Chapter 4
The thrill of success coursed through every fiber of my being.
I got the first step right.
Not only did I put Abigail on the spot, but more importantly, I threw Russ's own words right back at him.
I said, "I'm a bit frail. My hand just slipped."
I wondered how much of Russ's anger was really for Abigail, and how much was him being pissed that I exposed his true colors.
The door to the woodshed swung open.
Juliet burst in, clutching a bowl of medicine, tears streaming down her face.
"Lady Lucy, are you alright?" she sobbed.
She fumbled to untie the ropes on my wrists, and when she saw my swollen cheek, her tears flowed even harder.
"How could the General be so cruel? Lady Lucy, let's write to your father. Let's go home!"
I shook my head.
I would not go home at that point.
The game had just started. There was no way I was leaving now.
I took the healing ointment from her, dipped a cotton swab in it, and gently dabbed it on my face.
The cool touch cleared my head, sharpening my focus.
"Juliet, don't cry," I said.
My voice was steady, even carrying a hint of a smile.
"This pain is nothing.
"Compared to losing my child, compared to all those years I wasted loving the wrong person, this pain is nothing."
Juliet stared at me, like she was seeing a stranger.
"Lady Lucy, you..."
"From now on, your job isn't to cry," I said, meeting her gaze.
I spoke each word slowly and clearly, making sure she understood.
"You need to gather information.
"How badly is Abigail's face injured?
"Did she manage to keep the baby?
"And Russ. Besides blowing up, what else did he do?
"What's everyone in the manor gossiping about right now?
"I need to know everything. Don't miss a thing."
Juliet nodded hard, wiping her tears away.
"Yes, Lady Lucy. I understand!"
She helped me sit up and draped a thick coat over my shoulders.
"General ordered you to be confined here for a month, and no one's allowed to visit you.
"I had to beg June from the kitchen to sneak this medicine in for you."
I nodded.
I said, "Good job, Juliet. Looks like you're not a kid anymore.
"Remember, we're on the same team now.
"Whatever happens, we share the glory, and the pain."
Juliet's eyes burned with resolve.
"You saved my life, Lady Lucy. I swear I'll follow you to the end, even if it costs me everything!"
I closed my eyes and leaned against the freezing wall.
Russ locked me up.
He wanted me to reflect on my actions.
But he was wrong.
He had given me the perfect spot to watch everything unfold from the shadows.
This entire General's manor was my chessboard.
Each person in it was a chess piece on my board.
Abigail was the first piece I'd moved.
Russ was the king I was going to checkmate.
*****
Life in the woodshed was a lot quieter than I expected.
Twice a day, a mute old woman would bring me my meals.
The food was plain and barely enough to keep me going.
Juliet couldn't come in anymore, but she found a way.
She bribed the mute old woman.
Every day, a tiny note was tucked inside the bowl and delivered to me.
News from outside kept pouring in.
The first note read: [Abigail's face is ruined.
[Her right cheek, from the corner of her eye down to her jaw, is burned by scalding hot soup.
[The manor's top doctor used the best medicine he had, but all he could do was make sure the wound healed cleanly, without infection or pus.
[But that vicious scar is going to haunt her forever.]
I looked at the note, a smile as cold as ice spreading across my lips.
For a dancer like her, beauty and grace meant everything.
By ruining half her face, I'd taken away half of her tricks to survival.
The second note said: [The baby's still hanging in there, for now.]
But the shock hit Abigail hard, messed up her body, and now the whole pregnancy's on shaky ground.
The doctor told Abigail she has to stay in bed and keep calm.
If anything else happened, she could lose the baby in a heartbeat.
Russ was furious.
He sent every rare herb in the General's manor to Abigail's courtyard, like a steady stream.
He stayed by her side day and night, never leaving her alone for a second.
To everyone outside, he claimed that I was a jealous and vicious woman, locked up in the woodshed to set an example for others.
The mood in the manor had completely flipped.
The way the servants looked at me shifted from pity to fear and outright disdain.
Everyone was saying I'd lost my mind.
As a wife who'd lost her husband's favor and her child, I actually dared to go after his favorite woman who was pregnant. They thought I was insane.