The Princess and the Pauper (Arabella) novel Chapter 1833

Martin's voice became desperately urgent as he spoke, "Arabella, they say saving a life is the greatest deed, greater than building the grandest cathedral. You're a healer at heart, and if you could save her, I'll agree to any terms you set!"

"I know when you returned to your birth family, Serena didn't welcome you with open arms. Instead, she provoked and hurt you over and over. She was wrong, truly wrong. I realize that saying 'I'm sorry' a thousand times over won’t undo the pain she's caused you, but I can't just stand by and watch her die. Please, Arabella, you can direct all your anger at me. I'll beg on my knees, crawl if I have to, just to save her life."

His voice was choked with emotion, barely recognizable.

"The doctors say her body's vital functions and organs, all have been seriously affected, though to varying degrees. I'm out of options."

Hearing this, Arabella simply said, "I gave her plenty of chances, and she squandered each one. She tried to take my life, time and again. Who was there to save me then?"

Had it not been for her quick thinking and timely avoidance, Arabella couldn’t know how many times she might have died by Serena's hand.

"Her condition isn't a big problem for me to fix, but I won't save her." Arabella's voice was cold and detached throughout. "All your kneeling and pleading won't make a difference. The problem isn't with you; it's with her."

If Serena hadn't harbored such malice from the start, if she hadn't schemed behind Arabella's back repeatedly, Arabella might have considered her salvation.

But Serena was cruel enough to try and carve her hatred into Arabella's skin, to wish a gruesome death upon her.

Why save someone like that?

Was she supposed to set a trap for herself?

Arabella ended the call without another word, not willing to waste her breath.

"Let's try to piece together the timeline Martin gave us," Arabella said calmly.

"He left our house the night before last and summoned seven or eight renowned doctors to his place overnight. By early morning, as the dawn broke, he had the doctors leave one by one, to let Erik know that Serena's injuries were too severe for treatment. According to him, not long after, he got a call from an unknown number."

Louisa and Kenneth nodded in confirmation, "Yes, that's exactly what Martin told us."

"Erik couldn't have gone far, and trusting Martin, he would have arrived at Martin's place quickly. That would have been around noon, maybe one or two in the afternoon."

"Martin claimed his men knocked Erik out cold, and indeed, there was evidence of a blow to the back of his head. To capture Erik, he also used a sedative incense. My autopsy confirmed Erik had inhaled an excessive amount of it, but,"

Her gaze met everyone's, "The scent of the incense would only render someone unconscious for a couple of hours. If I'm not mistaken about the timing, Erik would have awoken before sunset. Logically, with Martin's urgency to save someone, he could have brought Erik straight to us after he was knocked out. So why wait until after 8 p.m. to bring him to our place? What was the delay for? Did Erik wake up and they struck some sort of deal? We have no way of knowing."