My employer’s nephew fired me for pointing out his math errors — until Craig showed up with my father’s hidden will.
Part 1
Five years of existing in the periphery had taught me exactly how to navigate the sprawling estate without drawing attention to myself.
The grandfather clock in the main hall struck nine, its deep resonance echoing through the empty corridors.
Brenda’s elderly voice cracked with impatience as she called for me from her chambers.
I quickened my pace, smoothing down my plain gray dress that I purposely chose to blend in with the manor’s shadows.
As the illegitimate daughter of the late father, I knew I had no place in proper society.
I had learned to be grateful for the roof over my head, even if it came with Brenda’s constant demands and reminders of my inferior status.
Entering her chambers, I dipped the quill in ink and prepared to take dictation for her endless social correspondence.
She began her usual litany of gossip, mentioning that Craig Preston, the wealthy Craig Preston, had returned to the city.
Everyone knew the tale of his wife falling from the cliffs near his northern estate under mysterious circumstances.
Brenda clicked her tongue disapprovingly, noting that the scandal still hung over him like a shroud.
She informed me with malicious excitement that he was coming to our manor tomorrow.
Her nephew Tyler was desperately hoping to secure Craig’s investment in a new railway venture.
I kept my expression neutral, carefully avoiding any reaction that might invite Brenda’s wrath.
She warned me to remain entirely invisible during the visit, stressing that Craig detested forward behavior from women of questionable birth.
I lowered my eyes and automatically murmured an apology for my very existence.
Later that evening, I retreated to my small attic room, the one sanctuary where I could briefly remove my mask of subservience.
Gazing out at the gardens illuminated by moonlight, I noticed a movement on the stone paths.
A tall, solitary figure walked with a commanding posture that made my heart quicken.
He paused and looked directly up toward my window, sensing my gaze.
I stepped back into the shadows instantly, a strange certainty settling over me that Craig had arrived early.
The following day brought chaos to the manor as the servants rushed to prepare for his official welcome.
I managed to slip away to the library in the afternoon, seeking comfort among the towering shelves of leather-bound volumes.
Running my fingers along the spines, I breathed in the scent of paper and binding glue.
A deep voice observed from behind me that I moved like a ghost through these halls.
I spun around to find the most imposing man I had ever seen blocking the doorway.
His raven hair and steel-gray eyes studied me with an intensity that made me feel entirely exposed.
I dropped into a curtsy, keeping my eyes lowered and begging his pardon for the intrusion.
He took a step closer, pointing out that I wasn’t introduced as family or a guest.
I confessed my name and my role as Brenda’s companion, pressing myself back against the bookshelf.
He recognized my surname instantly, noting that I shared the exact shade of green eyes distinctive to her father’s line.
Before I could explain my illegitimate status, Tyler’s voice echoed in the hallway.
The brief moment of connection evaporated as Craig stepped back to create a proper distance.
Tyler entered with an obsequious smile that faltered the moment he noticed me.
He demanded to know why I was bothering his grace, completely ignoring Craig’s smooth interjection that he had requested my help.
As they moved to leave the library, Craig paused beside me and leaned down slightly.
He whispered that he had found me and didn’t intend to lose sight of me again.
The next morning, Brenda pushed a stack of account books toward me, instructing me to review the ledgers for the east-wing renovations.
Numbers had always made sense to me, following strict rules and telling clear stories to those who knew how to read them.
I spent the morning in the small ante-room, pouring over the columns of figures until a shadow fell across my work.
Craig observed that I had a gift with numbers, causing me to startle and blot ink across the page.
I rose hastily, but he waved away my apology and examined my neat notations.
He noted that I had identified three discrepancies that the family’s own accountant had somehow missed.
I tried to dismiss it as mere arithmetic, but he recognized that I had reconstructed entire patterns of financial movement.
His proximity in the small room was disconcerting, the heat of his body palpable.
I fought to maintain my composure, reminding him that freedom was a luxury not afforded to women in my position.
Something flickered in his expression, an anger that wasn’t directed at me but at the position I was forced into.
That evening at dinner, I took my customary place at the small secretarial desk in the corner.
Craig sat angled slightly toward me, making it clear he was aware of my presence while he discussed railway investments with Tyler.
Tyler enthusiastically pushed for the northern route, desperate for the capital injection.
Craig interrupted coolly, stating that the ledgers suggested deliberate misappropriation of funds rather than simple bookkeeping errors.
He turned fully toward me, forcing everyone at the table to acknowledge my existence.
He suggested that I should explain my findings to the group.
A horrified silence fell over the table as Brenda looked like she might faint and Tyler turned an alarming shade of red.
Tyler sputtered that a companion had no place in business discussions.
Craig smoothly countered that I appeared to be the only person with the skill and integrity to address the discrepancies.
Finding my voice, I explained how funds were being diverted to an unnamed account through altered recipient details.
Tyler slammed his hand on the table in a blind rage, refusing to be accused of financial impropriety by me.
Craig stepped in with a dangerously soft voice, advising Tyler to choose his next words with exceptional care.
The tension shattered when the butler arrived with urgent correspondence, prompting Craig to postpone the discussion until morning.
As Craig departed, Brenda’s expression darkened with unbridled fury.
She hissed that my position was precarious and that truth was a luxury I couldn’t afford.
I realized then that my carefully constructed walls were crumbling, and I had no idea what waited beyond them.
The next morning, Brenda and Tyler summoned me to the morning room to announce my immediate termination.
Tyler declared I had an hour to pack my belongings and leave the manor forever.
Mrs. Higgins arrived at my attic room with a fearful expression, pressing a folded note bearing the ducal seal into my hand.
My fingers closed over the heavy wax seal of the envelope, a sudden realization chilling my blood as Tyler’s footsteps echoed on the stairs.
