Chapter 81 Echo Gets Promoted
Cressida walked into the courtyard, where Echo was hiding in the shade under the corridor.
Seeing Cressida return, she immediately stepped forward, but didn't dare walk out where everyone could see her.
"Come inside to talk," Cressida said.
Once inside the room, Echo immediately knelt on the ground, her pale forehead covered in cold sweat.
"Ms. Cressida Hamilton, please save me."
"Whose child are you carrying?" Cressida asked.
Echo's eyes widened: "Mr. Patrick Hamilton's, of course."
Cressida took a few sips of cold tea and said calmly, "If it's my father's, what do you need me to save you from?"
Echo was stunned.
Emma immediately helped her up: "Ms. Cressida Hamilton sent you to serve Mr. Patrick Hamilton, and now you're pregnant - this is your good fortune."
Ingrid also said, "Why talk about saving or not? You should think about how to enjoy the good days ahead!"
Echo couldn't believe it. Her eyes glistened with tears as she looked at Cressida.
"Ms. Cressida Hamilton, but if Mrs. Clio Hamilton finds out, she still holds my contract."
"Echo," Cressida's expression was calm, "this is the Hamilton Mansion. My father is the head of this household. You're pregnant, which is a great achievement. Even if she holds your contract, it's useless. I'll speak to my father for you."
Echo felt like she'd been pardoned, crying and trying to kowtow to Cressida.
Cressida raised her hand slightly: "Take care of yourself. I'll go find my father at dinner tonight."
"Thank you, Ms. Hamilton!"
Echo left the courtyard.
"Ms. Hamilton," Emma poured more tea for Cressida, "are you really going to promote Echo?"
Cressida nodded.
Although she didn't want Patrick to have any more sons who could inherit the title.
But Echo's pregnancy came at just the right time. Now that Michael was an idiot, Patrick really needed this boost.
Ingrid reminded her: "Ms. Hamilton, you can't completely trust Echo. You're raising her up now, but there's no guarantee she won't be ungrateful later."
It was Cressida's idea to have Echo seduce Patrick.
Things went as smoothly as Cressida had imagined.
But what Ingrid said made sense too.
"Ingrid, secretly pick two people to send over to serve her after she's promoted."
"Yes."
That evening, Cressida went to dine with Patrick and brought up the matter.
Patrick was extremely happy, even overjoyed.
He couldn't even finish his meal. He immediately stood up and carefully held Echo's waist, looking at her still-flat belly.
"Echo, are you really pregnant?"
Echo nodded shyly, her cheeks flushed red.
Patrick exclaimed: "Good, this is wonderful!"
He'd taken concubines before, but except for Clio, none of them had ever gotten pregnant.
Over time, Patrick had even suspected there was something wrong with him.
He never expected Echo's pregnancy to bring him such a surprise.
Cressida said: "Father, now that Echo is pregnant, she can't stay with me to serve anymore."
"Of course not!"
"But Echo's contract is still with Mother. If I go ask for it, she probably won't give it to me."
"You don't need to go, I'll have Noah do it," Patrick said, then immediately changed his mind, "Actually, I'll go myself!"
He quickly went out, looking delighted.
Cressida looked at Echo, who was touching her braid with a distracted smile, her cheeks bright red.
Clio made a huge scene, smashing everything in the room.
At first she refused to give it up, but Patrick actually used what Cressida had said before to pressure her.
"Why didn't those concubines get pregnant before? You know perfectly well! You poisonous woman, you want to end the Hamilton family line!"
Getting angrier, he swung his hand and slapped Clio across the face. She fell heavily to the ground.
The maid beside her tried to help Clio up, but shrank back under Patrick's furious glare.
"Today you'll give it whether you want to or not!"
"Mr. Hamilton, you might as well kill me!" Clio's hoarse voice wailed.
Patrick took a deep breath: "Looks like you want to go to the estate with Michael to recover?"
Clio's expression froze.
"Mr. Hamilton, you don't want Michael anymore? That slut Echo's child - we don't even know if it's a boy or girl!"
Patrick raised his hand to hit her again, but was held back tightly by Clio's trusted Nanny.
Nanny knelt down, crying: "Mr. Patrick Hamilton, Mrs. Clio Hamilton has a heart condition, you absolutely can't hit her anymore. I'll get it for you, I'll go get it!"
Nanny scrambled on hands and knees, dug Echo's contract out of a trunk, and handed it to Patrick.
"I've been good enough to you, more than fair. Don't be ungrateful from now on!" Patrick snorted coldly and left with a wave of his sleeve.
Clio sobbed loudly, held by Nanny.
Clio beat her chest hard, desperately wanting to release the anger stuck there, but it only got worse.
"It's all Cressida's fault! That bastard, that curse! Sending a maid to seduce her own father." Clio gasped for air like a dying fish, her eyes bloodshot.
"Ms. Cressida Hamilton wants to anger you to death, Mrs. Clio Hamilton. You must not fall for it!"
Clio kept crying: "Tell Rose to hurry up and do that thing for me. I don't want to see Cressida here anymore. I hate Cressida!"
Cressida forced her into this!
Since Cressida wouldn't let Clio have peace, then Clio would use what Cressida feared most as a knife to stab her with!
Cressida didn't want her identity exposed, so Clio would make sure everyone knew that Cressida had committed the crime of deceiving the king!
Clio stared wide-eyed, her hysterical appearance making even the dancing firelight on the table look sinister in her eyes.
Echo's pregnancy made Patrick happiest of all.
He not only had Mabel give Echo a chest full of gifts, but also arranged a comfortable courtyard for her with four servants.
What's more, Patrick hired a doctor to live on the estate to check Echo's pulse at any time.
After getting pregnant, Echo became Patrick's favorite.
But Echo listened to Cressida very carefully. Even though her status was raised, she didn't dare act proud.
Every day, except for going to Patrick's place, Echo stayed in her own room.
Emma said: "I heard Mrs. Hamilton has everything she eats tested for poison four times. Even the palace only tests three times."
"She's most afraid of Mother harming her. Being careful is good." Cressida adjusted her robe and left the courtyard, going out the back door to get into the Prince's palace carriage.
Previously Cressida only went at night, but a few days ago she had Verity take a message to Miguel, asking when he was free to meet. He set it for today during the day.
Later Cressida asked Verity and learned that today was Anthony's birthday.