After a while, Jessica pulled the door open. Cassandra looked up, meeting her gaze. Her face bloomed with a smile, yet her eyes glistened with an unknown light, one that did not escape Jessica's notice.
Jessica's lips curved into a cold arc. Casting a fleeting glance at Cassandra, she stepped into the hallway.
"Lead the way," she murmured, a smirk playing on her lips.
Cassandra quickened her pace toward the garden, her face bright with a falsely warm smile.
"Bernice will be happy you agreed to meet her," she said. "You don't know how guilty she's felt since that incident. And with Lady Matilda blaming her, she's really been sorry."
Jessica glanced at her quietly and then her eyes swept the corridor, her gaze lingering briefly on corners, shadows, and door frames.
A few subtle details were out of place, no too obvious, but enough to make her click her tongue softly.
