Chapter 2

The next day, the reunited lovers decided to go hunting together.

Just as they were about to leave, Lillian suddenly said, "Let Evelyn come with us. We were so close back at The Willow House."

Lillian never hid her past as a courtesan, and Edward found her honesty refreshing compared to how desperately I tried to distance myself from the brothel.

"Evelyn, you'll join us then," Edward agreed immediately.

I had no right to refuse.

When I approached the carriage, Lillian kicked the mounting stool aside. "I heard people used to use servants as stepping stools," she said with feigned innocence. "I've never tried it. Evelyn, why don't you kneel down so I can see what it's like?"

I looked up sharply and met her eyes. Beneath that innocent expression was pure malice, completely undisguised.

A chill ran through me.

*****

Six months ago, Lillian fell into the lake and nearly drowned. When she woke up, she was a completely different person.

She started telling us we should take pride in being courtesans and kept shouting about equality for all.

When she met nobles and high-ranking officials, she refused to kneel. She said her dignity was worth more than any lord's approval, and she'd never bow to anyone.

Back then, I thought she'd lost her mind, but I genuinely admired her courage and sharp wit.

Anyone who could talk about equality like that had more vision than most men in this world.

But now, this same woman who preached equality was using that innocent face to say something that made my blood run cold.

She wanted me to be her footstool.

Even the most arrogant aristocrats who never treated servants as human wouldn't make someone kneel as a stepping stool.

Lord Edward seemed surprised by Lillian's demand. "A footstool? maybe we should just use the mounting block instead?"

Lillian's face fell, and she pouted immediately. "What, feeling bad for her now? Typical. You're all the same. If she doesn't kneel, I'm not going hunting today."

The maids behind me trembled in fear and dropped to their knees as one.

But Edward just laughed at Lillian's bratty display.

Most women were gentle and dutiful. Women like Lillian, who dared to throw jealous fits and make outrageous demands, were few and far between.

Edward was clearly entertained and waved his hand dismissively at me. "Then kneel."

My knees felt like they weighed a thousand pounds, but I couldn't bend them.

Edward shot me a contemptuous glance. "What, you want to go back to The Willow House and spread your legs for every man in town?"

I clenched my fists and sank to my knees. My parents' faces flashed before my eyes.

"Evelyn, the women of the Grant family would rather die with dignity than beg for their lives."

A foot pressed down on my back and forced my spine to bend until I was flat against the ground.

"She's not even as comfortable as a real footstool. Pathetic." Lillian's disgusted voice came from above me.

Edward glanced at me without expression. "Get up. You'll ride in the carriage behind us."

I felt myself drifting in and out of awareness, and by the time I came back to my senses, we had arrived at the hunting grounds.

Lillian pushed playfully at Edward's chest. "Go on without me. I don't want to play with you smelly men anyway."

Edward sighed and left several guards to protect Lillian, then mounted his horse and rode deep into the forest to hunt.

The moment Edward disappeared into the trees, Lillian had her servants tie chunks of raw meat to my legs.

She tilted her head and smiled at me. "Why are you standing there like an idiot? Start running. You're my secret weapon for today's hunt."

Lillian cracked a barbed whip at my back and forced me to run wildly through the forest.

Every time I slowed down, the whip came down without mercy.

The trees blocked the freezing wind, but running hard still left me breathless.

The symptoms from yesterday's punishment surged back, and my head grew heavy while my legs felt light. I collapsed to the ground.

Before I fell, I caught a glimpse of Edward's panicked face through the trees across from me.

Then someone caught me in warm arms, and an anxious voice drifted in and out of my hearing.

"Get the doctor! Someone get the doctor now!"

The doctor arrived quickly and examined me. His voice carried barely concealed anger. "Lady Evelyn is with child, a month along. How could Your Grace permit her to accompany the hunting party in such a condition?"

Silence fell over the group, and then Edward's voice broke through with disbelieving joy. "Evelyn is pregnant? I'm going to be a father? Go! We return to the estate at once."

This time, they placed me in the carriage Lillian had arrived in.

Her voice hissed in my ear, dripping with venom. "You whore. You think carrying his bastard will make him choose you over me? Dream on!

"A common-born hooker like you could never compete with someone of my station. I'm the one he should marry, not some lowborn slut."

She kept talking, but I couldn't hold on any longer. Everything went dark, and I passed out.

When I woke again, Edward sat beside my bed with a bowl of medicine in his hands.

Our eyes met, and he quickly looked away.