Chapter 7
For a moment, chaos swirled so violently that Cedric seemed to forget what I’d just said.
He stopped abruptly and stared at Seraphina, bewildered.
“Is it true?” he asked. “Did you have something to do with Lady Hawthorne’s death?”
Seraphina’s face went sheet-white, drained of every ounce of blood.
She clutched Cedric’s sleeve, her voice soft and trembling.
“No… no, of course not. It wasn’t me. I swear it.”
“I was barely of age when she passed-how could I possibly have harmed anyone?”
Cedric hesitated. Her pleading eyes and soft voice were enough to make him waver.
He turned to me with a sigh.
“Elena, she’s right. She was far too young, and your mother’s residence was well-guarded. Servants, guards, stewards-
hardly a place where a young girl could act unseen.”
“I know you only brought that physician here to frighten her, to force a confession about the stolen poem.”
“But now that the truth’s out, can’t we let this go? She is your sister, after all… your father’s daughter.”
I looked at him-at the man I once thought I’d grow old beside-and felt nothing but exhaustion.
That soft-spoken, tender husband from my past life… he’d died the day he forced divorce papers into my hand.
The man before me now was someone else. Weak. Blind. Incapable of discernment.
I turned to the physician, refusing to waste another word on Cedric.
“Go on. Tell them what you saw.”
The man stepped forward nervously, nearly shrinking behind me as he spoke.
“I was just leaving the estate after tending to Lady Hawthorne. I’d just passed through the front courtyard when I heard
shouting.”
“When I rushed back, she was already dead-she’d vomited blood.”
“The maids said Lady Seraphina had entered her chambers for a time… and after she left, Lady Hawthorne collapsed.”
Seraphina clutched at the last thread of defense.
“I only meant to pay my respects. Perhaps my presence stirred old grief-she may have thought of my mother. I meant no
harm.”
“Your Majesties, I said nothing. I did nothing. Please believe me.”
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The Queen narrowed her eyes.
“Then why send the physician away afterward?”
Seraphina lowered her eyes, lips trembling with wounded innocence.
“Father was devastated. I feared he’d lash out in grief and blame an innocent man. I… I thought I was doing the right
thing.”
“Your Majesty, I swear it was only out of compassion.”
The King and Queen exchanged a glance-equal parts frustration and helplessness.
They knew, as I did, that hearsay alone couldn’t convict her.
Cedric breathed a sigh of relief and turned to me again.
“Elena, I know your mother meant everything to you. That’s why you’re grasping at anything that might explain her death.”
“But you heard the doctor. It might have just been a tragic coincidence.”
“If she troubles you, I’ll see to it she’s given her own lodging-far from yours.”
“She won’t bother you. I promise.”
I was about to tell him exactly what I thought of his empty promises when my father’s voice rang out beyond the garden.
He wasn’t alone.
A frail, veiled woman stood beside him-her steps slow, her sightless gaze cast forward.
The moment Seraphina caught sight of her, her legs buckled. She nearly fell.
I glanced at her trembling form and then turned to the monarchs, gently guiding the woman forward.
“This is Ms. Matilda Green-my mother’s former handmaid and loyal companion.”
“After my mother’s death, she retired to the countryside. When I began to suspect foul play, I asked my father to help me
find her.”
The Queen frowned as her eyes fell on the woman’s empty sockets.
“You said she retired… What happened to her eyes?”
My father’s voice broke as he answered.
“It’s worse than that, Your Majesty. They took her tongue as well.”
The King slammed his hand on the table, fury spilling into the hall like wildfire.
“Who did this?!”
My father raised a trembling hand and pointed at the trembling girl beside Cedric.
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Tears spilled down his cheeks.
“It was her. My own daughter-Seraphina Hawthorne.”
