Félix followed the baron with quiet steps as the man walked ahead, talking incessantly. He was saying little of substance, yet his stream of chatter was enough to set off a headache at the Duke's temples. The man simply would not stop.
"This way, Your Grace," the baron said, stepping onto a path lined with fragrant flowers and greenery. The Duke, however, noted that the garden was anything but well-kept.
Weeds and thorns choked the rose bush, creeping among the other flowering plants. Félix frowned. It was beyond him how the baron had thought it acceptable to parade such neglect, forcing the Duke to endure the sight any longer.
"Enough."
The baron stopped at once, jerking to a halt before turning sharply.
"Is something the matter, Your Grace?" the baron asked, his voice edged with alarm.
Félix gave a slow, easy shake of his head. "I'd rather we strolled around the house than ventured all the way into your sacred garden. Don't you think?"
The baron lowered his head as if weighing the suggestion.
Félix watched him wrestle with the thought before turning his gaze away from the untended garden path to the vast stretch of land beyond. His mind drifted to Estella; he was certain he had seen her only moments ago. No amount of insistence from the family that it wasn't her, not even a united front, could convince him otherwise.
"Your Grace," the butler said, sidestepping closer to him. "Don't you think we should be on our way? I doubt you'll find the person you're looking for."
Félix scoffed. "When have I ever decided on something and walked away without results?"
"But you also need to inspect the King's plot from here, and I'd rather not return to Châteaubriant after sundown."
Félix understood the butler's concerns, but they would not deter him from uncovering why the baron and his wife were so determined to keep Estella from him.
Ordinarily, he would have left the moment the family lied about who he had clearly seen. But he could not afford to now. Not after the baron's restless behavior inside. And then there was the quiet tug of curiosity pulling at his heartstrings. Whatever the reason, he needed to see Estella for himself.
The baron, meanwhile, seemed to have regained his composure. Turning to face Félix and his butler, he forced a nervous smile before leading the way back. Félix, however, kept scanning his surroundings as if searching for the missing piece of the puzzle that began and ended with Estella.
"Wait a minute," the Duke said, his sudden outburst startling the baron, who stopped in his tracks for the second time that day.
"It seems we're heading toward the horses now, but I have a question. Why have we avoided the left wing until now? Is there something there I'm not supposed to see?"
The baron blinked twice, slowly at first, then a few more times in quick succession. He swallowed hard, almost as though a rock had somehow lodged in the back of his throat. And not just any rock, but one that burned like melting sulfur. How had the Duke caught on that fast?
***
The floor had been silent for the past ten minutes. Estella took it as a sign that the baroness and her daughters had retreated elsewhere in the house, but she was still unsure whether it was safe to move toward her room.
She was exhausted from the forty-eight-hour punishment, aching from the lashes, and barely standing after two nights without sleep. Standing still for so long left her limbs feeling like they had been dipped in brimstone. They didn't just burn. They melted.
Every so often, Lovetta, who was busy in the kitchen with a few other staff members, would steal glances at Estella, her eyes heavy with pity. Estella was used to Lovetta's silent stares, the way they conveyed concern without a single word. The woman was the closest thing she had to a mother.
"Psst. Estie, Estie," Lovetta whispered, loud enough to jolt Estella wide awake. She only realized now that she had started dozing off where she stood.
"I think they've gone, your mother and sisters," Lovetta murmured before righteously turning back to her work.
Estella silently thanked the woman and began to make her way out of the kitchen. But just as she was about to step through the doorway into the dining room, a thick slap landed on her back, sending a jolt through her body and nearly bringing her to her knees. It took everything in her not to cry out in pain.
"I told you, Mother. The rat is probably still hiding in the kitchen. Here she is," Georgina said, triumph flashing in her eyes.
Estella cursed her luck.
"Imagine her sneaking off now," Geraldine added as she stepped closer. "One would think she was an expert at keeping herself hidden. But not from God. And certainly not when we have the Duke here." She folded her arms across her chest. "How does he know your name but not ours?"
"That is a valid question, Mother," Georgina said, tucking a loose hairpin back into her blonde curls. "Ask her how she knows the Duke of Châteaubriant when even I didn't know what he looked like until today."
"And by God, he is very handsome," Geraldine added.
"A fine man, I agree," the baroness said. "But he has quite the temper."
"As should a man of his status, Mother," Georgina replied.
Estella was at least grateful that the conversation had shifted from how she knew the Duke to his looks. She could not deny their observations, though she would not say so aloud. Quietly, she rubbed her burning back, trying to soothe the pain.
"Although he didn't seem angry at first when he arrived. It was after catching Estella sneaking in through the kitchen that his mood soured. I bet he was irritated to see her then."
"Delighted, more like," Geraldine said. "The Duke seemed excited to see this rat. I swear I almost saw him smile."
Her mind was of no help in coming up with a suitable excuse. What could she possibly say to convince the baroness that her chance encounter with the Duke had been harmless and entirely platonic? That it had not involved an exchange of saliva or her blackmailing him over it?
"You heard what they said, did you not?"
Of course. She had heard them loud and clear.
"What do you have to say for yourself?" the baroness asked with an unsettling calm.