Lady Esme—POV
It wasn't a tea party—not Lady Margaret's, at least. There was no one else there.
"Empress Esme," a maid from Lady Margaret's estate greeted me politely.
"No tea party?" I asked, glancing around.
"Well, Lady Margaret canceled it. She wishes to speak with you privately," the maid replied, stepping aside to let me into the estate. Lendra followed behind me, while my bodyguards waited just outside the manor doors.
"Why would she want to meet alone, Lady Esme?" Lendra whispered, glancing around uneasily.
"Lady Margaret must have some task for me," I said, trying to ease her nerves. She offered a small, relieved smile, but I was just as uneasy. That woman is a menace.
We were shown to the tea parlor, where the maid served us tea and asked us to wait five more minutes.
