Prompt #186

#186 from promptdujour:

...I only knew what hunted thought
Quickened his step, and why
He looked upon the garish day
With such a wistful eye;
The man had killed the thing he loved
And so he had to die.

Yet each man kills the thing he loves,
By each let this be heard,
Some do it with a bitter look,
Some with a flattering word,
The coward does it with a kiss,
The brave man with a sword!

Some kill their love when they are young,
And some when they are old;
Some strangle with the hands of Lust,
Some with the hands of Gold:
The kindest use a knife, because
The dead so soon grow cold.

Some love too little, some too long,
Some sell, and others buy;
Some do the deed with many tears,
And some without a sigh:
For each man kills the thing he loves,
Yet each man does not die...
~Oscar Wilde

It was never Lord Islington's intention to kill Verity. He had merely wanted her to feel threatened, as if he could at any moment take the breath from her body with one fell swipe of his sword. Yet it was his ignorance that led him to believe that small lie. He knew not what else to do. If he informed the proper authorities they would only arrest him being he was the prime suspect (and the killer). If he fled then he could go far away, change his name and start a new life. The idea was tempting, but Lord Islington knew that he deserved to die for what he had done. Even if he didn't want to die, he deserved it.