A cruel, knowing smirk twisted Eleanor's lips as she heard her name, a ragged whisper from Suzy's parched throat. The Duchess lay on the filthy floor, a stark contrast to Eleanor's own immaculate, dark travelling gown. Eleanor bent down gracefully, bringing her face close to Suzy's, her dark brown eyes glinting with a cold triumph.
"Are you surprised, Duchess?" she whispered mockingly, her breath cool against Suzy's bruised cheek. "Did you truly think your happily ever after would last forever?" She paused, looked into Suzy's weak eyes and continued " You all have to stop hiring staffs who are greedy. You know I only had to pay the château's gardener triple the amount Ryan pays him and he led me to you."
Suzy could only stare, too dumbfounded, too horrified by this impossible reality to form any words. Her mind struggled to reconcile the image of Eleanor, a familiar, if often thorny, presence in high society, with this cold-eyed woman orchestrating her brutal abduction.
