Chapter 7 A Growling Stomach
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It made no sense for Sarah and those men to be in Brielle’s chambers. Yet they’d all gathered there that night, and Brielle herself was nowhere to be found. That alone made Daniel suspect she’d planned the whole thing on purpose.
Brielle stared back at him, equal parts confused and sharp-edged. “Are you treating me like some common criminal, Daniel?”
Donna leapt in at once, grabbing Brielle’s arm. She deliberately pitched her voice low enough to sound intimate, but loud enough for every onlooker to hear. “Brielle, you must not speak to Daniel that way. Just tell him the truth of what you did this evening. I’m here with you, Daniel will not be too harsh on you, I
swear.”
Her little performance only fed the growing suspicion that Brielle had done something terrible that night.
A faint, unnoticeable glint of cold amusement flashed in Brielle’s eyes. She deliberately let her shoulders slump, letting her gaze drop to the stones as if she were eaten up by guilt, and spoke in a small, shaking voice. “I… I admit it. I did do something tonight that isn fit to be spoken of before others.”
Donna feigned shock, throwing her hand up to her mouth and raising her voice for all to hear. “What did you say, sister? How could you be so foolish?” She pulled Brielle forward a step, leaning in to murmur in a tone that sounded perfectly earnest. “Come now, just admit your wrong to Daniel. I’m here to speak for you, nothing bad will happen to you.”
Donna stared at Brielle’s face, thinking her just as foolish as she’d always been. This was exactly the opening she’d needed to get Brielle to incriminate herself. Best of all, Brielle’s confession would enrage Daniel so deeply that he’d order her beaten to death on the spot.
Daniel’s frown deepened, his face darkening with barely contained anger.
A heavy silence fell over the courtyard. Every eye fixed on Brielle, waiting for her to admit her sin.
Sarah was Pamela Lennox’s own daughter, one of the most trusted senior maids of Clarke Estate, practically counted among Daniel’s most loyal retainers. If Brielle had truly plotted against her to destroy her, she would pay for it with her life.
Brielle lifted a hand to her empty stomach, still keeping her head bowed, before she spoke slowly, clearly for all to hear. “Tonight, I snuck down to the kitchens to steal myself a bite to eat. But the pots were scraped clean-there wasn’t even a crumb of bread left for me. I went to bed hungry, with nothing to show for my trouble.” She lifted her head, fixing Daniel with a look of open irritation. “Is that really so terrible a crime that you had to rouse the whole house and drag me out here to yell at me?”
Every person in the courtyard froze, their eyes widening in shock. They glanced at one another, not knowing what to say.
Donna stood stock-still, her entire body going rigid. She couldn’t believe what she’d just heard.
Daniel’s brow furrowed so deeply it looked carved from stone. His eyes bore into Brielle. She could admit to petty theft so casually, not even a blush rising to her cheeks. This woman truly was a born liar.
Just then, a loud, guttural growl rumbled from Brielle’s empty stomach.
In the dead hush of the night, the sound cut through the tension like a knife, making the awkward silence even thicker. A pulse hammered at Daniel’s temple.
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He looked at Brielle’s drawn, hungry face, the way she tried to shrink back and hide how starved she was. He couldn’t help but wonder if the servants of the manor had been making her life deliberately difficult. Maybe it really was that hard for her to get even one proper meal.
“Lord Daniel… Daniel, I feel so hot…” Sarah, wrapped in her blanket on the ground, still writhed and moaned, her voice thick and suggestive. Daniel’s face darkened further.
“Reid, wake her,” he ordered in an icy tone.
The next instant, a dark shadow blurred into the courtyard. No one had heard him approach; no one could tell where he’d emerged from. He moved with a sharp, deadly energy, every line of his body and every silent step marking him as a seasoned warrior.
Reid Dalton stepped forward, showing not a scrap of mercy to the disgraced maid. He grabbed her wrist, felt her pulse, then pulled a small pellet from the hidden pocket of his tunic and forced it down her throat. It was unquestionably an antidote to the Dreamer’s Dust that had been used on her.
Brielle’s lips curved into a faint, sharp smirk. Of course Reid was Daniel’s personal bodyguard. Why else would he carry an antidote for poison and aphrodisiacs on his person at all times? How deeply must Daniel fear that she would drug him again, that he would prepare so carefully against her?
Soon enough, Sarah stirred and opened her eyes. When she took in the crowd of onlookers staring at her, and the cold anger on Daniel’s face, her face drained of all color. When she realized she was still half- undressed, she let out a shrill, terrified scream.
“How… how could this have happened to me? How is this possible…” Sarah babbled, unable to accept what had occurred. This was no dream, and her ruin was complete. She nearly fainted from sheer panic.
Daniel’s face was cold as a winter glacier. He spoke in a voice that could freeze blood. “Tell me every single thing that happened tonight, exactly as you remember” He still did not believe Brielle was innocent. If she truly had no part in this, why would the whole scandal have unfolded inside her own chambers?
Sarah had not yet recovered from her shock. She stared blankly at Donna, silently begging for guidance- what was she supposed to say? Why was she the one lying here disgraced? It was supposed to be Brielle, wasn’t it?
Donna gave her a nearly imperceptible nod, signaling her to blame every bit of it on Brielle.
Brielle stood motionless, but she caught every wordless exchange between the two women. She settled back to watch, curious to see how they would twist the story frame her now.
Sarah had already lost everything. She’d been ruined, shamed in front of the entire household. She could never hope to marry now, and her good name was gone forever. Even if she died, she would drag that wicked Brielle down with her.
She pointed a shaking, accusatory finger straight at Brice. “It was her! Daniel, she did this to me! She planned the whole thing!
“My family had already arranged a good match for me! low can I ever face my groom now? I might as well throw myself off the battlements and be done with it!” Sarah wailed, tears streaming down her face.
The moment Sarah finished speaking, Donna turned to Brielle with a perfectly practiced look of horrified shock. “Brielle, when did your heart grow so cruel?”
Brielle sneered inwardly at Donna’s wide-eyed, trembling, innocent act. She couldn’t even be bothered to defend herself right away. She looked straight at Sarah, and said coolly, “You say I did this to you. Where is
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Chapter 7 A Growling Stomach
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Sarah immediately turned to the five men who’d knelt on the ground the whole time, and screamed at them. “Tell him! Who lured you here? Who planned this”
Daniel’s gaze turned to the men as well, sharp and unforgiving.
The servants trembled so hard they could barely stand, and stammered out their answer in unison, “I… It was Lady Brielle. She told us to come.”
Hearing that, Sarah acted as if this was the most damning evidence in the world. She threw herself at Daniel’s feet, sobbing uncontrollably. “Lord Daniel! Did you hear that? She did this to me! She ruined me! All because I once said she was a barnyard sow dreaming of a crown prince, she held a grudge and destroyed my whole life!”
Everyone in the courtyard already knew of Brielle’s bad reputation. They’d never forgiven her for stealing Donna’s place as Daniel’s bride, and none of them respected her. Seeing Sarah so broken and pitiful, they all felt sympathetic to her side.
“What kind of a lady would do something so cruel and low? She doesn’t deserve the title at all.”
“She’s not a real lady anyway. She’s a shameful, scheming witch.”
Several of the older maids gritted their teeth as they spoke, sounding like they’d happily sell Brielle into slavery to punish her.
Watching everyone turn on Brielle with accusations and insults, Donna could barely contain her glee. No one in Clarke Estate, not even Daniel, would ever take Brielle’s side. Tonight, even if Brielle was truly innocent, no one would believe her. She would take the blame and die for what had happened, and that was all that mattered.
Donna stood at Daniel’s side, watching coldly, waiting for the final act of the drama to play out.
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