Violet slowly clawed her way to consciousness. Lady Priscilla’s cruel smile floated at the edge of her awareness. She had to warn Leo! Lady Priscilla had pushed her down the stairs, and the late duchess—Lydia—had also been pushed. “Leo…” she murmured.
“Can you hear me, Your Grace?” A woman’s soft voice filled her senses. “We have all been so very worried about you.”
“Worried…about me?” The words emerged sluggishly.
“Your Grace! Violet!”
Violet blinked, wincing at the light that struck her eyes and left her temporarily unable to see. A blurred face lingered at the edge of her vision. After a few long moments, Mrs. Gunderson’s face came into view.
“Your Grace!” she exclaimed.
“Mrs. Gunderson!” Violet rasped. “L—Lady Priscilla!”
Mrs. Gunderson’s face softened. “Of course, I will send a footman at once to fetch Lady Priscilla.”
Violet tried to speak, to open her mouth and protest. Mrs. Gunderson had misunderstood, and inviting Lady Priscilla into the manor was the worst thing that could happen. Even as Violet tried desperately to communicate her warning, she felt herself slipping back into unconsciousness. Her thoughts shattered like a dropped wine glass.
Lady Priscilla being fetched was the worst thing Mrs. Gunderson could do…
***
Leo stormed into Lady Priscilla’s manor, not heeding the butler’s urgent requests that he be properly introduced. “Where is she?”
“Your Grace—”
Leo peered inside the drawing room. He would look through every single room in the house until he found Lady Priscilla. His blood roared in his ears. He did not understand why Lady Priscilla seemed to be the culprit or why she might hate himself and Violet so much, but she was the only person who made sense.
Leo would not leave this estate until he learned the truth, even if a small part of him still wanted desperately to deny Lady Priscilla’s involvement.
After searching four more rooms, he finally found her seated with a tall, stately man. Lady Priscilla’s father. Leo rarely saw him on the estate. He wondered if Lady Priscilla had planned her father’s visit so she could insist upon her innocence.I was with my father when Violet fell.
“Oh! Your Grace!” Lady Priscilla exclaimed.
Her father, Lord Preston, smiled and bowed. “Your Grace, what a pleasure—”
“I am her on an urgent matter,” Leo said. “I wish to speak to your daughter, and I think it is best that we have some privacy.”
Lord Preston furrowed his brow. “Surely, anything you have to say can be said before me, Your Grace.”
Leo frowned. This would be easier without other people around. Then, he could simply focus on observing Lady Priscilla and her reactions to his suspicions, but he had revealed that something was awry. He had to continue. “I know that you pushed Violet down the stairs and that you did the same to Lydia.”
“What?” Lord Preston exclaimed, sounding more astonished than outraged.
“Well?” Leo asked, his attention fixed on Priscilla.
“I have no idea what you are talking about,” Lady Priscilla said. “What do you mean,pushed Violet down the stairs? Did she fall? Is she well?”
“You know precisely what happened to her,” Leo said, crossing his arms.
“Your Grace,” Lord Preston said, his face growing red, “I do not know what matter you speak of, but these accusations are outlandish. I am certain that my daughter played no part in either of the incidents that you cite. Why—”
“I have a witness!” Leo snapped.
Lord Preston’s jaw snapped shut with a loud click. Leo’s head snapped towards Lady Priscilla, whose face had grown suddenly pale. Therewasno witness, of course, but Leo hoped this would coax the truth from Lady Priscilla. A small part of him desperately hoped that Lady Priscilla would continue to deny the accusations, and yet Leo knew deep down inside himself that Lady Priscilla was the cause of both Lydia’s death and Violet’s injuries.
Lady Priscilla slowly stood, her face twisting into a cruel sneer. “It was all your fault!” She slammed a fist on the table, causing the teacups and saucers to shake.
“My fault?” Leo asked.
