She teetered on the lip in her heels, barely holding on.
At the last possible second, Vivienne spotted a figure approaching. She swapped positions with Hilda in a flash, throwing herself backward.
The necklace was clenched in her fist. The chain bit into Hilda's throat, slicing a thin line of blood across her skin.
The necklace snapped apart and scattered across the floor in pieces.
A heavy thud. Hilda tumbled down the stairs. Vivienne, meanwhile, fell neatly into the arms of Jasper, who had appeared just in time. Not a scratch on her.
"Are you all right? What are you doing up here?"
Jasper's voice was all concern. He looked Vivienne over head to toe, and only when he confirmed she was unharmed did he exhale.
Then he turned on the figure crumpled at the bottom of the stairs, his tone sharp with contempt. "What's wrong with you? Can't you watch where you're going? Are you blind?"
Hilda lay where she'd landed, vision blackening, unable to move. Her hair was tangled across her face, hiding her features.
Jasper, irritated at being ignored, strode down the steps and planted his foot on her palm, grinding down. She curled inward instantly, trembling with pain.
"Are you deaf or mute? Can't speak?"