Chapter 5
Her words left everyone stunned. Lady Norland scolded, “Nonsense! You lay with him yesterday–how could you be with child so soon?”
Margaret rushed toward Edmund. “We’ve been lovers for two months! This child is why he staged the wedding night farce!”
Slap! Lady Norland slapped Margaret hard across the face. “Shameless slut, you’ve ruined my son.” She turned to Edmund. “Instead of marrying a respectable noblewoman, you chose to associate with this trash. A noble heir must come first–we’ll not tolerate a bastard’s birth!”
Father angrily threw a bowl on the ground. “So, Lord Edmund of Norland already has an illegitimate child and still dares to deceive my daughter into marrying him?”
Lady Norland, though furious, forced a smile. “Lord Stafford, Margaret is still of your house-”
“No longer,” Mother cut in. “She is stricken from our lineage. Her mother, Lady Joan, is divorced. Henceforth, she is Joan’s daughter alone–no Stafford name may she bear. We, the Defender’s Keep, will not harbor such shameful people.”
Margaret was stunned. She stared at Father, saying, “Father, you no longer want your own daughter? I am your flesh and blood. You can’t just abandon me and cast out my mother after all her years of service. How can you be so heartless?”
Father ripped away from her grip on his robe and said coldly, “At this point, it’s only fair to tell you the truth. You are not my blood. Your mother was my comrade’s widow—I took you in for his sake. Yet you repaid me with treachery. I claimed you as my daughter for your future, but your mother became more and more greedy, wanting things she didn’t deserve.”
“I regret not having disciplined you more strictly. You grew up with wrong intentions, and I feel ashamed of your biological father. Now that you’re married, I will provide a house for your mother, but she will no longer be part of House Stafford. From now on, both of you are on your own.”
This shocked Margaret, and even the people from Norland Keep were taken aback.
Lady Joan, Margaret’s mother, came out from the private chapel, loudly cursing. “My daughter is now married to Lord Edmund of Norland. I am now the mother–in–law of Lord Edmund. Who dares look down on me? You’ll grovel to us one day!”
Margaret and her mother were thrown out of the Defender’s Keep. The marriage between the two families was completely broken off. After that, suitors began arriving at the Defender’s Keep once again. Father and Mother decided they would be more cautious this time and choose a worthy match, not someone like Lord Edmund.
1
I continued to live the life of a young unmarried daughter, spending my days in the company of my mother, delighting in her presence.
When the flower banquet hosted by Princess Evelyn arrived, Mother took me with her. To my surprise, I saw Margaret there.
Her belly was slightly round, and she was standing beside Lady Norland.
She looked pale and haggard. When she saw me, her eyes were filled with hatred. I heard that Lady Norland had treated her badly, locking her in the back garden after their return to the estate. For months, she had not seen Lord Edmund and had no one to turn to.
“Eleanor…” she whispered as nobles tittered.
“Who is this?” a lady asked.
I smiled behind my fan. “Why, Lord Edmund’s wife–oh, pardon me. Not wife, is it? Merely his concubine?”
A few people nearby laughed. “How could she be Lord Edmund’s wife? Lady Norland is out trying to find someone to marry Lord Edmund.”
“To discard Eleanor for this? Was he blind?”
“Or perhaps she has… unique talents.” A pointed glance at Margaret’s waistline.
I turned away and ignored her. This was the life she chose, and being mocked and ridiculed was her business, not mine.
I took my maid and went to the garden to pick flowers but was stopped halfway by Edmund.
He stared at me. “Eleanor, it’s been months. How have you been?”
I stepped back. “Lord Edmund, please have some dignity. I’m fine, but there is no longer any connection between us.”
He stepped forward, grabbing my arm tightly. “Eleanor, I was wrong. I thought I loved Margaret, but now I realize I was deceived by her. She only wanted
to marry into Norland Keep. She’s greedy and self–serving, completely unlike you–kind, virtuous, and truly worthy of being the lady of Norland Keep.”
I laughed. “Lord Edmund, you’re about to be a father. Is it too late to regret now?”
With that, I turned and walked away.
