The Crimson Bride

Chapter 16: Margo

Margo's eyes shot open as she awoke once again from the same nightmare that had been plaguing her since she arrived to Sinclair manor. She let out a frustrated grunt as she sat up and pushed the satin covers off of her.

"I can't keep doing this. I've never been unable to sleep like this." She sighed and jumped out of bed and put on her robe before exiting the room. She knew Deloris would scold her for leaving her room at night, but she really couldn't settle down after the recurring nightmare. She couldn't understand why she would be so unsettled by such a beautiful place.

Margo glanced around as she walked along the hallway. In the few days since she had met Alice and Sorina, the place begun feeling emptier and emptier and she hadn't seen a few of the servants around as much. It felt kind of lonely and even Louis hadn't been approaching her as much as before, opting to only speak to her for wedding preparations.

The attention from Deacon and the girls was nice, but it wasn't the same as family. That was the whole reason Margo had even taken the trip, but none of the other family members even spoke to her after the family reunion. They were all so welcoming, but she couldn't help but wonder if she made some kind of bad impression.

As these thoughts ran through Margo's mind, she heard some hushed voices coming from one of the drawing rooms. She hadn't checked what time it was before leaving, but she was sure it was past midnight, why were there guests up at this hour?

Being as quite as possible, she pressed her ear up against the door to get a better listen of what was going on.

"This is taking way too long. Why doesn't the Lord just make her his bride already?" Was that great uncle Charles? Why was an old man like him awake?

"Because she's a modern woman. He wants her love them first." Louis? That wasn't his usual cheery tone, but it was definitely Louis.

"Bah, love? Isn't that what caused that ungrateful whore to off herself? Now we're stuck relying on that half-bred mongrel. Have you heard what the other families have been saying? We're a laughingstock because of that damned woman and her god forsaken scandal."

Margo's eyes widened as she listened on. Half-bred mongrel? A woman and her scandal? They were talking about her and her great grandmother. That was how they viewed her?

"It's only for another week Uncle. Once that fat little pig has played her part, we will reap the rewards." Margo's chest tightened as she heard Louis' words. She had trusted him, thought of him as a brother. He was so kind to her, yet all of that was lie? She didn't understand entirely what they were talking about, but one thing was clear, they only thought of her as a tool and were using her.

Tears fell as she stood from her spot and raced off. Her mind was running rampant, and her heart felt heavy with grief. She ran out to the rose maze, not wanting to be found. She wanted to be alone as the betrayal of her only remaining family seized its grip on her entire being.

She had found her way to the willow and collapsed to her knees, finally letting out an anguished scream. The tears overflowed as she sobbed and curled into herself, leaning onto the trunk of the tree. The pain was so unbearable, it felt as if a snake was constricting her heart.

A few minutes later, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She smacked it away without caring who it was, barely being able to see through her tears. "Don't fucking touch me! You're all liars!" Her voice caught between her sobs as she buried her face in her knees.

"Margo, what happened?" Her fists tightened as she heard Deacon's gentle voice, and he kneeled down in front of her. "Just leave me alone! I'm just some fat little nobody who doesn't belong here!" Deacon's eyebrows furrowed at her words and took hold of her wrists so he could see her face.

"Did someone say that to you? Margo, please, talk to me. I don't know what happened, but I want to understand what's hurting you like this." He gently cupped her face before she could pull away from him again and wiped her tears away with his thumb. "Please...I don't like seeing you so hurt. So, please tell me what happened."

His soothing voice calmed Margo's aching heart just a bit. She closed her eyes, trying to compose herself enough to be able to speak properly. She then told Deacon what she had overheard her family talking about.

After hearing what she had to say, Deacon pulled her to his chest, both to comfort her and to hide his own enraged expression. "My dear, sweet Margo...I'm so sorry you had to hear those things. I had no idea the Freemans were so vindictive and bitter. I thought they had truly welcomed you to their family." he gently stroked her hair as she sobbed softly into his chest.

"Listen to me, Margo. You are not fat, having a few body rolls does not make you fat. Also, I don't care if you were born from some old family scandal, I adore you. You're creative, bold and you feel your emotions so strongly and it makes you all the more beautiful. It makes you so strong yet just as fragile...but I don't want you to change." He moved her so he could look into her eyes.

"If those ridiculous men can't see how precious you are then they are losing out on such a wonderful person. It's their loss, not yours, do you hear me?" Margo nodded as she was becoming calmer from Deacon's word. "That's a good girl, now let's get you cleaned up and something to drink. If you would like, you can even sleep in my bed if you don't wish to be alone." His teasing made her face go bright red. She then nudged him off of her before she stood.

"You're such a tease...I'll be fine in my own room." He chuckled as he got up and stroked her cheek. "There's the Margo I've come to know. I'm glad you're feeling lighter now." He kissed her forehead and led her back inside.

She washed her face once they reached the kitchen, and Deacon prepared some hot chocolate for her. She then began to wonder how he knew where she was so quickly but decided not to say anything. She was way too exhausted from crying to question him. If she got the chance to, she would ask him in the morning.