Chapter 193
Two prison guards heard Malfoy confess to instructing Grace Bennett to poison Andrew. Moreover, the entire meeting between Asher and Malfoy had been under police surveillance. As a detained suspect, Malfoy’s confession to directing Grace’s poisoning constituted criminal evidence. With this crucial testimony, the police investigation could proceed much more efficiently.
Simultaneously, Asher had assigned his people to assist the investigation, uncovering that a servant at the Blackwood residence had witnessed Grace adding something suspicious to Andrew’s health tonic. Following the principle that less trouble is better than more, the servant had kept quiet at the time. Now that everything had come to light, and since Grace had long been expelled from the Blackwood family, the servant provided a detailed account when questioned by the police.
When this news reached Lady Blackwood, she was overcome with anguish. “What a travesty! Truly a travesty!” Lady Blackwood beat her chest in despair. “I thought she was merely confused and manipulated by villains. I believed she wasn’t inherently wicked. Never did I imagine she would poison her own adoptive father!” Tears streamed from her clouded eyes. “How could this happen? How could she be so vicious?” the elderly woman wailed.
Catherine sat by Lady Blackwood’s hospital bed, her expression contemptuous. “Mother, I warned you ages ago that Grace harbored impure intentions, but you dismissed my concerns.” From the moment Grace had begun targeting Thalia, occasionally whispering disparaging remarks about her to Lady Blackwood, Catherine had cautioned the old woman about Grace’s dubious character. Lady Blackwood had completely disregarded these warnings.
In truth, Lady Blackwood had never particularly liked Catherine as a daughter-in-law. Mother-in-law conflicts were as old as time, and aristocratic families were no exception. Years ago, when Andrew had his affair, the old lady detested his mistress but simultaneously blamed Catherine. In her view, Fiona was morally corrupt for seducing a married man—certainly no decent woman. But equally, Catherine was inadequate for failing to keep her husband in line. During Andrew’s affair, Lady Blackwood had actually blamed Catherine more than Andrew. As the saying goes, “There’s no cat that doesn’t steal fish.” In Lady Blackwood’s eyes, Andrew had merely committed an error that all men were prone to.
When Fiona had appeared heavily pregnant to confront the family, Catherine had become suicidal, even threatening to jump from a window. In Lady Blackwood’s opinion, this completely lacked the dignity expected of a Blackwood wife—showing no skill in managing the situation, only resorting to threats of self-harm. She looked down on Catherine and despised Fiona even more. Catherine had long sensed her mother-in-law’s disdain. Over the years, she and Lady Blackwood had maintained only a veneer of civility. Now, with the old woman hospitalized after a heart attack triggered by anger, Catherine made perfunctory visits, keeping up appearances while internally indifferent to her mother-in-law’s fate. If Lady Blackwood died, Catherine could finally enjoy a life unburdened. This wasn’t malice—simply human nature.
That’s why Catherine herself had personally informed Lady Blackwood about Grace poisoning Andrew. After a bout of cursing and crying, Lady Blackwood eventually shifted the blame onto Catherine. “Look at the daughter you’ve raised!” Lady Blackwood contorted with bitterness as she berated Catherine. “What have you turned her into all these years?” “Hah,” Catherine laughed with incredulity. “You certainly excel at deflecting blame. Wasn’t Grace by your side more often? Wasn’t she your precious granddaughter?”
At this point, Catherine no longer cared to maintain pretenses and confronted the old woman directly. “Are you suggesting I turned her into this?” Lady Blackwood was furious. “You’re so skilled with children, aren’t you?” Catherine remarked with venomous sarcasm. “First Andrew, now Grace—each more impressive than the last.” “You, you, you…” Lady Blackwood nearly choked on her rage. At that moment, there was a knock at the door. It was mealtime, likely the caretaker bringing food. Catherine composed herself and said, “Come in.”
The caretaker entered with a thermal container, set up a small table, and laid out the food. “My Lady, I’ve slow-simmered this cordyceps chicken soup for five hours. Please try it…” “Take it away! I won’t eat!” Lady Blackwood snapped. Though her words were directed at the caretaker, her eyes remained fixed on Catherine, burning with fury. Catherine’s lips curled into a slight smile as she picked up her handbag and walked out.
Rupert brought Lena to visit Thalia. Opening the hospital room door, they found quite a lively gathering inside. Charlotte and Victoria had arrived together just minutes earlier. Victoria was playfully showing Thalia a Hermès handbag. “Darling, I flew specially to France to get this for you—it’s not even available here yet! It’s guaranteed to cure all ailments. Accept this bag, and you’ll recover in no time.” Charlotte stood nearby, holding a Cartier box, smiling as she said, “Thalia, I bought this bracelet for you.”
Thalia smiled. “You didn’t need to bring gifts—it’s not a holiday or anything.” “We’re looking forward to your speedy recovery so we can all have fun together again,” Victoria explained with a grin. “Without you, even the male models I hire don’t seem as appealing anymore.” Sebastian’s expression darkened at this remark. He gave Victoria a light tap on the back of her head. “You’re still hiring male models?” “Ow, ow, ow,” Victoria rubbed her head, turning to glare playfully at Sebastian. “I was just joking with Thalia to lighten the mood. Why are you taking it so seriously?” “Why do you always say things specifically to wind me up?” Sebastian retorted.
Thalia smiled, then caught sight of Rupert and Lena in the doorway. Her voice softened as she said, “Mr. Lysander and Lena are here.” Rupert led Lena toward the bed. Lena handed Thalia a bouquet of fresh flowers. “Miss Thalia, get well soon.” Thalia accepted the flowers with a smile, gently patting Lena’s head. “Thank you, Lena.” “This is for you,” Rupert extended his hand toward Thalia. In his palm lay something small and golden. It was a delicate pendant. It appeared to be a Guardian Angel Charm.
Rupert’s expression remained neutral. “A Guardian Angel Charm from St. Paul’s Cathedral.” “St. Paul’s?” Lucy looked at the charm in Rupert’s hand with surprise. “My mum got one exactly like that last month.” Rupert’s lips pressed together slightly, saying nothing. Lucy glanced up at Rupert, her expression somewhat perplexed. “These charms are incredibly difficult to obtain properly. Mum told me you have to arrive at the crack of dawn, have a doll blessed by the priest, then go up to the Whispering Gallery. So many people believe that if you whisper your wish there, it’s more likely to be heard—they even call it the ‘Echo Wall of Wishes.’”
She paused briefly before continuing. “And then you’re supposed to pray under the great dome. Many worshippers choose to pray silently directly beneath the dome—they say it’s the most effective way to have your prayers reach heaven. You can sit on the bench with your eyes closed in prayer, or light a candle to offer your wish.” She hadn’t expected Mr. Lysander would go to such lengths for Thalia. Even as the staunch leader of the “Thalia and Asher” fan club, Lucy found her conviction wavering slightly at this moment.
Hearing Lucy’s explanation, Thalia raised her eyes to look at Rupert. The man maintained his gentle, refined demeanor. Behind his gold-rimmed glasses, his handsome eyes contained emotions she couldn’t quite decipher. Hadn’t he said he only considered her a good friend? If they were merely friends, why would he go to such extraordinary lengths? Rupert remained silent, simply meeting Thalia’s gaze steadily.