AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Margaret, I surmise that the best way to deal with the pain is to embrace the truth. I had a feeling that this would happen all along. So embrace it, I beg of you.”
Margaret fell silent, thinking that she could never embrace such a thing. How was she to fully accept her terrible circumstances, and what’s more, how was she going to tell John. “Did you deliver my letter?”
“I did.”
“And what did John say?”
Jane considered her words. “I left before he opened it. I sensed that he might want to read the letter in privacy.”
“That was kind of you,” Margaret remarked.
“Oh, you probably think I am so terrible for trying to tell you all of this earlier. But I do like to be the voice of reason because I know how in the clouds you can be,” Jane said pitifully, still stroking Margaret’s back.
“No, I understand. Of course, you wish to protect me. But no one could protect me from this. Not even my own father.”
“But know that… John is ever so fond of you. I am quite sure that he still shall seek a way out of this.”
Margaret shook her head. “Perhaps he should give up. Perhaps both of us should embrace this inevitable reality.”
The two girls sat silently for some time. Margaret laid her head upon her pillow once more, and Jane continued to soothe her. It occurred to her that perhaps she should not have sent that letter. It was so bold, and now that her fate was clear, it would only make the pain worse if John were emboldened or enamored of that letter.
Before Margaret knew it, she had entirely fallen asleep. She awoke in the middle of the night with the moonlight flooding through her window. She rose from bed and wrapped a large shall around her, walking over to the window to gaze at the beautiful moon. Sighing weightily, Margaret shook her head and refused to cry yet again. Soon, Pelham Downs would no longer be her prison. She would find another prison to live in.
Margaret returned to bed, willing herself to sleep, but this second sleep did not come quickly. She lay on her side and gazed at the window for some time, even considering finding a way to escape through that window using a sheet! Of course, the notion was ridiculous, but how utterly comforting it would be to meet John and the inn and feel his comforting arms around her.
That warm, inviting thought finally put Margaret to sleep yet again when she had horrible nightmares about Lord Darkmoor’s estate, as though it were haunted in some way. These frightful dreams continued through the night until Margaret awoke with a start, sitting up on her bed and noting that the deep moonlight had been replaced by cold storm clouds. It would be a very trying day, and so, Margaret was surprised when Jane did not instantly come to her room.
With her shawl draped around her, Margaret searched Pelham Downs, trying to find her maid. This journey led her to the kitchen, where the cook was hard at work. “Do you know where Jane is?”
“She left early this morning,” the cook explained.
“Did she say where she was going?”
“To find her brother,” was the cook’s reply as she cut a large loaf of bread.
Margaret’s mouth dropped open. Yes, Jane just had gone to tell John the news. Oh, Margaret wondered what his response might be! Would he be furious, resolved, or heartbroken? Knowing what she did of him, he would probably have a collection of all three of these emotions.
Margaret seated herself upon a stool as the cook served her tea. She eyed the woman suspiciously, knowing that she was the one that told her father that John had delivered the meat. Or was it Jane? No, Margaret would refuse to believe that. Jane had expressed her desire for Margaret to be happy, and she deeply trusted her maid—perhaps more than anyone since her mother died.
The tea brought Margaret to her senses, and she patiently awaited Jane’s return so that she could hear of John’s reaction. This return did not come soon enough, for the viscount entered the kitchens and summoned Margaret to breakfast.
“I shall not take breakfast today,” Margaret replied.
“Will we have more of this nonsense today?” the viscount asked.
“Father, I should think that you will have a great deal of my nonsense until I am handed over to Lord Darkmoor.”
Her father seemed furious and fled the kitchens, leaving Margaret with a sense of satisfaction that she had stood up for herself.
***
John lay in bed that morning, smiling to himself. The letter had occupied his mind for the entire night. He reached over to take it from his bed stand and read it once more. Oh, but it brought him such joy to read Margaret’s words and delight in her candor. The letter was bold, but if he were to write her a letter, it would be far bolder.
Often, John feared the strength of his feelings and desire when it came to Margaret. Would he be too much for her? Would she not be able to handle the flood of love and longing that he would give to her? Instead of mulling over these questions, John placed the letter back on the stand and gazed up at the ceiling, his hands behind his neck.
Looking down at his bare chest, John wondered if Margaret could ever have loved the scrawny boy he used to be. He had changed considerably over the years. John had become stronger, not only in his body but also in his mind and spirit. All of this would provide him with enough fortitude to endure the challenges ahead.
His sense of comfort being full, John heard a knock upon the door and wondered who it might be at that early hour. He was most surprised to find his sister standing there, a look of terror upon her face.
