The next day, the Ashford mansion was alive with motion and aroma. Maids bustled up and down the grand hallways, the clatter of pots and pans mingling with the scent of roasting meats and freshly baked bread.
“Good morning,” Marcus greeted his mother as he entered the dining area, still rubbing sleep from his eyes.
“Oh, my baby!” Mrs. Ashford exclaimed, her face lighting up. “You’ve been away for years I simply couldn’t let you return without a proper welcome dinner. It was supposed to be yesterday, but you were tired… and after that unfortunate encounter with that… evil woman, I had to make it up to you!”
Marcus sighed, the weight of unspoken truth pressing against his chest. How could he tell her that the ‘evil woman’ she blamed was actually Rosey? He forced a polite smile and nodded,
