Chapter 5

Ted groaned, clutching his stomach. "Yes. It feels like my stomach is tearing apart."

"How many pieces?" I asked.

"Two," he replied.

I nodded. Then, without warning, I reached out and grabbed his chin.

Ted was caught off guard and froze, startled by my grip.

I leaned in close and took a slow breath. Then I smiled. "You smell like alcohol. Strong alcohol. How can you say you only ate my cake?"

Winona's face shifted right away.

Ted still tried to push through. "I only had a sip. Your cake was bad."

"Is that so?" I stood up and turned to Celia. "Bring out the cakes from this morning."

She hesitated for a second, then hurried inside.

A moment later, she came back with a plate. Two large pieces of fresh cake sat on it.

I picked up a knife and cut off a piece right in front of everyone. Then I put it straight into my mouth.

"I just ate it," I said evenly. "Who still thinks it is poisoned?"

Everyone gasped and started whispering.

Winona's voice rose again, but this time it carried a hint of panic. "You made it yourself. Of course, you are not afraid."

I gave a cold laugh and held the plate out toward her. "Then you eat it."

She stepped back at once. "Why should I?"

"If you won't, I will find someone who will." I looked around at the crowd.

A few of the neighbors avoided my eyes at first. They all knew how I did business. I never cut corners. I always used high-quality golden grain. They had been buying from me for years.

Finally, Page Walton stepped forward. She ran the grocery stall. "I will."

She picked up a piece and took a bite in front of everyone. She chewed slowly, then nodded. "It tastes great. Even better than the one I bought yesterday."

Once she spoke, two more people followed.

One man slapped his thigh. "I bought one this morning. My whole family ate it. Nobody got sick."

On the ground, Ted's rolling slowed. He clearly didn't know what to do next.

I looked down at him and said slowly, "If you really got sick from my cake, then this is simple. We call a doctor right now. I will pay for your treatment in front of everyone."

I paused, then let my voice turn cold. "But if the doctor says it was not the cake, then you owe me an explanation."

Winona jumped in, her voice sharp. "Are you trying to scare us? He is in pain, and you still—"

I cut her off and pointed at Ted. "I'm not scaring anyone. His mouth smells like wine. His sleeves smell like lamb. There are crumbs from other food all over his hands.

"If you want to put on a show, at least do it properly. Do not bring tavern scraps from the next town to my door."

A few people in the crowd laughed.

"It is true. Look at his sleeves. Those are oil stains."

"I saw him drinking at the tavern last night."

"No wonder his stomach hurts. He probably mixed too many drinks."

Ted's expression soured instantly.

Winona still tried to argue, but I raised my voice. "Who will go get Dr. Peter Nelson? I will pay the fee."

I swept my gaze across the crowd. "And bring Theo too. Let him see this. He came here yesterday talking about marriage. Today, the Cobbett family shows up to smash my stall.

"Is this a coincidence? Or is someone trying to force me to sell my daughter?"

That hit harder than anything else I could've thrown at them.

Out here, people did plenty of ugly things. But they didn't like having it said out loud.

The crowd's faces shifted the moment they heard that.

Theo was the village chief. He often sided with the Cobbett family, but he couldn't admit anything like this in public.

Before long, he showed up, his face dark.

Peter came with him. He crouched down, checked Ted's pulse, then shook his head. "He didn't get sick from bad food. This is from drinking too much alcohol."

He glanced at Ted, his tone sharp. "If you keep this up, you really will hurt yourself. Get out of here. Do not make a fool of yourselves in front of this house."

Now Ted couldn't keep up the act. He clutched his stomach while a few people helped him to his feet. His head stayed low as they dragged him away.

The crowd buzzed with talk. Theo looked embarrassed. He shot Winona a hard glare.

I didn't give either of them any face. "Theo, since everyone is here, I will say this once."

I stood straight and met his eyes. "I have been a widow for seven years. I sell cakes to support myself and my daughter. I do honest work. I don't steal. I don't take what is not mine. I don't owe anyone anything.

"From now on, no one forces my daughter into marriage. No one touches my cake stall.

"If anyone tries, I will take it to the county courthouse. And when that happens, I won't be the only one who ends up looking bad."

Theo's face turned dark with anger. But there were too many people watching. He swallowed it down and said through clenched teeth, "Fine. You are something else. Just don't regret this."