Purple Summers frowned slightly, sighed softly, and muttered to herself, âI still feel like somethingâs missingâ¦â
âWhatâs missing?â Jane McCain asked, puzzled. âThere are so many suspects already, you think there are too few?â
âInsufficient motive,â Purple Summers said. âThe housekeeper disliking Mrs. Douglas, or the driver being docked pay, such reasons arenât enough for someone to harm a newborn baby, right? And not just one, but two babies in succession.ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Jane McCain was stunned for a moment, then said, âIf thatâs the case⦠Doesnât that mean the private tutor is innocent?â
âWhy?â Purple Summers asked.
âBecause⦠the private tutor was hired by the Douglas family after Mrs. Douglasâs children had accidents,â Jane McCain explained to her. âAfter losing two children in a row, Mrs. Douglas developed severe depression and was unable to care for Young Master Douglas. Mr. Douglas did not trust the servants with the child, so he hired a private tutor who could both care for and teach the child.â
Purple Summers thought for a moment and said, âCould it be that Young Master Douglas did it? Like⦠not wanting his love to be taken away by a younger brother or sister?â
Jane McCain was shocked by Purple Summersâ bold assumption and exclaimed with wide eyes, âImpossible, right? Young Master Douglas was only five years old when Mrs. Douglasâs first child had an accident. What does a five-year-old know?â
âMaybe it was one of the servants behind Young Master Douglas? Worried that the new wifeâs child would affect Young Master Douglasâs status in the family, so they took drastic measures,â Purple Summers felt this was a strong possibility. âYou said earlier that many of the Douglas familyâs servants were from Mr. Douglasâs legitimate wife, so their affection must be extraordinary.â
After hearing this, Jane McCain felt something was off, as if it made sense yet it didnât.
âIf itâs about affecting status⦠But the first child was a girl, there was no need to worry at all.â
People in the world often valued sons over daughters and never worried about daughters usurping family wealth, only about sons.
âThatâs true,â Purple Summers was stumped. âEither the baby was an obstacle to someoneâs interests, or someone intended to torment Mrs. Douglasâ¦â
What kind of grudge or enmity would someone have to vent on an infant just a few months old?
âCould it beâ¦â Jane McCain hesitated. âThat Mrs. Douglas is really ill?â
After thinking it through, she couldnât come up with anyone who would harm Mrs. Douglas, so explaining the entire event with paranoia actually made a lot of sense.
But Purple Summers shook her head, âThe first child suffocated to death less than a month after birth, the second child only lived three months before falling to death from a staircase, and now this third child, without those nannies and servants watching over, has survived almost five months without any incident. If this isnât a coincidence, then Mrs. Douglas has been fiercely protective.â
Upon hearing this, Jane McCainâs expression betrayed her fear. âA servant just told me that Mrs. Douglas suspected someone in the house wanted to harm her child, so she refused to come home after giving birth, and even after the puerperium was over, she still refused to come back, insisted on returning to her parentsâ home, and wanted a divorce from Mr. Douglas⦠Mr. Douglas wouldnât agree, forcibly brought Mrs. Douglas and the child back home, and afterward, Mrs. Douglas moved into that house and refused to see anyone anymore.â
The more Jane McCain thought about it, the more frightened she became, and in a soft voice, she asked Purple Summers, âIt couldnât have been Mr. Douglas, could it? Although the servants were from the legitimate wife, in the end, they are paid by Mr. Douglas, and whatever they do, itâs at Mr. Douglasâs urgingâ¦â
Purple Summers pondered carefully for a long while, then patted Jane McCainâs shoulder and said, âCome, letâs go and test him.â
âHow will we test him?â Jane McCain didnât understand.
âYouâll know in a moment,â Purple Summers teased, pulling Jane McCain back the way they had come.
Her eyes briefly swept past the tulips alongside the staircase, and she felt a sense of regret.
What beautiful flowersâ¦