27. Chapter Twenty-Seven #2
“It’s been dropped,” Mr. Agnes explained.
Relief lifted from Collin’s shoulders. “Thank God.”
“I can testify to the setup as well.”
Collin nodded. “Good.”
“There is another thing . . . or two.”
“What might that be?"
Mr. Agnes dug into his coat pocket, retrieving a letter. He handed it to Collin, and he first noticed Evie’s name.
“I’m not certain if Evie . . . Miss Nicholson . . . has told you, but she had applied to nursing school at the Medical College of Virginia weeks ago, and they have sent her a letter.”
Collin’s heart soared with joy, and a broad smile spread across his face. “Pray tell, are you being serious? Evie applied?”
Mr. Agnes nodded. “It took a lot of encouragement, but she did. She wants to be a nurse, sir.”
Collin’s grin grew. His daughter was coming out of her shell at last. This is what Anna and he had prayed for since the war—that she could submit to God’s will and become a nurse.
“She would make a great one.” Collin handed the letter back to Mr. Agnes. “How about you take it to her?”
Mr. Agnes’s puffy eyes grew wide. “Me?”
“Of course,” Collin said. “I know she’ll be happy to see you.”
Mr. Agnes blushed, taking the letter into his possession.
Collin wasn’t blind to Evie’s attraction to the man.
It took great strength to let another one of his daughters be pursued, but he’d have to let go.
With the file tucked under his arm, Collin extended his hand.
“Thank you, Mr. Agnes. Your honesty means more to me than you know.”
Mr. Agnes half-smiled, shaking his hand. “I’m glad to be of service to you and your family, and I look forward to many more years.”
“You can count on it.”
As Mr. Agnes walked away, Collin let his tears flow freely. For the first time in his life, he was truly able to release all his anger. He peered up at the clear blue sky, feeling a sense of weight lift from his shoulders. “Thank you, God. Thank you for everything.”
Margaret giggled as the blindfolded Evie stumbled along her trail.
She jerked out of the way, just in time before her sister could grab her arm.
Then Marjorie squealed, setting Evie after her.
Margaret took a moment to breathe and looked over at Roger.
Her heart pitter-pattered as he waved at her.
She waved back and set off after her sisters, but before she could take an extra step, Sidney Agnes caught her eye.
She blinked twice then squinted. Why is he here? Her muscles tensed, thinking about his betrayal—the reason why Roger was struggling harder than before.
Sidney stood tall, watching Evie from afar. Margaret swallowed her pride, brushing the strands of grass from her shoulder as she made her way towards him. When she approached the man, she cleared her throat.
“I didn’t know you were invited.”
“I wasn’t,” Sidney said. “I came to make things right.”
Margaret crossed her arms. “And what is that? Delivering us an ‘I’m sorry’ card?”
Sidney shook his head. “Not that. I . . . I came to say Mr. Baldwin has been arrested.”
Shock coursed through Margaret, nearly knocking the breath out of her. “Arrested? When?”
“Last night. I turned him in, and he will be charged with forgery and fraud.”
“Forgery? Fraud? What for?”
“The will,” Sidney said. “It was forged, drawn up by him to persuade his nephew to claim your fortune without much resistance.”
Margaret pressed her cool palm against her forehead as her world spun.
It couldn’t be true. This whole time, Mr. Baldwin and Eugene’s motives were deeper than she had predicted—even illegal.
To think she could have been fooled gave her chills.
And Grandfather? Did this mean his intentions were pure?
This whole time, she and her family had cursed his grave, and he had been nothing but genuine.
“And Lord Burton? What will become of him?”
“He fled the country. I cannot testify he was involved because I’ve only been forced by Mr. Baldwin’s hands, and Lord Burton did not arrive for some weeks after the forgery.”
Margaret crossed her arms as a chill ran through her, making her skin prickle. “And what about the bribe? Was there a bribe to put Roger immediately in the asylum without a proper diagnosis?”
“There was, and that was all Mr. Baldwin,” Sidney explained. “He hired those henchmen to frame Mr. McKinley. Lord Burton had nothing to do with the matter, other than wanting your fortune.”
Margaret remained quiet, processing everything. Even though Eugene wasn’t responsible by law, he still played a part in fooling her. That was something she’d never forget.
“Will you forgive me, Miss Nicholson?”
She met Sidney’s gaze. His lips parted slightly as he breathed slowly.
Margaret swallowed hard. Her stomach turned at the realization of how cruelly she had treated the man.
He had been manipulated and was desperate to survive.
He may have hurt Roger in the process, but Mr. Baldwin was the real one to blame.
Margaret nodded. “I forgive you. I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
They stood in silence for many moments until it was interrupted by Marjorie’s squeals. Evie was still the blind man, and Margaret had abandoned the game.
“Would you like to see Evie?”
Mr. Agnes’s eyes lit up. “I would.”
Margaret smiled, took hold of Sidney’s sleeve, and dragged him towards the game. “Come on then.”
Margaret giggled as Sidney awkwardly followed her. She brought him to the blindfolded Evie and pushed him. It didn’t take long for Evie to notice the movement, and she grabbed his arm. “Got you!”
Margaret glanced at Marjorie, who was laughing heartily. Evie pulled off her blindfold, but when her eyes met Sidney’s, she dropped it in shock and gasped. “Sidney!”
Sidney’s cheeks reddened as Evie embraced him. She pulled away, running her fingers through her loose curls. “I didn’t know you were coming.”
“I missed seeing you.”
“I missed you too,” Evie said immediately with a large smile displayed across her face.
“I brought you something,” Sidney said, digging into his coat pocket and retrieving a letter.
Evie observed it, and her eyes appeared as if they’d pop. “Is it?”
Sidney grinned, the biggest Margaret had ever seen him do. “Open it and find out.”
Margaret and Marjorie were clueless as to what was in the letter, but judging by Evie’s excitement, they were to find out in a matter of seconds.
Evie read the letter and jumped and squealed. “I did it! I got in!”
“Got in what?” Marjorie asked.
Margaret’s heart skipped. She covered her mouth with her palm as she gasped aloud.
She couldn’t believe it. There was only one thing Evie would squeal about—nursing school.
Even if it wasn’t about nursing, Margaret knew the letter would mean she’d be losing a sister soon. Evie was about to spread her wings.
Evie looked their way, jumping for joy with a bright smile. She held up the open letter. “I’ve been accepted into nursing school!”
Margaret and Marjorie both shrieked and immediately hugged her.
“Congratulations, little sis!” Margaret exclaimed.
Marjorie squealed. “I didn’t even know you applied.”
Evie looked back at Sidney, who was scratching the back of his head. “Sidney encouraged me.” Evie embraced them again. “I’m going to miss you both.”
“You’ll have to call and tell us every detail,” Margaret said, patting her sister’s back.
Evie squeezed both of their hands. “I promise.”
Evie then ran to where Roger, Mama, and Daddy were. Mama kissed Evie's forehead and Daddy hugged her. Roger stood awkwardly, and Margaret waved at him. She sighed. So much is changing in one single day.