Part 1: Just Before the Flame
Ramon's hand slid down her thigh, the pads of his fingers feather-light, reverent. Jenny lay beneath him, breath shallow, pulse thunderous beneath her skin. Her nightgown was bunched at her waist, her hair spilling like black silk across the pillow. She wasn't sure who she was in this moment, only that her body felt like it belonged to her again, in some strange, dizzying way.
He looked at her, truly looked, his eyes no longer clouded by wine.
"You're…" he started to say.
But he didn't finish.
That was when the scream shattered the air.
A sharp, high-pitched wail that ripped through the silence like a blade.
Jenny froze.
So did he.
The scream came again, louder this time. Frantic. Female.
"Evelyne," Ramon breathed, already moving.
"No wait," Jenny sat up, grabbing the edge of the blanket to cover herself. "Don't..."
But he was gone.
Part 2: The Game Replayed
Jenny stood on shaky legs, the sudden cold stinging against her flushed skin. She pulled her nightgown down over her legs, wrapped her arms around herself, and walked to the door.
Voices echoed down the hallway.
She followed.
When she reached the second-floor landing, she saw Ramon kneeling beside Evelyne, who lay dramatically sprawled on the tiled floor just outside her room, dressed in a flowing robe that had slipped scandalously off one shoulder.
"I heard something in the corridor," Evelyne gasped, tears clinging perfectly to her lashes. "I… I think someone pushed me."
"Pushed you?" he echoed, alarmed. "You're hurt?"
"I fell against the doorframe, my head, oh gods, I'm dizzy." She touched her temple with a trembling hand.
There was no blood.
No bruising.
Just a performance.
Jenny stood silent in the shadows, watching.
Evelyne's eyes briefly flicked up and saw her.
And smiled.
A smile as quick and sharp as a needle sliding under skin.
Part 3: Porcelain Games
The physician was summoned. He examined Evelyne while Jenny remained invisible, standing at the far end of the corridor like a discarded servant.
"She should rest," the doctor said. "No sign of serious injury, but keep an eye on her. She may have fainted."
Ramon nodded gravely, already lifting Evelyne into his arms.
"I'll take her to her bed."
Evelyne curled into his chest like something soft and helpless.
Jenny watched them disappear into that darkened room, the same room where she had once watched him touch Evelyne the way he had just touched her.
And the door clicked shut behind them.
Part 4: Cold Sheets
Jenny returned to her chamber.
The bed still smelled of him.
Of heat. Of breath. Of lavender and something wilder.
She sat down slowly, staring at the sheets.
The moment had shattered.
Ramon had run.
Not to her.
To the one who had screamed.
She lay down and pulled the blanket over her bare skin, shivering despite the firelight.
She was no longer sure what hurt more: the ache he'd awakened in her body, or the silence that followed his departure.
Part 5: The Next Morning
The sun was already high when Jenny stepped into the breakfast room.
The table was empty.
A maid stood by the fireplace, startled at her presence.
"My lady," the girl curtsied, "His Lordship and Lady Evelyne are breakfasting in her rooms this morning. Shall I bring you something?"
Jenny said nothing for a long moment.
Then she smiled faintly.
"No. Thank you."
She walked away without looking back.
Part 6: The Quiet War Begins
That afternoon, Jenny slipped into the library again.
This time with a purpose.
She found more papers. Letters from foreign houses. Trade documents. She wasn't sure what she was looking for, only that Evelyne Maroux's name would be there, if she looked hard enough.
And then, she found it.
A letter older than the rest was addressed to Ramon's late father.
*Lord Edevan,
As per your request, we are investigating the legitimacy of House Maroux's financial claims. You were right to question them. It appears they have been inflating estate values and defaulting on Northern obligations since 1792.
Should your son become further entangled with Miss Evelyne Maroux, the Crown will not approve of the union.*
Respectfully,
— Lord Chancellor Rivenstone
Jenny read it three times.
The mistress hadn't just been refused because of her status or lack of title.
Her family was a liability.
And now they were clinging to Ramon through Evelyne as their last hope.
Her marriage to Ramon wasn't just an accident of convenience.
It was a barrier.
She was the only thing standing between House Maroux and legitimacy.
Part 7: Unseen, Not Unknowing
Later that night, Ramon didn't visit her.
Jenny didn't expect him to.
But she sat in her chamber, watching the flames in the hearth dance like devils, holding the letter against her chest.
She felt something burning in her.
Not desire.
Not yet rage.
But something close.
"You may have screamed," she whispered into the fire, "but I know what you're hiding now."
She smiled to herself.
Not with warmth.
But with a growing, cold resolve