Rebirth of the Alpha's Slave Mate (Samantha and Kade) novel Chapter 214

Chapter 214

“Fine,” I said, extending my hand. “Sounds fair to me.”

Beth grinned and shook my hand. As we shook, I noticed something peeking out from under her sleeve- something red and irritated, like a cat scratch.

“Get a new kitten recently?” I asked.

“What?”

I gestured to the mark. Beth suddenly yanked her hand away, tugging her sleeve down, and gathered up the rags again.

“Good luck,” she said, turning on her heel. With that, she left. I stared after her with my brow raised. What was that about?

Once I’d finished showering, I got to work. I scoured my room from top to bottom, searching for anything indicating that the burnt gown had been deliberate. I looked for everything-hairs that weren’t mine, burnt matches in the wastebasket, even dark smudges on spots where Beth might have touched things with ashy fingers.

I found nothing.

By the time dinnertime rolled around, I was no closer to finding proof. I ate dinner with my father and brother, but my mind raced the whole time.

After dinner, I took the empty dishes to the kitchen, claiming that I wanted to help clean up tonight. I found the cook there, a ruddy-faced older man named Emery, sitting on a stool by the hearth as he peeled apples for tomorrow’s pie.

“Emery.” I set the dishes in the sink and turned to him. “Can I ask you something?”

The cook just grunted in response, which was not out of character for him. He was gruff, but he was kind and a good cook.

I walked over to him. “Did you see Beth go into my room at any point while I was gone?”

He didn’t look up at me. “Why the heck would I see who goes into your room? My place is in the kitchen.”

“Fair enough.” I bit my lip and looked around, spotting the scullery maid coming out of the pantry. “Marcia, what about you? See anything odd this weekend?”

The girl froze with a heel of bread halfway to her mouth. “Um… Is this about that pretty dress of yours?” I nodded, and she shrugged. “No, I didn’t notice anything weird. Sorry about your dress, though. If I had a pretty dress like that, I’d be so upset if it got ruined.”

I sighed. This wasn’t even really about the dress anymore. It was a matter of principle.

“Maybe you just messed up,” Emery grunted. “Left a candle unattended. Happens to the best of us. Not me, of course.” He grinned, flashing the gold tooth that he’d had ever since I knew him. “But then again, I’m not the best of us.”

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Chapter 214

+25 Bonus

I snorted, thanking them, and left after I finished cleaning up the dishes.

I still hadn’t found anything by the end of the night. None of the household staff said they had seen anything out of the ordinary while I was gone that weekend. Nothing was out of place in my room.

For all intents and purposes, it really had just been an accident.

The following morning, I headed down to the infirmary to see if Jayne needed any help. The girl from yesterday was gone, and the infirmary was surprisingly empty, which was always a good sign. It meant that no one was sick or in need of help.

Jayne was in the greenhouse, tending to her herbs. I grabbed a basket and started moving around the space, harvesting the plants that were ready.

“Any news?” I asked.

“Actually, yes.” She leaned in closer to her sage plant, using a magnifying glass to pick off some pesky mealybugs with tweezers. “My contact responded.”

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