The Duke's Bed Warmer

Chapter 101: First Sabotage

Next day, the great hall was set for a formal luncheon with visiting lords from the western border.

Alina walked in and followed her usual path to her seat but that seat was already taken by a visiting countess, Lady Harding.

Alina stopped. Lady Harding was arranging her napkin when Alina reached her. Apparently, she had been told the seat was available.

Alina glanced around the table and saw every seat occupied. Everyone looked at her as she stood there awkwardly.

Lady Pemberton’s face was beaming with happiness. Marguerite half-rose, ready to give up her own seat to her. Emeric, farther down, was thinking of a solution.

Instead of making a scene, she paused for a second, then turned and walked out into the corridor. A few seconds later, she returned carrying a plain wooden chair, the one used by servants in the kitchens. She set it down beside Lady Harding and sat.

The countess sputtered.

"I...I was told this chair was..."

"No worries," Alina said with a smile.

She unfolded her napkin and placed it carefully on her lap.

"There was no seat," she said. "So I brought my own. It’s called resourcefulness."

Lord Ashby chuckled from his seat. Lady Talbot raised her glass in a silent toast. Marguerite sat back down, grinning with pride. Even Audrey smiled warmly from her seat.

"How inventive."

Alina smiled back. Austin didn’t say anything, but his eyes stayed on Alina, filled with quiet admiration.

After the meal, he caught up with her in a quiet corner of the corridor. She was carrying the wooden chair back.

"I’ll speak to Audrey about this," he said.

He didn’t need any evidence. He knew it was Audrey’s doing. Alina shook her head.

"No. If you do something, she will know the rift between us isn’t real. She moved the chair to test whether you would step in."

"But what she did is..."

"Don’t worry. I’ll handle her."

"How?"

"By being better at this game than she is," she smiled.

"You know she won’t stop at just moving chairs, right? he said.

"I know," she replied. "She will escalate."

"Are you not afraid?"

"I’m terrified, to be honest," she admitted. "But more than that I’m angry. And I’m scary when I’m angry."

That made him smile. She set the chair back against the wall and looked at him, a little exhausted.

"Go back to your reports, Austin. Let me fight this battle."

Then she walked away before Dorian could see them.

In the afternoon, the east garden hummed with excitement. The first full shipment was complete. The transport boxes were stacked near the garden gate, each marked with the East Garden Workshop seal. Military couriers were supposed to collect them in the morning.

Lady Brennan was crying again with joy. Marguerite held the inspection report like it was a treasure

"Every uniform passed the test," she said. The quartermaster said the collar reinforcement is the finest work he has seen from any supplier."

Evelyn wiped her eyes with her apron.

"We actually did it."

Alina looked around the women, the boxes,, at the garden that had once been empty and was now a sewing workshop.

"We should celebrate," Evelyn said suddenly. "Let’s have a small party tonight in the garden. Just us."

The women agreed at once. They immediately assigned roles to each other. Evelyn would handle food and drink, Marguerite would handle decoration and Lady Brennan music.

They were laughing and planning when the garden gate opened and Audrey walked in. The laughter died instantly. Audrey looked at the stacked boxes and smiled.

"I heard the news," she said. "The first shipment is finally complete. You’ve accomplished something remarkable."

"Thank you, Your Highness," Marguerite replied politely.

"I wanted to congratulate each of you. This workshop is a testament to what women can do when given the chance," she smiled. "By the way...I heard you are planning a celebration tonight?"

The women exchanged quick glances.

"We were thinking of something small," Evelyn said. "Just us in the garden."

"How lovely. Let me do it," Audrey said. "As my way of showing appreciation. You’ve worked so hard already. Let someone else handle the arrangements."

Lady Brennan was about to refuse, but Audrey continued with a smile.

"Please allow me to make tonight special for you."

The circle exchanged another round of looks. They couldn’t refuse a princess’s generosity. It would be seen as rude.

"That’s very generous, Your Highness," Marguerite said. "We’d be grateful."

"Wonderful. Leave everything to me then. You just have to come dressed in your best clothes at eight o’clock here," she smiled and left satisfied.

"She just took over our party," Evelyn complained.

"I think she upgraded it," Marguerite said.

"She took it," Alina said. "But we’ll still celebrate. And if something goes wrong, we’ll handle it together."

They all nodded.

Later when Alina went to her room to prepare for the evening. She saw a red dress lying on the bed. Beside it, was a note in Austin’s handwriting.

For tonight.

She smiled and touched the dress. The fabric quality was exceptional. It looked like Austin had himself chosen this fabric and had the dress made according to his own taste.

The thought of him choosing the fabric, color, describing it to the tailor, made her blush.

Then Evelyn burst into her room, excited and nervous.

"Alina, I need help. I don’t know what to wear tonight. Marguerite says blue dress is good, but it has flour stains. If the light..."

"Breathe," Alina said, laughing softly.

"Come with me," Evelyn said.

Evelyn then dragged Alina to her small room near the kitchen. After looking through her modest wardrobe, chose a simple white dress.

"This one," Alina said.

"It’s too simple."

"That’s why it is graceful," Alina said.

Evelyn held the dress against herself and looked at herself in the mirror.

"You’re right," she said. "It suits me."

She hugged Alina and ran to the washroom to dress. Alina shook her head and returned to her room.

When she picked up the red dress to change, it felt lighter. She unfolded it and froze. A long, clean cut ran from the neckline all the way to the hem. Someone had cut the dress with a scissor or a blade intentionally.

The dress had been sliced into two halves. It was completely ruined. Alina stood there, holding the torn dress. Her fingers tightened around it as she looked at the note again.

She felt angry, frustrated and miserable.