Chapter 249

George was in a real bind. He had never laid a finger on Emily Knight her entire life. Hitting her? That was out of the question. Mostly because Amelia Bennett had always whispered in his ear, playing the blame game. No matter what Emily did wrong, Amelia somehow twisted it to make it Evelyn's fault. That's why Emily had never been disciplined. But Evelyn? She'd taken the fall more times than she could count, even gotten hit by George a few times when she was a kid. Franklin and the others knew all about it. Isaiah Hayes stood on the side, voice cold: "What, can't bear to do it yourself?" He gave a sneer. "Fine, then let me do it for you." As he spoke, he got up and took a step toward Emily. He clearly remembered seeing Evelyn's bruised arm back when he first arrived in Lichester. Evelyn never used to have bruises when she was first sent to their side, always quiet and timid, never saying much. The marks had already disappeared by then—not by chance. Back then, she'd started to become