Louisa went downstairs, wiping the tears that were streaming down her face. She was mad at Benjamin and how he'd gotten carried away by Jackeline's outright lies.
"My goodness, what happened?" Eva asked, but Louisa signaled that she didn't want to talk about it. Dani and Kate looked at each other, but remained silent. They already knew that when Louisa was like this, it was best to leave her alone.
Louisa picked up the vegetables to chop and did so with such intense concentration that Eva was sure something serious had happened.
Meanwhile, Benjamin and Jackeline were strolling through the gardens, but the girl noticed how distant Benjamin was. She suspected that it could only be because of the argument with the maid. She sensed a certain distance on Benjamin's part, a reluctance to accept her as a possible bride, and it had already crossed Jackeline's mind that he might like someone else. However, she didn't expect it to be a maid.
Jackeline glanced out of the corner of her eye at Benjamin, who was walking with his head down and a blank expression. So, she decided to take action. She saw a small rock in the way and stepped on it on purpose, pretending to twist her ankle and fell. Benjamin woke up from his reverie instantly.
"Jack!" He said, grabbing the girl's arm and trying to lift her up. "Can you stand?"
"I don't think so." Jackeline said, in a tearful tone. She pretended to put her foot down on the floor and screamed in pain. Benjamin had no choice but to lift and carry her inside the house.
Louisa was coming out of the kitchen into the living room to bring Judith tea and saw Benjamin coming in with Jackeline in his arms. She looked at Louisa and smiled, wrapping her arms around Benjamin's neck and laying her head on his chest. Louisa narrowed her eyes at the woman. She knew this was a little theater.
He deposited Jackeline on the sofa and called for his father, who came out of the office, along with Jackeline's father. Her mother and Judith also appeared at the bottom of the stairs because of the girl's whimpers.
"My baby girl, what happened?" Emily asked, rushing to her daughter's side.
"I'm going to ask someone to call the doctor." Harry said and Richard Russell followed him.
Benjamin said that Jackeline stepped on a rock and ended up twisting her ankle.
"Take her to her room. When the doctor arrives, tell him to come up." Judith ordered to the servants in the room. Louisa looked at Benjamin and he looked away, carrying Jackeline up the stairs with her. Judith and Emily followed close behind.
Louisa turned and went into the kitchen. Eva and the other two girls followed after her and went back to their chores.
"That's pretense." Dani said and the others turned to her.
"You think so?" Kate asked, speaking quietly and looking towards the door.
"I'm sure of it. She even cracked a smile, didn't you notice?" Dani commented and glanced at Louisa. But Louisa thought it best not to render the subject or she would end up saying more than she should. And she was determined to leave Benjamin and all this romance thing with him behind her.
"I'm going to pick up the clothes from the clothesline. It looks like it's going to rain." Louisa announced and withdrew herself from there. Eva turned to preparing the meat, while Kate and Dani continued to speak ill of the Russell daughter.
It didn't take long for the doctor to show up, and he realized that Jackeline was faking the injure. He was already used to serving young girls and they applied this type of 'blow' on boys to inspire pity and say they needed care. When Jackeline pouted at Benjamin, he confirmed what he already knew. But clearly, he wasn't going to be unkind and say the girl wasn't hurt at all.
"She needs rest and not stepping on the floor too often for five days. She will be well soon." He said, standing up. Paul, who was in the corner of the room, frowned. He knew his sister was lying and was surprised at how the doctor had participated in that reenactment. As soon as the doctor left, he followed him.
"Doctor, please." He said and Dr. Watson turned to look at him. Paul came closer and motioned for the doctor to continue walking.
"What do you want, boy?"
"We both know my sister wasn't hurt. I just wanted to know why you fed her lie." Paul questioned and the doctor heaved a sigh.
"It's for young people. Your sister wants to get her lover's attention and I couldn't embarrass her that big, could I?"
"If she were poor, would you do the same thing?" Paul asked.
"Depends on the situation. If it was to get away from work out of sheer laziness, no. Now, if the person was feeling sad about something and needed a break, for example, yes, why not? I am a doctor and I must tell the truth, but in some cases the issue is more emotional. And the health of the soul is not just for clerics to take care of." Paul didn't quite understand, but shook his head. The doctor said goodbye and mounted his own horse, leaving the estate.
Paul went back to the second floor, but before he got to his sister's room, Judith came out of there and when she saw him, she broke into a smile. Paul understood that she would ask him for something.
"Oh, dear! Could you please go to the kitchen and ask one of the maids to bring Jack some tea?"
"Sure." He turned and walked down the stairs again. Arriving at the kitchen, he was a little disappointed not to see Louisa around. He saw Eva, the house cook, and thought it best to ask her.
"I'm going to put the water on to boil and in a little while I'll ask someone to take the tea for your sister. How is she, anyway?" Eve asked. Dani and Kate stifled laughter.
"Well, it was a slight twist. In less than a week she will be perfectly fine. Excuse me, I must go now." He bowed and left the kitchen, but he didn't go to Jackeline's room. He went to the front of the house. He wanted to be a bit far from all that drama.
"He is very handsome." Dani commented and Kate threw her the dish towel that was slung over her shoulder. "What?"
"You are engaged, Dani!" Kate said in disbelief.
"But I'm not blind. And I didn't say anything about wanting something romantic with him. It's just that he's handsome and you can't deny it."
Eva and Kate shook their heads, disapproving of Dani's comments, who turned to the vegetables in annoyance.
A few minutes later, Louisa came into the kitchen with the clothes and was heading for the ironing room when Eva stopped her and asked for tea to be taken to Miss Jackeline.
"Mom, does it have to be me?" Louisa questioned, her voice annoyed.
"Yes. And undo that sulky face. The bosses won't like it." Eva said and handed the tray to Louisa. Kate took the clothes from the girl's hand and took them to the small ironing room.
Louisa passed through the living room and heard Harry and Richard talking about the possibility of a marriage between Jackeline and Benjamin.
"It would be wonderful to be able to bring our families together by the bonds of marriage." Richard sais and Harry nodded. Richard knew that Harry Dankeworth's bloodline would have no chance of making it to the throne, however, they were still of royal blood. The Russells were in similar condition to the Dankeworths, but it was still an excellent business for the family. So far, Jackeline had not received any proposal from another party to match. She'd already debuted last year, at seventeen, and now, at nearly nineteen and two seasons with no sign of marriage, it was best to start thinking about an alternative other than getting a royal title.
Louisa swallowed hard and headed upstairs. She kept repeating in her head that she and Benjamin had nothing to do with each other. He and she were worlds apart and it was only natural for him to marry a girl of a family like Jackeline Russell's. Louisa knocked on the Jackeline's bedroom door and Judith opened it.
"Oh, finally. You can take it to Jack, Louisa." The girl nodded and went to the right side of the bed. At that moment, Jackeline had an idea. It would be a little painful, perhaps, but it would be worth it. As Louisa was positioning the tray on her lap, Jackeline gave the tray table a light push, which made Louisa lose her balance and the hot liquid from the tea fell into Jackeline's lap.
"Aaaah!!" Jackeline screamed and quickly Louisa was pushed aside by Emily. Judith took the cloth from Louisa's shoulder and used it to help clean the front of Jackeline's dress.
"Look what you've done!" Judith raged and Benjamin took a few steps forward. "Benjamin, get this girl out of here. Take her to the kitchen! Me and Emily are going to help Jack change her clothes." He just shook his head and grabbed Louisa's arm tightly, dragging her out of the room. Louisa was completely terrified.