---- 439.


    ACCUSED KATHERINE That was exactly what it wasan attempted murder.


    I spotted a handsome man arguing heatedly with a woman among the tall hedges.


    If hadnt been on an upper floor, I never would have noticed them.


    She was crying, wiping her face with a handkerchief.


    Her simple clothing told me she wasnt one of the wealthy noblewomen at the party.


    Suddenly, she clutched her belly and screamed something that utterly terrified him.


    They struggled, the girl fighting desperately to get inside the pce.


    Ishouldnt have been snooping, but something about the mans aggression told me things wouldnt end wend they didnt.


    In the blink of an eye, I saw him reach inside his jacket, grab the woman by the arm, and yank her against his chest, whispering something venomous.


    Her expression changed in an instant.


    My supernatural hearing caught a muffled, dull sound, even from a distance.


    When the man released her, shoving her away, she looked down at her stomach in disbelief, her trembling hands pressing against the spreading red stain on her dress.


    Imped a hand over my mouth and took a step backhe had shot her at point-nk range! ---- Without mercy, staring at her terrified face, he watched as she copsed onto the ground, into the bushes beneath the cypress tree.


    Then he grabbed her under the arms, dragging her deeper into the foliage, hiding her from any wandering eyes.


    I stood frozen, my heart pounding against my chest, my eyes locked on the bushes where a woman was bleeding out, dying.


    What kind of son of a bitch does something like this to a girl in broad daylight, in cold blood?! Without thinking of the danger, I grabbed the skirt of my satin dress and ran down the corridors, searching for the stairs to reach that part of the garden.


    Icouldnt leave her there, I wouldnt! Images shed in my mindof that woman, my own ancestor, who had hanged herself.


    Poormon girls who believed the bedroom lies of these nobles for love, for ambition, or whatever reasonthey always ended up the same.


    Completely dead.


    Trying to remain unnoticed while everyone was gathered in the hall, I moved across the grounds.


    My magic stirred subtly, sensing danger.


    No one was nearby, so I quickly reached the crime scene; the pungent, metallic scent assaulted my nostrils as soon as I stepped into the hedges.