"Everything I built is ruined," Wilfred muttered, slumping heavily into a chair the moment they returned to their house. "Do not look to me to fix this disaster. And when, pray tell, did you demand a ransom for raising Eilika?" He fixed a scathing look on his wife.
Susan shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, her expression troubled. "That is an old matter. I had no inkling she would run to the Duke with such petty grievances."
"Why wouldn't she?" Rosaline interjected, her voice laced with bitterness. "She made sure to complain about every single word I said to her as well."
"Hold your tongue!" Wilfred snapped, turning his fury toward his daughter. "Not another word from you!"
"Dear, please, do not raise your voice against her," Susan pleaded, stepping between them in an attempt to shield her daughter and defuse the rising tension.
