Chapter 7

“She’s a proven tutor. I’m sure the Countess will like her as well. What do you think?”

At the continued suggestion, Raymond’s eyebrows slightly lifted. It was strange. The insult was clearly directed at Helen Godwin over there, yet he felt unpleasant. 

For a moment, he was puzzled, but the thought didn’t last long. Plans going awry was something he could not afford. 

Quickly adjusting his expression, Raymond straightened his posture, which had been slightly leaning toward hers.

“I wouldn’t want to impose.”

“Oh my, between us, how could it be an imposition? Henry is going to be a precious part of the family soon.”

Her soft reply made him clench his jaw. She was a woman who couldn’t even understand a polite rejection meant to spare her feelings.

“Henry likes her, and that’s enough.”

“Still….”

“Diana.”

Her sudden persistence was pushing Raymond’s patience to its limit. Pulling the faint memory of her name from his mind, he clasped his hands together and rested them on his crossed legs. It was the first time she had heard him call her by name, and her cheeks flushed red.

“Helen Godwin is not a dull woman.”

“….”

“She is my brother’s one and only tutor.”

The emphasis on the word “brother” made Diana flinch. It was a well-known fact in social circles that Raymond Campbell Somerset, who lived recklessly and attached himself to no one, cherished and adored his younger brother more than anyone in the world. 

Had I touched a nerve? 

She bit her lower lip.

“Even if she were to do something wrong, it would be my responsibility as her employer to handle it.”

Understood? 

The words he added carried a chill. Stiff as a board, Diana nodded awkwardly.

“Alright.”

Her submissive response softened his harsh expression. At the same time, the tension in the air eased.

“Henry seems curious about you. Shall I call him over?”

“Oh.”

Was it because her displeasure had subsided? Diana nodded at his smiling suggestion.

* * *

“You little brat who doesn’t listen to a single thing I say!”

Crash.

The moment he entered the study, a teacup came flying toward him. Instinctively, he turned his head to avoid it. The teacup narrowly missed him and shattered against the door, breaking into countless pieces. Raymond, staring at the mess of porcelain shards on the floor, slowly lifted his gaze.

When their eyes met, the furious and heaving face of the Earl made him feel nauseous. Their father-son relationship was one of nothing but contempt and hatred.

“I thought I’d done a good enough job of playing along.”

“Lady Diana must have been the one playing along with you.”

“Did she say that?”

“She cried her eyes out. Said she thought she’d said something wrong. Asked me to tell you she was sorry.”

“….”

“Not enough that you caused a scandal with one of the maids and got her dismissed? Now you want to ruin this engagement too?”

Technically, he hadn’t laid a finger on the maid. When the woman came to his room asking for comfort, he had locked her in and immediately called the butler. The resulting humiliation and gossip had driven her to leave the manor on her own.

He had no intention of explaining himself. Whatever the truth, the Earl would just blame him anyway. Running a hand through his disheveled hair, Raymond brushed aside a sharp shard with his foot.

“I’ll send her a letter. If that’s all you wanted, may I leave now?”

“There’s a rumor going around about a ghost.”

The Earl’s piercing gaze landed on him like a dagger. His warning was delivered with a calm face.

“Make sure I don’t hear about it again. If you want this year’s memorial service for your mother to go smoothly, you’d better behave.”

Ghost. The word echoed in his ears, and the bones of his hand stood out starkly under his skin.

“That’s enough.”

“Fine. After all, there’s more than one hostage.”

The difference between the two hostages was that the other one was still alive—Henry Gordon Somerset.

“Remember, if I want, I can send him to that military academy you attended as a child. Some places accept students as young as nine. If it comes to it, I can always have another son.”

“….”

His clenched fist relaxed momentarily, and his hand brushed against the gun inside his jacket. 

What if I pulled it out and put a hole in the Earl’s forehead right now? It would derail all my plans, but what did it matter if the order of things changed slightly…?

Just as the impulse reached a dangerous peak, an innocent voice stopped him from the other side of the door.

“Father!”

“Oh, Henry.”

Reflexively stepping back, he watched as the door opened and Henry bounded in, climbing onto the Earl’s lap in the leather chair.

“Did your studies go well today?”

“Yes! Today I learned Prussian.”

“Did you enjoy it?”

“Of course! And Diana—she said my brother introduced her to me….”

As if he hadn’t just been making threats, the Earl now wore the mask of a doting father, stroking his youngest son’s hair. Henry giggled and chattered away, only noticing his elder brother standing at the door a moment later.

“Brother, you’re here too?”

“Yes.”

Despite having just entertained thoughts of patricide, Raymond responded with a warm smile.

“Did you finish your homework?”

“Yes. Oh… should I leave for a bit?”

“No, you don’t have to. We’re done talking anyway. Right?”

“Of course.”

After a brief exchange of glances, the Earl tickled Henry’s waist, changing the subject.

“By the way, what do you think of Diana? She might become your sister-in-law.”

“Ah, well….”

Unaware of the tense atmosphere, Henry quickly returned to the cheerful world shared by father and son. Watching them for a moment, Raymond turned and left.

As he opened the door, he came face-to-face with a maid pushing a tray. He was about to pass her when a quiet voice stopped him in his tracks.

“Young Master….”

He froze and turned his head. The maid, her face flushed like a ripe apple, stammered as she spoke.

“D-do you like wine?”

“….”

“I have the key. The butler entrusted it to me.”

He was about to dismiss her, but something made him pause. Red hair. The moment he noticed it, someone else came to mind.

“I do like it.”

Her apron collar was folded over. Reaching out, he straightened it. Her neck, beneath her neatly pinned hair, turned crimson as if she had just received a love confession.

Helen Godwin wasn’t like this. She might seem quiet as a lamb, but she was clearly wary, keeping her distance like a cat with its fur bristling.

“What’s your name?”

Perhaps he could use this as a practice run for his plans.

“My name is….”

While he briefly drifted into thought, the maid, struggling to catch her breath, finally answered a beat too late.

“Tanya.”

* * *

“Miss Godwin, is Henry keeping up with his studies?”

The day after the kitchen incident, the Countess invited Helen to dine with her. Unlike the Countess, who elegantly sliced her trout, Helen was too flustered to tell if the food was going down her throat or her nose.

“Yes, he’s a very diligent student.”

“I heard he’s progressing a bit slowly.”

“Henry doesn’t move on until he fully understands. It’s a good habit.”

“That’s reassuring to hear. We’re counting on you, Miss Godwin.”

Once they finished eating, afternoon tea was served. As a maid poured tea into the cups, she suddenly wobbled, spilling tea onto Helen’s lap.

“Ah!”

The burning pain made Helen squeeze her eyes shut. The Countess, startled, jumped to her feet.

“My goodness! Are you alright?”

Her sharp gaze turned to the maid who had made the mistake.

“What on earth are you doing?”

“I-I’m so sorry, Madam! Miss Godwin!”

Realizing her mistake, the maid quickly bowed. The commotion brought the butler rushing into the dining room. Assessing the situation, he guided Helen to a nearby room.

“Please, step this way.”

“Alright.”

He immediately issued orders to the stunned maid.

“Fetch the first aid kit. Contact the doctor at once.”

Fortunately, the doctor arrived promptly. After he left, the maid, still kneeling, stammered out an excuse.

“I-I saw a ghost last night. I was so scared I couldn’t sleep. I’m so sorry.”

The Countess looked incredulous. The butler, too, stared down at the maid with a stern expression.

“What would you have done if Miss Godwin had been scarred?”

“I’m truly sorry. Please forgive me….”

“Hah.”

The Countess scoffed, crossing her arms.

“I wonder if you’re really sorry. Begging for forgiveness at a time like this.”

“Please, Madam! I-I have a family to support!”

“That’s enough.”

It looked like the maid was about to grab the hem of the Countess’s dress and beg. Unable to watch any longer, Helen intervened.

“The doctor said it’s nothing serious as long as the bandages are changed regularly. I’m really fine.”

“Well, if you say so, Miss Godwin….”

Sighing, the Countess rose from her seat.

“Then let’s leave it at that, though some form of punishment is necessary.”

The butler quickly proposed a solution.

“She can help clean the stables for a month.”

“Very well.”

The Countess nodded and turned to Helen.

“Should we pause lessons for now? You need time to recover.”

“I think I’ll be fine in two or three days.”

“Then let’s do that. I’m tired, so I’ll take my leave.”

“Yes, you may go as well.”

“Understood.”

After the Countess left, the maid also retreated. Helen, supported by the butler, stood up.

“I’ll escort you to your room.”

“Thank you.”

“I should be the one thanking you.”

“What do you mean?”

Climbing the stairs with Helen, the butler replied.

“Thanks to you, the maid avoided severe punishment. The Madam has been on edge lately.”

“On edge…?”

“Ah, you wouldn’t know since you haven’t been here long.”

The butler lowered his voice.

“Five days from now is the late Madam’s death anniversary.”