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Jessica sniffed. “I told Serena to do it. I don’t know how much she used. I just said that vicious woman should be made to suffer for two full days.”
Violet gaped at her. “You asked
Serena to do?t? Are you out of your mind? You treated Serena horribly and always made her life miserable. She’s bound to hate you for it, and you still asked her to give someone a laxative? I don’t even know what to say to you.”
Jessica was vicious and stupid!
“What do you mean I made her miserable? Since she came into the family, I’ve only hit her three times. After that, figured things were set so I let it go. But sometimes, when she behaved badly in front of me, I’d snap at her-maybe a dozen times? More, maybe. But she got used to it, and even said I was ‘teaching’ her when I scolded her.”
Jessica sniffed hard, then stretched out her hand as if to ask for a handkerchief. But when she saw their fine clothes and looked down at the simple, rough fabric of her own outfit, she quickly pulled her hand back.
“Even though don’t like Serena, this has nothing to do with her. It’s a fact that I told her to do it. The reason pushed her into the lake later was because she sold me out and revealed I was the one who told her to use the laxative.”
Sophie and Violet exchanged a glance, both unsure of what to say next.
Violet couldn’t help but think that Jessica truly was something else-bad, without a doubt, but also truly foolish.
She probably inherited her foolishness, which Eleanor must have already accepted and moved on. Otherwise, why would Eleanor have kept everything from her daughter after all those years of planning? With that thought, Violet couldn’t resist asking, “How much do you know about your mom’s situation?”
“What’s it to you?” Jessica instantly tensed, eyeing her warily. “Don’t try to frame me. I don’t know anything!”
Seeing how defensive she was, Violet decided not to push further, instead asking about the maids in her former household. She seemed to think they were trustworthy and loyal to her.
“Even after I was divorced, I didn’t take them with me. They won’t be mistreated in Ironridge Estate, and Madam Margaret is lenient. There’s no reason for them to suffer with me,” said Jessica.
Sophie raised an eyebrow. “You’ve never considered that Serena might try to harm you? How did the medicine end up switched so carelessly?”
“She wouldn’t dare,” Jessica responded firmly. “Since she entered the house, she’s relied on me for everything. Why would she try to harm me?”
“You say that, but didn’t she sell you out?”
Jessica paused, then instinctively defended Serena, explaining, “She was afraid they would find out, so she sold me out. She only added laxatives to the medicine. She didn’t actually harm anyone.” “You’re such a good person,” Violet said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Hearing the sarcasm loud and clear, Jessica turned her face away, silent.
Sophie felt the situation was a bit incredulous, but pressed on, asking, “But this concerns the family’s heir. Didn’t the Marquis of Ironridge’s family investigate further?”
Jessica sneered bitterly. “Madam
Margaret was sick, and so was
Emma, who was barely hanging on. The marquis sent a housekeeper to investigate, and after Serena ratted me out, I just admitted it. Since confessed, they didn’t pursue it further. After all, in their eyes, what kind of cruel things couldn’t I have done?”
Violet clicked her tongue in disbelief. “Unbelievable. You handed all the dirty work to Serena, without knowing what kind of drug she used or how much she put in. You look down on her, yet you trust her so much. Do you really think she won’t cause any trouble? Let me tell you, even the meekest rabbit will bite when cornered. And Serena? She’s weasel.”
Violet despised the Jaffe family and felt no surprise at all over the kind of schemes they were capable of. She believed that Serena was the true mastermind behind everything.
But Sophie didn’t see it that way. While it was clear that Jessica had ordered Serena to administer the laxative and that Serena had carried it out, there had to be someone else pulling the strings behind the scenes.
She asked, “Flora lost her child, but your husband didn’t divorce you then. Were you only divorced and cast out after you pushed Serena into the lake and they found out you were involved in usury?”
“That’s right,” Jessica admitted bitterly. “But they had already been planning to cast me out before that. It was just that they decided to pile my offenses together to make it seem more justified.”
Violet gave a cynical chuckle. “Well, don’t feel too unfairly treated. In the end, they didn’t cast you out over trying to harm the heir or the concubine. If they had, you’d be locked up for sure. Madam Margaret treated you decently, considering.”
At those words, Jessica seemed to recall something and began crying again. After her sobs subsided, she blinked her swollen eyes open, barely able to see through the narrow slits of her lids.
“I remember… When I first entered the family, Madam Margaret treated me well. But I was arrogant and unruly. I thought, with my parents backing me, I could look down on everyone. I even thought Madam Margaret was trying to suck up to me.
“After my mom was imprisoned and my dad was executed, I truly thought the sky was falling. When I was downgraded to commoner status, thought they would be desperate to get rid of me. But… I never expected they’d still keep me around until now,” she said.
Sophie suddenly asked, “What kind of person was Lady Emma? You knew her for so many years. You must know her nature better than anyone.”
Jessica thought back on all the years of tangled emotions and conflicts with Emma, who had since passed away. Death was like a light that had gone out, and in hindsight, most of the things that had angered Jessica seemed to be her own fault. She was always nitpicking and finding fault where there was none. After a long silence, she finally spoke softly, “Actually, she was a good person. She was devoted, kind-hearted, and gave birth to an heir for the marquis. She managed the household’s affairs for many years. If she hadn’t miscarried last year, her health wouldn’t have deteriorated so quickly.” “She miscarried last year?” Violet asked.
“Yes. Her health was always fragile. The physician advised her against getting pregnant again, but she unintentionally became pregnant. The child was frail and couldn’t be saved. After the miscarriage, her body was severely weakened. If it hadn’t been for that, she wouldn’t have died so young,” Jessica explained.
Sophie remembered asking Luke about Emma, but it seemed that he hadn’t mentioned this. He had only said that she had suffered a lasting illness after giving birth to her second child. It was clear now that Giles might know much more than he let on, but hadn’t told Luke everything-only selected bits and pieces.
Violet sighed inwardly. It seemed that Emma was truly a good person. Even someone as sharp-tongued and venomous as Jessica spoke well of her, so it had to be true.
Such a capable and intelligent woman, yet she had been repeatedly harmed by pregnancy-related complications, ultimately leading to her untimely death. It was truly a tragic waste.
“You’re sure you never killed any of the servants?” Violet asked again.
Jessica looked wounded. “No, I didn’t. I admit I’ve hit and scolded people, but not often. Madam Margaret didn’t like me, and most of the people around me were my own. If I needed to vent my frustration or anger, it was always directed at my own people.” During the ride back in the carriage, Violet completely abandoned the idea of driving Jessica away.
Sophie spoke up, “Let’s each say who we suspect.”
“Alright,” Violet replied.
The two of them looked at each other, and the names came out in unison.
“Serena!”
“Lady Emma and Serena.”
Violet stared in shock. “You suspect Emma? How could that be? Not to mention she’s dead, but even when she was alive, she was too sick to get out of bed. How could it have been her?”
Sophie analyzed the situation with her, “If you were Serena…”
“Ugh, I’m not!” Violet spat.
Sophie nodded. “Fine. If Travis was Serena, after entering the marquis’ household, she would’ve made an enemy of Jessica. Wouldn’t she have needed to find a powerful backer?”
“Just say it’s Serena, don’t bring up Rod. I really don’t want to run into him later and feel the urge to punch him.” Violet tilted her head, considering. “You make a valid point, but didn’t Serena manage to get Jessica on her side?”
“Getting Jessica on her side wouldn’t really help. She didn’t have power in the household and was always bullying her. Serena couldn’t make a connection with Madam, Margaret, and the Marquis of Ironridge didn’t like her much either. If Serena wanted to stand her ground, she’d have to rely on Lady Emma, who had authority over the household. Of course, this is just my guess. It’s not necessarily the truth,” said Sophie.
Violet agreed with this line of reasoning. “True. Serena couldn’t have relied on Jessica. The marquis doesn’t like her either, and Serena is an opportunist. She must understand Emma’s ove value-someone who gave birth to the eldest son in the family and has control of the household.”
“Exactly. If we assume that is the case, Serena must have already been working with Lady Emma. But, for one, she couldn’t directly oppose Jessica, the primary wife at the time. Two, Lady Emma and Jessica didn’t have an open feud, so Serena played both sides. When Jessica asked her to administer the laxative, she immediately told Lady Emma, who knew her time was running out. With the Marquis of Ironridge liking Lady Flora, who was pregnant, Lady Emma had to plan for her children’s future…”