22. Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Two
Margaret drew in deep breaths as she walked down the grand staircase, looking at her feet as she counted each step.
Time had seemed to slow the past five days, and the contract day had finally come.
These would be her last moments of freedom before she signed her life away to grant Eugene a part of her fortune.
The bulky ring on her left hand was a constant reminder of her decision.
Marjorie had been impressed by the diamond, but Margaret couldn’t find any preciousness within it.
It was hardly worth anything to her—only a symbol of who she would become, a marchioness in the British aristocracy.
Margaret sucked in another breath as her stomach curled.
She exhaled, hoping that would calm her nerves, but it was helpless.
A small voice inside her begged her not to take another step, while her thoughts reminded her of everything she and her family would lose.
Even though they were too proud to admit it, they needed this.
She winced as Roger’s brown eyes entered her vision.
They were as wild as they were when he was terrified of the misfire.
Margaret closed her eyes, shaking that memory away. Set him free.
She straightened her posture and took the last step, setting off down the marble hallway. Her heels echoed as her feet hit the shiny floor of the grand home. She walked towards her father’s study, only to be interrupted by a whisper.
Evie’s head poked out from the library door. “Margaret, over here.”
Margaret’s eyes rounded, and she followed her sister, wondering what was so important that she had to be late for her contract signing.
She closed the door behind her and was surprised to see that Evie had company—Sidney Agnes.
They stood with a large gap between them.
Sidney adjusted his spectacles and looked downwards in an awkward pose, rocking back and forth in place.
Margaret joined them, folding her arms over her chest.
“Is everything all right?”
She waited for them to assure her that all was fine and they needed her advice regarding something, yet the strange atmosphere made her doubt her predictions.
Evie shook her head, her face a deep shade of red, redder than Margaret had ever seen on anyone.
Evie chewed her lower lip as she looked at Sidney.
His posture straightened as he tried to open his mouth, but then he slumped again.
Margaret’s heart stumbled. “What’s the matter? What happened?”
“It’s not what happened . . .” Sidney stumbled, pushing up his glasses. “It is what I have done.”
Margaret glanced at Evie, who quickly shifted her eyes to the ground. Margaret turned to Sidney, giving him a stern stare. “What have you done?”
“I-I have betrayed your trust . . . and your family’s goodwill,” Sidney started. He paused, his eyes meeting hers. Even his spectacles weren’t thick enough to hide the dark circles under his eyes. “Lord Burton and his uncle are not who they say they are.”
Margaret fell under a wave of nausea. She placed her hand on her stomach as it churned into knots. The air grew thick, making her breaths shallow and strained.
“He is using you,” Sidney confessed. “Both of them are. Lord Burton . . . wants to take your inheritance for himself.”
Margaret looked away, trying to catch her breath, her hand resting on a chair’s armrest. Sidney’s confession had taken the wind out of her.
Yet somehow, she wasn’t surprised. Eugene had pursued her and then asked about the contract within minutes of his proposal.
It wasn’t just a dowry agreement. Margaret was too naive to think this man would be any different than the men of nobility who had already sought after American heiresses.
What have I done? She had been desperate, too blind to see the signs.
Evie’s hand gently rested on Margaret’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, Margaret. I tried to tell you last night . . . but I was frightened.”
“How long have you known?” Margaret demanded, her heart stinging.
“I only told her yesterday evening,” Sidney confessed, stepping forward with his hand on his chest. “My conscience was poisoned, and I had to tell someone. I trusted Evie would know how to handle it.”
“Then why not tell me earlier?”
Margaret’s jaw clenched, her teeth grinding as a rush of anger coursed through her.
All the times with Eugene had been nothing except lies.
Her attraction faded over time, but that magical evening at the ball had been nothing more than a fortune hunt.
Eugene was on the prowl, and Margaret was the easy target, needing a husband in a matter of weeks.
However, her grandfather’s will hadn’t been read then.
“I’ve let him pursue me the past three weeks, and you think now is the right time? Before I commit my life to him?”
Sidney rocked back and forth, his hands deep in his pockets, his gaze fixed on the ground.
“I’m employed by Baldwin.” His eyes met Margaret’s again—this time tears were present, sliding down his cheeks.
“I took on the role of your grandfather’s estate manager as an honest man.
” Sidney swallowed. “I knew Mr. Baldwin wasn’t trustworthy from the moment I met him.
It wasn’t until . . . it wasn’t until I overheard him speaking with one of his employees about stealing your inheritance that my suspicions were confirmed.
The man is dangerous. He threatened to .
. . He threatened to kill me if I said a word. ”
Sidney looked towards the library’s large window, wiping his nose. He took in a deep breath, his hand on his chest and looking at the ground. “I couldn’t let you go through with this. You needed to know. If I have to take a punishment from Baldwin, I’m ready.”
The room grew hot and Margaret’s vision became dizzy.
She believed she could faint any minute if she wasn’t careful.
Her ears grew hot, and her temples pulsed.
Maplebrook was full of betrayal. First, her parents’ forced marriage, grandfather’s trickery, and now Sidney.
Of all the people she believed trustworthy.
All this time, she had been encouraging her sister to pursue the enemy.
Was there anyone in this house who wasn’t against her family?
“Baldwin’s threats are no excuse for my behavior. . .” Sidney stammered. “because that’s not the only thing I have done.”
Margaret’s knees weakened as she prepared herself for the next confession. She gripped the armrest tighter, in hopes she’d gain composure. Somehow, she felt this confession would be the one to tear her into pieces.
“I was the one responsible for Mr. McKinley’s arrest.”
The world rumbled beneath Margaret. Her composure was devoured as her soul burned with anger, anger she had never felt before. She’d never felt this way, even when Roger had belittled her in the beginning. Her eyes shot daggers, and her fist tightened, ready to fight.
“How dare you!” Margaret screamed. Her head sharply turned to Evie. “And how dare you sympathize with him!”
Margaret’s face burned with heat, and she wanted to break every bone in Sidney’s body, watching him suffer every ounce of pain he had caused her—perhaps even more.
“Margaret, please,” Evie begged, her voice squeaking. “Listen to him. He had no choice.”
“Had no choice?” Margaret exclaimed bitterly. She glared at Sidney, who was turning white. “Everyone has a choice. You chose to work for him, knowing good and well what you’d be doing for that man!”
“I have . . . no excuse for my actions,” Sidney explained with a shaky voice.
“And I regret every bit of it.” He met Margaret’s gaze.
“I was desperate for money . . . to pay my debts. I agreed to be your driver because I was supposed to spy.” Sidney’s hands shook.
“You don’t know what he's capable of. I-I wanted to live, but I didn’t know the cost—the cost of betraying your family. ”
Feeling lightheaded, Margaret sank into the chair, her grip nearly tearing the fabric.
Her face in her hands, she tried to breathe, to make sense of everything that happened, but she couldn’t.
How could she be so foolish? How could she let a man like Eugene pursue her?
How could she marry him to set Roger free when it was Eugene who was responsible for Roger’s fate?
Evie sat beside Margaret, holding her hand. “I know you don’t have a reason to trust us now, but we are doing everything we can to help you.”
Margaret’s tear-blurred eyes met Evie’s. “Roger didn’t deserve to be caught in the middle of this.”
“I’m going to set it right,” Sidney promised. “I don’t know how, but I will.”
Margaret ignored him and stood from the seat. She didn’t trust Sidney, and she didn’t trust that helping Roger would be too easy. Yet there was a way Margaret could stand her ground. Maybe she could be the one to set Roger free, exposing the ones who were responsible and make them pay.
She stormed out of the room, slamming the library door behind her.
Her angry footsteps echoed on the floor, resonating like gunfire.
She opened the office door, seeing her father, Mr. Baldwin, and Eugene staring straight at her.
They all rose from their seats, confused expressions etched across their faces.
Margaret could only imagine her appearance—anger burning from multiple betrayals and the pain of losing the one she loved.
“When were you going to tell me?” Margaret asked Eugene, her voice full of rage.
His eyes were round and startled. “I beg your pardon?”
Margaret walked angrily towards him. “Don’t you beg your pardon with me. You know exactly what I am referring to.”
“Miss Nicholson, I believe you should lie down. You seem rather ill and confused this morning,” Mr. Baldwin suggested.
Margaret’s father raised his hand. “No, no, my daughter is not ill. Something is ailing her, and I am curious to know what she is referring to.”
A wave of confidence surged through Margaret as her father stood up for her. He was her backbone in this moment, giving her the strength and courage to stand up for herself.
“This contract you want me to sign is not a dowry exchange. You are just like any other aristocrat who swarms America, looking for a bright and young heiress who is foolish enough to fall for you.”
The room grew silent, and Eugene averted his eyes, scratching his neck.
“Is this true?” Daddy asked.
“She is ill, Mr. Nicholson. Just pre-wedding jitters, that's all,” Mr. Baldwin explained. He turned to Margaret, lips parting into an innocent smile. “Now, Miss Nicholson, this document is just a silly English tradition. You have nothing to worry about.”
“Then get me a lawyer,” Margaret hissed through her teeth.
Mr. Baldwin chuckled nervously. “I am your lawyer. You must be quite tired, Miss Nicholson. When was the last time you had a good night’s sleep, hm?”
Margaret folded her arms. “I want another lawyer, a second opinion.”
“That sounds like a good idea. I wish I could have thought of that,” Margaret’s father commented.
“There is no need, Mr. Nicholson,” Mr. Baldwin defended. “You can trust me. I’ve been loyal to you and your family for nearly two decades”
“Well, I never trusted my father. He is the reason we are in this silly mess.”
“Margaret,” Eugene said. “It is not as it seems—”
“Do not call my daughter by her first name,” Margaret’s father snapped.
Eugene swallowed, his face pale. “My apologies. Miss Nicholson, may we take this in private?”
“Absolutely not,” Daddy answered before Margaret could. He stood behind Margaret, placing his hand on her shoulder. “Whatever you can say to her, you can say to me. After all, you didn’t even think to ask me for permission before you proposed.”
Eugene sucked in a breath and met Margaret’s gaze.
His posture went weak, and his arms quivered.
“Yes, I arrived in Virginia with the intention of seeking an heiress. I have heard about American dollar princesses for years, and they have become increasingly popular since the war. I came here to meet you and with the purpose of marriage, but I found myself unexpectedly falling for you in the process. My feelings are genuine despite what you might think of me now.”
Margaret shook her head. “I don’t believe it. I don’t believe anything you say.”
She tore away from her father and ran out of the office, trying to remain strong and hold back her tears as her throat burned. Don’t cry, Margaret. Be strong.
“Miss Nicholson!”
Margaret turned to see Eugene chasing after her. Her soul burned with fury, and she had no desire to look upon that face—that face she had once found so charming.
“Please hear me out,” he begged, his fist against his chest. “I beg you to reconsider my proposal.” He dropped to his knees, taking hold of her hand. “I ask you not as a marquess but as a humble gentleman, please.”
Eugene did look desirable, and those puppy-dog eyes did appear genuine. But he was the one who had taken Roger from her. If he hadn’t done that, perhaps she’d consider it, but he was a monster. Margaret jerked her hand away. “Absolutely not!”
Eugene stood. “Why do you refuse me still? It’s not a secret that we both played our parts in this twisted game,” he spat out with disdain. “You used me just as I had once sought you out for your fortune.”
Margaret’s heart stung as he confronted her. The harsh truth hung in the air, unraveling every moment they fooled one another—mutual deception.
“You took the man I love from me and labeled him as a lunatic,” Margaret hissed.
Eugene’s mouth dropped. “H-How did you find out about that?”
Margaret's head throbbed with anger. “So, you don’t deny it?” Somehow, she hoped it was all still a silly game Sidney was playing. She could never see Eugene in a cruel light—not until today.
“I was trying to protect you!”
“Protect me? Roger was harmless!”
“He’s crazy. I have access to his medical records. He’s dangerous and not good enough for you.”
“You have no right to say those things!” Margaret removed the ring from her finger and threw it at the ground, along with the diamond earrings in her ears.
The sound of their impacts echoed loudly.
“I’d rather be in a looney bin with him than live in England with you.
Take your sorry self to debtors’ prison because that’s what you deserve. ”
Margaret stormed away, leaving her mistakes behind in the foyer. She hoped never to see Eugene and his deceiving uncle again.