Anna quickly realized that these were the pearls that made up Bridget's gift bracelet.
"Hey, why did this get disconnected?"
Penelope was gasping for breath and didn't know what to do, then out of nowhere she slapped Anna on the cheek.
"It's all ruined because of you!"
Slap!
"This naughty thing! What am I going to do with this now!"
She was just going to take a look and leave it as is.
If Anna hadn't shown up, she would have just put down the bracelet and gone out with a dress or two.
"You ruined this, you know?"
Anna grabbed her slapped cheek and glared at Penelope.
"It was Mrs. Bellingham who touched this! It was not my fault."
"What?"
Penelope raised her hand again. That was when...
"Stop it, Penelope."
Bridget's firm voice stopped Penelope's hand.
"Bridget..."
Penelope flinched, not knowing at first that it was Bridget's voice.
Bridget was glaring at her with unfamiliar eyes.
"What is this?"
Penelope quickly put her hand down.
Anna, who had discovered Bridget, quickly tattled on her.
"Madam! I saw Mrs. Bellingham sneak into your room and try to steal your gift!"
"Where did this lie come from!"
Penelope glared at Anna.
Bridget put her hand on her forehead and apologized to the person behind her.
"Mariam. I'm sorry, but could you please go down to the first floor and wait?"
"Yes, Viscountess Winston."
Only then did Penelope and Anna realize that there was a guest behind Bridget.
The woman named Mariam glanced at Penelope with curious eyes, smiled awkwardly, and quickly disappeared.
'What a disgrace!'
Penelope's face turned red.
That woman went down after listening to Anna's words, but didn't she end up like someone who got caught stealing?
Penelope looked at Bridget with longing.
"Anna misunderstood. Why would I steal your gift? Right? The bracelet got ruined because of this kid's commotion. I was just watching. Make Anna pay for the damages."
"No, Ma'am! This is..."
Bridget raised her hand to stop them both from talking.
"I have a rough idea of the situation."
Bridget looked down at the pearls that had fallen to the floor.
"The jewels don't matter. Anna, apologize for misunderstanding and mistreating Penelope."
Anna made a face of injustice, but she couldn't help it when Bridget said that.
She pursed her lips and bowed her head to Penelope in apology.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Bellingham. I was rude."
It should have been like that a long time ago. Penelope muttered, lifting her chin slightly.
Bridget spoke firmly to her.
"Penelope, I wish you would apologize for hitting Anna. No matter what, I can't just let it go if you hit my maid without permission."
"What?"
"Apologize to Anna."
"Ha?"
Penelope looked at Brigitte in astonishment.
But Bridget did not back down.
Penelope trembled at the sight of Bridget's firm gaze, which she had never seen before.
The Bridget in front of her now seemed like someone she was seeing for the first time.
"Why, why are you looking at me like that?"
Penelope pleaded with a face that looked as if she was dying from injustice.
"I think you misunderstood something. Do you know how rude Anna was to me? When you weren't around, she would glare at me and..."
"Anna apologized for her rudeness. Now it's your turn."
"Are you taking the maid's side now?
Penelope looked up at the ceiling in disbelief, then glared at Bridget again.
"I'm your friend! Not this maid! Who are you taking my side with? You can't do this to me!"
"Penelope."
"Don't look at me like you're trying to teach me something. You said I was more precious than anyone else, that you were always on my side, was that all a lie? I'm really disappointed in you."
Penelope's fists shook with betrayal.
She glared at Bridget with tears in her eyes and a wounded face.
But Bridget didn't move an inch and just looked at Penelope.
As if crying was useless...
It seemed like she really wanted to get an apology.
'This isn't it.'
Penelope was shocked by Bridget's unyielding attitude as usual.
At the same time, anger was rising.
"If you ask me to apologize, then I have to do it? Now you're telling me what to do? Is this why you made me stay here?"
"It's a simple matter, Penelope. Don't get excited."
"You... You've changed. How can you do this to me? Why? Because you're the wife and I'm the concubine? Are you acting like a master to me? Is that why you look down on me? How could you do this to me?"
"Penelope!"
"Don't call my name like that!"
Penelope, unable to say anything due to excitement, screamed and stamped her feet as she ran out.
"Wow, really..."
Anna shook her head as she watched Penelope's back.
"Anna, are you okay with the hit?"
Bridget looked at Anna's face over and over.
"Oh, your face is really swollen."
"I'm fine. This little beating is over. I'll be fine tomorrow."
Anna spoke briskly and smiled at Bridget, reassuring her.
Bridget sighed as she looked at Anna like that.
"I'm sorry, Anna."
"Oh, why, madam! It's Mrs. Bellingham who's the bad guy."
"No. I'm sorry. I think it would be best to avoid Penelope's notice for the time being."
"Don't worry about me. What if Mrs. Bellingham goes there? She won't say anything strange to Master, will she?"
"I'll take care of that."
Anna looked at Bridget with worried eyes.
Still, it wasn't a problem she could solve. She had to leave it to Bridget.
"By the way, I love this precious bracelet!"
Anna sat down and picked up the fallen pearls.
Bridget pretended to help Anna and hid the broken bracelet string in her pocket.
There were clear traces of deliberate handwork to make the bracelet more likely to break.
***
Mariam was a dress shop employee from who Bridget commissioned dresses from.
Since Bridget used to order dresses in writing, this was Mariam's first time seeing Bridget in person.
Why did this regular customer come in person? And so early in the morning?
After talking to the head designer of the costume shop, Bridget came to Mariam and asked.
"I have a pregnant woman at home who has difficulty moving. Can you come with me to take measurements?"
'You could have sent an errand boy to do this, so why did you come here yourself?'
Although she was puzzled, Mariam readily followed Bridget.
And then she saw the situation just now.
As Mariam was going down to the first floor, she heard Penelope's voice ringing outside Bridget's room.
"Why? Because you are the wife and I am the concubine? Are you acting as my master now?"
'What does this mean?"
Mariam's ears perked up.
'A fight of passion?"
She remembered what the maid had said earlier.
"Madam! I saw Mrs. Bellingham sneak into your room and try to steal your gift"
In fact, Mariam was interested from the beginning and was slowly going down the stairs when she heard Penelope's nagging.
Mariam soon heard Penelope coming up the stairs, her voice booming in the hallway, and she hurried down to the first floor to avoid meeting her.
'Seeing her walk so briskly, I don't think she has any trouble moving.'
But now was not the time to worry about such trivial things.
She was about to go to the reception room since she had Bridget's permission but changed her mind and headed to the employees' break room.
Mariam often visited these mansions to take measurements of the ladies, and the employees' lounges were usually located in a similar place in each mansion, so she could find them without anyone having to tell her.
"Hello, I have come from the dressing room on behalf of Mrs. Winston. She asked me to wait on the first floor, so may I have a cup of tea?"
"Yes, come here."
In the break room, several maids were sitting, taking turns resting.
They naturally gave their seat to Mariam, who had come as a worker. The employees' break room was originally a space open not only to the employees within the mansion, but also to outsiders such as errand boys, visiting merchants, and grocery delivery men.
The maids, who had been spending their boring time, took an interest in Mariam.
"I heard Madam is making a new dress? She doesn't usually hire dressmakers."
"She asked me to come in person because there is a pregnant woman at home?"
"Ah."
The maids' expressions became pale at the mention of the pregnant woman.
"Is that pregnant woman Mrs. Bellingham?"
Mariam had heard the story about Mrs. Bellingham.
She remembered the ladies who came to the costume shop and chatted about how she had married an old man who was as old as her grandfather.
One of the maids shrugged.
"That's right. Well, it's not a secret."
'That's right.'
Mariam clapped her hands inwardly.
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