But then again, I had risked everything for a chance at love as well, hadn’t I?
“He’s going to ruin us,” the girl said. “I cannot believe how careless he is.” A pause. “Oh, don’t give me that look. Uncle’s spies won’t overhear us out here.”
“Very well. I think he’s driven by rage,” a man answered. Henri. I would recognize his voice anywhere.
I chanced a peek over the back of the bench and saw the pair pause before the fountain, confirming that he was with Blanche. His sister.
I felt a moment’s relief that it was only the two siblings and not a couple bent on their own self-destruction, before realizing that this was terrible. If I was caught bythem,of all people, I would be cast out of the château before I even stepped foot out of the hedge maze.
“Rage,” Blanche scoffed. “A woman has no outlet to channel her rage. I’ve managed to keep mine in check all these years. You’d think someone as old as Montoni could manage.”
“Blanche …”
“No.” She wheeled on her brother and poked him in the chest. “Don’t defend him. He is on the verge of destroying everything. And I’m not just being a foolishgirl.You know it’s true. He’s gone too far, and he’s going to cross that line again. We cannot wait for that to happen.”
“What do you suggest? That we kill him?”
I waited for a laugh from Blanche, or some retort, but she only looked at her brother coolly. “That would cause its own problems. We need him, for the moment, but that doesn’t mean we let him get away with anything he pleases. He has to be curbed.”
“And, pray tell, how do we manage that?”
Blanche tilted her head up to the sky and was silent for a moment. “I don’t know. A retreat to Udolpho to rein in his behavior would be ideal, but I don’t see him agreeing to that isolation voluntarily.”
“Then any further talk of—”
Blanche held up a hand, silencing him. “See? Do you smell that? I told you someone has been visiting the maze at night.”
I lowered myself behind the bench, trying to get as close to the ground as possible, as if I could sink into it. I was thankful for the shadows gathered around me, but they wouldn’t do much good upon a close inspection of the area.
I heard gentle sniffs, as if they’d turned up their noses to scent the air.
“A woman’s perfume,” Henri said.
“And it’s fresh,” Blanche agreed.
I held still, but I heard them rush past my hiding place. I didn’t let myself relax, though. I remained curled up in a ball for another five minutes. And then, I tentatively examined the clearing and listened for any sounds the night might carry to me. When I was certain the coast was clear, I left my hiding place and skulked as stealthily as possible back through the maze. It seemed that I’d gotten better at navigating the hedges, for I only met one dead end before I found myself leaving under the watchful gaze of the stone Medusa.
I quietly retraced my steps through the château until I closed my bedroom door behind me with a relieved sigh. That had been close. Too close. And for what? To break some girl’s heart?
The conversation between Henri and Blanche had been odd, I recalled as I undressed, but it put an idea into my head. The siblings had been speaking of their uncle’s death, certainly to inherit his wealth as much as to do away with whatever ruinous behavior he was involved in. If there was something truly scandalous occurring at the château, and I could uncover what it was, then perhaps I need not worry about my inheritance at all. My inheritance could be well beyond my grasp, but I could possibly secure something to fall back on should that prove to be the case. After all, a few weeks in, I knew that life as a servant was no option for me. I needed freedom and wealth. Independence. I could gain that through the secrets I unearthed here, from this wealthy family. Surely they would do anything to stay in good graces with society.
Was I really thinking about blackmailing my employers? Was I willing to stoop so low?
I put my head in my hands. My circumstances left me little choice but to do the unthinkable to secure a life for myself. The siblings had mentioned a retreat of some sort—Udolpho. Perhaps I could bargain for that isolated place in exchange for my silence.
Of course, I would have to uncover the secrets being harbored by this family first. I did feel dirtied by these thoughts, but this was no matter of the heart, so I felt I could bend my ideals in this case. After all, my integrity was secondary to my survival.
I groaned as I realized how little rest I was going to get and fell back onto my bed, willing sleep to claim me. My thoughts swirled with new machinations that I feared had the power to corrupt me. I would have to do some soul-searching to discern if I was able to carry out a plan as disdainful as the one I was entertaining. But entertain it, I would.
I rearranged the wood in the fireplace for the fifth time, then stopped to stare at my work before turning to my flint and scrap of steel. “Just work already,” I murmured, rubbing the flint and steel together awkwardly. I watched several sparks fly, pleading with them to catch. But they wouldn’t cooperate. I cursed as every last spark died upon impact. I didn’t know what I was doing wrong. I’d certainly seen many fires in my day, but I’d never bothered to watch their construction. I’d assumed it was an easy task. Simply use a flint, right? But it turned out this was one of many things a servant did that seemed easier than it actually was.
Once I left this servant role behind, I was never going to do anything so difficult and asinine again.
“Problems?”
I started and glanced back to find a young woman behind me, outfitted in a black gown. She peered over my shoulder at my work and snorted.
“What?” I frowned up at her.
