Everyone froze, their shocked faces turned toward the maid as her words hung heavily in the air.

"I... I did it!" she repeated in a tremulous voice. She looked as if she wanted to vanish into the ground. Her face was pale as she stammered out a few incoherent words. “I only… I only made the coffee… and... that is all I did. I swear!”

Raymond’s eyes narrowed as he advanced slowly toward her. “Why?” he demanded. “Why would you poison me?” He glanced back at the other maids still huddled in fear, and then back to the woman on her knees. “Was it you who poisoned me last time...