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"Albert, if it is a confession you want from her, I hardly think you can get one without something or someone strong enough to tickle her spite and push her to say it. I know her, and I know how to needle her."
Albert sighed. “I have to protect you.”
"This is protecting me. Please allow me," she implored, giving his hand an expectant squeeze.
"Very well," he agreed.
* * *
The following morning, Edwina asked to see her stepmother. She received her in the sitting room that was adjoining their bedchamber. She still had a lot of strength to regain, but she was feeling considerably better than she did when she had first woke.
"How fortunate that you are now well," Prudence said coolly, sitting opposite Edwina. She did not look pleased.
"How fortunate, indeed."
"Let us save ourselves some time by you telling me the reason of your summons, Your Grace."
"How did you know that he was not dead?" Edwina asked her.
"Who?" Prudence raised one brow.
"John Mills. I know you feigned that swoon to create an encounter with him."
"Did you bring me here to throw around accusations like your husband?" She was suddenly defensive.
"Have some decency and stop lying, Mother," Edwina snapped. "Just answer the question."
"Good heavens! Such cockiness! You marry a Duke and now you think you own the world. Had I known how fortunate you would become, I would have allowed you to marry your stupid little Baron. I thought I was saving you from his debts. Perhaps you would not be this insolent with a lesser title and fortune."
"What do you mean by interfered?" Edwina asked, her blood growing cold. Since her husband told her of the plan, she knew that they could use Prudence's hate for her as bait. It appeared to be working.
"It was no secret that the late Baron Mills was already in debt before he died," Prudence began to elaborate. "With your father's help, their fortune was turned around, somewhat. When he came of age, he proved to be worse than his father. He saw your dowry and went after it. I knew he would doom us all if I allowed you to marry him. I paid him off to forge that letter. After all, he seemed to have grown bored with you after enlisting and meeting better stock abroad," she finished with a smug smile.
John had so easily betrayed her and nearly destroyed her young heart, Edwina realized. He trulywasworse than she had thought. "What did I ever do to make you want nothing but misery for me?" She was trying to be patient, but her head had already begun to ache again.
"You stole a part of my happiness," Prudence replied. "And you had something I wished for my entire life, but never had."
"And what was that?"
"I met your father when I was quite young. Almost like you and John, but my own father forbade me my love and married me off to his old earl friend. Richard Pierce left and married, too. Fortunately, fate decreed we would find each other again and our spouses happened to die at about the same time. My father was no longer alive to stop me, thus, I married Richard. My time with him was cut short, and death took him."
"I don't see what role I played in all this to make you despise me so."
"I had to share his love with his daughter, and he looked at you in a way that I wished my own father had looked at me. You had everything I ever wanted and could not have. Everything!" Prudence's misted. “There were times he neglected me, forcing me to turn to his solicitor.”
All those years of torment had been caused by jealousy. "It was not my doing." Edwina’s voice shook.
"It did not matter. I could not suffer alone. I thought you needed to feel my pain, too.”
"My father loved you, Prudence!" Edwina cried angrily. She had never called Prudence by her name to her face before. She had always respected her father's wish to call her Mother even after his death. She did not deserve to be addressed as such, she never did. "And you repaid that love by attempting to kill his only child." There was no doubt in her mind that she had poisoned her.
"You should have died!" Her voice was low and menacing. Edwina shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "You were fortunate before, but I will not make that mistake again."
Before Edwina could react, Prudence jumped from her seat and wrapped her hands around her neck, pressing her fingers against her throat. She could not fight her in her weakened state, and the corners of her vision began to blur. Then someone bellowed, and Prudence was forcibly removed from her.
Edwina's hands went to her assaulted throat at once as she fought to breathe. Albert's arms came protectively around her. "Is it all right, My Love. I am here.”
"She confessed," Edwina choked.
