Chapter 335 - Announced Her Judgment

'All I ever wanted to have a better life. Where I did not have to bow and serve someone else throughout my life.' Paula gritted her teeth as these rebellious thoughts overwhelmed her mind.

Not only did she wish to lead a better life but she had also liked the Earl just as long as the Countess had.

They had met the young son of the Earl of St. Claire at the same time in their youth.

They had met him an equal number of times back when he had visited the Viscount's fief on official business.

Somewhere along the line, she had also developed feelings for him while she served her Mistress.

So why was there such a vast difference in the treatment they received?

She stood alone, desolate, and without anyone to support her while the Countess stood with the man who showered her with love.

'If I was also a noble-born then the Earl wouldn't have any qualms in looking at me with those same loving eyes.' She truly believed that it was for the difference in their births that he favored Raylene over her.

If she had met him with a noble status or even a commoner status without the label of a maid on her forehead then he would have fallen for her as well.

Her staunch belief in this matter had been proved wrong after considering the events that had taken place today.

Therefore, she once again pushed the blame onto her Mistress who had selected her to be a maid, and kept her at her side.

However, what Paula was conveniently forgetting was the fact that if she had not stayed by Raylene's side then she never would have gotten the chance to meet or serve the Earl.

Neither would she have the good fortune of having this life which she most certainly would have lost due to the troubled environment at the Plantation.

Nor would she have ever had the envy of so many maids back in Raylene's maiden home and in the Earl's home which she took pride in.

None of this would have been possible without Raylene's single decision of making Paula her personal maid.

Not to forget the special treatment she received due to their closeness thanks to the memories of their childhood that Raylene held dear.

'If I was not a servant then he would like me too.' Paula continued with her delusions and reassured herself that the fault laid with her Mistress and not with her.

She had a covetous look in her eyes as she raised her head towards the Earl, yearning for someone who was not hers all over again.

Rutherford clicked his tongue, disregarding that he was not behaving as a noble should but the situation demanded this.

Butler Limo had the worst expression of them all as he glowered at the maid who still dared to look at their Master with such eyes.

His eyes brightened when he saw how the Earl had once again taken their Countess in his arms and stood in front of the maid, facing her together.

"You think you can compare to my Ray?" Rutherford sneered at her for having such delusional thoughts.

He had always felt that there was something odd about this maid yet he could never say anything when he thought of how fond his wife was of her.

He was not a fool who did not understand the gazes that the maid shot at him but he had chosen to ignore them and it was all for the sake of his wife.

The childhood memories she had shared with him about her nanny and her maid, he had heard them all.

So how could he tell her that he did not approve of her maid?

However, this apprehension in his heart was wiped away after what had taken place this afternoon.

Thus, without remorse, he had asked his wife to enter the office and narrated every single detail of the trick that her precious maid had tried to pull on him.

He no longer wished to keep such a maid in his household but he needed his wife to be the one to make that decision.

Therefore, once he had explained everything to her, he had also revealed where that maid would be.

Raylene who was stunned at first was soon emotional as well as infuriated at what she had heard.

It took her a while before she regained her composure and soon after, the couple had exited the office and had come over to this place after sending their child away.

Now that Rutherford had expressed his true thoughts before this maid, Raylene maintained her silence to let him speak.

"No matter what you try or what you had planned… You never would have succeeded." He proclaimed with confidence as his arm wrapped around his wife's shoulder.

The devastation at this revelation was clear on Paula's face but he was not yet done.

"It doesn't matter if you wear the same perfume as her or try to behave like her…" He continued with his onslaught of words that he should have said a long time ago.

"No matter what you do, I will never like you." His words sounded like condemnation to the maid who felt the sky come crashing down on her.

Rutherford's fierce eyes softened as he turned towards the woman in his arms.

"I can never love another woman." He professed as he looked into her eyes with a gentleness which had been absent when he looked at the rest of the world.

"Because no other woman can be you, Ray." He whispered the depth of his love for his wife and pressed his lips on her forehead.

Witnessing his love which he did not deny or conceal, the maid finally felt a sense of foreboding loss which caused her knees to buckle.

Everybody looked at the maid who had fallen to the ground but Rutherford had his eyes set in a different direction.

However, he reverted to the defeated lady who had her head lowered as she sat on the ground.

"I never had a chance…" Paula muttered in a dazed tone as a bitter chuckle left her lips.

She had seen the Earl and Countess behave in a loving manner numerous times before but she had attributed this to the fact that he was legally bound to love her because of the vows they had taken in the Church.

However, now the veil of delusion she was under was beginning to lift as the confession of his love for his wife echoed in her ears.

Butler Limo was rejoicing that she was finally seeing things that everyone in this Mansion was already well aware of.

The two maids shook their heads at Paula for trying to grab something that was way out of her reach.

Raylene, the one who had trusted her maid the most in this Mansion stood in silence as she watched the other woman shed silent tears while gripping her dusty uniform.

If this was earlier, then she would have commanded the other maids to help her up but this time, the Countess remained silent.

Her heart had chilled and she no longer felt the need to rush forward and try to console her.

During their childhood, she was grateful for the care she received from her nanny and was also happy that she had found someone to play with her.

The two girls had grown up together and as time passed she grew attached to the nanny's daughter.

At the same nanny's request, she had chosen Paula to be her maid and things were great from then on.

Paula was a great maid and never gave her a chance to complain.

But for the past few months, even if she was deceiving herself, Raylene knew that something had changed in her maid.

She had caught her maid stealing glimpses at her husband yet she had placated her mind that a servant needed to pay attention to the Master to serve them better.

But now she knew the cause of this strange behavior and she was disappointed, both in herself and her maid.

Disappointed in herself for repeatedly ignoring the signs which were right before her eyes and in her maid for breaking the trust that they had developed over the years.

Staring at the maid who did not lift her head up, Raylene clenched her fists and hardened her heart.

"From this moment forward, this woman no longer works for our household" She announced her judgment in all serenity as though she was not affected by the words she was uttering.

Butler Limo had been desperately waiting to hear this statement for months on end and his joy knew no bounds.

The same could not be said for Paula as she froze for a moment following which she raised her head to look at the woman she had served from the days of her youth.

'Yet she disowned me in an instant…' She lamented her pitiable fate which had been decided by one sentence of the woman she grew up with.

When her eyes met her Mistress', no… Her previous Mistress' eyes, she found nothing but coldness present in them.

No familiarity, no care, and certainly no gentleness that she had been used to but this was the path that she had chosen, the moment she had decided to betray her Mistress and attempt to get closer to the Master.

Now all she could do was watch as her once secured future in this Mansion crumbled to dust right before her eyes.