The Princess and the Pauper (Arabella) novel Chapter 1774

From a distance, Louisa could see Steward hopping up and down with excitement, waving frantically at her and shouting with an ecstatic voice, "Madam, we're back, please help us open the door!"

Surely if it was Madam who opened the door, Ms. Bella wouldn't have any grounds for complaint, right?

Louisa was puzzled. Why was Steward acting more thrilled to see her than if he had found a lifeline?

"Why aren't you guys going in? Didn't you say that the youngest just had surgery?" As Louisa approached, she noticed that the front gate was bolted shut, and the security guard in the booth seemed to be engrossed in his smartphone.

No doubt the youngest had forgotten his keys, called for the guard who didn't hear, so they couldn't get in.

"Why didn't you call me?" Louisa asked, then went over to knock on the security booth's door, "Did Sean come home and not even think to unlock the door? It's freezing out here."

"Madam." the guard opened up, saluted with a bow, and said with a helpless expression, "It's not that I didn't open the door for Sean, it's Ms. Bella. She wouldn't allow it."

"Why not?" Louisa was taken aback and looked towards Sean and Steward, who both wore expressions of guilty silence. Had these two somehow upset Bella?

But they had just returned; when could they have possibly angered Bella? Had they run into her on the way, or had they done something elsewhere to provoke her?

"What on earth happened?" Louisa pressed the guard for an answer.

"Well, earlier, Ms. Bella was at the gate talking to Sean. Then she got angry." The guard didn't dare to say what Sean did to upset Ms. Bella, merely adding, "Ms. Bella ordered me to keep the gate shut, saying if either of them dared to enter, I was to 'take them down'."

Louisa was shocked by the severity of the situation.

"Madam, it's all a misunderstanding."

Before Steward could finish explaining, he saw Madam reaching for a stun baton inside the booth, which made him quickly hide behind Sean, whispering, "Sean, is it too late to ask for leave? I need to be home for the family dinner on New Year's."