章 18: Henry Berbill
Evangeline managed to take her medicine, order some food, and rest. After that, she slipped into a black satin dress and black heels, deciding to check on the greenhouse. Unfortunately, when she arrived, she found some plants already dead and they were neglected. She sighed heavily, summoning the gardening servants to help her replant new flowers. They followed her to the greenhouse with her special tools, apron, and gloves, which she promptly wore.
She began replanting the dead flowers, carefully covering the seeds with soil with her gloved hands and watering them with a special ceramic watering can—a gift from one of her admirers at a family event. Evangeline had a knack for gardening, and the whole process was oddly therapeutic for her. Just as she was tending to a particularly stubborn plant she noticed , a guard approached and bowed.
"My Lady, there's an emergency."the guard announced, trying to keep his voice steady as he watched Evangeline's intense gardening skills.
Evangeline froze mid-watering, her heart skipping a beat. "Is it Grandmother?!"
"No, it's your bodyguard. He's been injured and is unconscious at a motel. Magdalene had to fetch him," the guard replied.
Evangeline's eyes widened in shock. She hastily removed her gloves, handing them to a servant, and hurried off with the guard. "Take me to Richard," she ordered.
In his room, Richard lay on the bed with bandages covering his torso. He groaned, replaying the stranger's words in his mind. "Who's he?" Richard muttered, holding his head. "And the mission... the mission," he mumbled to himself, breathing heavily.
Magdalene sat beside his bed, observing him quietly. When Richard noticed her, he struggled to sit up, wincing. "Thank you... Magdalene," he said, taking the medicinal soup she handed him.Just then, Evangeline stormed into the room, her heels clicking furiously against the floor. Magdalene and Richard turned their heads towards Evangeline.
"Richard!" she shouted, rushing over. She turned to Magdalene, her eyes sharp. "What happened? How did you find him at the motel?"
"A friend of mine works there. She recognized Richard as your bodyguard from the newspaper, so she sent someone to me I had to bring him back," Magdalene explained, bowing her head.
Evangeline's expression softened as she looked down at Richard, who was staring at her like a guilty puppy. She gently stroked his hair as if he were a stray lost cat . "I'm glad you're okay, but you have some explaining to do and I want only the truth," she said firmly. Her hand slipped to his thigh, caressing it seductively Magdalene, noticing this, tightened her grip on her skirt, her knuckles turning white. She fought the urge of jealousy at Evangeline touching Richard possessively and Evangeline wasn't aware of this jealousy.
"Yes, Evangeline, you can ask," Richard replied nervously, knowing full well where this was heading.
"What were you doing at a motel? What's your mission there? Are you seeing someone else?!" Evangeline demanded, pinching him sharply on his thigh with jealousy.
"Ouch! I... I... I," Richard stammered, rubbing the sore spot. "I had an appointment," he finally blurted out, trying to dodge the truth. The thought of telling her he went to sleep with women because, well, what else is a motel used for, seemed like a bad idea. So he kept that part to himself.
"An appointment with who?" Evangeline's eyes narrowed suspiciously as she smacked him on the head. Richard yelped, rubbing the back of his head.
"Ow! Well, with an old acquaintance," Richard lied, mixing some truth with fiction. "But it turned out to be a trap, and I got into a fight. That's how I got injured," he coughed, hoping his story would hold. Evangeline seemed to believe him, but Magdalene wasn't convinced. She knew Richard wouldn't cross certain boundaries with Evangeline, especially not venturing past her "gates of womanhood." Instead, he visited the motel to satisfy his needs. Amused by the scene, she stifled a giggle as Richard continued to stammer.
"You need to be more careful," Evangeline said, noticing the soup. "You need to eat. I believe this is for you," she added, spooning some soup into Richard's mouth. He opened wide, almost like a baby bird, and Magdalene had to bite her lip to keep herself from laughing.
"My lady," Magdalene interjected, standing up. "Dominic requires a meeting with you in the office. Also, the police have sent an officer to speak with you about the investigation."she said to Evangeline bowing her head.
Evangeline sighed dramatically, still feeding Richard. "What does that man want now?" she scoffed. Richard sipped the soup from the spoon like a child, Magdalene's fingers started fidgeting
"Tell him I'll be there soon. Let me finish here first," Evangeline instructed, dabbing Richard's mouth with a napkin. "I'm sorry you're going through this. I'll find out who did this to you, and hunt him down " she vowed, her eyes burning with determination. Richard shook his head, squeezing her hand.
"No, Evangeline, it'll be dangerous for you. I'll handle it myself," he insisted, his thumb brushing over her hand.
"Are you sure?" she asked, her brow furrowing with concern.
"Yes, it's a manly thing. Something a man must handle alone. I don't need your help," Richard said, trying to sound confident, not wanting to bother her with an issue he could handle himself.
"Alright," Evangeline conceded, standing up and handing him the soup. "I'll go back to the greenhouse and deal with some matters. Dominic is waiting." Richard nodded as she left, shutting the door behind her. He sighed and continued sipping the soup alone, feeling a mixture of relief and tiredness.
Meanwhile, back in the office, after hearing Evangeline's response from Magdalene, Dominic gave a dismissive wave. As Magdalene left, Caleb walked in, dropping a file on Dominic's desk while Dominic sipped from a glass of wine.
"I've done some digging on Richard, and Evangeline rejected the gift," Caleb said, tapping his finger on the file. Dominic's eyebrows rose in interest.
"That's good," Dominic replied with a sly smile. Caleb placed a box next to the file, and Dominic chuckled by recognizing the box, knowing she would reject it. Opening the file and going through the information on her bodyguard, his eyes fell on a name: "Henry Berbill." The name triggered some memories about Richard, and Dominic stared at the paper, deep in thought.
~CHAPTER END~
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