Barrett's shoulders slumped slightly.
Here they went again!
With all this bickering, peace was nowhere to be found in the household. For a brief moment, he truly understood how Amelia felt—he didn't want to stay here either.
He looked up and saw that his father had quietly slipped out. It was always like this. Whenever there was a dispute Jonathan couldn't handle, he would sneak away.
Barrett glanced at his older and younger brothers. Benjamin wore a helpless expression, clearly at a loss for what to do, while Bryan was just waiting for a chance to speak up for Rebecca.
"Enough!" Barrett shouted, his voice cutting through the tension. "Stop arguing! When Amelia returns, she will still be in charge of the household. My salary will go to the family fund, and how it gets spent will be up to her."
Viola's face was resolute and icy. "I won't agree to that! There's no way I'll allow it! Why should you be the only one responsible for their expenses?"
Barrett felt a surge of anger and shame. "Because we're the ones spending more, and because I owe this family the most."
"That's your debt, not mine."
"So, I'll pay it off with my salary," Barrett shot back.
The image of Amelia jumping off the bridge was still fresh in his mind, filling him with dread. He couldn't help but feel a surge of determination.
"In any case, you'll receive your monthly allowance. Amelia will arrange everything you eat and wear. The allowances for your servants will also come from the family fund. If you want to eat well and dress nicely, you'll have to take it from our allowances. Amelia will only shortchange herself, not you."
"That's absurd!" Viola laughed coldly. "I'm a lady of the Earl of Silverstone's family! Did I marry into the Warren family for a few silver coins each month? If I have to suffer alongside you, that's one thing, but my child shouldn't have to. You must hand over two hundred silver coins a year to me, or I won't have this child!"
"The Warren family was once so illustrious! When I negotiated my marriage with my husband, his father was still alive. Who didn't tread carefully around him? Now, we've fallen so low that even a stray dog dares to bark at us!
Who does Viola think she is? She's just some washed-up woman who was already married once, yet she has the audacity to look down on us? If it weren't for the current king appointing her brother as the Southern Frontier Marshal, what does the Earl of Silverstone's family have to boast about? They're just as fallen as we are!"
Tara tried to console her, "At least the Earl of Silverstone's family has a madam to hold it together. Otherwise, they would surely have fallen apart. But with Madam Viola pregnant, perhaps it's best not to engage her in conflict. You're unwell yourself, after all. Once Madam Amelia returns, you can have a proper talk with her. Harmony at home leads to prosperity."
Rebecca narrowed her eyes. "Talk? Just wait and see how I'll deal with her!"
Tara quickly interjected, "You mustn't add more oil to the fire. Harmony at home leads to prosperity! Madam Amelia must be feeling wronged to have acted like that. Luckily, she was saved. What would have happened if she hadn't been saved?"
Rebecca scoffed. "If she truly wanted to die, she would have done it already. I know exactly what she's thinking. She's treacherous, lazy, and petty—narrow-minded to the core! That's precisely why I didn't want her to manage things when I was unwell. Enough of your chatter! I have my ways of dealing with her."
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Her Graceful War Song
What happens to the other chapters, I've been waiting to read more of this story, the character's and the screening are fantastic, very intriguing story...
Next chapter please, what's happening...
Very captivating novel....
Both content and context are very intriguing, the writer style of pulling out characters in their unique ways are profound,I have recommended this book because it's very captivating...