"Now remember the three rules I told you before you left" Margo had called Jessica to let her know she had landed in Rochester. However, to her annoyance, her roommate had decided to lecture her as soon as she answered.
"No sex on the first date, always carry your keys between your fingers and stay away from craft stores?" Margo answered her friend sarcastically, trying to get a rise out of her.
"Not funny Margo, though that second one is a good tip. I told you to text me every day when you wake up and before bed, don't go anywhere by yourself and don't trust any guys with a handlebar mustache." Margo couldn't help but laugh at the last rule.
"Remind me again why specifically handlebar mustaches?" "Have you not seen any old movies? British guys with handlebar mustaches or guoties are bad news!"
She laughed more as Jessica gave her explanation before noticing Louis standing in the crowd waiting for arrivals next to what looked like a chauffeur holding a sign with her name. "I have to go, Jessica. I see Louis. I'll text you when we reach the place."
"Margo! You made it. How was your trip?" Louis approached Margo as she hung up her phone and gave her a small welcoming hug. "I can never ride coach again. You've spoiled me so much."
They both laughed as Louis guided Margo to the car. The chauffeur gave her a small nod before taking her luggage and carefully put them in the trunk.
"I see you brought one of your pieces with you." Louis gestured to a small canvas that Margo insisted on carrying herself. "Hm? Oh, yeah. I figured it was only right to prepare a gift for the happy couple. I didn't have a whole lot of time, so I just went with something small and simple like roses." She showed Louis the work she had done in the three days she had between meeting him and departing for the trip. It was a simple but beautiful painting of a bouquet of vibrant red and white roses arrange in a glass vase.
"It's gorgeous, I'm sure they'll love it." With that, Louis opened the door for Margo and they headed off to the place they'd be staying for the next three weeks.
....
It took a few hours to reach the grand estate where the wedding would be held. Margo didn't mind the time though. She enjoyed the scenic views on the way there and could already feel inspiration buzz in her head for future projects.
Once the car had finally stopped, Margo stepped out with her mouth agape as she took in just how massive the whole place was.
"We're staying here?" She looked towards Louis in awe. "Indeed, at least for the next three weeks. This estate actually belongs to a great benefactor and family friend, Deacon Sinclair. He's also related to the groom and insisted that the wedding be held here."
To Margo, the space was like a whole other world that was totally sectioned off from the outside. The land around the vast yard was bordered with thick, dense forest and briars. The building itself was a Victorian era manor that had been given a modern reworking and painted a subtle cream color. The main doors of the manor where a dark ebony wood and had a carved relief of an ouroboros with a rose in the middle.
As she gawked at the estate, Margo bumped into one of the maids that was helping unload a van that was parked nearby. This caused her to drop the crate of glass she was carrying, and they shattered on the dirt driveway.
"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry! Here, let me help you." Margo spoke in a hurried tone as she knelt down to help the girl pick up any glass shards that had fallen out of the crate. "Please, you don't have to do that miss." The girl's voice was sheepish and soft, which suited her gentle round features. "I insist." Margo stayed where she was to continue helping the other.
"I'm Margo, by the way." She gave the girl a warm smile as she introduced herself, helping the other to ease up a bit. "I'm Eliza. I just started today." The maid returned the smile as she answered.
That was when Margo noticed the other's uniform. It was what you would expect from a classic maid uniform, except it had the number 2 neatly embroidered onto the corner of her collar and apron. Margo couldn't help but find the detail off-putting and wondered what kind of employer would number off their staff instead of giving them nametags.
It didn't take her very long to figure that out when a shadow loomed over the two girls.
"What on Earth are you doing? Blasted girl! The master will be here to greet his guests any second now and you're just dawdling around. Hurry and clean this mess!" A gruff voice bellowed out from the figure behind them. "Y-yes sir!" Eliza meekly replied and tried to pick up her pace.
"Hey, chill out! I was the one who ran into her. It was my fault." Margo stood and faced the brutish man only to find it was a butler. He was an older man, probably in either his 50s or 60s as he had greying hair. He also had dark eyes and a nose that resembled a bird's beak. Altogether, the man gave off an off-putting presence and reminded Margo of a vulture.
"I don't care who did what, just get this bloody mess cleaned before the master arrives!" The man didn't seem to notice that Margo wasn't wearing a uniform and just assumed she was part of the staff. "You don't have to be an ass about it. It was an accident."
Before Louis could take notice of the commotion and intervene when the vulture man raised his hand to slap Margo, someone else had already grabbed his wrist.
"Barnaby, would you really raise a hand at an honored guest?" The voice was smooth and rich, it was quite pleasant to Margo's ears. She turned to see who the voice belonged to and was struck speechless.
The man who had stopped her would-be assailant was a gorgeous, tall man with the most captivating blue eyes she had ever seen and a strong square jaw. His collared shirt was slightly askew, showing off his nicely chiseled chest and beautiful olive skin. His dark hair had a slight curl to it, giving him a boyish kind of charm.
"My deepest apologies, young master--" Margo shot the bird man a hard look as she snapped out of her gawking. "You're apologizing to him when I'm the one you almost hit and were being a huge ass jerk to?" She furrowed her brows and squared up to the butler, baffled by the sheer audacity of his behavior. The beautiful man seemed rather amused by her response to Barnaby's actions.
Before Margo could continue berating the butler, Louis ran up and placed a soothing hand on her shoulder.
"Ah, Margo, seems you already ran into the head of the household. Have you been introduced?" Louis gestured to the younger man, hoping to deescalate the situation by changing the subject.
"Not formally..." Margo huffed as Barnaby took the opportunity to excuse himself.
"This is my third cousin, Margo Freeman--" "Hughes...Margo Hughes" She corrected her overly enthusiastic cousin. She was no Freeman, that had been decided by her great grandfather.
The dark-haired man flashed a charmingly quirky smile and gave Margo a slight bow. This caused her cheeks to go warm and hoped it wasn't too noticeable. "It's lovely to meet you, Margo." Hearing her name pass through the beautiful man's lips sent a chill down her spine that she wasn't quite sure was pleasant or not.
"I am Deacon Sinclair."
YOU ARE READING
The Crimson Bride
ParanormalMargo wasn't anything special. She was behind on rent and a mediocre job as a waitress. However, that all changes when she finds out that she has living family in the UK. She is soon swept into the world of the elite Freeman clan and is invited to h...
