In trying to correct one mistake, James made another, but recent events absolved him, he was an innocent culprit.
William asked with a suspicious look if they were all right. Meg quickly hid her face, feeling embarrassed. She didn't want her visitor to notice her red cheeks, trembling hands, and guilty look.
"What are you doing here?" replied James, irritated.
She pulled herself together quickly, noticing William approaching.
He greeted them with a discreet nod. Then he explained, with an annoyed expression, that his father had forgotten his hat and had forced him to come and get it.
"That, couldn't it wait until tomorrow?" James asked, drinking the rest of the whiskey in his glass.
"He's been pacing the room and cursing for over an hour," William turned to Meg."I thought that Miss Margaret might be able to help me look for him," the visitor argued.
"Sure," she answered, trying to keep her voice steady.
"In the garden?" questioned James, irritated.
“Yes," William answered with a wry smile.
"Meg was already retiring, but if you wanted me to help you look for it."
Meg frantically wiped her sweaty hands along the side of her body, as if trying to rid herself of an unbearable weight. She didn't want to be a good hostess, she just wanted this day to be over.
“I'm off to bed. Good evening, gentlemen," Meg said, looking furtively at James.
“Good evening, Meg,” William kissed her hand.
Meg felt James's eyes watching her discreetly as she walked up the stairs.
With each step she climbed, the next seemed even harder. Her brain gave the command to her body, but her legs refused to obey. She experienced such an intense pain in her chest that she could not enter her room. She remembered that when they were children, Meg and James had a habit of snooping on the adults in the living room, sitting together on the last step of the stairs. Restless, Meg decided to revive this practice to watch James for a longer time. She sat in the dark, letting out the breath she unconsciously held. From there, she could hear James offer a drink to his friend, who promptly accepted.
"I'm not worried about my father's hat. I came here because I am worried about you, my friend. I thought you might have trouble sleeping. I came to keep you company," William confided.
"I appreciate your concern. It's going to be a terribly long night."
"How are you, my friend?"
"I haven't assimilated my mother's death. It was very sudden."
She became a little sadder, for she knew that she shared the same pain as James. His pain was hers too, and this only made her feel even worse.
"A regrettable loss, for all of us. What are your plans with this property?" inquired William.
"I don't know. I'll think about it tomorrow.
The tightness in her chest intensified and she took a deep breath of air. She feared being thrown out of the house. She feared that she would have to marry.
"My father is adamant. He wants me to set a wedding date right away."
"I thought you were here because you were worried about me," James sighed loudly. "And, you have no affection for her."
"Marriage and love are different things, my friend. Do you love your wife?"
Meg never heard him talk openly about his feelings for Angelina. Not a single word.
"My marriage is not up for discussion," he replied emphatically.
"It will be good for Meg too."
"William, it would not be good for any woman to marry you."
"I think it will be good for both of us, I know you can't stand your adopted sister. You've been complaining about her for years."
James didn't object; he remained silent for a long time. Those seconds were torturous for her listening to the conversation.
A sharp sensation of pain pierced Meg's heart, shattering it into a thousand pieces. The pain was so unbearable that she could barely breathe, and she felt compelled to flee to avoid James' response. She quickly got up and locked herself in her room, longing for a safe and secluded place where she could process her thoughts and feelings, and cry in peace.
When she awoke the next morning, Meg remained locked in her room. The servants of the house noticed her absence at the table, as she was always the first to arrive for breakfast, and were surprised at the silence that settled over her quarters. Suspicious, they told James, who immediately went to her room, but found the door closed. He tried to call for her insistently, but the silence persisted. With no alternative, he decided to open the door.
James found Meg lying on the bed, covered in sweat, visibly downcast and with a pained expression on her face. Her eyes were swollen from crying, and her skin was hot to the touch. He realized that she needed urgent medical attention.
While waiting for the doctor to arrive, James sat down by Meg's bedside and held her hand, giving her all the love and support he could. She was delirious and didn't recognize him.
"You'll be fine. I promise."
Carefully, James dried the sweat from Meg's forehead and Angelina watched the scene from outside the room.
"James, my husband, let the maids take care of her. It might be something contagious," she said, annoyed.
"I'll have the driver take you to our house. You'll be safe there."
"And you?"
"I will be."
"James! This is crazy."
"I'll look after Meg until she recovers," he spoke emphatically.
Angelina felt jealous of Meg, of the way James was looking at her. She tried to ignore the feeling of insecurity that was growing in her chest, but it was difficult. Meg's presence now seemed like a threat, an intruder in her perfect world at her husband's side.
"I'll stay too," she informed.
While Meg was carefully examined by Doctor Radcliff, the family doctor, James remained in the room with a worried expression, vehemently refusing to leave. The atmosphere was tense and the silence was interrupted only by the sound of medical instruments. The doctor's serious face further increased the tension of the situation, making James more and more apprehensive. Finally, James got up the courage to ask, "How is she?" "It was a great shock to her to lose Martha. You know how fragile women are." The doctor said handing him some medicinal vials. "Will she be okay?" asked James. "I believe so. She will need to take these medicines and rest for a few days, but if she doesn't get better with these medicines, call me." James sighed, feeling a wave of relief mixed with a tightness in his chest. "Thank you," he spoke, walking him to the door. As he made his way to the door, the doctor appeared to be absorbed in important thoughts. "James, when you have a free moment, stop by my
The days passed slowly and lonely for Meg, inside that room. James avoided her, and this made her even more distressed, and she remained under the care of the maids, until she recovered. Every now and then she heard Angelina's irritated voice echoing through the corridors, complaining about something. And Angelina always complained. While looking at the walls, Meg thought about her uncertain future in that house, and in that family. She knew that her days there were numbered, for Angelina would not allow her to stay for long. And Meg didn't want to marry William, because she didn't love him. So she had to find a solution. She thought that maybe she could work as a piano teacher, a maid, or as a worker in a textile factory. And all of these options looked bad. Her reflection in the mirror told her that she was still down. She left her room for the first time since she had been ill. She sat down on the stool to play the piano in an empty room. Meg played Martha's favorite tune, s
Meg walked through the Garden, lost in her own thoughts, mulling over the guilt she felt for loving who she shouldn't. When James simply ignored her, Meg didn't have to deal with the complexity of her feelings and the lack of ethics involved, but now he began to be kind and considerate, and Meg didn't know what to do. She was so distracted that she didn't notice the presence of James who was watching her intently from behind the bushes.Suddenly he interrupted her reveries, "I am relieved to see that you have recovered completely." Surprised to find him so early in the morning, Meg smiled nervously, feeling exposed, as if James could read her thoughts. He sat on one of the benches in the garden, looking nostalgic as he watched Meg. "It's been so long since I've been here," he said. Meg climbed up on the old swing that they used to play on when they were kids and started swinging, feeling the cool breeze on her face. "I always come. It was our secret place, remember? We used to s
William and Angelina were sitting at a table in a teahouse, enjoying the discreet and refined atmosphere. Angelina's blonde hair was pinned up with several bobby pins around her head, giving her a sophisticated look. William looked at her. "It is always a pleasure to be in your company, my dear friend," he said. "But I feel there is a reason behind our meeting." Angelina smiled and took a sip of tea before speaking. She was an elegant and underhanded woman, shaped by the standards of the society she was in. "In my new residence, there are many servants, so I wanted to avoid unwanted gossip," she said. "Enjoying your new residence?" She smiled satisfied as if she had just won a prize. "The mansion is magnificent, indeed, however, managing it all requires a lot of work." He looked at her puzzled. "Tell me, what is the reason for this sudden meeting? I am curious." She leaned toward him. "I won't be evasive, we don't have time for that. You and I share a common goal: I also
On his way downstairs, James found Angelina and Meg, who were sitting on the living room couch, embroidering new sheets. His wife was keeping her haughty posture, hair pinned up and a well-made dress, Meg was still wearing black clothes because of her grief over Martha's death. He contemplated the two women with sadness, James knew that they were both part of his life, but held the wrong positions in his heart. Angelina, his childhood friend, had become his wife, while Meg, his true love, seemed a stranger. He married Angelina for fear of facing his feelings for Meg, he believed that this youthful passion would fade with time. He was wrong. If he had been brave enough to declare his feelings and face his mother's surprise, perhaps today he would be happy at Meg's side. However, his cowardice had doomed him and the two women to a lonely life. "How are you two?" he asked looking directly at Meg, who looked away quickly. "We're great," Angelina replied. There was a tension in the
"Why did you ask me to come here?" asked William, puzzled by the choice of place. Angelina smiled enigmatically, seemingly unconcerned about the people around her. "My dear friend, your father is a major funder of the charity ball, and I am one of the organizers. We can't risk being seen together in suspicious places, like the tea house. We need to keep up appearances, after all, I am a married woman." she explained, in a soft, persuasive voice, as they walked through the large hall in which the ball would be held in a few weeks. "You are very perceptive," William complimented, admiring Angelina's cunning. She smiled as she arranged the small hat on her head. "The next step in our plan is to act as if you have lost all interest in marrying Meg," Angelina said, with a determined look. William smiled back. "That's easy. I never had much interest in Meg anyway." "Good," Angelina said, satisfied. "We can set everything up for the day of the ball." "You're a Machiavellian woman," he
"By the way, Meg, have you picked out the dress you're going to wear yet?" asked Angelina, trying on a red dress in front of the mirror. Angelina had spent the whole afternoon trying on dresses for the ball and had not been able to choose any. The store attendants and seamstresses tried their best to fulfill all the requests of the demanding customer, but they were exhausted by so much demand. They couldn't complain, the Campbell family had always been one of their best customers. Meg, accompanying her, looked bored, although she tried to disguise it with a forced smile. "I already have something in mind," she replied. Meg was distracted by looking at some hats that were on display. They were old and classic models, but she liked them. She remembered how Lady Martha used to wear similar hats, creating an elegant and refined look. "You mean those old rags?" asked Angelina, making a grimace of disgust. Meg ignored the snide comment and calmly replied, "They are comfortable and
Angelina, sitting on the couch in the living room, decided to start a conversation with James just as he was reading the morning paper. "James dear, the staff are commenting that Meg came home yesterday accompanied with William," Angelina said feigning casualness. James turned his attention away from the paper, but didn't utter a word, he was more interested in reading the news, than listening to speculations about other people's lives. While waiting for long minutes for the conversation to continue, she squirmed uncomfortably on the couch. Angelina smiled, remaining calm, but her expression reflected disappointment at the coldness with which James had been treating her lately. She was aware that their marriage was facing problems, and she fought tirelessly to rekindle between them, the flame of passion that never existed. "I wondered how long it took her to get here! I was told that she arrived in the late afternoon, but I left her waiting for me at the store in the middle of the