Judith descended the stairs, furious. She was immediately reminded of the incident two years earlier, when Benjamin had fervently defended Louisa, to the point where Judith felt highly affronted.
She entered the kitchen and saw Louisa sitting on a bench in the corner of the kitchen, wiping her tears. Kate was running her hand through the girl's hair and Judith thought that was ridiculous. Eva wasn't in the kitchen.
Judith strode over to Louisa, took the girl by the arm to get her to her feet, then slapped her across the face. Kate put her hand to her mouth, unable to say anything. Dani, who was stirring the food in the pot, gaped. Eva arrived at the entrance to the kitchen just as Judith was hitting her daughter.
"Lady Judith!" Eva said, standing beside her daughter.
"Find another place for that girl. I don't want her on Iontach anymore." Judith said looking at Louisa, then took a deep breath and turned to Eva. "Eva, I appreciate the service you and your husband provide to our family, which is exactly why I ask that only Louisa go away. She's been doing wrong things for a long time, however, today she crossed the line. She threw hot tea at Miss Russell on purpose and that cannot be tolerated." Eva looked at Louisa, who shook her head slightly in denial.
"Maybe it was a misunderstanding..." Eva tried, but Judith held up her hand to stop her talking.
"It wasn't any misunderstanding, Eva. Unfortunately. Your daughter needs to understand that certain things are not for everyone. I saw when it all happened and it was on purpose. I give you forty days. And until then, Louisa is banned from the house, unable to go anywhere beyond the kitchen." Judith turned around and walked out of the kitchen.
"Mom, I didn't do it on purpose. Jackeline moved and I dropped the tea."
"Shh, I believe it, love." Eva hugged her daughter. Dani and Kate also hugged her.
"This girl is trouble. And if the little boss marries her, I'll ask to leave. She is a snake and I refuse to serve this witch." Kate said, and Dani nodded in agreement.
"We're with you, Lou." Louisa smiled and thanked him.
"I'm going to send a letter to your aunt, to see if she can help us." Eva said, walking out of the kitchen.
Emmeline and Eva Taylor were born in Burford, Oxfordshire. The girls' father was a local grocer, and they lived reasonably comfortable lives. Emmeline was four years older than Eva and married Lord Roger Crawford, second son of Simon Crawford, the Duke of Windsor. Emmeline was beautiful and graceful, as well as a very polite and kind person, with a magnificent inner light. Her husband was not as kind as she was, but he was also a good man.
When Eva met Oliver, she was eighteen years old. He was just a nineteen years old boy who helped take care of horses, but she fell head over heels in love. Roger was completely against the match, as he intended his sister-in-law to have a more favorable marriage to some lord. Emmeline tried to convince her sister to at least agree to meet other guys, but Eva refused. The girls' father had died, so Roger felt obliged to take care of his wife's younger sister. Eva and Oliver eloped and were married in a small church not far from her house, and since then their relationship with the Crawfords had almost ended.
Emmeline didn't fight with her sister, however, because Oliver and Roger didn't speak to each other, the two sisters ended up talking little, only on more important occasions, such as the birth of Louisa, the death of the girls' mother, in addition to the exchange of letters, at the end of the year and birthday parties. Emmeline and Roger were Louisa's godparents. Oliver didn't want to, however, Eva asked as a gift for the girl herself, because in their absence, the godparents would take care of Louisa. Reluctantly, he accepted. But Louisa had only seen her aunt and uncle once in her life, and she was so little she didn't even remember it.
Eva wrote to Emmeline, asking her sister to find a place for Louisa to work. She said her daughter knew how to cook, clean the house, iron clothes, and sew. She chose not to explain the reason for the request, as they might think Louisa was troublesome and refuse to help her.
Meanwhile, Louisa helped with the last lunch preparations as she wanted to occupy her mind. After helping to prepare the dishes, she went to the beach. At least there she hoped to have more peace and to be able to think about life.
Paul watched as Louisa walked away from the property. He was in his room and saw through the window.
"Where are you going, Paul? It's almost lunch time." Richard asked, from the sofa.
"I'm going for a walk, Father. To breath fresh air. I'll be right back." Paul said, opening the door to the residence.
"All right. Do not be late." Richard and Harry were talking about their properties and, for the moment, they were ignorant of what was going on in the house, in relation to Louisa.
Paul ran down to the stable and asked for a horse. He'd seen which way Louisa had gone, and apparently she was going to the beach. He didn't even know why he was so interested in this girl. Benjamin apparently didn't want anything to do with her anymore, so it wasn't just a competition. Paul mounted the horse and headed for the beach.
Benjamin was in his room. After fighting with Louisa, he had left and wandered aimlessly around the farm. He knew, deep in his heart, that Louisa would never hurt anyone. She could be imperious, sometimes snappy, but never mean. And Jackeline, despite appearing to be a gentle and delicate lady, he had already noticed how arrogant and full of herself she could be.
He wanted to go to Louisa and apologize. During his time at Eton, the times when he received her letters and read them were the best. However, he knew that she liked him, and even if he liked her too, the best thing to do was ignore that feeling. He knew his parents had plans to marry him to Jackeline. And if she wasn't the Russells' daughter, it'd be another girl from a wealthy family. Louisa and he could never be together. If he continued to talk to her, even as a friend, she would be wrong and they would both suffer even more.