Chapter 91
Michael glowered at Nicolas. “If I find out you’re the one who leaked the information, I swear you’ll pay for it!”
“I rushed after you the moment I heard you were going to the palace, how could I have had any time?” Nicolas spread his hands in an innocent gesture.
Watching Michael hastily mount his horse, he quickly added, “I’m coming with you.”
At the Duke’s Estate.
Athena kept listening anxiously for any movement outside. It wasn’t until four hours later that Nicolas finally returned to the estate.
Trina returned after gathering information and reassured her, “Don’t worry. They’ve stopped him.”
Trina poured a cup of hot drink for Athena as she spoke. “Lady Athena, Lord Monson stopped Lord Osborne right outside the palace gates. Then, when he heard that Lady Osborne was seriously ill, Lord Osborne went straight back home.”
That was all Trina could find out; anything beyond that was beyond her reach.
But Athena had already pieced it together.
Michael was always a dutiful son. But now that this incident had left Kelsey seriously ill, there was no way he could escape a harsh scolding when he returned home.
Otherwise, Nicolas wouldn’t have returned so late.
Athena thought to herself, "I couldn’t care less what punishment Michael would face. As long as he abandoned that ridiculous idea, he could be beaten to death for all I cared.”
Several days passed, and sure enough, Michael finally quieted down.
Later, the Osborne family finally announced that they had set a date for the wedding.
It was now September, and the wedding was scheduled for the 8th of next month, less than twenty days away.
Upon receiving the wedding invitation, Eloise hurried to Willow and said warmly, “Now you can rest easy, my dear. The wedding date is set, there won’t be any more changes.”
Even after several days of recovery, Willow’s face was still black and blue.
Willow hadn’t ventured out at all lately, confined to the courtyard as she nursed her injuries, looking pale and lethargic day after day.
Willow’s eyes instantly sparkled with excitement upon hearing the good news.
She took the invitation and examined it carefully, unable to suppress a soft laugh despite her bruised face.
Willow thought to herself excitedly, “At last! I’m finally going to marry Michael! From now on, I’ll be Lady Osborne!”
Eloise embraced her and whispered tenderly, “From now on, you’ll be Lady Osborne. After the wedding, mind your words and actions, and put the family’s interests first.”
“Mother, I’ll miss you terribly,” Willow murmured as she gently embraced Eloise, though the smile tugging at her lips betrayed her.
“There, there. Even though I can’t bear to part with you, you must get married after all,” she spoke.
She thought, “Willow is the precious child I’ve cherished in my palms since she was little.”
After the mother and daughter chatted affectionately for a while longer, Eloise finally emerged from Willow’s residence.
Eloise turned to the housekeeper and instructed, “Now that the marriage with the Osborne family has been arranged, it’s time to prepare Willow’s wedding gift. Take a few trustworthy people, open the storeroom, carefully inventory everything inside, and select the most valuable items, be sure to do it meticulously.
“The Osborne family isn’t just any noble house. We can’t afford to lose face. If the wedding gift is too meager, we’d become a laughingstock.”
The housekeeper’s heart skipped a beat. Eloise was talking about the wedding gift items prepared for Athena.
To her shock, it seemed that Eloise intended to misappropriate all of Athena’s wedding gift for Willow.
But she was just a housekeeper. Whatever her employer ordered, she simply did as she was told.
So the housekeeper gathered a few trustworthy servants and took them to the storeroom to take inventory.
Starling House was alive with laughter and joy.
Athena arrived early at her grandmother’s quarters, shared breakfast with her, and spent the whole morning in cheerful conversation.
Lately, Margaret Monson had been glowing with vitality, as though given a new lease on life.
In the past, Margaret would spend most of each day confined to bed.
But now, she didn’t even need afternoon naps. She even took to watering the flowers herself.
Lucky scampered playfully around Margaret’s feet as she watered the flowers with a ladle.
Droplets splashed onto Lucky’s fur, making the dog shake and sneeze repeatedly.
Margaret beamed from ear to ear. “Oh dear, did I splash water on Lucky again?” she chuckled.
She set down the ladle and scooped Lucky up into her arms.
The maid handed her a handkerchief, and Margaret gently wiped the water droplets from Lucky’s fur.
Athena linked arms with Margaret and teased with a playful smile, “Grandma, you spoil Lucky so much, I’m starting to get jealous over here!”
“Are you really jealous of Lucky?” Margaret chuckled and tapped Athena’s forehead playfully.
Athena nestled against her grandmother’s shoulder, her face glowing with happiness as she teased, “Now that Lucky has become your favorite, Grandma, I guess I’ll just have to take a back seat.”
Athena’s playful remark sent Margaret into fits of laughter.
Just then, a few servants carrying several trunks came into view not far away.
Margaret watched for a moment, her expression gradually darkening.
Margaret pointed at the group and demanded sharply, “What are they up to?”
Seeing this, Gwen Denison swiftly intercepted the servants. “Her Ladyship summons you for questioning.”
The servants hastily set down the trunks, knelt before Margaret, and replied with deference, “Your Grace, we were acting on Lady Eloise’s orders to open the storeroom and are currently taking inventory.”
“Why are you taking everything out and checking it now, of all times?” Margaret demanded, clearly puzzled.
The servants kept their heads bowed, not daring to speak.
Margaret seemed to have an inkling of what was going on. She pointed at one of the housekeepers and commanded, “You, explain yourself!”
The old servant, trembling with terror, stammered out, “Madam said… since Miss Monson’s wedding is near, we need to sort out her wedding items to avoid a last-minute rush.”
The servant hadn’t specified which girl she meant, so it didn’t immediately occur to Margaret that it might be Willow.
Margaret’s face darkened as she struggled to contain her anger. “This is absolutely outrageous! That storeroom holds the wedding items prepared for Athena. It’s not even time for her to marry yet. What possible reason could there be to open it now?”
No matter how much Eloise doted on Willow, in Margaret’s eyes, Athena was the only legitimate daughter of the Duke's.
The wedding gift naturally belonged entirely to Athena.
The servants knelt trembling on the ground, stammering, “Forgive us, Your Grace. We were merely following orders.”
Then it struck Margaret that the bride-to-be was none other than Willow.
Margaret suddenly realized. So Eloise is preparing Willow’s wedding gift!
“How dare she!” Margaret swept the cup off the table with a violent motion, sending it crashing to the floor. She was so furious that her breath came in ragged gasps.
Gwen, fearing Margaret might collapse from rage, immediately shooed everyone out. “All of you, withdraw at once! Without Her Grace’s express permission, no one is to lay a finger on Lady Athena’s wedding gift!”
The servants exchanged uneasy glances, silently confirming with each other before finally withdrawing, visibly relieved.
Margaret’s face turned deathly pale with rage. She slammed her hand against the back of her chair and spat, "That laced wretch! How dare she scheme against my granddaughter while I still draw breath! Who does she think she is?”
It was unclear whether Margaret was cursing Eloise or Willow.
Gwen quickly brought a drink and offered it to Margaret. “Your Grace, please calm yourself!”
Margaret shook her head in fury, “I can’t stomach a single sip right now.”
Athena’s heart skipped a beat. Just a few days ago, Eloise had been dropping hints, trying to get Margaret to prepare a wedding gift for Willow.
She’d shut this down once already and assumed Eloise had given up on the scheme.
Athena fumed inwardly, “To think she’d actually set her sights on me!”
The wedding gift was prepared by the family specifically for Athena. While a portion came from Eloise, the bulk of it was set aside by Margaret for her.
Athena thought to herself, “I might not care about the wedding gift, but there’s no way I’m letting Grandma’s painstaking efforts fall into someone else's hands just like that.”
Athena’s expression darkened as well. She knelt and gently patted Margaret’s back to comfort her. “Grandma, please calm down. It’s not worth ruining your health over this.”
For other matters, Margaret would have turned a blind eye.
But this matter involved Athena, so she couldn’t simply stand by and do nothing.
“Go and summon Eloise to me at once,” Margaret commanded Gwen sharply.