The Original Villainess

CHAPTER 15 pt1

“Are you alright, my lady?” Dorothy whispered, holding me steady with her arms linked with mine, even as I took wobbling steps, one hand covering my mouth to force down the bile. “You hardly touched your breakfast.”

That’s because I still have morning sickness. “I’ll be fine soon,” I promised with a shaky smile. “The lemon tea you made this morning with the ginger root and honey was perfect.”

“I still want to know how that bruise showed up out of nowhere!” she grumbled, and I patted her head.

“I must’ve gotten the sheet wrapped around my neck at some point during the night. I’ll be fine, Dorothy. It’s not so bad that I lost my voice, even though my throat is a little sore. You even helped me cover it with a silk scarf, so no one can tell!”

“Do you have to go to another orphanage today? You should just go home now and rest! You’ve already seen three! You should be able to make a plan with that, right?”

I shook my head. “My mission goes beyond that,” I reminded her. Today, I want to visit two more orphanages and finally, a temple. I checked the books about the temple and the royal family in Father’s library after my fight with Levi. My family is neutral, so showing them my family crest should be enough for me to gain entrance to the temple. They won’t be able to turn away a neutral noble house without a good cause. All I need to do is ask to spend a night there, so I can be well-rested for my return trip tomorrow. As I walk around the temple, I can attempt to befriend a few of the priests, and see if I can’t visit the library. By this time, most people in the country know I am engaged to Duke Langly, so anyone on the side of the throne would be glad to have me, because Levi is on the side of the throne, and anyone on the side of the crown prince should be glad to have me, so they can try to sway the duke to give up his claim to the throne and support Carson.

I think. I’m not really into politics, but from what I understand from the books, that’s basically how their politics work. I can only dream of it actually working, though.

I looked up at the building looming over us. This resembles Mrs. Bristol’s orphanage. It’s so strange how each place is drastically different. Will I have to see children wearing pillowcases while eating nothing but a cup of porridge every day again? I pressed a hand to my heart as it wrenched inside me painfully, shaking my head lightly, Dorothy clinging to my right arm while Lee walked only one and a half steps behind me on my left. He really is like a guard, I smirked. Did he ever receive formal training? The novel never mentioned a past as a knight or mercenary, but he’s really good and an exceptional fighter, so he must’ve learned somewhere. His style is rough, so maybe he learned growing up on the streets? I really want to ask him, but this is probably not the best place to do that. I’ll wait until later. Dorothy is bound to take a nap in the carriage after lunch.

The front doors opened before we reached them. What a familiar sight this is, I sighed as a man wearing a flashy red coat and a silk cravat came out. He had a gold-trimmed monocle, and manicured nails. His bow was impeccable, but his drooling sneer was greedy. Anybody would be suspicious of a well-dressed man who walks out of a house that’s crumbling to pieces.

“My lady, are you sure you want to go inside? It looks like it’ll fall down the moment you touch it!” Dorothy whispered.

She’s not wrong. I smiled stiffly at the man. “Good morning,” I greeted. “I am here to look for a child to sponsor.”

I could practically see the dollar signed in the man’s eyes as his slimy grin widened. “Miss, I am Avon Hancroft, the director of this orphanage. May I show you to our sitting room?”

The name pricked something in my memory, but I shook my head to wave it away. Another sitting room? I suppose. I feel like I’m about to pass out, in any case. “My maid and guard will come with me,” I stated, heels clipping as I resumed my walking, as if I owned the place Jeez, I get crabby when I’m hungry.

“But, my lady–!”

“Is that a problem?” I cast him a chilly glare out of the corner of my eye as I passed him, and he swallowed audibly.

“N-no, my lady…” He scurried ahead of us to let us in.

The interior was just as bad as the outside. Exposed wood, crumbling brick. Children live like this? This is worse than Mrs. Bristol’s place. She at least warned us. Mr. Hancroft continued to show us down the hall and to the sitting room.

I squinted. What’s going on here? I held a hand up to shield my eyes from the light flares dancing around the room like a pack of acrobats. Ugh. I think this just made me more nauseous.

“We spared no expense in making our sitting room feel comfortable while the children entertained our sponsors,” he announced proudly, waving a hand about the room, and I could almost see his nose sharpen to a point.

Ah, I really wanna punch his smug face.

“Shall I offer some tea, my lady?” he asked, rubbing his hands together, and my mind went back to Mr. Lowt.

“Yes, do.” My voice was curt, but it got him to leave the room. I let him name bounce around my head. Avon Hancroft. What a pretentious name. I don’t recall reading the name anywhere in the story, yet it seems so familiar. I wonder why… Whatever. What is this place? It’s like they poured a block of melted gold, and then carved out a sitting room. This room is insane. Anybody who designed such a room is insane. Having this room inside a shack of an orphanage is insane! What is wrong with this dude? Do people really not notice how weird it is to have a house that is falling down, and then on the inside, have a room made of solid gold? Does he not think there is anything wrong with this?

One hand across my middle, I supported my other elbow as my fist propped up my chin. This is, by far, the worst place, just from appearance. I suppose he could still have a saving grace–

“Ask for Hancroft.”

The memory slammed into me, and my heart stopped for two beats before I could start breathing again.

“Ask for Hancroft. He’ll take care of you.”

The voice in my memory made me scowl. How does Carson know Hancroft? It has to be the same guy, right? Geez. That bastard really thought Brynne was less than dirt, talking about personal matters in front of her. Who was he talking to, though? And what was Hancroft supposed to take care of?

“Your Grace!”

Hmm?

I turned as the door to the sitting room was thrown open, and my eyes widened briefly as I recognized the man who opened it.

Ah. I smiled pleasantly at the director, even as I heard Dorothy squeak behind me. “Mr. Hancroft, the tea is taking a while. Would you mind checking on it?”

“O-oh. O-of course, my lady.”

As soon as he was gone, I placed a hand over my heart, and with my left, lifted the skirt of my dress so I could give a proper bow. “This humble servant is honored to be in your presence, Duke Langly.”

An audible breath inhaled behind me.

I straightened, refusing to lift my gaze high enough to meet his, my heart aching. How did he know where to find me? Even if he somehow was able to follow the messenger to the other town, there’s no way he’d be able to trace me all the way out here. And why should he? I clearly told my family that I would be home in two days. Besides being overly irrational, there is no need for him to chase me all the way out here.

Levi’s long strides brought him to my side within moments, and his hands clenched around my upper arms roughly.

“Hey–!” Lee shouted.

I saw Dorothy reach for Lee out of the corner of my eye. She’ll be able to hold him back. If Lee jumped in without knowing what’s going on, Levi would strike him down, and I’ve lost my only line to taking down the crown prince.

“Why are you here?” Levi bellowed.

I forced myself not to flinch as I kept my eyes down, feeling tears well up rapidly. Oh, no. I can’t get hormonal here, not now! But it’s his fault! He drives me into a corner, and pushes me away, and now he’s mad that I made a decision on my own to do something without him? “It has nothing to do with you.” It took every bit of self control I had to not make my voice c***k as I spoke those words.

“Nothing to do with me?” he growled, one hand gripping my chin so tightly, it felt like it would bruise. His other hand loosened the scarf around my neck as he tilted my head to one side, then the other, his voice calming down a degree or two. “The doctor in the other town said you were injured. Are you sure you’re alright?”

I didn’t miss the hidden meaning behind his words. So he’s worried about the baby that will be his heir. I turned my head a little more, ripping my chin from his strong fingers. “It was a minor incident. It’s no concern of yours, Your Grace.”

“No concern?” Levi’s fingers dug sharply into my shoulders, before he took a deep breath, and let it out. His fingers slowly relaxed, and he cupped my cheeks in his hands, forcing me to look at him.

Tears sprung unwilling to my eyes. Screw that handsome face of his. Screw him.

“Brynne.”

My heart leapt to my throat when he said my name. Not Miss Brynne, or Lady Sumner. Just Brynne. I didn’t know…I didn’t know that hearing someone address you so casually could be…so sweet.

The door opened, and I used the interruption to shove Levi away from me, taking two steps back before spinning on my heel and sitting on the sofa. I felt his linger gaze before he took a seat next to me. Go sit somewhere else! I wanted to bark at him. This is my spot!

Mr. Hancroft set the tea tray down, and Dorothy poured it, handing me a cup.

“Mr. Hancroft,” I started, “I must admit, I am concerned about the state of the building. Even from the outside, it looks far too dangerous for suitable living conditions. Do you not receive donations from the townspeople?” I should question him now. With the issues with the building and the entire sitting room–not to mention his clothes–I can just tell something will go wrong when I meet the children. If I don’t ask him now, I will probably end up storming out later, without getting any answers.

“Oh, my lady, we receive a few, yes. Sometimes a child’s sponsor will make a donation, as well, to continue to support our good work with the other children.”

“But not enough to make basic repairs to the roof, so it doesn’t leak in heavy rainfall?” I took an obvious look around the room. If he sold one of these items, it would be enough to feed and clothe every single child at Mrs. Bristol’s orphanage for a year.

“No, my lady, I’m afraid not. All the money goes to making sure the children are fed and clothed properly.”

My eyes scanned the details on his coat, narrowing in warranted suspicion. “But surely the donations from the temple will allow for a few maintenance remodels, won’t they?”

“Donations? Temple?” He laughed as I felt Levi stiffen next to me. “Oh, my lady, what adorable naivete you have! I suppose most noblewomen are not aware, but the temple doesn’t have the funds to help support a silly little orphanage, or didn’t you know?”

“Oh?” I peered up at him with innocent eyes. “But my family makes a rather large donation to the temple every quarter, specifically to help the less fortunate, such as the homeless and the orphanages. After all, with the king’s royal decree and the agreement the temple made with the throne, shouldn’t they be taking care of the citizens of this kingdom? The ones like yourself, Mr. Hancroft,” I smiled pleasantly up at him, even as I wanted to rip out his tongue, “who dedicate their lives to rearing up children that have no relation to you. Surely, they can afford to spare a few coins to one of our country’s unsung heroes?”

He puffed his chest out as he straightened up, his hands catching the lapels of his overly fancy coat as he cleared his throat. “Why, thank you, miss, but even with the state of the building, we get by enough with the donations from the townfolk. It doesn’t really matter that the temple has no money. I see the priests sometimes on the street, giving out blessings. The priests never come here, though. They only go to the market, or the noble houses. Most of the people in this town are probably too poor to make large donations to the temple, so that’s why you see more generosity where you’re from, my lady. But since you’re here now! Maybe you’d like to leave with your own donation!”

My smile faded and I sipped my tea. Oh. This is rather good. I like the scent, too, and it doesn’t make me nauseous. “We’ll see,” I replied coolly, looking away from him. I really want to ask Lee to stab him in the eye right now.

No. Hold it in. Hold it in. I have to see what kind of place this is before I make any rash moves. I ignored the silence that followed my response to Mr. Hancroft’s eager suggestion.

“Are you also looking to sponsor a child, Your Grace?” Mr. Hancroft broke the uneasy quiet with a cheerful tone.

“Yes,” Levi blurted. “I wish to sponsor a child.”

Mr. Hancroft’s dollar sign eyes doubled in size, and he bowed at the waist several times. “Much obliged, Your Grace! How honored we are to have you here today!”

“Enough,” I said, voice taut as I sipped my tea. “We’re here to choose a child to sponsor, so bring us the children.”

“O-oh, of course, my lady!” He made a mad dash out the door, leaving the tension in the room to continue to grow.

“Would you like some tea, Your Grace?” Dorothy quipped up in a friendly manner.

“I would gladly take a cup, Dorothy,” Levi said pleasantly.

So I’m the only one he’s mad at?

“Brynne,” he said calmly as he raised the cup to his lips.

“Yes, Your Grace?” I managed, my heart panicking with every word out of his mouth.

“Would you be so kind to explain why my dear wife ran away from home two weeks before our wedding?”

“A simple misunderstanding, I’m sure,” I stated, trying not to choke on the tea. When he questions me in such a tranquil manner, I can feel his irritation a lot more subtly. But why is it my fault? He shouldn’t even be here! I had every intention of returning to his side in a couple of days, and little by little, letting him into my plans! But he’s interrupted my mission, and now, he’ll probably drag me back home before I can finish what I sent out to do!

“So simple, you disappeared without a word to your family, or myself, Brynne. You can see why we were so concerned.”

“I sent them a message, Your Grace. I had every intention of returning to the capital tomorrow. How did you even find me?”

“I went to your estate to meet with you, but the butler said you had left before dawn. So I waited, but you never returned. No one seemed to know where you were. Your parents and brother were deeply concerned. By the time your message arrived, I was mad with worry. I asked the messenger to take me back to town, but it was late, so I could only start my search this morning. After asking around, I spoke to the doctor you had met with, and he told me you had come in after having been strangled by your drunk husband.”

I set my teacup down with a clatter and looked away nervously. Oops. I guess I didn’t think that part through.

Levi set his cup on his saucer, and leaned forward darkly, elbows on his knees, fingers rubbing his eyes. “I never once thought, in the whole of my life, that my wife would make up a lie like that in order to run away from me.”

I scowled. “Who would have thought that the head of House Langly would be an overgrown child?”

His jaw clenched and he whipped his head around. I met his gaze evenly, praying to whatever deity the original story worshiped, that my appearance at least resembled someone who remained unaffected by his presence.

“Brynne! You didn't tell anyone where you were going! You left with nobody but a maid!” He jammed a finger in Lee’s direction. “No one knows who this guard of yours is! Your brother was on the verge of killing every single person on the way here!”

My eyes widened. “Wait, Zane came with you?”

His sigh was strained, and he pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. “We rode at breakneck speed last night to get to the town you sent your message from. Someone at the watering hole recalled seeing you, and overheard you mention an orphanage. We set out this morning, but the director said you had kept traveling east after you left. We found the inn you stayed at, and the innkeeper mentioned your group had been talking about your schedule today, which led me here. Lord Zane’s horse got startled before we even left town, and threw him, injuring his right leg.”

I started to rise from my seat in alarm. You tell me this first! I wanted to scream at him.

He stopped me with a large hand on my wrist, meeting my eyes. “He’s fine,” he promised. “The doctor said he can’t walk for at least two weeks, and he’s to stay in bed while he heals, but he was only thrown. The horse didn’t trample on him.”

Relief washed through me. Whew. I didn’t realize they’d do anything so stupid. I did tell them not to worry, and now Zane is hurt. I settled back into my seat and pulled my hand away from Levi’s touch, worried he’d be able to feel my erratic pulse if I didn’t. I reached for my tea again.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to do here, Brynne, but let it be. Come home.”

The door opened, and Mr. Hancroft ushered in several children. “These are our most well-behaved children!” he announced as they lined up in front of me, shuffling their feet like they were chained.

My eyes automatically flickered to their feet—habit, after seeing the boy limp two orphanages ago—and saw mostly bare feet or worn through soles and toes. Their clothes resembled unwashed linen bags cut and sewn to hold the form of typical clothes, showing age with loose fibers and unpatched holes. The children all had red welts on their ankles and wrists. They don’t even try to hide it, like Mr. Lowt’s kids did. Clearly they believe they deserved it. Mr. Hancroft probably does not think he’s doing anything wrong. Every single one of these places! Not even kidding! And not only are their clothes dirty, but they’re dirty! A man who can spend three fortunes to remodel the sitting room, should be able to bathe the children at least once a week! What is wrong with him? Every single one of them has dirt smeared on their faces and mud caked under their nails!

“You, there.” My eyes found the tallest child, who looked older, only by how gaunt her face was. Her arms were still toothpicks, and her eyes were sunken, and her dull blonde hair probably lost its shine years ago.

Mr. Hancroft followed my gaze and tapped her on the shoulder, signaling that it was alright to speak.

“Yes, my lady?”

“How old are you?”

“Fou-I mean, twelve, my lady.”

Even here. At least he doesn’t kick them out as soon as they turn thirteen, like Mr. Lander did. Bastards. The lot of them. I sipped my tea. “Do you see, Your Grace?”

“Are you here to prove a point after our argument the other day, Lady Sumner?” Levi asked, voice clipped.

My heart sank at the formal title, but I took a breath and went on. “Of course not. I’m here to sponsor a child. I was merely asking if you saw one you liked.”

He said nothing.

I met Mr. Hancroft’s curious eyes. “Send in the next group,” I addressed.

“Y-yes, my lady.”

The children shuffled back out, leaving the room in silence. I sipped collectively at my tea while ignoring Dorothy’s fangirl stare from behind me. It’s not romantic, girlfriend. He’s just mad at me for disobeying him. Jerk.

Levi stood. “Enough, Brynne. We’re going back. Now.”

I blinked back tears at the anger in his voice. What did I do that was so wrong? I’m only visiting orphanages. Is he breaking his promise to allow me to keep my freedom? If this is what he’s like before we’re even married, then will he get even more controlling afterwards? Why is he so angry, anyway? He got mad at me because I questioned if the temple was truly doing their job, but now he’s mad at me because I’m visiting orphanages? What did I do that’s so wrong? I never dropped his name, no one knew I was associated with him until he showed up here, I didn’t get political about it, and the only time I brought up the king was when they were so blatantly disrespecting the royal decree! As someone about to marry into House Langly—the only noble house that supports only the person on the throne, no matter how much power they have—you’d think Levi would be a little more understanding if he caught wind of me aligning my vision with the current king’s!

“Then return,” I said almost darkly, as Mr. Hancroft came back in with another group of children. “I haven’t chosen a child yet.”

“Do we need to rediscuss our arrangement, Miss Brynne?” he asked coldly as the children lined themselves up.

“Perhaps we do,” I spat. If he can’t handle us having a conversation, then how am I supposed to live with him? “While you’re at it, you can explain to my parents the real reason you called it off.”

There was a long silence as Levi sank back into his seat. “You are going to be the death of me,” he muttered under his breath.

I simply sipped my tea, my eyes taking in every detail of the children in front of me to avoid looking back at the duke. That boy’s limping. I wonder what—hm? The ankle was obviously red and swollen, as he tried to hide it behind his other foot. He’s ashamed of his injury? Why? They walk in here with their whip marks, and don’t brother covering them up, like they were meant to be seen. Mr. Hancroft said these first few children were the most well behaved. But.

I let my eyes roam the boy with the twisted ankle. I couldn’t see his face clearly, but I did see clean streaks through the smears of dirt on his face. I focused on his arms, as he attempted to fold his hands behind his back.

“Ahem!” Mr. Hancroft cleared his throat louder than necessary, but the boy stopped hiding his arms.

I see. The difference between him and them. The number of wed welts varied drastically, as I took in his arms and legs. It looks more like a sunburn than a whip mark. One giant sunburn over all his limbs. That’s why he’s so ashamed of his ankle. It was probably punishment over something stupid. And the others don’t hide their scars, because in their eyes, they shouldn’t be ashamed to have so few of them. That’s what Mr. Hancroft meant by well-behaved, then.

I opened my mouth to speak, but my eyes caught a glimpse of something else. Wait. What is that? Horror filled me as I felt the blood draining from my face. A soft sound from behind interrupted my thought process. Lee…he’s been clenching his teeth so much on this trip, I can audibly recognize it without turning around. I cleared my throat softly, taking another sip of my tea, my hand trembling in anger. “Mr. Lee, do I need to send you out?”

There was a soft pause, then a long, slow exhale. “No, my lady.”

I set the cup down. “What happened to the girl’s ankle?” I asked, and saw her flinch. Is she shocked that I recognized her as a girl, or is she terrified I’ll learn of why she was punished?

Mr. Hancroft cleared his own throat, not as loud as before.

“I…fell down the stairs, my lady,” the girl whispered.

Lies. A fall down the stairs bad enough to sprain your ankle would also leave your knees and hands bruised or scraped up. “Mr. Hancroft, is there a physician that sees to the children?”

“Once a month, someone from town comes in,” he said. “He gives them medicine to make sure they stay healthy.”

I didn’t dare glance at Levi, but I waited. Will he allow this girl to remain injured in front of him? He is a doctor, and he claims to care about children, so maybe he’ll say something? I didn’t want to create false hope, either for the injured little girl, or the child inside of me, but I couldn’t deny the swelling of my heart when Levi stood and crossed the room to crouch down in front of her. He untied his cravat and gently lifted her foot, wrapping the expensive fabric around her ankle. “You shouldn’t walk on something so obviously injured,” he said softly. “This will help support your foot until it heals. Keep it wrapped.”

The girl stared at him. She couldn’t have been more than ten, if that. That just makes that bastard even worse. “I’ve seen enough,” I snapped, looking away. “Send them out.”