Chapter 7: Return To The Estate And Unwelcome Guests
The sleek black town car crunched softly over the gravel drive, turning the corner toward the grand entrance of the estate. Through the rain-streaked tinted windows, the sight of two county police cruisers idling by the marble steps made my stomach drop. Their amber light bars flashed silent, revolving red and blue against the wet stone pillars. Beside me in the back seat, Mr. Varric stiffened instantly, his jaw clenching so hard a muscle twitched in his cheek. Nico stirred against my shoulder, letting out a soft, sleepy murmur in his blue pajamas before settling back into quiet breathing.
"Stay in the car," Varric said, his voice dropping into that cold, absolute register he used when he was cornered.
"Mr. Varric, if that's—"
"Stay here," he repeated, cutting me off as he pushed the heavy door open and stepped out into the steady evening drizzle.
I didn't listen. I couldn't. Pulling the collar of my maroon maid uniform up against the damp chill, I cradled Nico securely and slipped out the opposite door, keeping to the shadow of the portico. By the time I reached the massive double doors of the foyer, Varric was already inside, his voice echoing off the vaulted marble ceiling with razor-sharp authority.
"You had no right entering my home without a warrant, Eleanor," Varric demanded, striding across the foyer toward the grand staircase.
Standing near the base of the gold-railed stairs was a woman in an impeccably tailored charcoal trench coat, her blonde hair pulled back into a severe chignon that mirrored my own. Eleanor. Varric's estranged sister-in-law. Beside her stood a middle-aged county deputy with his hand resting casually on his duty belt, looking slightly uncomfortable in the opulent surroundings. Four guards in black suits flanked the perimeter of the room, their expressions rigid, caught between their loyalty to Varric and the presence of local law enforcement.
"Don't talk to me about rights, Julian," Eleanor retorted, her voice sharp and brittle as glass. She turned, her eyes sweeping across the grand hall before locking instantly onto me standing in the doorway. "You've been harboring an unauthorized person—and an infant—while dodging every subpoena my legal team has filed. Deputy Miller is here to execute a court-ordered welfare check on my late brother's estate and any minor children residing within it."
The deputy cleared his throat, stepping forward. "Mr. Varric, we received a formal complaint regarding an unsecured infant and an unverified domestic employee on the premises. We just need to inspect the nursery and verify the child's identity."
"The child's identity is none of your concern, Miller," Varric snapped, planting himself squarely between Eleanor and me. His broad shoulders blocked her line of sight, but not before I saw the exact moment recognition flashed across Eleanor's face. Her eyes widened, darting from my blonde hair tied back in its familiar ribbon, down to the maroon uniform, and back to my face.
"Good God," Eleanor breathed, taking a sharp step forward, her manicured finger pointing directly past Varric's shoulder. "Julian... that's her. That's the missing girl from the summer cottage records. That's Nico's mother."
The air in the marble foyer went completely dead. Deputy Miller looked between Eleanor and Varric, sensing the sudden escalation. "Ma'am, step back, please. Mr. Varric, if there's an unregistered mother residing here in defiance of previous custody orders—"
"There is no unregistered mother," Varric lied smoothly, though his voice carried an undercurrent of lethal warning. He didn't look back at me, but I felt the tension radiating from his entire frame. "This is a domestic employee who assists with the nursery. You have your welfare check from the doorway, Deputy. The child is sleeping, healthy, and secure. Now you and my sister-in-law are going to walk out those doors before I have my legal counsel file criminal trespassing charges against both of you."
"You're hiding her, Julian!" Eleanor shrieked, her composure cracking as she tried to sidestep him. "She abandoned her legal rights six months ago! The court gave us temporary custody oversight! You can't just keep her here playing dress-up as a maid!"
"Get out," Varric said, his voice terrifyingly quiet. He signaled with a flick of his hand, and all four guards stepped forward in unison, their presence an immovable wall of dark wool and muscle.
Deputy Miller, realizing he was outmatched in both jurisdiction and brute intimidation within a private estate, took a cautious step backward toward the exit. "Alright, Mr. Varric. We're leaving. But I'm filing my report, and Mrs. Vance's legal team will be back with a judge's signature in the morning."
Eleanor glared past Varric one last time, her eyes venomous. "You haven't won anything, Julian. She belongs to us. And so does that baby."
May you like
With a final swirl of her trench coat, she turned and marched out into the rain, followed closely by the deputy. The heavy oak doors slammed shut behind them, sealing the echo of their threats inside the cavernous marble hall.
For a long moment, nobody moved. The crystal chandelier hummed softly overhead. Varric slowly turned around, his chest rising and falling beneath his unbuttoned white shirt. He looked at me, his gaze dark, heavy, and filled with a terrifying realization. The secret was out, and morning was coming.
