Mrs. Jules tensed. She had promised the old matriarch she'd stay silent, that no matter what happened, she wouldn't let Nathaniel find out he was being watched.
But now, facing his wrath, the truth clawed at her throat. Keeping the secret was getting difficult.
"I don't know what you are talking about," Mrs. Jules said quietly. She kept her eyes down, unwilling to betray the secret she swore to protect. "I told you the truth. No one instructed me."
She took a small breath, then added, "I've watched Madam Zara closely for five years. I've seen how she cared for you, for Zane—how she put her whole self into this family. Someone doesn't give that much of themselves unless they are in love."
Nathaniel froze.
Love?
The word hit him like a jolt.
He had always believed their marriage was a duty, an arrangement. He had never considered the possibility that Zara might've actually loved him. Behind her quiet patience, her smiles, her silence, there had been real, aching devotion.
