Nightfall arrived, shrouding the huge Montgomery estate in inky darkness. Olivia, disguised in Clara's modest maid's outfit, stood in the designated area of the garden, a knot of trepidation forming in her stomach. The borrowed clothing felt rough against her skin, in stark contrast to the beautiful outfits she often wore previously.
Sebastian, his visage gloomy in the moonlight, took a strategic position among the shadows with a couple of his most trusted guards. The air was heavy with silence, interrupted only by the occasional chirp of crickets. Minutes went into what felt like hours. Olivia paced the path with an anxious smile on her face and a perfectly arranged bouquet of wildflowers in her palm.
Doubt gnawed at her. "Would the criminal take the bait?"
"Did they expose themselves or just flee into the night?" She asked.
Just as despair was about to overwhelm her, a rustling sound from the adjacent bushes shattered the silence as a person emerged from the darkness, her heart racing in her chest. The person glided with predatory ease, concealing his face behind a hood.
"Clara," a gruff and distorted voice hissed from under the hood.
"Here you are dearest, whereas I have been waiting and searching." She added.
Olivia swallowed, her voice unsteady, and responded, "I received your message. What do you want?"
The woman moved closer, showing a gleam of metal beneath the cloak. Olivia caught her breath. "This was it." She murmured.
"I told you to stay away from here," the voice growled. "Didn't you understand?"
"You have no business here." She screamed.
"Here?" Olivia pretended to be confused. "What do you mean?" She asked.
"This estate," the woman spewed. "It does not belong to them or any other person out there." It is rightfully mine and that's final."
Olivia's thoughts raced. This wasn't about a perverted passion for Clara but about a power grab, a long-buried vengeance, but who might it be?
"A sad relative?"
"A slighted family friend?" She questioned herself repeatedly.
"Who are you?" Olivia demanded, her voice growing in power.
"You don't need to know that." The woman hissed, reaching out a gloved hand to take Olivia's bouquet.
"Just know that many things are about to change at this moment." She said,
The woman's palm brushed across hers, sending a prepared signal. Sebastian and his guards rose to take action. A shout rang through the night as they tackled the mysterious lady to the ground.
A furious battle erupted, with the moonlight revealing a flash of fiery red hair beneath the hood. Olivia gasped. Beatrice, the Duke's apparently gentle and modest cousin was the criminal.
The discovery jolted Olivia. "How could someone who seemed to be on the perimeter harbor such deep resentment?" She questioned.
As the guards subdued him, Beatrice and Sebastian approached Olivia, Sabastian's eyes overflowing with relief and anxiety.
"Are you alright?" They asked. Olivia nodded, her thoughts whirling.
"Here I am now." She responded. "But I do not comprehend all these." She said nervously.
Sebastian sighed, his voice low. "It appears that there is a family disagreement about the estate's legacy," he answered.
"Beatrice thinks she has a stronger case than me." He added.
The pieces clicked into place. Beatrice, feeling slighted and overlooked, had taken extreme steps. The "covert cupid" behavior was a sick attempt to cause trouble and upset Sebastian's life.
The ensuing days were a blur of judicial proceedings and interrogations. Beatrice, stripped of her mask and exposed, confessed to the attack on Clara, harassment, and commissioned arrows. The arrows, she maintained, were intended as a warning rather than a weapon. However, Olivia had a nagging hunch. Beatrice was happy to be caught, as if a load had been lifted.
"Was there more to this story?"
"Did someone else manipulate her, causing her resentment?" She asked herself childishly.
_______________________________
The dust settled, the phony engagement charade came to an end. Newspapers celebrated the dramatic change of events, with headlines proclaiming the "Duke's Daring Deception" and the "masked Heiress."
Olivia, on the other hand, felt curiously melancholy. The pleasure of the investigation and the shared goal with Sebastian had been exhilarating, but now that the truth was known and the threat had passed, she felt a sense of emptiness.
One evening, Sebastian discovered her pacing the balcony. The once-secluded location now holds a different significance for them.
"Are you alright?" he inquired gently.
Olivia turned to face him, her eyes fixed on him.
"I suppose I'm just used to the excitement," she said, smiling slightly.
"Life as an amazing actress is rarely quiet." She added.
Sebastian chuckled as a cool glow spread through his eyes.
"Perhaps," he murmured, moving closer. "But maybe life doesn't have to be this quiet all the time."
Olivia felt a flush spreading up her neck. "Was Sebastian suggesting something?" She asked herself surprisingly.
Before she could ask the question that was racing through her head, a loud, boisterous voice ruined the scene.
"Sebastian! You're there! I've been looking everywhere for you!" Lady Lavinia, the Duke's eccentric aunt, hurried onto the balcony, her eyes flashing with mischief.
Olivia couldn't help but smile, the woman who had organized the entire hoax appeared to have a talent for spectacular entrances.
Sebastian said, "Lady Lavinia," with a note of frustration in his voice. "What brings you here?" He asked with a disappointed face.
Lady Lavinia brushed off his question, her gaze darting between them.
"Well, well," she replied, a sneaky smile forming across her lips. "It seems this mysterious charade has taken an unexpected turn."
Olivia's cheeks became increasingly heated. Lady Lavinia's knowing expression confirmed what she had hoped but feared to accept. The ruse was gone, but the feelings that had developed between her and Sebastian seemed very real.
"Indeed, Aunt Lavinia," Sebastian agreed, his voice lower than usual. "It seems all these have gotten a bit complicated."
Lady Lavinia chuckled with a naughty gleam in her eyes. "Complicated, or perhaps enlightening?" She looked at Olivia, her expression warming.
"My dear, you've been a great addition to our little family drama. Sebastian, it appears you've finally found what a treasure true love can be, even if it hides in plain sight." She said, smiling uncontrollably as she trailed off with her gaze fixed on Sebastian.
Olivia felt a flood of warmth as Lady Lavinia spoke. Sebastian took a deep breath and finally moved closer to meet Olivia's eyes.
"Olivia," he said, his voice low and honest. "The charade began as a performance, but became blurred along the way."
"I wish it wasn't an act." He explained.
Olivia's face lit up with a real smile. "Perhaps," she responded, "there's room for a little improvisation in real life too."
Sebastian's smile mirrored her own. He stretched out and gently cupped her hand. Under the watchful eyes of the moon and the ever-present Lady Lavinia, their fictitious engagement took an unexpected turn. The clandestine cupid, whomever they were, may have started it all, but the true love tale had only begun.