Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fourteen
M ilton went completely still, and then, when he realized the impact of Mr. Satterfield’s words, he became enraged—fully enraged—especially when everyone, the Satterfields, his parents, and Reverend Potts, were staring at him.
His gaze flew to Charlotte and to his way of thinking, she had some smug look on her face. That enraged him even more. He turned to Mr. Satterfield. “I don’t know what your daughter told you, but if she’s in a family way, her baby isn’t mine. I’ve never touched her. I’m an engaged man.”
“You did touch me!” Charlotte screamed, her eyes flowing with what he knew were fake tears. “I was a virgin, and you told me if I got pregnant, that you would marry me!”
This was damn unbelievable, Milton thought. He couldn’t believe this shit. Charlotte was lying, and they both knew it. Turning to his parents, still staring at him, he said furiously, “She’s lying, Dad. I would not have touched her that way. I love Felicia and would not have betrayed her.”
“I believe my daughter, and there will be a wedding tonight,” Kurt snarled.
“Over my dead body,” Milton snarled back.
“That is your only other option,” Kurt snapped.
“That’s enough!” Jantzen bellowed loudly before Milton had a chance to say anything else. “I need to speak with my son alone.” His father turned and walked toward his study, and Milton followed.
When the door closed behind them, an angry Jantzen stared long and hard at his son before asking, “Is Charlotte Satterfield pregnant with your child?”
Milton wanted to kick something. Hadn’t he just said in front of everyone that she wasn’t? Charlotte was putting on a believable act, but his family had to know she was lying through her teeth.
Drawing a deep breath, he knew he had to regain his composure and answer his father. “No, Pa. If she is pregnant, it is not my child.”
Seeing the Madaris family Bible on his father’s desk, he picked it up and placed his hand, palm down, on top of it. “This is our family Bible, Pa. In it are the names of all the Madarises before me, back to Carlos Madaris. It has been handed down from generation to generation with honor. It is an honor I’ve never taken lightly. An honor I’ve always been proud of. On this Bible, I swear to you, as your son, as a Madaris, that I have never touched Charlotte Satterfield. If she is pregnant, her baby isn’t mine.”
Milton then returned the Bible to the desk. He had no idea what Jantzen Madaris was thinking. Usually, when a woman made such an accusation, her word was to be believed. He hoped, in this case, his father would believe him. He just had to.
Finally, his father said, “I believe you, Milton.”
Relief flowed through him. “Thanks, Pa.” He paused momentarily and then said, “Even if you had said you didn’t believe me, I still would not marry her. Doing so would be a slap to the faces of all the Madarises before me.”
He paused before continuing, needing his father to understand what he meant. “Whispering Pines is Madaris land. It is a Madaris birthright. I would willingly die by Mr. Kurt’s shotgun before being forced into a marriage where I knew the next person to inherit our land was not a true Madaris. If Charlotte is pregnant, her baby is not a Madaris.”
He knew his words had hit home when he saw fury in his father’s face. “Why is she lying, Milton? Has Charlotte ever come on to you before?”
Milton shrugged. “She’s been a nuisance all her life, Pa. However, never in a million years would I have thought she would stoop so low as to try something like this. I love Felicia. She is the woman I love and the only woman I’ve ever loved.”
Jantzen nodded. “Alright, let me handle this. Kurt’s allegations are an attack on my family and the Madaris name, and I won’t stand for it.”
Milton had never seen his father this angry, and considering the circumstances, he understood. He followed his father from the study. Everyone was standing in the same spot they had been in when they’d left them minutes ago. He met his mother’s and sister’s gazes and knew, without them saying a word, they believed his denials. He glanced at Waylon. Although to others he might have had an unreadable expression on his face, Milton understood. His best friend believed him and was taking his word over that of his own sister.
“What’s it going to be, Jantzen?” Kurt Satterfield asked in an angry tone. “A funeral or a wedding?”
Jantzen frowned. “There won’t be a funeral.”
Milton’s gaze was trained on Charlotte, who, in turn, met his gaze and had the nerve to smirk.
“So, there will be a wedding,” Kurt said, assuming as much.
Jantzen crossed his arms over his chest, met Kurt Satterfield’s gaze, and then, to not be misunderstood, spoke in a loud voice. “Milton says he is not the father of Charlotte’s baby, and I believe him. There won’t be a wedding either.”
***
Jantzen Madaris’s words were not what Charlotte had expected, and by the shocked look on her parents’ faces, it was apparent they weren’t what they had expected either. Indeed, they would do the honorable thing and order Milton to marry her. Right away. Tonight.
“What do you mean there won’t be a wedding?” Kurt roared, lifting his shotgun as if ready to aim.
“Gentlemen, please,” Reverend Potts implored, rushing to stand between the two men and the shotgun. He then turned to Jantzen. “Mr. Madaris, why do you not believe Miss Satterfield?”
Jantzen met the pastor’s stare. “Because my son swore upon our family Bible that he’s not the father of Charlotte’s child. That’s good enough for me.”
“Well, it’s not good enough for me,” Kurt Satterfield snapped. “Charlotte has no problem swearing upon our family Bible as well.”
All eyes turned to Charlotte. She lifted her chin. “Yes, Pa, I will do that because I am telling the truth. Milton is my baby’s father.”
All gazes shifted to Jantzen. “It doesn’t matter if she does place her hand on the Bible. My boy is not marrying your daughter. If he does, it will be after the child is born, and I’m convinced it’s a Madaris baby.”
“And just how will you know that?” Penny Satterfield asked snappily.
“The child will have a certain birthmark. All Madarises are born with it.”
Charlotte swallowed deeply as she tried to retain her composure. Was that true? Were all Madaris babies born with a birthmark? When her father turned to look at her as if allowing her to recant her accusation, she knew there was no way she could. “Then my son or daughter will be born with that birthmark. You’ll see.”
Emboldened by his daughter’s words, Kurt bit out, “You want my daughter to bear her child as an unmarried woman? Just because you refuse to accept her word that Milton fathered her child? Do you not know the shame that will cause her?”
“No more than the scandal it will cause my family when people in these parts accuse my son of not doing the right thing by her.”
Charlotte knew she had to make them see reason. She was determined that Milton marry her. “Milton is engaged to marry someone at the end of the summer, Pa. What happens when I give birth to a Madaris baby in seven months, but Milton has married someone else?” Charlotte wailed.
Reverend Potts turned to Jantzen before shifting his gaze to Milton. He refocused on Jantzen. “If your position is that Milton won’t marry Charlotte until it’s proven the baby is his, Jantzen, then it’s only fair that Milton not be allowed to marry anyone until after this issue is resolved.”
“Fine,” Jantzen snapped.
“No! That’s not fine, Pa,” Milton said furiously, turning to his father. “You want me to postpone my wedding to Fee because of her lie?” he said, pointing a finger at Charlotte. “I won’t do it!”
“Listen, son. Like Reverend Potts said, it’s only fair,” Jantzen said with regret.
“No, Pa, it’s not fair to me or to Felicia.”
“What about me?” Charlotte demanded. “You were engaged to her and slept with me. Besides, chances are she won’t marry you when she hears you deceived her.”
“Is that what you’re hoping, Charlotte?” Milton snapped.
She placed her hands on her hips. “I am hoping you do the right thing like you said you would do and not cause me any shame. All you told me were lies.” She had to play this farce for all she could. The last thing she wanted was to be exposed.
Reverend Potts felt it was time to intervene again and address Jantzen. “Mr. Madaris, why can’t there be a wedding tonight? If it is discovered after the baby is born that it’s not your son’s child, as the pastor, I will annul the marriage as long as it hasn’t been consummated.”
Both Jantzen and Milton said simultaneously, “No!”
Kurt then said, “If your son won’t marry my daughter, then my son won’t marry yours either. I am officially calling off any union between a Satterfield and Madaris. I am taking back my blessing.”
“No, Pa!” Waylon, who’d been quiet all this time, said, coming to stand before his father. “Leave me and Victoria out of this.”
“Our families are now in a feud with the Madarises since they won’t force their son to do the honorable thing. There is no way I will accept one of them as part of our family,” Kurt said bitterly.
“I love Victoria, and we will get married as planned,” Waylon said forcefully, looking at Victoria, who had tears clouding her eyes. “I won’t give her up.”
He made a move toward Victoria, but Jantzen blocked his path. “Your father has spoken, Waylon. As such, although it pains me to say this, your engagement to my daughter is officially off. There will not be a Satterfield and Madaris wedding.”
Jantzen then turned to his daughter. “Give Waylon back his ring, Victoria.”
With tears flowing down her cheeks, Victoria did what she was told. She then rushed from the room with Etta following behind her.
Waylon stared at Charlotte with a furious expression before storming out of the house.
***
Milton knocked on Victoria’s bedroom door.
“Come in.”
He braced himself before turning the knob, knowing she was an emotional mess.
Victoria stood at her bedroom window, looking out at the Madaris’s land. He figured her gaze was focused toward the east, where a certain cabin sat. The one Waylon had built for them to live in together after they married. Thanks to Charlotte’s lies, a marriage that would never take place.
He called out to her softly when she hadn’t turned around. “Victoria.”
When she did, his heart clenched at the pain he saw in her features. He held out his arms, and his sister quickly crossed the room to him and cried into his chest. Her tears soaked through his shirt. He wanted to give her words of comfort. Instead, he silently cursed Charlotte with Victoria’s heart-wrenching sobs. Charlotte hadn’t just hurt him with her lie, she had hurt her brother and his sister, and Milton would never forgive her for doing so.
He wasn’t sure how long he stood holding Victoria in his arms, but it didn’t matter. He would have held her the rest of the evening and the next day if necessary. His sister was hurting, and he was hurting right along with her.
She finally pulled away and swiped at the tears still flowing from her eyes before asking, “When are you leaving for Atlanta?”
He drew in a deep breath. Felicia had to be told, and it would be up to her to decide whether she believed him enough to postpone the wedding and not call it off entirely. He would be asking her to postpone their wedding. Would she willingly postpone their wedding knowing what he’d been accused of? Would her parents even allow her to do such a thing, knowing the embarrassment it would cause their daughter? There was another possibility he had to face: What if Felicia believed Charlotte’s lie and ended their engagement altogether?
“I’ll start packing tonight and leave first thing in the morning. I called to let her know I’m coming but won’t tell her why. Since this visit wasn’t planned, I’m sure she knows something is wrong.” There was no doubt in his mind that his voice had given something away.
“I am praying things work out for you and Fee.”
He nodded. “And I’m hoping things will work out for you and Waylon. I’m sure you know that, regardless of his father’s directive, he will not give you up just like he said.”
“I hope not.”
“He won’t.” There was no way he would tell her their pa was so mad that Milton was convinced the “unforgiving Madaris pride” he’d always heard about had kicked in with a vengeance. If it had, he had a feeling that regardless of the outcome seven months from now, the feud between the two families would never end. Hopefully, a marriage between Waylon and Victoria would reunite the families again and mend the hard feelings. “I hope you believe me when I say Charlotte’s baby isn’t mine,” he finally said.
“Of course, I believe you.” Then she asked, “Is it true that Pa can tell whether it’s a Madaris baby when it’s born?”
“Yes, but there’s no birthmark. Pa is certain he will be able to tell but it doesn’t matter.”
“Why?”
“He saw the look of fear of being caught in a lie flash in Charlotte’s eyes when he mentioned the birthmark. Now he knows for certain she’s lying.”
Victoria nodded. “Charlotte will be exposed as a liar. I hope things will turn out alright for you and Fee. It’s not her that I’m concerned about, Milton. It’s her parents. Postponing the wedding because of the accusations against you might not sit well with them.”
Milton was afraid of that. “I know, and I’m asking for everyone’s prayers. I have to believe things will work out for all of us—me, Fee, you, and Way—in the end.”
“There you have it,” Milton said, not only to Felicia but also to her parents. Over the past months, he had forged a bond with his future in-laws and hoped they believed his innocence in what he had told them.
“My goodness. This Charlotte sounds like such an evil person,” Mrs. Lee said with distress in her voice.
Nobody said anything else for a moment. While telling them everything, he had been focused on Felicia’s features. They were expressionless, so he had no idea what she was thinking or even if she believed a single word he’d said.
Reverend Lee began speaking, and Milton held his breath. “Those are serious allegations leveled against you, young man. However, just as your parents believe in your innocence, I do as well.”
Before Milton could expel a sigh of relief, the minister added. “However, as my wife said, that Charlotte woman is truly evil. I honestly don’t like the thought that if you and Fee were to marry, their paths would eventually be crossed. Someone that evil will do anything. If this plan doesn’t work, who should say she won’t try something else? Something even more devious.”
“And if she does, Milton will protect me, Pa.”
Felicia’s words, the first she’d spoken since he’d begun talking, filled his heart with even more love for her.
“Well,” Reverend Lee said, breaking into the quiet stillness of the room. “The final decision will be left up to Fee. I am sure the two of you know all the embarrassment postponing the wedding will cause. Tongues will wag and lies will be told. Some will get the news all the way from Texas. I agree with your father that you and Felicia should not communicate for the next seven months. That might seem like a lot to ask, but something that, under the circumstances, is fair.”
The minister then turned his attention to his daughter. “Felicia, your mother and I will abide by your decision.”
He stood and extended his hand out to Milton. “If Fee believes you will protect her from that evil woman, I will, too.”
After Felicia’s father released his hand, Felicia’s mom hugged him. They then left the room, giving him and Fee privacy. When the sound of the door clicked behind them, he turned to his beloved. “Like your father said, the decision is yours. So that you know, if you agree to wait, things might get ugly. I have no doubt Mrs. Satterfield will spin her tale, far and wide, to protect her daughter’s reputation since I’ve refused to marry her.”
Felicia nodded as she crossed the room to him. “Then let her because I will know the truth, and that’s all that matters.” She then asked, “What about Waylon? Does he believe you didn’t take advantage of his sister?”
Milton rubbed a frustrating hand down his face. “Although he couldn’t admit to such, Waylon knows I would never do such a thing. I guess he told his parents as much, and they thought he was being disloyal to his family. That’s probably why Mr. Kurt reneged on his blessing for Way to marry Victoria.”
“Victoria has to be devastated.”
“She and Waylon both are, and it’s not fair. He loves Victoria and will allow himself to be disowned by his family before giving her up.”
Felicia nodded. “I hope he won’t have to do that. I know how much Victoria loves him as well.” She paused a moment and then said, “As for us, there will be a Madaris-Lee wedding. I am willing to wait because, in my heart, I know that you, Milton Jantzen Madaris, are a man worth waiting for. Not communicating with you for seven months will be one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. But I will do it because I love you and believe in you. I believe in us and the family we will have one day.”
With love flowing through to his heart, even more than before, Milton reached out and gently caressed the side of her face. “And I love you, Fee.” Drawing her in his arms, he lowered his mouth to hers.