Chapter 72

"The conversation didn't go as I expected." Sophia raised her brows skeptically. "Mrs. Belle is a confusing bitch."

"Stop with your cursing. I'm your mother." Carina rolled her eyes.

"She said cryptic things all over breakfast. Mainly to her son. I couldn't make sense of anything."

"You failing to understand? Well that's a first." Carina rolled her eyes again.

"What bothers me most, is why she asked me there. I had no point. Why would she do such a meaningless thing? Surely she didn't want to chit chat with me and her least favourite child."

Sophia snorted, "Nathan is her least favourite?" Carina nodded, sipping her favourite tea.

"Nathan drops hints all of the time. She never gave him much attention since he was a child." It made sense. No wonder she fawned over Cecilia so much.

"You should ask Nathan about it. Why she called you two. It's rather suspicious." Carina nodded, thinking hard about something. She was so easy to read nowadays. "Is something the matter, Carina?"

"Yeah. Why?" She straightened up as of habit. Her father would do the same if questioned.

"Just a motherly hunch. " Sophia's voice dipped a little. "Something is distracting you." Carina held her eyes. They seemed clearer.

"I've enough reasons to be distracted, Mother. I'm not a child. Focus on your tea instead." Sophia smirked. She always had that bite to her. It made her special.

"Morning sickness," Lyanna casually said. "It's a normal symptom of carrying a child. You have no reason to look like a homeless man for." Thomas blushed a bit at the casual insult. It wasn't entirely one. He did look far worse than he should. People could mistake he was the one that got sick this morning.

"Mother, be kind. Thomas is just worried. He doesn't know anything about childbirth." His pale looking wife quipped from her side of the bed. She had emptied her stomach thrice this morning. Thomas had, thanks to God, never witnessed her getting sick. Not even a fever. So he found himself worrying to death at her state. She was carrying his child. His lack of knowledge only gave him more anxiety.

"Well you're going to get a lot more sick from now on. Prepare yourselves. I had to vomit every day when I was having Nathan." She had a ghost of a smile on her lips.

"Yes I remember vaguely." Cecilia chuckled. She turned to her husband. "I'll be alright honey. You can relax. I have mother and my maids. They're always here to help." Thomas gave a nod, smiling a little. Cecilia smiled brighter. He cared so much for them. He was going to be such a great father.

"Rest for a bit. Thomas come with, I have to discuss a thing or two." Lyanna gracefully exited the room as Thomas followed suit, even more anxious now. Cecilia sighed. There were so many things going on. Her brother's death still gave her nightmares. And a lot of bitterness towards Carina. She paraded around as if everything was lovely.

"Such an avarice", she muttered under her breath. The more days passed, the more resentful she became towards the newly widowed girl.

Thomas took quick steps after Lyanna to her office. She asked him to take a seat and slipped in hers. Thomas visually looked panicked. Mrs. Belle and Mrs. Howards were competing head to head in 'The Most Scary Creature In My Life' competition, followed closely by the monster under his five year old self's bed.

"I'll be straight about this", she said in her usual calculative tone, "I want you to answer me some questions. With total honesty." He nodded and gulped. "If you were to lie or refuse to answer, the outcome would simply be", her voice lowered to something acidy, "The end of our contract." Thomas flinched at that. This woman was morbidly serious. Even God couldn't save him now.

"I don't know why you think I'd lie to you, Mother. I've done everything you've asked all these years."

She gave a saccharine sweet smile. Obviously, painfully, fake tone seeping,"I don't doubt you, Son, I'm just making sure you know what exactly is at stake." His marriage. Possibly his life. Surely she wasn't going to ask him his favourite candy. It was about Carina. He already knew. He nodded, eager to get this over with.

"Did Carina kill Charles?"

"No", his reply was quick. Atleast it wasn't a lie. She remained neutral.

"Did Sophia kill Charles?" He repeated his answer, more confident this time.

"If I were to throw Carina in the prison, what would you do?" That caught him off guard. He hadn't actually considered that possibility.

"Please clarify what you want to hear from me exactly. " He was starting to sweat. This damn woman.

"I'm asking, would you betray me and your wife and child or not?" The silence was thick in the room. Sophia nodded at his answer, moving on. Thomas felt like crying. "I'm going to give you a task. You're going to complete it. If you don't, you know what I'll do." His hands shook violently, lip caught in his teeth.

She explained it to him calmly. The same way she had spoken to him all those years ago. Coaxed him to come with her, to leave the Howards behind. She hadn't changed at all.

At the end of her words, Thomas stood up.

"Yes, Mother."

He hadn't changed either.