The Fourth Mistress

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"Chloe is my husband's sister's daughter," explained Lady Gianna. "I didn't know that you both had already met. We live in a small world, don't we," that is what even Louise thought. This would also mean that Lady Gianna was also related to the late Lisa Young.

"I had to go handover some of the documents that father wanted to give to Winkle, auntie," said Chloe, coming to sit next to her aunt and offering Louise a smile. "It is good to see that your family is here. Mrs. Edgerton must have sent out the invitation. She is close to Lady Viola," and Louise noticed Chloe looked around as if searching for someone who wasn't there yet.

"Yes," Louise's reply was polite, and she offered the girl a smile. "It is good to see you here too. Do you live close by?" she asked, trying to make conversation.

"An hour away from here. My parents live in Warlington and I am planning to go back there," replied Chloe, her hazel eyes warm to look at. It seemed like many people were from Warlington, thought Louise to herself. "Your husband didn't come with you?"

"He is busy with work, but he should be here sometime," replied Louise, and the young woman nodded her head.

"Louise is the one I was speaking about, Chloe. Her aunt was searching for a good man for her, who would match her intellect," said Lady Gianna and Chloe's eyebrows raised as if dawning at the memory.

"Is that so? I must tell you that many bachelors will be saddened hearing they have missed a woman like yourself, Lady Louise," Chloe's words were polite and calm as she spoke to her. "But you seemed to have done well by marrying into the Reed's family. Graham Reed is a popular man."

With the way Chloe spoke about Graham, Louise didn't find a hint of anger that was directed towards her husband unless the woman was good at shielding her true emotions.

"Graham is as popular as he was when he reached his late teenage years," agreed Lady Gianna.

"How did you both meet and fall in love?" asked Chloe, her eyes turning curious at Louise.

"It was actually at Lady Gianna's soiree," replied Louise, her words softer so that the other ladies who weren't too far from them didn't eavesdrop on the conversation.

Lady Gianna heartily laughed, remembering that particular day. At the same time, Louise cleared her throat, "It must be fate that brought you both together. Isn't that right, Lady Viola?" the older woman invited Lady Viola into the conversation.

When Lady Viola's eyes met Chloe's eyes, they looked cold as ice, and her thin lips had pursed before she parted them to speak, "You could say that," her words were short as always.

"How are you doing, Lady Viola? It has been a while since we met," said Chloe, a smile still on her lips.

"Good," replied Lady Viola and then she turned to look at Louise and said, "Mrs. Edgerton would also like to spend some time with you." And that was Louise' cue to get up and join her mother-in-law.

Offering polite smiles to both Lady Gianna and Chloe, Louise made her way to the other table and sat next to Mrs. Reed. During her time there, she noticed the smile on Chloe's lips leave when she wasn't speaking to anyone, and it returned when she made eye contact with Louise.

"It seems like you are quite popular here, Louise," said Mrs. Edgerton, taking a quick look at the place where Louise had been sitting earlier. "But you should be careful with whom you speak."

A frown appeared on Louise' forehead, and she asked, "What do you mean, Lady Edgerton?"

Mrs. Edgerton smiled, placing her hand on Louise' hand and whispered, "The Wall's are good at tarnishing a person's name. They did that to your family too, calling names at your husband."

"You mean blaming him?" asked Louise.

"Yes," answered Mrs. Edgerton, and before she could say anything more, Lady Viola placed her teacup on the surface of the table.

Lady Viola said, "I think it is enough discussion on it, Lady Ophelia." The woman looked unhappy just by the memory of the past.

"Of course, Lady Viola," the woman changed the subject and started to talk about another family's daughter who had married a person belonging to a poor family. "You would think that Patrica would never allow her daughter to step in…"

The conversation blurred itself to the background while Louise looked at the people around her. Alison was speaking to another person, and most of the guests were occupied with each other. Without Graham here, she felt a little out of place, not to mention, she wasn't interested in the women's gossip. Graham had already informed her about Chloe's possible anger towards him, which was why Mrs. Edgerton's words didn't faze her.

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After everyone had the meal together in the grand dining room of the Edgerton's manor, Louise took a stroll in the garden with Alison. "You don't seem to be enjoying your time here. Are you missing Graham?" grinned Alison as she asked the question.

"Something like that," replied Louise. She had never been much of a gathering person, but she realized it would be something she would need to get used to, considering how she was married into one of the prestigious families in Habsburg. "The Edgerton's have beautiful statues," she commented in awe, looking at the marble carved statues in the garden.

"They are beautiful. Look at the way the bones have been sculpted. I always come to take a look at them when I am here," said Alison, looking at the statue of a man. Her eyes slowly shifted to look at Louise, and she asked in a nonchalant tone, "Have the guests been treating you well?"

"They have," replied Louise, "Everyone has been very kind."

"I see," murmured Alison. Louise heard the pause in Alison's words when her sister-in-law turned to look at her, "I saw you speaking to Chloe Walls earlier. I mean it is fine," she smiled in the end.

But by the looks of it, Alison seemed a little uncomfortable. Louise said, "I heard about her thoughts regarding Lisa's death."

Alison's lips pursed in thought, "I am sorry, I know I shouldn't tell you whom you should and shouldn't speak to. It is just that some of the memories of the past are a little uncomfortable. She isn't a bad person, just that..."

"She's upset," Louise completed the sentence. "People say a lot of things that they don't mean when they are upset and have lost someone dear to them."

"You are right. Chloe wasn't always like this, at least not before Lisa's death. Something happened to Lisa. My mother had even brought a doctor to help her," explained Alison, looking down at her hands, and she shook her head with a sigh. Louise listened to her while trying to understand the situation. So it seemed like a doctor, a priest, and an investigator were called but were of no help. "Mother isn't particularly fond of Chloe, so it would be better if you can avoid speaking to Chloe in front of her," Alison politely advised her.

"I will keep that in my mind. Thank you, Alison," replied Louise.

They walked towards the pond that was built at the end of the garden.

"That day, when we were playing hide and seek, I found a wedding gown in the closet. Have you ever come across it?" questioned Louise.

"A wedding gown?" asked Alison, and she shook her head. "I rarely go into that room, unless Molly is playing hide and seek. You should have brought it to me, I would have known who it belongs to. The dresses must have gotten mixed up when we shifted from the previous manor."

"It might be so," agreed Louise, still not understanding who took the gown from the closet. She stared at the pond while getting closer to it. "It looks much cleaner from this side."

Alison, who stood behind, stared at Louise for the words she had spoken. A small frown came to settle on her forehead.

Louise noticed the small plants grown inside the pond and the fish. She couldn't help but take a closer look at them while slightly bending forward. She was going to call Alison to come and take a look when in the reflection of the water, she caught sight of a hand from behind her that pushed her into the pond.

"Louise, are you alright?!" Alison quickly came forward, offering her hand to step out.

The sudden fall into the water turned Louise's clothes and body wet with water dripping from her hair.

There was a look of shock on Louise' face as she tried to grasp what just happened. Her eyes turned wide.

"W-what happened?" Louise questioned Alison.

"You shouldn't have gotten that much closer to the edge. Come now," said Alison, helping Louise stand and step out of the pond. "You must have lost your footing."

She would have believed Alison's words if she hadn't seen the hand that shot towards her in the reflection of the water. Did her sister-in-law push her? She stared at Alison.

"What happened here?!"

Louise and Alison turned their heads and saw Graham making his way towards them, his eyebrows knitted together.

"Louise, lost her balance," answered Alison. "We should get her some dry clothes so that she doesn't catch a cold."

"Are you alright?" Graham asked Louise in concern, and she nodded her head.

Graham took out the long coat that he was wearing and put it over Louise's shoulders. "I will ask the Edgerton's butler to arrange some clothes," he said while looking at her. Thankfully, they were away from the guests. "I will take it from here," he told his sister. They made their way towards the manor and entered inside, while Alison went back to where the guests were present.

"Is the lady alright, Mr. Reed?" asked the butler, who saw Louise, who was soaked in water from head to toe.

"Yes, she is. I would like you to arrange a room and clothes for Lady Louise right away," ordered Graham and the butler bowed his head.

"Marion, please bring fresh clothes to the guest room," ordered the butler to the maid who was walking by, and he led the couple to the room.

On their way, Louise felt Graham's hand on her back.

Louise tried to rewind what had happened near the pond. She doubted Lisa had any mental illness. Because if that were true, she was already losing her mind. Someone had pushed her, and she was sure of it. And the only person there with her was Alison, who looked startled by her fall.

It was possible that either some of the family members of the Reed's had gaslighted Lisa or that there was an actual ghost haunting the Reeds.

Louise entered the guest room that the butler had led her and Graham into. As the fireplace had not been lit, it left the room cold, and her body trembled. She felt colder because of her wet dress that clung to her skin, and she realized this was the second time she had borrowed Graham's coat.

"Let me go see where the maid is. Would you like me to draw you a bath?" inquired the butler in a polite tone.

"No, I am fine. Just the towel and the dress will be more than enough," replied Louise. When the butler met Graham's eyes, Graham nodded his head in agreement.

"I will be back soon," the butler bowed his head and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Graham saw Louise tremble, and he suggested, "Maybe it would be better if you remove the wet clothes. You can use the towel or the blanket until the butler returns. I will be outside so that you can change," he offered.

When he started to walk towards the door, Louise caught hold of his hand, "Stay beside me a little longer. Please," she requested.

Louise wasn't one to be easily scared, but until now, she didn't know something maleficent could exist. She hadn't figured out what form it was, and it had her heart rattled. Graham didn't leave, and instead, he made her sit down on the chair.

"I never pegged you to be clumsy. How did you end up slipping into the pond?" questioned Graham, his olive eyes looking at her. There was a hint of evident concern in his voice, and Louise was glad to have him here in the Edgerton's manor.

Telling him that someone had pushed her would only lead to Alison being blamed, and she wasn't sure if what she saw was what her eyes caught or was something her eyes wanted to see.

"I am not clumsy," replied Louise, looking back at him, and she hugged her body over the coat. She then said, "It feels much better with you here."

"Forgive me that I couldn't come here sooner. The architect had me wait and also it took longer to finalize things for the blueprint of the building's structure," apologized Graham, his eyebrows furrowed. "Give me a moment," he said, walking behind the divider and bringing a towel with him. "May I?" he asked her.

Louise nodded her head, relieved with his company so that she wouldn't drown in the bathtub of this room. Graham walked behind her and started to dry her hair. She could feel his finger and hand movements as he gently tried to dry her hair in the quiet room. Somewhere he had stopped using the towel and he used his fingers to weave through her hair so that it would not knot.

After a while, the butler arrived with a new dress, giving it to Graham and leaving the couple be.

Graham, who had finished drying his wife's hair, said,

"You can change your clothes now."

Louise got up, taking the fresh clothes and going behind the divider to change into them. She felt much better now, and she stepped out from the divider, holding Graham's coat and saying, "Your coat is wet because of me."

"That is alright. It isn't that cold outside and I will be okay without it," replied Graham, who hadn't left the room.

Before they could step out of the room, Louise said, "Graham, there is something I want to speak to you about."

"What is it about?" He waited for her to speak.

Louise didn't know which way was better to break the news to him. It was better to let him know before it was too late, "I think someone wants to harm me."

For a few seconds, Graham only stared at her, and somewhere it made Louise anxious that he was going to think that similar to his third wife, she was losing her mind too. He asked, "Why do you feel that? Is it because all my previous wives passed away?"

"No, it isn't that," replied Louise. Or maybe somewhere along the lines, it was. "Please don't think I am turning crazy. When I went to visit the cemetery in Midville and also in Lisa's room in the manor, I saw something strange. A rotten hand and it has scared me…" her voice trailed at the end of the sentence. Graham's frown deepened at her words.

Even Louise felt how absurd it sounded as she said it out loud, but she couldn't shake the feeling of what she had seen a few days ago.

Graham appeared to be in deep thought, and he said, "You said you were in the cemetery when you saw the hand. Maybe you saw a dead body's hand that wasn't buried in the casket and was pushed up because of the rain or wind?"

Louise shook her head, "No. I was sitting in front of Lisa' grave and clearing the dried leaves when I saw it. I know what I saw."

"Ghosts don't exist, Louise," stated Graham. Louise would have agreed with him, but she believed that what was happening wasn't bad luck but something that someone was doing.

"I know, Graham, but something isn't right and I need you to believe me," she needed someone who wouldn't think that she had lost her mind. "Please, don't tell this to anyone," she added. If, by chance, Lady Viola were to hear about this, Louise was sure that she would be sent to see the doctor and maybe even live in the hospital.

"I won't," Graham gave his word to her, and she felt a sense of relief. Even though she could tell that he didn't believe her, he was still willing to listen to her. "But you should know that ghosts are not real but things people imagine. We are educated and know there's no proof when it comes to a person's life after death. And nothing bad will happen to you, Louise. If it makes you feel better, I will assign a few servants around you. They will keep an eye to make sure nothing happens."

"No, that won't be needed," replied Louise.

Graham, who didn't believe in ghosts, his eyes narrowed, "Is it because you fell in the pond? Was it Alison, who pushed you?"

She shook her head, "I don't think she did that. She wouldn't."

Because it didn't make any sense why her sister-in-law would push her. The problem was that Louise remembered seeing a hand, but she didn't remember if it was Alison's hand or someone else' hand.

When they were still in the room, talking to each other, they heard a shriek from outside their room. Startled, Louise and Graham quickly left the room. Hearing the commotion taking place outside the manor, they followed the sound and noticed servants gathered.

The scream had brought the other guests running to the scene to see what had happened. When Louise got closer, she covered her mouth on seeing Mr. Wensley lying on the ground on the front side with blood oozing from his head.

Lady Viola was in shock, and Senior Mr. Reed held her to support her.

"What happened to him?!" demanded Lady Agatha. She went to her husband, trying to wake him up and shouted. "Somebody call a doctor!"

"Who did it?" demanded Graham in anger, looking at everyone present there.

One of the maids stepped forward and hesitantly said, "Jennifer and I, w-we were going to refill the snacks when he suddenly fell right in front of us. We d-don't know what happened."

Louise looked at the manor, noticing the top window was open. Ernest Wensley might have possibly jumped from there. She was in shock as never before had she seen a person die like this.

Mr. Edgerton whispered to his wife, who stood next to him, "Did Mr. Wensley try to commit sucidie?" But his words were heard by everyone as that chatter had died, and the atmosphere had turned gloomy.

"My husband would never kill himself!" defended Lady Agatha, angry tears in her eyes.

"My apologies, milady," said Mr. Edgerton, but similar thoughts were shared by the people there through looks.

After some time, both the doctor and the investigating officer arrived at the death scene with some of his other assistant officers to look at the death scene and file a report. The officers tried to see if the person had committed suicide or if someone had pushed him. The doctor took the body in a carriage to see if there was any foul play in Mr. Wensley's death. The officer questioned every person who was present in the Edgerton's manor.

Like others, Louise and Graham were questioned, and some of them noticed the different dress Louise wore, which wasn't the same as when she had arrived here. The guests offered the Reeds and Agatha Wensley their condolences. Senior Mr. Reed, Lady Viola and others later left the Edgerton's manor to grieve for their loss.

Louise stayed back, waiting for Graham, who was speaking to the officer. She stood by herself, watching the spot where Mr. Wensley had fallen and then some of the people who hadn't left.

"Sorry for your loss."

She turned, seeing it was Chloe who had come to stand next to her. Louise offered a small nod. The most time she had spent with Mr. Wensley was in the dining room without much interaction outside it.

"Death is always sad, but it is inevitable. But it looks like death strikes again."

"What do you mean?" Louise questioned Chloe.

"The family you got married into is cursed. People connected to it have mysteriously died. Lisa was too late in getting out of there, but you still have time," warned Chloe. Without another word, she went back to Lady Gianna, and both the women left Edgerton's manor in their carriages.