'Explain?'

Deirdre's heart raced as Brendan asked her to explain, even though he was the one who had opened the secret tunnel. Could it be that he had forgotten?

A distressing thought crossed Deirdre's mind—she wouldn't be able to defend herself if that were the case!

"I did enter the secret tunnel, but I didn't open it. I don't know the password," Deirdre said through her gritted teeth. "You were the one who opened it. You were drunk, so I went in to take a look. I didn't find or discover anything."

Frances sniggered at her response. "Ms. McKinnon, who would believe you? Why would Mr. Brighthall open the secret tunnel in the study for no reason?"

Frances continued defaming Deirdre, attempting to divert suspicion from herself. "I've noticed your sneaky behavior in the past, always visiting the study. Could it be that you opened the secret tunnel after Mr. Brighthall passed out from drinking, and now you're trying to blame him after being caught?

"I refuse to believe that the tunn