Chapter 3 : Blood and Brass
The next forty-eight hours moved with dizzying speed. Emma was moved out of the cramped servants' quarters and into the East Wing—a suite of rooms that had been sealed shut for over two decades. It was Claire’s old room. Everything was preserved exactly as it had been left: the velvet canopy bed, the rows of classic literature, the faint scent of dried lavender.
Emma sat on the edge of the bed, feeling like an imposter in a museum. She was wearing a silk blouse and tailored trousers that William had ordered brought in from a luxury boutique downtown.
A soft knock at the door broke her reverie. William entered, followed by a man in a white lab coat carrying a medical briefcase.
"Emma," William said gently. "This is Dr. Aris. I know the token and the blanket are compelling, but in the eyes of the law, and to silence any... doubters... we must have irrefutable proof."
"A DNA test," Emma said, understanding immediately.
"Yes," the doctor said kindly. "Just a simple cheek swab from both of you. We will run it against Mr. Brooks's profile, and we also have preserved medical records from the late Ms. Claire Brooks to cross-reference."
Emma didn't hesitate. She opened her mouth and let the doctor take the swab. William did the same.
"I have arranged for the lab to expedite this. We should have the results by tomorrow evening," Dr. Aris promised, packing away his tools.
Once the doctor left, William sat in the chair opposite Emma. "I spoke with the Carters today. Samuel and Ruth."
Emma perked up. "My adoptive parents?"
"Yes. They are good people, Emma. They told me everything. They confirmed the storm, the church, the blanket. I sent an investigator to the country church. The retired pastor, Reverend Miller, kept a journal. He documented the exact date and time he found you. It aligns perfectly with the morning after Claire's carriage went off the road."
William leaned forward, resting his chin on his hands. "But there is something that bothers me. Claire's carriage was found near the flooded river, completely crushed. The authorities said she drowned. But the church where you were found is three miles away from the crash site. In the opposite direction of the river."
Emma frowned, piecing the geography together. "You're saying... someone moved me?"
"I am saying my daughter survived that crash," William’s voice hardened into steel. "She survived, she walked three miles in a torrential downpour with a newborn baby, and she left you at the doors of a sanctuary before she died."
Downstairs, the atmosphere was venomous. Victoria was sitting in the formal dining room with her husband, Thomas, a slick corporate lawyer who had spent his entire marriage living off the Brooks family wealth.
"The swab was taken an hour ago," Victoria paced the length of the dining table. "Dr. Aris is sending it to the central lab in the city."
"Relax, Victoria," Thomas sneered, pouring himself a glass of scotch. "Aris is loyal to the family, but the lab technicians? They make forty thousand a year. I have a man on the inside. By tomorrow night, that test will conclusively prove that the little maid is absolutely no relation to William Brooks."
Victoria stopped pacing. "You're sure?"
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"I've transferred fifty thousand dollars to the technician's offshore account. The bloodline will be broken on paper. Once the test comes back negative, your father will be devastated. He’ll be so heartbroken by the false hope that he’ll banish the girl from the state."
Victoria smiled, a cold, predatory upward tilt of her lips. "Make sure she takes a humiliating fall on her way out.
