The Lady's Guide to Destroying a Lord

Synopsis

Richard Stanton, my husband's father, returned to the manor today with two unexpected guests. Behind him stood an alluring, elegant woman and a teenage girl, their faces sharing a dead seven-tenths resemblance. I stood behind Helen Stanton, my husband's mother, keeping my eyes lowered. My husband, Edward Stanton, stood across from me, his gaze entirely glued to the young girl, unable to pull away. The great hall was crowded, the air heavy and damp like a wet cloth. Richard was still covered in the dust of his journey, wearing his full armor with his hand resting heavily on the hilt of his sword. His voice grated like a blade scraping against stone. "Dear, this is Margaret Lane. She will reside in this manor as an equal wife of the house from now on." He pointed at the older woman. Helen, the lawful mistress of the Stanton family, did not let her smile falter in the slightest. She even stepped forward, warmly taking Margaret's hand. "You must be exhausted from the journey, my dear," she said. I observed the fine lines around her eyes, each one crinkling with perfectly measured delight. Richard looked entirely satisfied. He then turned his attention to his son, my husband. "Edward, this is Charlotte Lane, Margaret's daughter. She is to be your new bride." Edward's face flushed instantly, driven by pure excitement rather than shame. He opened his mouth, the words of gratitude nearly spilling from his lips before he swallowed them back, offering a firm nod instead. No one looked at me. I stood there like an engraving on the hall pillars, a physical presence without a single shred of value. Richard was marrying the mother, and Edward was marrying the daughter. Helen and I were mother and daughter by marriage. On this single day, the vast Stanton Manor held two grand weddings. It was quite the celebration. I twisted my hands tightly within my sleeves, my nails digging into my flesh without registering a single trace of pain.