The Accusation
975 Words
The loud crash echoed through the mansion like thunder.
Lena’s heart jumped as she and Adrian rushed out of the study and into the hallway.
Servants were already running toward the grand staircase, whispering nervously among themselves.
“What happened?” Lena asked one of the maids.
“I don’t know,” the maid said breathlessly. “Something broke in the main hall.”
Adrian moved quickly down the stairs, Lena following a few steps behind.
When they reached the ground floor, they saw the source of the noise.
A large glass vase lay shattered across the marble floor.
Water and white lilies were scattered everywhere.
Mr. Harrison stood nearby, his face dark with anger.
“What is going on here?” he demanded loudly.
The servants froze in place.
Mrs. Dalton stepped forward.
“Sir, we heard a noise and came immediately.”
Mr. Harrison looked around the room with suspicion.
“This vase has been here for fifteen years,” he said coldly. “It doesn’t simply fall over.”
His sharp eyes moved across the servants.
“Someone touched it.”
A nervous silence filled the hall.
Lena kept her head down, hoping not to attract attention.
But then Mr. Harrison’s gaze suddenly stopped on her.
“You,” he said.
Lena looked up slowly.
“Yes… sir?”
“You’re the new maid, aren’t you?”
“Yes, sir.”
Mr. Harrison folded his arms.
“Were you in this hall earlier tonight?”
Lena hesitated.
She had been nearby while returning from the east wing.
But before she could answer—
Mrs. Dalton spoke.
“Sir, I saw her wandering the east wing earlier,” she said sharply.
Lena turned toward her in shock.
“I was cleaning,” Lena said quickly.
Mrs. Dalton’s lips tightened.
“Cleaning… near a restricted area.”
The other servants began whispering.
Mr. Harrison’s eyes narrowed.
“What restricted area?”
“The old study,” Mrs. Dalton replied.
Adrian suddenly stepped forward.
“That’s enough.”
Everyone turned toward him.
Mr. Harrison looked irritated.
“Adrian, this is a staff matter.”
“No,” Adrian said firmly. “It’s not.”
He looked directly at Lena.
“She was with me.”
The room fell silent.
Mrs. Dalton looked surprised.
“With you, sir?”
Adrian nodded.
“I asked her to help me find a book in the library.”
Mr. Harrison studied his son carefully.
“And the vase?” he asked.
Adrian glanced at the broken pieces on the floor.
“I knocked into it,” he said calmly.
Gasps spread among the servants.
Mr. Harrison frowned.
“You expect me to believe that?”
Adrian shrugged slightly.
“Believe what you want.”
For a moment, it looked like an argument might start between them again.
But finally Mr. Harrison sighed.
“Clean this mess,” he ordered the servants.
Then he turned and walked away.
The tension slowly faded as the servants began picking up the broken glass.
Lena let out a quiet breath of relief.
Adrian had just saved her.
Mrs. Dalton, however, was still watching her suspiciously.
“Be careful, girl,” she said quietly as she walked past Lena. “Curiosity can be dangerous in this house.”
Lena felt uneasy under her cold gaze.
Later that night, Lena returned to the servants’ quarters.
Her small room felt even smaller after everything that had happened.
She sat on the edge of the bed, trying to calm her racing thoughts.
Madam Harrison’s letter.
The locked study.
The argument between Adrian and his father.
And now someone clearly watching the servants.
Nothing in this house felt normal.
Suddenly—
A soft knock came at her door.
Lena stood up carefully.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me.”
Adrian’s voice.
She opened the door slowly.
Adrian stepped inside and closed the door behind him.
“What are you doing here?” Lena asked nervously.
“Making sure you’re safe,” he replied.
Lena frowned slightly.
“Safe from what?”
Adrian leaned against the wall.
“From the person who wrote that letter.”
Lena crossed her arms.
“You think they’ll come after me?”
Adrian nodded.
“If someone really killed my mother,” he said, “they won’t want that letter discovered.”
Lena’s stomach twisted.
“This is worse than I thought.”
Adrian sighed.
“Yes.”
There was a moment of silence between them.
Then Lena asked quietly:
“Why did you defend me downstairs?”
Adrian looked at her.
“Because you were about to be blamed for something you didn’t do.”
“That happens to maids all the time,” Lena said softly.
Adrian’s expression changed slightly.
“Well… not this time.”
Lena looked down, unsure how to respond.
For the first time since arriving at the mansion, someone had stood up for her.
Adrian suddenly straightened.
“I should go,” he said. “If anyone sees me here, it will cause more problems.”
He walked toward the door, but before leaving he paused.
“One more thing.”
Lena looked up.
“Lock your door tonight.”
“Why?”
Adrian’s voice became serious again.
“Because someone searched my room earlier.”
Lena’s eyes widened.
“For the letter?”
Adrian nodded.
“And whoever did it…”
He looked directly at her.
“…knows we found something.”
A cold fear spread through Lena’s chest.
Someone in the mansion was watching them.
And now they knew the secret wasn’t buried anymore.
End of Chapter Five
If you want, I can continue with Chapter Six, where:
Lena’s room gets secretly searched at night
Adrian discovers another hidden clue about his mother’s death
And a new mysterious woman arrives at the mansion.
- Writer
