Chapter 5 - The Reckoning at Parliament
The following afternoon, the grand chamber of the House of Lords was packed to capacity. The air was charged with tension. Word had spread that the Duke of Westmoreland—the Iron Duke—was to deliver an emergency address regarding financial fraud and high-level treason.
Lord Francis Abernathy sat in the back row of the noble benches, sweating profusely, nervously adjusting his cravat. He believed his tracks were covered, that the fire had wiped away the evidence.
The heavy oak doors of the chamber swung open.
Arthur Wardington walked down the central aisle. He did not wear his usual somber attire; he wore the full, regal robes of a Peer of the Realm. His posture was commanding, his expression an absolute storm of righteous power.
Beside him, watching from the visitor's gallery high above, sat Katherine Coldwell and young Theo. Katherine was dressed in an exquisite navy velvet gown, her head held high, looking every bit the noblewoman she was born to be.
Arthur took his place at the podium, gazing up at the hundred assembled lords.
"My Lords," Arthur’s voice boomed through the vaulted hall, clear and terrifyingly precise. "For three years, I have walked among you as a man dead to the world, consumed by my own private grief. I allowed corruption to rot the fringes of our society because I was too blind to look beyond my own walls."
He turned his piercing grey gaze directly to the back row, fixing his eyes upon Abernathy.
"That ends today."
Arthur slammed a thick stack of legal documents and financial ledgers onto the central table.
"I present to this House evidence of systematic fraud, arson, and attempted murder," Arthur declared. "Six years ago, the Argentine Railway collapse ruined thousands of honest British families, driving noble men to their graves. It was not a failure of the market. It was a conspiracy orchestrated by Lord Francis Abernathy!"
Gasps of shock echoed through the chamber!
Abernathy stood up, trembling violently, his face pale as death. "This is a lie! A slanderous fabrication by a man who has lost his mind over a common housemaid!"
"The ledgers bear your own signature, Abernathy!" Arthur roared over the noise, his voice cutting through the panic like thunder. "Recovered from the very fire you set at my estate last night to murder my son and the woman I love!"
The chamber erupted into absolute chaos!
Arthur turned to the Sergeant-at-Arms standing at the doors. "Officers! Arrest that man!"
Metropolitan Police officers surged into the chamber, grabbing Abernathy by his arms, pinning him down as he screamed obscenities and protests.
When order was finally restored, Arthur stood before the quieted room. He looked up at the visitor's gallery, meeting Katherine’s tear-filled eyes.
"Furthermore," Arthur continued, his voice echoing with deep, emotional warmth, "I hereby announce to this Parliament and to the Crown that all assets seized from the Coldwell estate will be restored in full to Miss Katherine Coldwell."
He paused, taking a deep breath, his love for her shining bright for the entire world to see.
"And I declare before God and this House that Miss Katherine Coldwell will soon become the Duchess of Westmoreland."
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A profound silence washed over the grand hall, followed by a sudden, resounding applause led by the Prime Minister himself.
In the gallery, Katherine pressed her hands to her mouth, tears of overwhelming joy spilling down her cheeks as young Theo threw his arms around her waist, cheering loudly for his father.
