On reaching the first floor, the little girl took a peek into the beginning of the corridor until she spotted her mother. Her uneasy heart turned calm, and she entered the room. What Eve didnât know was that this was a double room. A room that was separated by glass.
But her mother was not alone. Next to her stood the man who owned this manor, and his butler stood a couple of steps behind him.
âTurn into one of them!â The man held the back of her motherâs head.
âPlease stop!â Her mother cried and pleaded, âYou have mistaken me for someone else! You have known me for long!â
âDoesnât seem like it was enough to know who you are,â said the man, dragging the woman towards the bathtub, where the water was present. He forcibly pushed her into the water, âTurn!â
âI am only a human, Sire. Please believe me,â Rebecca beseeched the man, her heart growing anxious as she didnât know how he even knew about it. When she had come to the room, both he and the butler were already there.
âSire,â the butler said, âI saw it with my own eyes. The little girlâs skin shimmered like a diamond!â
âWhere is your daughter, Becca?â The man spoke to her sweetly, bending down and patting the womanâs head. Fear appeared in the womanâs eyes for her daughterâs life. âGo find her right now!â He ordered his butler.
The butler bowed his head and stepped out of the room.
âNo!â Rebecca tried to scramble her way out of the bath, âShe is innocent! Donât hurt her!â
Eve placed her little hands on the glass, âMama!â She called, but no one heard her.
The man slapped Rebecca with his hand, âShut up and sit still!â
âNo!â The woman kicked and slapped him, using all her strength. The man tried to restrain her, but the woman kicked hard enough against the bathtub that it broke, and water spilt on the floor. âPlease spare us! She is a little girl!â
Eve watched the man catch hold of her motherâs arm, maltreating her.
âWho would have thought you were hiding such a treasure with you?â The man couldnât wait to get his hands on the little girl. He examined the woman with narrowed eyes, digging his nails into her arm.
âWe donât know anything about them, Sire! I donât know what the butler saw, but it wasnât trueââ Rebecca gasped, staring at the man.
The man had dipped his hand deep into Rebeccaâs stomach, and he said, âIf you donât know, I have no further use of you. It is unfortunate that we had to part ways like this.â He pulled his hand back, and the woman staggered backwards.
Eve, standing in the other room with her eyes wide, noticed her motherâs dress turning red near her stomach.
Rebecca looked down at her stomach, a painful expression casting on her beautiful face, which was filling up with regret. Her lips parted and trembled, âP-please donâtâŠâ
âMama!â Eve shouted when her mother fell to her knees.
The man said, âI will take good care of her, or maybe send her sooner to you once you are gone.â His hand shot to her neck, squeezing it.
Seeing her mother in pain, Eve tried to look for a way to get to her mother.
Though in pain, Rebecca picked up the ceramic piece of the shard that belonged to the broken tub, and she used it to stab one of his eyes.
âArgh!â The man growled in pain and anger. Blood oozed out from the wound that had been inflicted on him.
Rebecca didnât stop there, and she used another piece of the shard to push it against his stomach and hurt him.
âMama!â Eve came running into the room where her mother was.
âEve!â Rebeccaâs eyes widened. The emotion in her eyes was somewhere between relief and worry.
Her body was trying to fail her, but her daughterâs safety came first! Taking hold of Eveâs hand, she quickly pulled her out while the man struggled to remove the sharp pieces from his face and stomach.
Rebecca huffed for air, her face contoured in pain as she hid both her and Eve in the corridor before making way down the stairs. The butler would be here soon, and they had to leave this place before it! But she forgot to pay attention to her wound, which was bleeding and leaving drops of blood on the floor.
At the same time, the butler had found the room to be empty without the girl, and he headed back to where his Master was right now, missing crossing paths with the mother and daughter.
Most of the servants in the servant quarters, it made it easier for them to pass through the corridors before they reached the kitchen, leading to the manorâs backdoor. But it wasnât as simple as she thought it to be because she met a woman in the kitchen.
âWhoâs there?â Questioned the woman.
âIt is me, Rebecca,â replied the woman while keeping Eve close and hidden behind her.
âThis is not the time to be here. Donât you know that servants are not allowed after midnight unless you have an order?â
Rebecca had no time to chit chat, but at the same time, she didnât want to alert this maid, who could call the others. The woman noticed her be in pain and asked,
âAre you alright?â
âI just have a bad stomach ache,â replied Rebecca, the panic continuing to grow along with the excruciating pain. âCan I get a glass of warm water?â
The woman stared at her before giving her a nod. And when the woman turned her back on her, Rebecca quickly made her way towards the corridor which led to the door. She quickly unlocked it and started to run with Eve. They couldnât go through the gate, but there was a gap at the back from where one could escape.
âCatch them! They are there!â A man shouted from behind. Rebecca turned for a moment and noticed the butler, the Master of the house and some of his men running towards them.
One of the men quickly caught up to them and held Rebecca. Tears started to brim in the womanâs eyes at her inability, and she let go of her daughterâs hand.
âRun Eve!â She screamed, and the little girl turned stunned.
Eveâs lips trembled, and she didnât want to leave her mother, âM-mamaâŠâ When she tried to get closer to her mother, her mother said, đđżđâŻđ€âŻđđđŃ”eđĄ.cđšïœ
âI will always love you⊠Now run!â
The man caught hold of Rebecca, and before another man could catch Eve, the little girl started to run. She ran through the little gap in the fence, making it difficult for the man to follow her as he didnât fit through the gap.
Eve saw her mother, who had tears in her eyes. Her mother smiled, a smile that was filled with sadness. The Master of this manor stepped behind her mother, and with one swift movement, he ran his hand through her back, and his hand pushed through from her front.
A sob escaped from Eveâs lips, watching the smile on her motherâs face leave and her eyes turn lifeless.
âCatch the little girl! I want her right now!â Ordered the man in anger.
âMama!â Eve called her mother, who didnât respond as Rebecca fell on the ground.
She started to run, running as fast as she could while sobs escaped from her lips. Unable to contain the grief and horror that took place in front of her eyes, tears turned to pearls, falling on the forest ground that she had entered.
âWhere is she?â
âThe rat must be right here!â
âSpread to find her quickly! She mustnât be too far!â Yelled the men, who were trying to find Eve.
Eve hid under the large rock for a minute before she started to run again. While running next to the stream, she missed her footing and slipped into the water. The current of the water was strong and it carried her forward, while she tried to keep her head above the water.
Not soon, Eve lost her consciousness and she drifted towards the calmer side of the stream.
While the men continued to search for the little girl, a moving carriage appeared which was being pulled by two horses. The carriage came to a halt, when the coachman caught sight of something shining under the moonlight first before he noticed it was a little girl.
âWhatâs the matter, Eugene?â Came the question from inside the carriage that belonged to a woman.
âLady Aubrey, I see a body near the stream,â replied the young coachman with a frown.
âHm?â The carriage door opened, and out stepped a woman who appeared to be in her late forties. She had a stern face, yet her eyes held warmth. She wondered which wealthy one decided to throw a person in the water, or which poor man must have committed suicide.
The coachman walked to where the person laid and moved closer to the person, and he said, âIt is a young girl. She doesnât belong to the town.â It was because this town was occupied by the wealthy, and it was no place for lower-class folks.
Lady Aubrey walked towards the girl who was soaking wet. Bending down, she checked the little girlâs pulse. At the same time, the womanâs eyes fell on the girlâs bare legs. Something shimmered on the girlâs skin, and the woman frowned, staring at her.
âWhat do we do, milady?â
âHelp me get her into the carriage.â