Sacrificial Bride to the Feared Lord Hastings-Chapter 165: Prisoner (4)

Giselle tucked the bottle back into the pouch. She had the answer she needed to get rid of Ophelia and Dante at the same time, but the hard part was finding a moment to serve the poison to both.

How was she to get near their food?

"This is frustrating," Giselle muttered.

Giselle needed an ally around, and again her mind went to Lady Cecilia.

Giselle couldn’t shake the feeling that there was trouble in the Hastings family since Cecilia didn’t show up at the palace.

"I wouldn’t be pleased with my son marrying Ophelia. She must want Ophelia out, but would the old bat meet with me?" Giselle wondered, uncertain of Cecilia accepting an invitation to speak.

Giselle tapped her fingers against her chin. "I can’t trust her."

Giselle was certain Cecilia wanted her dead just as much as she wanted Cecilia dead.

It wouldn’t surprise Giselle if Cecilia had a plot to kill her.

"I only have to be faster," Giselle plotted.

Giselle laughed as she thought of getting rid of Cecilia as well. She hated to think of how Cecilia acted during the wedding as if she were better than Giselle, despite them both being wives of lords.

"They’re all too cocky," Giselle muttered, annoyed by the Hastings family.

Instead of killing Cecilia, Giselle now thought of taking her as a prisoner and making her a maid to serve her.

It would make up for all the times Cecilia spoke down on her.

In the end, the woman who had little money to her name and no status before her marriage would be commanding Cecilia, who was better off from the moment she was born.

Giselle peered out the carriage window at where Theo was being carried back.

For a moment, Giselle thought back to the earlier days before she was Lady Valthorn. To the days she thought were her happiest when she had been with her first husband.

"How foolish I was," Giselle mumbled, finding her old happiness to mean nothing.

Giselle once mourned the loss of her first husband and wished for him to come back to her, but his death and his family sending her away from their home was the blessing she needed. It made her desperate and yearn more. Thus, she became Lady Valthorn.

If only the family had taken the children, then Giselle would have been free.

Giselle gritted her teeth when Theo came closer for her to get a better look. He always reminded her of his father.

Giselle opened the carriage door and yelled, "We must make haste, or I shall personally turn this carriage around."

Theo ignored Giselle’s screaming.

Instead, Theo looked at the guards carrying him.

"You might want to keep an eye on her. She’s who you might have assumed my sister to be. Keep her away from Ophelia as much as you can," Theo advised the group.

Theo knew Giselle wasn’t willingly going to the Hastings castle, and she wasn’t going without a plan. He didn’t know what the plan was with Giselle going to see Ophelia, but he was certain it was going to end in someone getting hurt.

Theo was placed back into his carriage so the entourage could get moving again.

Theo leaned against the door of his carriage, getting a good view of Giselle’s carriage. He had hoped there was a plot to kill his mother before she reached the castle and disturbed Ophelia’s life, but there didn’t seem to be one.

Theo closed his eyes as a pain built up throughout his body. Giselle was still punishing him for what he told her, so his medicine to relieve him of pain had been withheld.

Theo didn’t mind the pain. He could endure the pain as long as he lasted the journey to the castle to see Ophelia.

"Hold on," Theo whispered, encouraging himself to push through. He had to see Ophelia once more.

***

Inside the Hastings castle, Ophelia hurried back to Dante’s chamber after spending the day looking over the castle’s affairs.

Ophelia’s feet ached from walking around all day, but she pushed through it for Dante’s sake. She was hopeful to find Dante awake when she returned to the chamber, but to her dismay, Dante was still lying on the bed, sleeping.

Ophelia didn’t lose hope over it. The day was yet to end, so there was still some hope to hold on to for Dante not to be unconscious for more than one day.

Ophelia closed the door behind her and walked to the windows to close the drapes.

A fire had been lit in the room to keep Dante warm and to provide light.

Once finished, Ophelia took her seat beside the bed and stared at Dante. He looked peaceful, which was better for him than appearing to be in pain.

Ophelia stayed silent as she waited for any signs of movement from Dante’s end. Hours went by unnoticed until there were repeated knocks on the door, and Ophelia could tell the person outside was nervous.

Ophelia sighed. "What is it now?"

"Come in!" Ophelia yelled, her gaze yet to leave Dante.

Ophelia looked for any signs of her voice startling Dante, but he didn’t move

The door opened, revealing a frantic Alice.

"Forgive me, Lady Hastings. Duke Vale has sent word to the castle, asking to meet with Lord Hastings," Alice shared the message passed onto her.

"Lord Hastings is too busy to accept visitors at the moment. Offer our apologies to his grace and assure him that we will think of another day to welcome him. No, Dante wouldn’t say that," Ophelia said, realising her mistake.

"I think it was good," said Alice.

"It is a good response from me, and surely, a man who has been around my husband would know someone else gave the order. Dante wouldn’t welcome the duke to the castle. I don’t think he would apologise either," Ophelia said, trying to think like Dante.

"Tell the duke that he should be satisfied to be still on our land and that he is to wait until Lord Hastings has time to meet with him. Lord Hastings will decide on the palace and time, so his grace must be patient," said Ophelia.

"Right away," Alice replied and turned around to leave. She stopped before she got to the door and faced Ophelia. "You have not eaten. Should I bring you an early supper?"

All the servants started to worry that, with Ophelia’s current state, she would also fall ill.

"No," Ophelia shook her head. "I will wait until dinner to eat with everyone. You must pass on that order to the guards. We cannot have the duke coming to our gates to speak with Lord Hastings. Do it well."

Ophelia looked back at Dante. For the sake of the land, the secret needed to be well-kept.