AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Charlotte was utterly speechless. She staggered back, hunting for some sign of the garden gate. At this point in the evening, the colouring of the garden was almost grey, making it difficult for her to see. Sampson rose from the garden bench and strutted towards her, his eyes looking akin to a hunter’s.
“All of it would have been fine, you know,” he continued, as he backed her into a far corner. “Brooks didn’t have to die. He did it to himself.”
“What on earth do you mean?”
“He caught on. He realized that Florentia didn’t love him, that she used him. Thus, Brooks stopped giving her money; he stopped the spontaneous presents. He was on the verge of ending their sordid affair, as well, as he’d recently discovered that she’d stolen a good deal of money from him,” Sampson explained.
Charlotte wrapped a hand around her neck. She imagined the horrendous ways Sampson would murder her, now.
“We needed more. More from Brooks. And he wasn’t willing to give it,” Sampson continued. He tilted his head ominously as his eyes glittered. “And beyond that, he began to threaten Florentia. He told her he was prepared to go to the authorities. Now, Charlotte—you’re a rather intelligent girl, aren’t you? You don’t think we could allow Brooks to go to the authorities. Could we?”
Charlotte flushed with fear.
“It happens like this from time-to-time, you know. It’s not as though Florentia and I haven’t seen everything there is to see in this business,” Sampson affirmed. “What happened to Brooks has happened to others. And almost always, their cases end with an affirmation of an accident. This is the first time someone else has been accused of murder. Congratulations! You’ve broken the mould for us. Florentia and I will look back on this with fondness.”
“You’re a monster,” Charlotte breathed. “You’ve ruined the lives of countless individuals.”
“These compliments you pour over me. They’re almost too much!” he said, his voice boisterous.
Charlotte rushed towards the garden gate, surprised to see that Sampson made no move to grab her. Instead, he watched her as though she was a kitten or a small child. He seemed to get endless amusement from her.
“Now that you’ve told me everything, there’s nothing stopping me from giving all this to Charles Baxter,” Charlotte shouted. Her voice quivered.
At this, Sampson burst into laughter once more. He rollicked with it, placing his hand on his stomach. Charlotte’s heart sank still deeper.
“Oh, darling, it’s adorable you think that anyone on this planet will believe you,” he said, wiping his eyes. “Why would Baxter believe you? What sort of proof do you actually have? This is why I’ve decided to tell you everything. I want you to sit in that prison cell and know every delicious act that Florentia and I committed. I want you to know who to blame. It’s the only way I can fully enact my revenge. Besides, Florentia and I will be long gone by tomorrow morning. We have the carriage packed and will slip out after this very event. By the time we reach the edge of the county, we will have another scheme brewing for the next.”
Charlotte shook her head violently. “Revenge? What on earth do you mean? Revenge towards me?”
Sampson’s laughter died now. He looked morose, terribly serious. “Perhaps you should have considered this, Charlotte, throughout the many years you made it incredibly clear to me that you wanted nothing at all to do with me. Perhaps you should have considered that I had the power to ruin you.”
“What on earth are you talking about?” Charlotte demanded.
“Would it have been so difficult to show some interest in me, Charlotte?” Sampson said. His voice grew grittier, darker. “Would it have really killed you to fall for me? I was good to you, Charlotte. I always asked you how you were. I always asked you to dance with me. I wanted to hold you in my arms, Charlotte. I wanted to kiss you, marry you. I wanted you to birth my children …”
Charlotte’s lips curved with horror.
Throughout her long-standing non-friendship with Sampson, she’d never truly understood the depths of his love for her. She’d admittedly tried to ignore him as best as she could.
Now, he’d enacted whatever this was: a horrible scheme, a revenge plot that had ruined her life for good.
Tears stretched down her cheeks. She made no motion to collect them.
“Sampson, it’s not as though I knew you loved me,” she said, trying to brighten her voice.
“Silence.” Sampson hadn’t patience for her. This was clear. “There’s nothing you can say to get yourself out of this. It’s the end of an era, Charlotte. It’s time to turn in your beautiful gowns, time to take down your gorgeous hair. You’ll be staring at a brick wall for the rest of your days, thinking of this very moment. The moment you realized the depths of your mistake.”
Suddenly, Charles Baxter and Jeffrey appeared behind the garden gate.
Jeffrey’s eyes found Charlotte’s immediately.
Within them, Charlotte found peace, solitude. Her legs remained upright and stopped their reckless shaking.
Sampson’s smile faltered. His eyes turned from Jeffrey to Charles Baxter, then back again.
“Don’t even think about running,” Charles Baxter said. “Jeffrey and I stood outside the hedges throughout your little speech. We heard every bit of it, you imbecile, right down to the most pathetic bit of all—the admission that it was all due to your terror at Charlotte’s inability to love you.”
Sampson stepped back. His eyes scanned the sides of the hedges, the corners of the garden, hunting for some sign of another exit. Charlotte knew for a fact that he was surrounded by only thick garden walls, the kinds that no man could just leap over.
