The French Encounter: Christian Historical (Window to the Heart Saga Trilogy Book 2)

by Jenna Brandt

  “Father would not compromise his choice in marriage for me and made me wed Henry. At first, I let my feelings for the duke cloud my marriage with Henry.” She turned and looked at her brother. “I never acted on it, my honor would not allow that.

  “Over time, Henry helped me understand what I really felt for Witherton was nothing more than infatuation, that there was no substance there. I realized that Henry was not only my best friend but also my one true love.

  “So I told Witherton that he needed to leave me be and move on, but he continued to pursue me. Of course, it made Henry seethe with jealousy because he did not believe me when I told him that I no longer wanted to be with Witherton. Then things took a turn for the worst. Witherton sent me a note telling me that he had damaging information regarding Henry, and if I did not come to see him, he would release it to the newspapers.”

  She shook her head in sadness. “I look back now, and I realize what a fool I was to fall into his trap. He had been setting me up all along, you see. But my only thoughts were of saving Henry from a scandal. So, I went to his estate, and he tried to force his attention on me, but Henry stopped him before he could ruin me.”

  Tears started to fall down her cheeks as she thought about that painful night.

  Randall walked over and took her in his arms. “Mags, it is all right. You do not have to tell me anything else.”

  She shook her head. “No, I need to say this. I need you to know what happened to me.”

  She brushed at the tears on her face and leaned her head on her brother’s shoulder, then continued from where she left off. “Henry took me to our London estate where he could protect me better while he figured out what to do about the duke. A short time later, I found out I was pregnant. Henry and I were ecstatic and we started planning our lives as a family. In my eighth month of pregnancy, I thought I was losing the baby and Henry went to fetch the doctor. He never made it, as he was set upon by bandits. Catherine, Henry’s sister—”

  Randall interrupted, “I didn’t know Henry had a sister.”

  “It’s a long story, but she was illegitimate, but unknown to everyone besides the Rolantry family,” Margaret explained. “I helped her take a place in aristocratic society—a decision I would come to regret—because when Henry was killed, she took over the Rolantry family affairs, blaming me for his death. Catherine was unsure of the baby’s paternity due to the rumors about my past, but threatened to take my son if it was Henry’s heir. She wanted to raise him without me in his life. She told me if I did not give my son to her willingly, she would reveal the truth about my past and turn us both out.”

  She looked up at her brother and wanted him to understand. “I fled to France to escape my past, to get away from Witherton, and to keep Catherine from taking my son. I thought I was safe, that I was going to be able to start over, but today, Witherton found me. He came for me. I think he is obsessed with me. He had the audacity to propose marriage. When I refused, he threatened to tell Catherine where Henry and I are.

  “And when I still refused, he… he tried to take advantage of me again. But I screamed and I screamed, and then I found a rock and I hit him. I hit him, and I heard this crack, and blood splattered, and I ran. I just ran until Charlie found me, and then I kept thinking…. I was so scared, Rand. If he comes back here….” She started to cry again.

  “Maggie, I am here, and I swear that I will not let him get near you ever again. I wish I had been there. I swear I would have killed the bloody monster myself! I cannot believe you have been holding all of this inside you. I wondered sometimes, when you would get this sad, distant look, what you were thinking about, and now it all makes sense.” Then, almost as if the complex puzzle was finally solved, Randall blurted out, “That night you found me and you were taken by those men, this Witherton person sent them.”

  “Yes. I should have left France that night, but I had just found you and, foolishly, I thought I could have Monsieur Mulchere give him false information to get him to stop looking for me here.” Margaret shook her head with regret. “There is no escaping him, not as long as I stay where he has all the power.”

  He looked down into her eyes and said, “It will be all right, and when I tell Michel, he will take care of everything.”

  “No. He does not need to know. We are leaving tomorrow, and he need never know.”

  “But why?”

  “I am disgraced, do you not see that?”

  “No, the scandal is fueled by lies.”

  “But according to Catherine, I was unfaithful to Henry. Even though Michel knows I am telling the truth, who will everyone else believe?”

  Randall said nothing, but his frown was all she needed. “The look on your face confirms what I have known all along. If anyone in French society finds out about my past, I will be ruined. Now you see why I must leave and not tell Michel that Witherton has found me. He will only try to stop me, and it will be better this way. He will not have to face the scandal that is tied to my past. I thought I had escaped it, that it had been covered up, but one word from Witherton or Catherine and I will be destroyed. I could not face Michel like that.”

  “All right, if this is how you want it, but I am coming with you.”

  “And so am I.”

  Both of them turned, shocked to hear someone interrupt their private conversation. At the door stood Jackie.

  “How long have you been there?” Margaret asked defensively.

  “Long enough to catch the basic gist of things.”

  Margaret—a bit angry from having someone else hear about her sordid past—glared at her friend for several seconds. Haughtily, she said to Jackie, “You would never make it where I am going.”

  Jackie laughed, breaking the somberness of the whole situation. “Mon chéri, you have no idea what I can withstand.”

  “Yes, I am sure you have had your share of ‘interesting’ situations and have been to quite a few different places with your lovers, but where I am going, no one will want to go.”

  Randall furrowed his brows together and asked, “What place could be that horrible?”

  Margaret frowned with disdain and said, “The Americas.”

  “Why would we go to that distasteful place?” Randall asked, clearly repulsed by the idea.

  “Since our future is there. Father secretly left land deeded to me. I was unaware of it until he passed away, but I checked his secret hiding place under the floorboard in his study. Afraid the debt collectors would take it, I hid it for safekeeping. When Henry died, it was the only thing I had that I knew Catherine could not take from me because no one knew I had it.

  “It finally makes sense to me now. I believe God had Father make those arrangements so we would have a new start and be able to make a new home for ourselves. It would be the only place Witherton and Catherine would not think to look for us.”

  “And rightly so, as no one in their right mind would want to go there.”

  “You should make peace with it, Rand. Come tomorrow, we will leave Europe forever.”

  Chapter 26

  When Margaret told Alfred and Sarah that the family would be leaving Europe, they had asked to join them. She had explained that it was going to be a difficult journey in an unfamiliar place with no pay until they reached their destination. It did not deter them from choosing to go with them, even after she explained that it was America.

  “That is the last of the luggage, my lady,” Alfred stated as the carriage driver lifted down the final trunk and placed it on the docks.

  Margaret took in their surroundings and found herself drawn to the enormous ship just a few feet away. She had never been on a vessel so gigantic, nor been on such a lengthy voyage. It made her apprehensive just thinking about it, but she knew she needed to remain calm for her son’s sake. She could feel his tiny hand in her own, and she knew that if she showed any fear, he would sense it and become frightened as well. As always, his well-being was her utmost concern.

  Jackie sighed loudly, m
aking sure both Margaret and Randall heard it, and then stated in an irritated manner, “I hope they allow us to board shortly. I am tepid and exhausted, and I want to lie down in my stateroom.”

  Margaret smiled in amusement at Jackie’s exaggerated demeanor. Trying not to frustrate her further, Margaret faked a serious tone. “I am sure it will not be much longer, Jackie. The boar arrived a bit late. I am sure they will be ready to allow us to board momentarily.”

  Fortunately, Margaret had been preparing financially for this day by stashing away enough money to secure all of them first-class accommodations while they crossed the Atlantic. Secretly, she had always known that her past would catch up with her; it was just a matter of when it happened. That time had finally come, and she was glad she had made it a priority not to be stuck without any way to escape because of money.

  Together with her toddler son, Randall, Jackie, and her two loyal servants, Albert and Sarah, she was going to forge a new path.

  Margaret patted the pocket of her skirt and made sure the papers that secured their futures were safe. When the family estate had been impoverished due to her father’s illness and death, everything had been sold to pay off as much debt as possible. But the collectors did not find the secret spot that was hidden beneath the floorboards in her father’s study. God had given her a way out, provided her with a means of escape for something that had not happened yet. God often worked in ways she did not understand but were always best for her.

  Instinctively, it had been the first place that Margaret had looked after everything had been taken away. They had given her the day to finish collecting their personal items before they took the manor as well. When she had removed the floorboards, she was surprised to find not one but two boxes. She had pulled them out and remembered her father had privately given her a key on her sixteenth birthday. When she tried it on the boxes, one opened. What she found inside was a deed to a piece of land in America, a large amount of money, and a second key.

  The second box held another key and a note saying that it opened a safety deposit box at the bank in Boulder, Colorado. She took the deed, money, and safety deposit key and tucked them away for safekeeping. She never told Henry about it because, well, she wanted something that was her own.

  She was going to claim their land in America and find out what was in that deposit box. She hoped it was enough to start a new life.

  Randall jolted Margaret out of her thoughts by asking, “Maggie, you are standing firm in your decision not to tell Michel we are leaving?”

  “Yes, as I told you, once he knows what happened, he will try to intervene and all the sordid details of my past will come out. I will be ruined and his reputation will be tarnished by even bigger scandal than by me quietly leaving France. I do not want to do that to him, and I would rather not destroy him when I know we do not have a future together anyway.”

  “I think you are making a mistake. He might surprise you, and you are not even giving him a chance.”

  “I do not have the luxury of giving anyone a chance. Witherton has made that impossible.”

  “Stop bothering her about her decision, Rand. She is capable of making her own choices,” Jackie inserted.

  “I know she is, but I would not be a very good brother if I did not point out—”

  Margaret interrupted them both, hoping to avoid a fight and not wanting to think about how hard it was to have to leave everything behind for a second time. “It is all right, truly. We do not need to discuss this any further.”

  Both of them looked away sheepishly, as if realizing that they had made a hard situation more difficult.

  “I am sorry, Mags. I did not mean to make this more painful.” Randall gently put his hand on his sister’s shoulder and rubbed it.

  “Me too, Margaret. Please forgive us. We were not being considerate.”

  “No need to apologize. We just need to focus on moving forward.”

  Margaret corrected her hat on top of her head and smoothed out the wrinkles in her outfit in preparation for boarding. She watched as the last of the second-class passengers were getting on the ship.

  As she started to move towards the ocean liner, she heard a carriage pull up behind her and someone shout, “Margaret, wait.”

  Margaret froze. She recognized the voice immediately. It was Michel. What was he doing there? She had thought she would be able to get away without having to deal with ending their relationship in person. She had given a letter to Sarah to deliver right before it was time to leave. She had not considered the possibility that he would be able to get to her before she was on board the ship.

  She felt a hand on her arm pulling her firmly around, and she found herself face-to-face with her soon-to-be ex-fiancé. “What are you doing here?” Margaret asked cautiously.

  Michel pulled out a piece of paper from his jacket pocket with his free hand and waved it at her. “I came here to find out why you are really leaving. You do not expect me to believe the ridiculous explanation you wrote in this letter as to why you are abandoning your promise to marry me.”

  Margaret looked up at Michel and could see the hurt in his eyes. She hated that her actions caused it and even more that she was not able to fully explain what was going on.

  “The letter perfectly clarifies why I am leaving France. I have matters to attend to back in England. Matters that will not afford me the latitude to return to France, and therefore, I cannot marry you, Michel.”

  “Nonsense. I do not believe a word of what you are saying. If you need to deal with anything in England, I can go with you and help you take care of it.”

  “What about your sister?”

  “I can have my brother and the servants watch after her while I am temporarily away. Granted, she is my responsibility, but it is also my job as your betrothed to take care of you and your family.”

  And there it was, what Margaret had been afraid of all along. She knew that he would not let her go without a fight. She did not want to have to tell him about the duke’s latest attack, but it was beginning to look like she might not have any other choice.

  “I did not want you to have to get involved, Michel. This problem stems from a long time ago, and it is my mess to clean up.”

  “I want to help you, Margaret. All you have to do is let me.”

  “Why do you keep persisting in this? I do not want to make this any more difficult than it already has to be.”

  “You leaving me, Margaret, cannot be made easy. No matter how hard you try, it will not be painless.”

  And deep down she knew Michel was right. She had been avoiding the truth for a long time now, but she did have feelings for him, more than she cared to acknowledge.

  “Why will you not open up to me, Margaret? Something has happened since the last time I saw you, and you are not telling me. I know it has something to do with your past.”

  Margaret averted her eyes and replied in a veiled tone, “I do not know what you mean.”

  “I think you do, but I think you have become so accustomed to keeping secrets that you are uncomfortable sharing them with anyone.”

  “I told you, Michel, I came to France to search for my brother, and I found him. End of story. Now that my business in France is done, it is time for me to return to England.”

  “But you fled England. What has changed that has allowed you to return?”

  Margaret glanced at the ship behind her and grasped for a reason to end the conversation. “I have to go. The ship will leave without us.”

  “You mean the ship headed for America? How is it, if you need to be back in England, that you are about to board a ship destined for America?”

  Margaret winced, realizing that Michel was too smart for both their goods.

  “Quit lying to me, Margaret.” He lightly grabbed her by the shoulders and pleaded, “Tell me the truth.”

  Margaret hung her head in humiliation and whispered dejectedly, “I do not want to, Michel. I am too ashamed.”

  “Do
not be, Margaret. I already know about your past and I accept you. I care for you more than you can possibly know. You can tell me anything. There is nothing you can say that will drive me away.”

  Still staring down at the ground, unable to muster the strength to look Michel in the eyes, Margaret said softly, “I was desperate and the only choice I had was to run. It seems I am in the same position once more.”

  “Please, tell me what is going on so I can help you.”

  “There is nothing anyone can do.”

  “You are wrong. There is something you need to know. When Pierre came and told me the private details regarding your past, I could not propose to you without talking with you about it first, which is why I decided to discuss it with you at the park. I believed what you told me, but I also knew if it ever came out, we would need to have evidence to back up your claims to protect you from ruination. I had a couple of my investigators dig deeper into the details, and that is when they found conflicting reports from several of the servants who worked for your family, but have since been dismissed. They confirmed your account of the events from that night. One even received a note from the duke addressed to you. The proof from their testimonies confirmed you were not the guilty party and you had been the casualty of a horrible atrocity.”

  Michel put his hand under Margaret’s chin and lifted her face so that their eyes could meet. “And after getting to know you and who you are as a person, I was certain that you were not to blame. You are a good and honorable woman, Margaret, and I hate that you have been made to feel ashamed of your past.”

  He leaned down and gently kissed her on the lips. He whispered, “You never have to feel that way with me. I love you, not in spite of your past but because of your past. It is what has made you who you are, and I love everything about you.”

  Suddenly a floodgate of tears unleashed from Margaret; she did not even realize she had been holding them back. She leaned into Michel and rested her cheek on his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. She had waited so long to hear him say he loved her, and now when she had to leave, he finally said it. It was not fair. How was she going to leave him?