Chapter 179: An Outside Man Breaks into the Boudoir?

Chapter 179: An Outside Man Breaks into the Boudoir?

Cressida had left, but Verity, Nia, and Dione stayed behind.

They stood at the garden entrance, waiting for Cressida to return while keeping an eye on the banquet to make sure nothing went wrong.

Then Verity turned her head and spotted Rose coming toward them, leaning on a maid's arm, wearing a special veil that covered her from head to toe.

Remembering Cressida's instructions, Verity immediately hissed: "Stop her!"

Before Rose could reach the banquet, Nia and Dione grabbed her at the corner of the corridor and hauled her into a nearby side room.

"Oh!" Rose stumbled and cried out in surprise.

Once she steadied herself, her first words were a cold accusation.

"Verity, Cressida is hosting the Autumn Feast today. She never said I couldn't attend. What gives you the right to keep me out?"

"Miss Cressida Hamilton gave us our instructions. Did she really need to notify you personally, Ms. Rose Hamilton?" Verity's tone was ice cold.

Rose felt the mockery dripping from every word.

"You—" She clutched her handkerchief tight and glanced toward the door, frustration flashing in her eyes.

She had set everything up so carefully. This was supposed to be the moment The Hamilton Mansion made a complete fool of itself. Patrick would blame Cressida for mismanaging the event, and that would benefit Clio too.

Rose didn't want to give up, but Verity was watching her too closely, and the woman was strong — Rose was no match for her.

Verity sent Nia and Dione back outside to watch the banquet and wait for Cressida.

She crossed her arms and stood in the doorway herself.

"Until Miss Cressida Hamilton says otherwise, you're not going anywhere. Make yourself comfortable," Verity said, and then ignored Rose completely.

Back at the banquet.

Brynn kept glancing over her shoulder.

With Cressida gone, she had no idea how to handle a room full of noble ladies on her own.

On top of that, her daughter Rita had disappeared and hadn't come back.

Jessica walked over: "Aunt Brynn, have you seen Cressida?"

She couldn't find Peter either.

Brynn shook her head. "No. She said she had something to take care of and left. That was a while ago and she still isn't back."

What were they supposed to do next? Brynn had no idea.

Should she have the food served? She wasn't sure, and she didn't dare make the call herself.

The performers on stage had finished the three pieces that had been arranged. Now they moved their sleeves slowly, waiting for the host's instructions.

The guests had already gone through a full round of tea. Why wasn't Cressida back yet? Brynn was getting anxious.

Anthony looked at her and said, "If you don't know what to do next, call for another piece. I want to hear more."

Bella clapped her hands. "Yes, I'd like that too."

Brynn felt like she'd been handed a lifeline. She immediately sent someone to tell the performers.

Hearing that another piece had been requested, the noble ladies settled back into their seats and resumed their lively chatter.

Bella gave Brynn a sideways look. "What are you waiting for? Go find Cressida. Once this piece is over, keeping them waiting any longer would be rude to the guests."

Brynn nodded quickly. "I'll go myself."

Just then, one of the household maids who usually served Brynn came running over and said — loud enough for both Bella and Anthony to hear — "Brynn, a man broke into Miss Rita Hamilton's bedroom."

Brynn went pale. "What?"

She hadn't kept her voice down. The performers faltered for a moment, and the room fell quiet as everyone turned to look.

Brynn had never been good at thinking on her feet. Her face went ashen and her heart started pounding.

With everyone watching, she knew she had to say something, but the words came out in a stumble.

"I — I'll go check..."

Before she could finish, Anthony shot to his feet and hurled his teacup at the maid.

"You stupid girl — what's this about the kitchen stoves not lighting? Are you trying to insult us?"

Sensing that Anthony was covering for Cressida, Bella immediately put on a cold, sharp expression.

"Sounds like someone's desperate to get credit for something."

Anthony glanced to the side like a little adult. Nia and Dione had already heard the commotion and hurried over.

"Tell me — are the kitchen stoves working or not? Is the food coming out today?"

Nia took one look at Brynn's maid and said, "She waits on Brynn — she has nothing to do with the kitchen. The kitchen is perfectly fine. What is she going on about?"

Brynn finally found her footing.

Her expression hardened and she pointed straight at the maid's face. "You shameless, ill-mannered girl — trying to show off in front of distinguished guests and making us all look bad."

She ordered Nia and Dione to drag the maid away.

Anthony looked on and said, "She reminds me of a servant I once knew. The moment important people showed up, all she could think about was making herself look good — didn't care at all that she was embarrassing her masters. She ended up beaten to death."

Bella nodded. "Exactly what she deserved. A servant who oversteps her place and deliberately causes a scene at her master's banquet — death is too good for her."

A few words were all it took. The noble ladies chimed in one after another.

Every household had its share of foolish servants. Once the topic came up, each mistress had her own stories to tell.

There were servants who went behind their mistress's back to flatter a concubine, or to curry favor with a concubine's sons. Others thought themselves pretty enough to catch a wealthy guest's eye at a banquet and made a spectacle of themselves trying. Such cases were everywhere.

The banquet grew lively again, and order was restored.

Only then did Anthony and Bella turn their cold eyes to Brynn.

"Well, go on then!" Bella said quietly. "I'll lend you four guards. Find the man and have him flogged on the spot."

If it weren't for Cressida, Bella would have lost her temper long ago.

But anyone could see how much work Cressida had put into this Autumn Feast. Anthony felt for her, and that was reason enough for him to step in and smooth things over — he didn't want all her effort to go to waste.

Brynn felt a flush of shame.

When it came to handling a crisis, she hadn't done half as well as Anthony, who was only seven or eight years old. The palace had sharpened him in ways she could never match.

With that thought, she quickly stood and slipped away from the banquet under the pretense of checking on the kitchen.

Pearl caught it out of the corner of her eye — not long after Brynn left, several of Princess Bella's guards who had been standing nearby quietly followed.

Something must have happened at The Hamilton Mansion, she thought.

She looked around. This was Cressida's banquet. Cressida was never careless about anything. So why had she been gone so long?

Something had definitely gone wrong.

Pearl stood up to go see for herself.

But the moment she took two steps, the maids Cressida had left behind appeared at her side with warm smiles.

"Where are you headed, Miss Pearl Gomez?"

"I'm looking for Rita."

"Miss Rita Hamilton isn't feeling well. She'll be back shortly. Why don't you return to your seat and wait, Miss Pearl Gomez?"

Pearl's expression flickered. "Where's the restroom?"

The maids led her there.

But she was a guest, after all — they could hardly stand outside the door watching her.

They waited at the garden entrance not far away.

Pearl, however, didn't come back.

She and Rita had been close once, and she'd visited Rita's room before. She knew the way.

She was determined to find out what embarrassing thing had happened at The Hamilton Mansion. If it was big enough, she could spread the word and give her sister Emily something to feel good about.

After all, it was Cressida who had taken the right to enter the ancestral hall away from them.