Chapter 371: Loyalty [3]

Camille was silent as Michael worked, her eyes heavy with exhaustion. At times, she drifted off to sleep, only to be startled awake by the maids recoiling in disgust at what they saw.

She rose when she saw Michael wiping his hands and the maids carefully cleaning his tools as he prepared to leave.

Camille approached the bed and looked at Hayden, still unconscious. "Why hasn’t he woken up?"

"It needs time to wear off. It would have been painful for him if he woke while I was tending to his wounds, and this will give him time to properly rest without suffering," Michael explained.

"Would you have liked for him to be in pain?" Michael asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Perhaps. After all, this is a man who placed his hands on me. Leave us at once," Camille ordered the maids. "He is quite capable of gathering his belongings. Prepare a bedchamber, as the doctor shall be my guest until I leave town."

Michael stopped cleaning his hands and looked up at her. "I am to stay? You didn’t ask."

"You said you should have been present to tend to him during the night. I am only doing as you asked. Besides, I will need you here to inform the other doctor of what you have done so far. You will be in good hands," Camille said, moving to sit at Hayden’s side.

She reached for Hayden’s hand.

"I trust that I will be cared for, but I have other patients to visit-"

"None are more important than my husband. For all that my family did for you, you should put us at the top of your list of patients. Do not argue with me," Camille said, leaving no room for arguments.

She would have her way.

Michael stared at her, disgusted. "I believe I can provide an answer to why the servants might not be so loyal to you. You care only about yourself."

Camille’s mouth fell open in an unladylike manner as she could not believe how he spoke to her. "Watch your tongue. I can make sure you never find work in this town again. You have grown too comfortable because my brother made you feel irreplaceable."

"Speak ill of me to your peers if you wish. I would gladly gather my belongings and leave town. I might not be a man of your status, but I have self-respect and dignity. I will not be pushed around by you, no matter the name you hold," Michael said, quickly gathering his things.

"You truly won’t find work around the town when I am through with you. Not even my nephew will be able to save you-"

"You are shameless, and it is disappointing what you have become. I thought I might say so since you are about to ruin my life. I shall speak freely, and in doing so, I must speak of your true face. You are shameless," Michael repeated.

Camille stood up. "Get out of my home at once. You shall never know peace."

Michael shook his head. "No, you shall never know peace. I know what he did to your brother, and I am disgusted that you would try so hard to keep him alive."

"I am keeping him in this state to make him suffer!" Camille cried, her voice cracking.

"If you cared about your brother, you would have spoken of your husband’s crimes to let your brother have justice. Instead, you are convincing yourself it is better to keep him like this so you won’t be the wife of a murderer," Michael said, cutting through her pretence.

Camille opened her mouth to argue, but no words came.

Michael picked up his bag. "You’ve got to love your family more than you care about the town’s opinion of you. You should be with your children at this time, yet you are here, trying to control him."

"I care for my family. I love my brother. I-" Camille stopped as she realised Hayden’s chest was still.

It wasn’t rising or falling. Not even the slightest movement.

Panic surged through her veins. "No, no, no," she whispered, leaning forward, her finger trembling near his nose. "What have you done?"

"I treated his wounds. They were so severe from not being treated overnight that he did not pull through-"

"Liar!" Camille screamed, her teeth gritting. "He was perfectly fine. You did this to him. You killed him."

She clutched Hayden’s shirt, unable to fathom that he was gone. That she was now without a husband.

"I treated your husband as I would have treated anyone else. You should not accuse me without evidence. Or should I speak of how the bruises on your neck did not match the size of your husband’s fingers, but rather your guard’s?" Michael asked coldly.

Camille froze, her heart pounding. She hadn’t suspected Michael would search for evidence against her.

"You were wrong about how loyal I am to your family. Not only to your brother and nephew, but to you. Now, since you are out to ruin me, I won’t have any choice but to expose that you forced me to lie to the court and then bribed me," Michael said, moving carefully towards the door.

The longer he stayed, the greater the danger. Camille could order her guards to beat him at any moment.

"I spoke of investing in your work, not bribing you," Camille said, unwilling to let him twist her words.

"Still, the court would be interested in the tale. I urge you to be examined by the doctor you have called upon, since you don’t appear to be in your right mind. To care so much about your reputation that you would keep your brother’s murderer alive," Michael said, shaking his head.

"None of you would understand the turmoil I face. I wanted him dead, but I must think of my children’s future. No matter the name they carry or the riches they have, they will forever be known as children of a murderer," Camille explained.

"A pity your niece and nephews did not have a parent to help them through dark times. Come after me if you wish," Michael said, opening the door. "You will find out how loyal I am to your late brother. Not only by being arrested, but by taking you with me."

"Good day," Michael said, stepping out of the chamber.

Camille’s breathing grew uneven.

Her chest rose and fell in a frantic rhythm as she struggled to decide what to do next. She took a deep breath, then made up her mind.

Michael could not leave.

Not yet.