fight them," she chose her words. "But I can understand that they would want those rumours quashed, hence why it is easier to attack me and paint me out as the villain who did wrong by their saintly son."

"And have you ever considered recounting your own story?" John wondered. "I know you said that you did not want to fight them, but what about now?"

She shook her head. "I do not want to relive what happened," she said. "Besides, if rumours are spreading then let them. They can do as they please…and if I came out and told my side of the story then there would always be people who would not believe me anyway and being with Laszlo has taught me one thing: not to care what people think."

"Well said," Sara nodded firmly and took another sip of her lemonade.

"And you are certain?" John asked from her. "Because you know that I could speak with my editor and ask him to write a rebuttal to what they say?"

"And that is a very sweet offer," Elizabeth said, "but I don't want to get involved. I do not want to be part of those circles in high society…let them think what they want."

"Well, we are here if you need us," John said to her.

"Yes, we are," Sara echoed those sentiments.

Elizabeth nodded and was grateful that she had them looking out for her. She almost felt as though she had friends for the first time in many years.

…

"And you are certain you are happy with that?" Elizabeth asked Laszlo as they ate dinner that evening. Charlotte had retired to bed after eating earlier while Laszlo had worked late. Elizabeth had tucked her into bed and gone downstairs just as Laszlo returned home.

She had told him what Sara and John had told her over dinner that she had prepared with Stevie's help. She picked at the carrot on her plate as she looked over to Laszlo who sat at the head of the table and ate his potatoes. She had asked him if he was happy with what she had chosen to do, namely that she intended not to do anything in response to the Martins plans.

"I do not wish to get involved in their antics," Laszlo said to her. "Besides, it is like you said, all that shall happen is that people will take their side while others might take your side."

"I just do not see what it shall achieve," Elizabeth said, dropping her fork onto her plate and sitting back in her chair, slouching slightly. "I could stand on the highest building in New York and shout about what he did to me, but they would never admit it and some people would never believe it."

"I know," Laszlo agreed with her. "The way that they treated you was reprehensible."

Elizabeth shrugged. "I try not to think of them," Elizabeth said to him.

"Best way," Laszlo said, placing his own fork down and reaching out to take her hand that she had been drumming against the table-top. His fingers squeezed her own and she looked at the contact between the two of them. "And people already whisper about us as things stand. Why should they stop now?"

"Does it never bother you? I know you tell me that it doesn't, but honestly, does it not bother you when you know they watch us when we go out for dinner or when we are at the opera?"

Laszlo shook his head. "No," he promised her. "Why would I care? I am engaged to the woman I love. No one can take that from me."

Elizabeth's lips turned upwards for a brief moment at hearing him speak in such a tone. Arching a brow, she toyed with his fingers inside of hers. "You know, I think you lie when you say that you don't know how to be romantic."

He chuckled deeply at that and Elizabeth stood up, abandoning her meal. Moving to bend over, she kissed him slowly as he pushed his chair back slightly. He tugged her down to sit on his lap, still kissing her and moving his mouth over hers hungrily. She moaned softly as she felt his hands roam over her back. But her moan turned into a groan when she heard a knock on the door. Laszlo also grunted in frustration, his lips leaving hers as he knock sounded once more. He pecked her one final time and she slipped from his lap as he moved to his feet and squeezed her hand softly before moving to the front door.

Elizabeth resumed her seat and sat back, wafting a hand in front of her face to try and cool herself down. She could hear Laszlo muttering in the entrance hall and he wondered just who was outside. The door suddenly closed and Elizabeth looked to the door to see Laszlo move into the room, hand balled underneath his chin.

"Who was it?" she questioned.

But then she saw the woman move around him from where he stood. Elizabeth's teeth instantly ground together and she stood up. Her hands fell to her side and Laszlo looked to her, trying to keep her calm and reassure her that she was the one in control of the situation.

"I did not think that you would want to see her, but that had to be your choice to make," Laszlo said, looking at Elizabeth who in turn glowered at the woman next to him.

"You would be right," Elizabeth responded.

"Elizabeth, please, can we just talk?"

"There is nothing to say, mother," Elizabeth responded and she shook her head. "We were in the middle of dinner and no doubt you have other places you would rather be, so I suggest you leave."

"I just want to talk to you," Josephine said to her daughter. "I just want to try and help you."

Elizabeth laughed shrilly and Laszlo could see the redness in her cheeks deepening. He moved tentatively towards where she stood at the dining table as Josephine also moved closer to her.

"Help me?" Elizabeth demanded from her mother. "I needed your help years ago when Jacob started beating me. I needed your help when he put me in hospital…when he beat me so hard that I lost my child…but you were never there. I don't need your help right now or in the future."

"Just try and see sense," Josephine encouraged from her daughter.

"Laszlo, can you please show my mother out?" Elizabeth ignored the woman and Laszlo merely inclined his head for a brief moment.

"Of course," he said and Elizabeth folded her arms over her waist and went to walk past her, needing to get away from her before she said something that she might regret. Then again, she doubted that would be possible considering the amount of contempt she held for the woman. But Josephine grabbed her daughter by the arm to stop her from leaving.

"I am trying to put things right," Josephine said and Elizabeth let out a shaky breath. She looked down to where her mother's hand grabbed her arm. "I…since that night when I saw you…I began to try and think about how I can make things better between us."

"You cannot rewrite the past."

"No, but I can change the future," she said. "Those rumours…about what Jacob did…I started them. I started the rumours in the hope that it would help clear your name."

Elizabeth had to admit that she was perplexed. She felt her jaw slacken and her eyes flickered around with confusion before she looked to her mother, her gaze meeting hers. Josephine looked at her with a soft expression, almost hopeful that this would forgive her of everything in the past. She dropped Elizabeth's arm when she realised that her daughter wasn't going to run away. Laszlo remained stood back, giving the two women their privacy, but prepared to step in if he had to.

"Why?" Elizabeth finally asked, the one word question carrying a great weight.

"Where do I begin, Elizabeth?" Josephine asked, her hat askew on the top of her head after she shook it. The green simple hat matched her dress and overcoat. She looked so well presented, but on the inside she was anything but that. "I want to make things right and I want people to know what he did to you…because the truth needs to be known…it should be known…"

"Why now?" Elizabeth continued to push her. "Why are you suddenly so bothered about the truth being known now?"

Laszlo had to admit that he did find it curious.

Josephine swallowed hard and laced her gloved hands together in front of her. "I read about your engagement," she said, looking between her daughter and Laszlo. "Everyone was talking about it at the charity ball I attended."

"And?" Elizabeth urged from her.

"I…well…" Josephine began. "I realised that you had already been married once and it had ended badly…your husband had mistreated you…and I…I know that you are now engaged to marry again and I thought that if I did this then people might stop calling you those awful names."

Elizabeth shook her head. "It is hard to get rid of a name once you have been called it so many times," she said.

"I know," Josephine promised her. "But if this helps…if some people start to believe the truth then it might be possible for your reputation to be restored to what it was."

Elizabeth scoffed. "I doubt it," she responded.

"But there is a chance," Josephine said and she reached out to take hold of her daughter's hand. She squeezed hold of it and Laszlo could see the conflict inside of Elizabeth from her face. She was torn between allowing her mother to continue holding her hand and pulling away from her. When all was said and done, this was her mother. Emotions were conflicting when it came to family and Laszlo knew that better than most.

"Perhaps," Elizabeth simply said and her mother squeezed her hand.

She smiled sadly and moved closer to her, lifting her other hand up and stroking her daughter's cheek, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I am trying to make things right," Josephine promised her. "I know that I cannot rectify what happened in the past, but I can help now and I want to help. I want to help so that you are not seen as a pariah in society."

Elizabeth nodded and Laszlo remained rooted on the spot. He acknowledged how his fiancée had yet to push her mother from her. Instead, she almost leaned into her touch as she stroked her cheek and smiled softly.

"And if we can restore your reputation then there might be a chance for you to find an eligible bachelor," Josephine said and Elizabeth's brow knitted together.

"What?" she demanded from her.

"Well, you know that you would be accepted back to society if you married a young man from a respectable family. You could come back home…back to us…but not if you marry him," Josephine said and shot Laszlo a glare.

Elizabeth tugged her hand from her mother's and pushed her wrist down so that she no longer held her cheek. Standing back, she shook her head. "I am engaged to him."

Josephine rolled her eyes. "Elizabeth, please be serious. I know that you think you love him, but you can be just as happy with a man from a well off family who can help you regain what you once had."

"What? Invites to fancy balls? Opportunities to sit with the most wealthy in society at the opera?" she asked. "I want none of those things and I cannot believe that you came here and thought that you could talk me out of this engagement. I love Laszlo. I want to marry Laszlo. Why can you not understand that?"

"Because there are more important things than love," Josephine snapped.

"I struggle to see what," she snarled. "Now, I think we are finished here. You should go."

"Elizabeth-"

"-I said get out!" Elizabeth interrupted, yelling at her mother and hoping that she hadn't woken Charlotte up with her noise. But she was angry. She was struggling to contain the anger that she felt at what her mother had just said to her. How could she even think that it would be okay to say those things?

"Just see sense," Josephine pleaded.

"Mrs Johnson, I must insist you leave," Laszlo added on, finally interjecting. He came in between the two women, moving his hand out to Elizabeth's, fingers brushing hers as he hoped that he offered her some comfort.

"Why can you not just give her up?" Josephine asked from Laszlo.

"Do not talk to him like that," Elizabeth demanded.

"But if you loved her then you would let her go. You would let her try and find someone who can provide for her…rebuild her life…accept her back into high society," Josephine said.

"And if you loved her then you would have tried to help her many years ago," Laszlo snapped back, refusing to be spoken to in such a tone in his own home. "I was the one who tried to help her, not you. I am the one who has stood by her because I love her. That is what you do when you love someone. You do not abandon them as you did."

Josephine was quiet, slightly shocked at the good doctor's angry tone.

"Now, I asked your daughter to marry me because I love her and because I have no intention of being without her," Laszlo snapped. "And I will care for her. I will adore her. I will love her and treat her as she should be treated. I will do everything right by her. I am going nowhere so long as she wants me."

"She'll never be accepted back," Josephine said, eyes wide.

"And perhaps she doesn't want to be accepted," Laszlo said. "She agreed to marry me. She loves me and I love her. That is enough for both of us. It seems that you cannot understand that and I do not have the time nor the patience to explain it to you."

Josephine shook her head sadly and Laszlo kept his glower fixed on her. "Now, please," he said, voice still stern, "leave us alone."

"And don't come back," Elizabeth added on. "I've said all that has to be said."

"You're making a mistake," Josephine whispered, leaving the room and moving back to the entrance hall. "You'll see that one day, Elizabeth! And then you will come crawling back!"

The front door slammed and Elizabeth let out a deep breath, turning to look up to Laszlo as he glanced down to her, moving so that he had his chin resting on the top of her head, his arms wrapped around her. Pressing her cheek to his chest, Elizabeth moved her arms around his midriff, hands splaying on his back.

"Is everything alright? I heard shouting."

Laszlo turned to look to Stevie, not removing his arms from his fiancée and he nodded his head.

"Everything is fine, Stevie, thank you," he said to the young boy.

He nodded back to Laszlo and looked to the dinner plates. "Do you want me to tidy the table?"

"No," Elizabeth sniffed, pulling back from Laszlo and looking to the young boy. "I can do it, Stevie, you don't need to worry."

"Are you still not feeling well?" Stevie asked from Elizabeth, noticing that she had hardly touched her food as she stood by the table and reached for her plate. She looked at the uneaten meal and shrugged.

"I feel fine," she assured him.

Laszlo's brow furrowed as he looked over to her and moved back to the table, reaching out and taking hold of the top of the chair. "Have you been ill?" he asked from Elizabeth.

She shrugged. "Just the past few mornings," she said to him.

"She's been sick," Stevie added on and she took hold of the plates and Laszlo moved a hand over his chin. He stroked at his beard as Elizabeth began clearing the table with Stevie's help. Looking over her, Laszlo took a moment to consider what he had just heard and his mind began to wander as she cradled the plates against her stomach and moved back towards the kitchen.

"I think it is the food," Elizabeth said to him as she went. "It has been too rich the past few nights."

But Laszlo was not entirely convinced. He followed her to the kitchen and watched as she and Stevie set the dishes down. He looked to his young ward and spoke in a hurried voice.

"Stevie, can you give us a minute?"

He nodded his head and left out the back door as Elizabeth turned to Laszlo. "What is it?"

"You've been sick for the past few mornings?" he double-checked with her.

"Yes, but it is the food because that red wine sauce you insist on having is far too much for me. I've never been a fan of red wine," she said to him, but he shook his head.

"Has there been anything else?" he questioned her.

"Not really," she responded with a shake of her head. "What is wrong with you? You're scaring me."

"Have you been fatigued?"

"No more than usual," she replied.

"And have you bled?" he asked her.

"Laszlo!" she snapped his name. She had always been taught never to discuss these things with Jacob. "What does that have to do with anything? I…yes...however…I…"

"When?" Laszlo questioned once more.

"I cannot remember, the past few weeks have been a blur," she shook her head and he saw the realisation slowly begin to catch onto her face. She went from looking confused to looking worried, frown lines forming on her forehead and her hands moving to her stomach. Looking down onto it, she then look back up to Laszlo. "It's not possible," she shook her head. "We're careful…you're careful…" she said and Laszlo raked a hand through his hair.

"I know," he said to her. "I need you to think carefully about when the last time you bled was."

"I cannot remember," she said with a firm shake of her head. "Not definitely, but being sick doesn't mean anything."

"You…well…last night," Laszlo recalled, clearing his throat for a moment. "When I touched your breasts, you winced. I thought that I had just been too rough, but perhaps it was something else."

"They have been feeling sensitive," Elizabeth admitted and Laszlo stepped closer to her, his head feeling lighter with each step and he saw her look up to the ceiling after a moment before he shook his head and reached out for her hand. His touch drew her attention back to him. "Do you think it is possible?" she wondered from him.

"I think it is more than possible," Laszlo responded. "I think that you are pregnant, Elizabeth."

…

A/N: Thanks to everyone reading - as always would love your thoughts/suggestions!