Chapter 3

Gunner practically fled.

"Is it done?" I asked Daisy.

She nodded, replying, "Done.

"I threw them down the old abandoned well."

As she reached this part of the story, her entire face lit up with a look of pure satisfaction.

I used to have two handmaidens who were also my personal guards, both skilled in combat.

One, a girl named Rose Blake, had offended Clara and was supposedly "sold off," only for her body to be found in that same well the next day.

As for Willow Green, her crime was even simpler. She was bringing me the bowl of warm custard, spiced with rare saffron, that I had asked for. When Clara demanded it, Willow refused. The next morning, her body was found in that same cold well.

When I demanded justice, Gracie Norton, Gunner's mother, dismissed it as a tragic "accident."

Clara just wept and swore she knew nothing.

Well, now they could all explain themselves to Rose and Willow at the bottom of the well.

The next morning, Gracie swept into my room, brandishing a single finger of mandrake root.

"Here! The mandrake root you were dying for!" she sneered. "Why don't you just choke on it and die?

"You lose one measly daughter, and you act like the world is ending! You're demanding the mandrake root as if you were queen. What will you demand tomorrow? A unicorn's horn?

"Only a weak fool like Gunner would indulge you!

"You are a disgrace!"

"Clara is carrying the golden heir of this family! You, the main wife, should be doting on her, not competing with her! You have no dignity! If you ask me, you should step aside and let a worthy woman like Clara take your place!"

Daisy took the box and flicked it open.

With two fingers, she lifted the pathetic root. It couldn't have weighed more than a few grams.

Daisy sneered, "My, my, has the great Norton Manor fallen on such hard times? You can't even produce a decent root?

"I seem to recall a prized, aged root was among the treasures my lady brought to this marriage.

"Don't tell me it was given away to one of the lord's mistresses again?

"I may be just a maid, but I've never heard of a noble house raiding the wife's personal fortune to keep a common mistress in comfort."

Gracie's face, and that of the matron beside her, turned thunderous.

She gave a slight nod, and her matron, Mira Burks, her vicious lapdog, stepped forward, making to slap Daisy across the face.

Gracie gave the barest of signals, and Mira immediately grew bold. "You filthy little creature!" she spat. "Who do you think you are, speaking to Her Ladyship like that? Utterly shameless!"

She then fixed Vivian with a look of feigned disappointment. "And as for you, my lady, are you really going to let your own handmaiden run her mouth so freely? A true lady would have better control.

"Since none of you know your place, I will teach you a lesson on Her Ladyship's behalf!"

"Daisy, step back," I said calmly.

I looked at Gracie, who had only brought her one pet lackey with her, and a real smile touched my lips.

Even she knew what a joke it was to bring me a mandrake root smaller than her pinky finger. She didn't dare bring a bigger audience for her humiliation.

I let it go. What was the point? In a house this grand, every corner held its own mockery.

I suppose I could be charitable. I could help them.

I took the long spear Daisy handed me and, in one fluid motion, lunged. Mira, who was about to teach me a lesson, gasped, blood sputtering from her lips.

But she wasn't dead yet.

"Oh, my apologies," I said, offering a sickeningly sweet smile. "Don't you worry. I'll get it right the next time.

"It's been a long time since I've held a spear, especially since they shattered the bones in my wrist. I'm a bit out of practice."

I ripped the spear free and, with perfect aim, drove it straight through her heart.

Her eyes widened in terror, but the scream died in her throat. This one used to delight in tormenting me. Two strikes felt far too merciful.

Truly, I was far too kind.

Gracie watched in horror, her body going limp as she crumpled to the floor.

"You..." she stammered, her face a mask of horror. "You... you..."

Scrabbling on all fours like an animal, she began to crawl desperately for the door.

I seized her by the hair, yanking her back. "Daisy," I commanded, "shut the door."

As the door clicked shut, Gracie started to tremble, a puddle forming beneath her.

Her shock was immediate. Her fear was even greater. She wasn't scared that I could lift the spear. She was terrified that I could still kill with it.

That's why they tried everything to cripple me so that I could never leave this pretty little prison.

I crouched down, grabbed the tiny mandrake root, and shoved it into her mouth.

"Gracie," I cooed. "You drugged your own son.

"You let his concubine walk all over me, his wife.

"You stole my money to fund this house and spoil his mistress.

"You've brought nothing but shame to this family."

She shivered uncontrollably.

"I... I was wrong... I'll give it all back... I'll give it all back... I won't interfere with Clara anymore... or you and Gunner... I'm Gunner's mother, after all..." she stammered.

I hooked a finger under her chin, lifting her flawlessly preserved face. Then I stepped back and brought my foot down, grinding my heel into her cheek.

"You're not sorry you were wrong," I sneered. "You're just sorry you're about to die."

Watching the terror in her eyes was amusing for a moment.

Then it was just boring.

I had a mountain of evidence against her, but I was not a judge. I had no interest in reading a list of her sins.

I was tired of the fear in her eyes.

I thrust the spear into her heart and pulled it out.

Surprisingly, for all her soft skin, she was tough. Even with a pierced heart and blood pooling around her, she clung to life.

I looked at Daisy, expecting to see horror. But there was none. In her eyes, a bright light had been kindled. It was the exultant joy of seeing a queen who had just taken back her power.

"My lady!" she exclaimed. "Where should I put these two?"

I frowned at Gracie, still twitching on the floor.

"Dump them outside the city walls," I said flatly. "These old hags will stink up the place."

The words had barely left my mouth when I heard a sound from the doorway.

"Who's there?" I snapped.