Chapter 2 - THE WOMAN IN THE GLASS
The hospital discharged Adeline before dawn with a bandaged wrist, a bruised shoulder, and strict instructions to return if the pain worsened. She had given a formal statement to a detective and signed permission for photographs of her injuries. The doctor had told her to rest.
Rest was a luxury she had not budgeted for.
Her mother’s rent was due on Monday. Her younger brother, Peter, was halfway through a trade certification and needed the final installment of his tuition. Adeline had taken the job at the Marchetti estate because it paid more than any hotel position she could find, and because the previous housekeeper had promised the staff were treated fairly.
The promise had lasted eleven days.
When the car returned her to the estate, a woman named Mrs. Bell was waiting in the staff entrance. She was the senior housekeeper, silver-haired and straight-backed, with an expression that could have made a military officer reconsider his posture.
“Mr. Marchetti asked me to make sure you were comfortable,” she said.
“I’m fine.”
“People who are fine don’t usually arrive at six in the morning with a bandage on their wrist.”
Adeline managed a tired smile.
Mrs. Bell led her to a small room near the kitchen. A tray of tea and toast sat on the table. Beside it was a sealed envelope containing her wages for the month, plus a note confirming that she would not be penalized for missing work.
“I didn’t ask for this,” Adeline said.
“No. You didn’t.”
“Is he always like this?”
“Like what?”
“Deciding things before anyone can object.”
Mrs. Bell considered that. “Mr. Marchetti is accustomed to being obeyed. Sometimes he mistakes that for being right. Last night, he was right.”
Adeline looked down at the tea.
“Did the glass test positive?”
Mrs. Bell’s face grew guarded. “I’m not authorized to discuss the investigation.”
That was answer enough.
At ten, Enzo came to the staff wing without his security team. He wore a dark sweater and trousers, and he looked more tired than he had at the gala. He stopped at the threshold rather than entering without permission.
“May I come in?”
Adeline nodded.
He glanced at the untouched toast. “You should eat.”
“I will.”
He did not sit until she gestured to the chair opposite her.
“The glass is with the police,” he said. “The preliminary screening found a sedative not listed on the medical inventory at the estate. The lab is still identifying the exact substance.”
“Was it meant for you?”
“That’s what we need to determine.”
“Did you drink any?”
“No. You took it before I could.”
Adeline let out a breath she had not realized she was holding.
Enzo studied her carefully. “I need to ask you about the tablet. You are not in trouble. If you don’t know something, say you don’t know.”
“I saw Camilla remove a small white tablet from a silver case. She crushed it with the back of a spoon while she thought everyone was watching the toast. Then she stirred the wine with a cocktail pick. I smelled something sharp when she lifted the glass.”
“Did she say anything?”
“She said she wanted to make a toast to the future.”
Enzo’s eyes narrowed.
“Did anyone else see?”
“I don’t know. The tray was near the musicians. A server was passing behind her, but he may not have been looking.”
Enzo wrote down the details and thanked her.
Adeline watched him put the notebook away. “Why did you ask me to stay?”
“Because you work here, and I won’t let anyone punish you for telling the truth.”
“That’s not the only reason.”
“No,” he admitted. “It isn’t.”
He told her that Camilla had access to his private study, his calendar, and the secure medical cabinet used by his physician. If the substance was a sedative, it might have been intended to make him appear ill or incapacitated. If it was something else, the danger could be greater. He would not accuse her publicly until the evidence was clear.
“Are you still going to marry her?” Adeline asked.
“No.”
The answer came without hesitation.
“Because she hit me?”
“Because she hit you. Because she may have drugged me. Because when I asked her to stop, she was more concerned with the guests’ opinion than with the blood on your arm.”
Adeline lowered her gaze. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For causing trouble.”
Enzo leaned forward. “Listen to me, Adeline. You did not cause trouble. You interrupted it.”
The words settled between them.
A knock sounded at the door. Enzo’s security chief, Marco, entered with a tablet. His expression was serious.
“Sir, we recovered the corridor footage. There’s a gap in the recording from the ballroom entrance.”
“How long?”
“Four minutes. The system was manually disabled.”
“By whom?”
Marco glanced at Adeline, then back to Enzo. “The access code belonged to Miss Ashford.”
Enzo stood.
“Keep the original files secure. Copy the logs to the detective and the attorney. No one edits anything.”
Marco nodded and left.
Adeline looked at the window. “She’ll say I did it.”
“She can say whatever she wants. The records will show who accessed the system.”
“She has friends in places people like me can’t reach.”
“So do I.”
“That’s what worries me.”
For the first time, Enzo smiled slightly. “Fair enough.”
He stood to leave, but paused at the door.
“You may take paid leave until the doctor clears you. If you choose to return, you will not be assigned to Miss Ashford or asked to serve her.”
Adeline’s fingers tightened around the tea cup. “I need the job.”
“Then you have it.”
“And if she comes back?”
“She won’t have authority over staff in this house.”
Adeline watched him go. She had worked for rich families long enough to know that a powerful man’s promise could last only as long as his mood.
She needed more than a promise. She needed evidence that this time would be different.
That afternoon, the police called with an update. The substance in the wine was a prescription sedative, and the tablet’s packaging traced to a private medical supplier used by Camilla’s family. The detective could not yet prove intent, but the evidence was enough to justify a full investigation.
Then a message appeared on Adeline’s phone from an unknown number.
You should have kept your head down.
A second message followed.
People who accuse the Ashfords tend to lose more than a job.
Adeline stared at the screen until it dimmed.
May you like
For the first time, she understood that taking the glass had not ended the danger.
It had only made her visible.
