Ara felt everyone's judgmental eyes closing in on her. She had no evidence to show them, and her words alone weren't enough to prove that Claire had tried to give her a spiked drink.
"You've gone too far, Lady Ara. Look what you did to her face. Don't you know a woman's face is the most important part of her body? If you didn't want to make peace with her, you could've just rejected the drink instead of ruining her face...if you were jealo—" Luanda couldn't finish her words as Ara calmly interjected,
"Would you believe me if I said the drink Claire gave me was spiked?"
Claire's expression shifted instantly. So Ara had known about her plan from the start? Was that why she threw the glass at her face? How did she find out? Claire quickly pushed those thoughts aside. It didn't matter how Ara knew; what mattered was that nobody would believe her anyway. Ara wouldn't be able to prove anything now that the wine was gone. Claire forced out more tears.
"What? I spiked the drink? Why would I do such a thing to you, Lady Ara?" Claire cried, her tears flowing even more.
Ara couldn't reveal the truth now that she had thrown the wine on Claire. No matter how much she protested, nobody would believe her. People loved gossip, and Claire would give them plenty to talk about. She would make sure rumors spread about the Boxton family's eldest daughter, making Ara unable to show her face at any social event again. Such was the game of high society, and Claire was confident she could play it smarter than anyone else.
"Enough, Lady Ara! We can all see that you're jealous of Lady Claire because she's more beautiful and intelligent. Everything you've done is now obvious to all of us," exclaimed Elizabeth, trying to gain favor with the Morrison family. The crowd in the hall agreed with her.
Ara stood calmly in one spot, her hands folded in front of her chest. When she didn't respond, the crowd began to murmur, their judgment growing louder.
"Enough, everyone! You all think Claire is the victim here, that she's innocent? Innocent, my foot! You're all blinded by her stupid fake acting," came Anne's voice, her anger evident.
Anne entered the hall with Mary beside her. Anne couldn't just stand by and watch Claire bully her sister. While in the restroom with Mary, Anne had comforted her until Mary revealed everything about Claire's plan to spike Ara's drink. Not on her watch. Anne had been waiting for an opportunity to expose Claire, and now was her chance.
"What are you saying, Anne? Can't you see what Ara did to Claire's face?" Luanda asked, her displeasure clear.
"Oh yes, I can see it clearly. Claire deserved it. She should consider herself lucky I wasn't the one to throw the glass, or else I'd have ruined her face permanently," Anne retorted, her anger flaring.
"Aunt Luanda... you see, the Boxton sisters hate me when I did nothing but be nice to them," Claire said, trying to gain more sympathy.
"Oh, come on, Claire, enough of your stupid drama already. I know all about your plans, so save me the trouble of shutting you up. Just stop with the fake tears already," Anne demanded, her hands on her waist.
The guests looked at Anne in shock. They had heard of the Boxton family's youngest daughter and her lack of respect for anyone, not even her father, but they hadn't expected her to be so blunt.
Ara glanced at her sister with a small frown, wondering what she was up to and how she knew about Claire's plans. But she knew Anne wouldn't act without reason.
The hall fell silent again, all eyes now on Anne as she held the dark-skinned lady's hand, bringing her forward. Everyone knew the dark-skinned lady was Claire's friend. Claire noticed Anne holding Mary's hand, and her expression darkened.
"Mary here will tell you everything Claire had planned," Anne announced, then turned to Mary and said, "Mary, tell them what you told me in the restroom."
Mary glanced nervously at Claire, who glared at her, warning her to stay silent. Anne noticed Claire's warning and reassured Mary, "Mary, don't be afraid. I'm right here with you. Nobody will dare hurt you while I'm here."
Claire's mind raced as she tried to think of a way out if Mary were to expose her. She knew how naive Mary could be, but she couldn't let Mary ruin her plans. Claire clenched her fists tightly.
Ara watched the drama unfold, her arms crossed. She noticed how frightened Mary looked, as if she wanted nothing to do with it. Mary finally opened her mouth to speak.
"I... Claire had planned to give Lady Ara a spiked drink. She asked me to keep Lady Anne in the restroom so she could have enough time to embarrass Ara. She even—" Mary couldn't finish her sentence as Claire cut her off.
"Mary, why are you lying? Did she force you to go against me?" Claire questioned, still playing the victim.
"Claire, shut up and let the lady speak," commanded John Morrison, who had been watching the drama unfold. He knew Claire well and had been observing her expressions, deducing that she was guilty.
Mary continued speaking, even showing the drug Claire had used to spike the wine. Mary had been nervous at first, but she eventually recounted everything with confidence. The guests looked at Claire, murmuring to each other as the noise grew louder.
"So that's what happened. And to think I was defending that Claire. Turns out she's the black-hearted one."
"I agree. She acted so righteous, but she's an expert at playing the victim. A frail young lady like her cooking up such a devious plan—how despicable."
"I can't believe it. She looks so innocent, but she's really a demon disguised as an angel."
"The young lady from the Boxton family was innocent, but we all blamed her unjustly. Lady Claire should be ashamed of herself for harboring such evil thoughts."
Claire's face twisted in anger as she realized the tide was turning against her. Honor was as important as life to the nobility, and if rumors spread about what happened today, Claire wouldn't be able to show her face in high society again. Her attempts to ruin Ara had ended in her own defeat.
Luanda looked embarrassed by her niece's actions. She had never imagined her innocent niece could do such a thing. The women who had badmouthed Ara earlier began to walk away from the scene with their heads hung low in shame. Eleanora and Catherine also looked ashamed; they had been part of the plan, but now that Mary had exposed them in public, they had no defense.
Claire had ruined the happy celebration.
Ara turned away from them, deeming them no longer worthy of her attention. Her eyes met her sister's, who stood on the side with a smirk as she watched Luanda scold her niece.
The hall quickly emptied as everyone began to leave. Ara and Anne thanked Mary for her help and walked to their carriage parked in a corner. Just as they reached it, Anne suddenly stopped, as if she had remembered something.
"Sister Ara, I think I left my bracelet in the restroom. Let me go get it. Wait for me in the carriage," Anne said, running off before Ara could say anything.
Ara watched her sister's disappearing figure and shook her head in disbelief. She was about to turn back and head to the carriage when she felt someone cover her mouth and drag her away.