Reborn To Change My Fate-Chapter 242 - Two Hundred And Forty One

Myra, the maid, walked a step behind Ashlyn. She carried a heavy leather traveling bag, her knuckles white from gripping the handle too tight. She was nervous. Her eyes darted back and forth, expecting a guard to jump out at any moment.

Ashlyn walked with purpose. She wore her dark traveling cloak, the hood pulled up to shadow her face. She looked like a devoted daughter rushing to her sick mother’s bedside. But her eyes were sharp, scanning the hallway ahead.

She reached the corner that led to the main staircase. She stopped abruptly.

She pressed herself flat against the cold stone wall. She reached back and grabbed Myra’s arm, pulling the maid into the shadows beside her.

"Shh," Ashlyn hissed, putting a finger to her lips.

She peeked around the corner.

There, down the long hallway, was a figure.

It was Marissa.

The Grand Duchess was standing in a small alcove near a vase of flowers. She was wearing a dark blue robe, blending in with the night. She was standing still, watching the door to Ashlyn’s room. She was waiting.

Ashlyn’s heart leaped. A wide, triumphant smile spread across her face.

"She is here," Ashlyn whispered to Myra. Her voice trembling with excitement. "She took the bait. I told you she was greedy. She cannot resist the money."

She watched Marissa for a moment longer. Marissa looked around, checking the empty hall, checking for servants. It looked suspicious. It looked exactly like a thief making sure the coast was clear.

"Go," Ashlyn whispered. "We have to make it look like we left."

Ashlyn and Myra stepped out from the corner. They walked loudly, their footsteps echoing. They walked past the main staircase, heading toward the servants’ exit, making enough noise to be heard but not enough to draw a crowd yet.

They walked until they were sure they were out of sight.

Then, Ashlyn stopped.

"Now," she commanded. "Back. Quickly and quietly."

They doubled back. They didn’t use the main hall. They slipped through a narrow servants’ passage that ran behind the walls. It was dusty and dark, smelling of old wood. It led to a small alcove that overlooked the hallway to Ashlyn’s room.

They hid in the shadows. They held their breath.

A moment later, Marissa emerged from her hiding spot.

She walked quickly toward Ashlyn’s door. But she wasn’t alone.

Another figure stepped out of the shadows behind her. This person was holding a small lantern that wasn’t lit.

Myra grabbed Ashlyn’s sleeve.

"My Lady," Myra whispered, her eyes wide with fear. "There are two of them. She brought help."

Ashlyn squinted in the darkness.

"Must be Lily," Ashlyn whispered back, dismissing the threat. "Of course she brought her maid. She needs someone to hold the bag. She needs someone to help her carry the silver."

Ashlyn smiled. It was better this way. Two thieves were better than one.

They watched as Marissa and the second figure reached the heavy wooden door. Marissa reached out. She turned the handle. The door opened easily—just as Ashlyn had left it.

Marissa stepped inside. The second figure followed. The door clicked shut, but didn’t latch completely.

The hallway was empty again.

Ashlyn leaned back against the wall. Her heart was hammering a frantic rhythm against her ribs. This was it. The trap was sprung. The mouse was in the cage.

She turned to Myra. She held up a finger.

"We give them a minute," Ashlyn instructed. She checked the small pocket watch she had pinned to her dress. "Sixty seconds. Let them get inside. Let them see the mess. Let them search for the deposit slip."

She imagined Marissa inside the room. She imagined Marissa seeing the scattered coins, the overturned chair.

Myra nodded, trembling slightly. She looked pale. "Yes, My Lady."

The seconds ticked by. It felt like an hour. Ashlyn counted in her head. Thirty... forty... fifty...

"Let’s go," Ashlyn said.

They moved fast. They abandoned stealth. They ran down the short hallway to the door.

Ashlyn reached the door first. She didn’t turn the handle gently. She burst into the room.

She shoved the door open so hard it banged against the wall.

"Aha!" she prepared to shout.

But she stopped.

It was dark inside. Pitch black. The heavy velvet curtains were drawn tight, blocking out the moonlight. The fire had died down to embers.

Ashlyn frowned in the dark. "It is clever," she thought quickly. "Marissa didn’t put on the candle. She didn’t light the lamp. She wanted to avoid being caught by the light under the door. She is smart, but I am smarter."

She grabbed Myra’s arm and pinched her.

"Now!" Ashlyn hissed.

Myra took a deep breath and screamed.

"Thieves! Thieves!" Myra shrieked. Her voice was high and piercing, designed to wake the dead. "Someone help! Help! Someone wants to harm the Second Lady! Guards! Guards!"

Ashlyn threw herself into the performance. She stumbled forward into the dark room, flailing her arms as if she were fighting off an attacker.

"Let me go!" Ashlyn shouted at the unseen intruders, grabbing at the empty air. "Release me! Who are you?"

She spun around, knocking into a table. A vase crashed to the floor.

"Take everything you want!" Ashlyn screamed, her voice sounding terrified and desperate. "Take the gold! Take the jewels! But don’t hurt me! Don’t hurt my baby!"

She backed away, toward the center of the room. She pretended to be shoved.

"Ah!" she cried out.

She let her legs buckle. She fell backward. She braced herself for the impact of the hard floor, ready to bruise herself to sell the lie.

But she didn’t hit the floor.

Someone caught her.

Steady arms wrapped around her waist. A hand gripped her arm gently but firmly, stopping her fall.

Ashlyn froze.

Her mind raced. "Marissa?" she thought. "Marissa caught me? Why would she catch me? She should be running. She should be trying to escape out the window. She should be panicking."

A spark flared in the darkness.

Fzzzt.

The sound of a match striking.

A small flame bloomed in the gloom. It grew, lighting the wick of a tall candle. The light spread, pushing back the shadows. It illuminated a face.

It wasn’t Lily holding the match.

It was Mrs. Alma.

The head housekeeper stood there, calm and stern, holding a long taper candle. She looked at Ashlyn with a mixture of concern, disappointment and deep confusion.

Mrs. Alma moved carefully. She didn’t speak. She lit the second candle on the table. Then the third. Then the oil lamp.

Soon, the room was bright.

The wreckage was visible to everyone. The overturned chair. The scattered silver coins. The torn sheets. The clothes piled on the rug. It looked exactly like what it was—a staged scene.

Ashlyn blinked, her eyes adjusting to the light. She turned her head slowly to look at the person holding her.

It was Marissa.

Marissa was holding her up, supporting her weight with surprising strength. She was dressed in her blue silk night robe, her hair tied back loosely. She looked perfectly composed. She looked fresh, as if she had just come from a bath.

Ashlyn looked at Marissa’s hands.

They were empty.

Marissa wasn’t holding a bag of stolen goods. She wasn’t holding a weapon. Her hands were empty, except for the one supporting her sister.

Ashlyn stared at Marissa’s face. Marissa’s expression was not one of guilt. It was one of sisterly worry.

"What..." Ashlyn thought, her mind reeling, her plan crumbling to dust in seconds. "Why is she holding me? Why isn’t she running? Why is Mrs. Alma here? Why aren’t they afraid?"

Marissa looked down at her. She smiled. It was a warm, gentle smile. It was the kind of smile you give to a confused child.

"Rest assured, sister," Marissa said softly. Her voice was calm and soothing.

She helped Ashlyn stand up straight. She smoothed the wrinkles on Ashlyn’s dress.

"It’s me," Marissa said. "There are no thieves here."

She kept her hand on Ashlyn’s arm, steadying her.

"You need to be careful," Marissa chided gently. "Running into a dark room like that. Screaming."

She looked at Ashlyn’s stomach.

"Remember you are pregnant," Marissa said. "Falling is dangerous for the baby. You shouldn’t be so reckless."

Marissa let go of her and stepped back.

She looked around the room. She surveyed the chaos Ashlyn had created. She looked at the gold on the floor. She looked at the broken vase. She looked at the clothes strewn everywhere.

Marissa gasped. Her hand flew to her mouth in a gesture of shock.

"Oh my!" Marissa exclaimed.

She turned to look at Ashlyn, her eyes wide.

"Why is your room in such a mess?"