Page 48 of Spilling the Tea

He made a move toward Victoria, but Jantzen blocked his path. “Your father has spoken, Waylon. As such, although it pains me to say this, your engagement to my daughter is officially off. There will not be a Satterfield and Madaris wedding.”

Jantzen then turned to his daughter. “Give Waylon back his ring, Victoria.”

With tears flowing down her cheeks, Victoria did what she was told. She then rushed from the room with Etta following behind her.

Waylon stared at Charlotte with a furious expression before storming out of the house.

***

Milton knocked on Victoria’s bedroom door.

“Come in.”

He braced himself before turning the knob, knowing she was an emotional mess.

Victoria stood at her bedroom window, looking out at the Madaris’s land. He figured her gaze was focused toward the east, where a certain cabin sat. The one Waylon had built for them to live in together after they married. Thanks to Charlotte’s lies, a marriage that would never take place.

He called out to her softly when she hadn’t turned around. “Victoria.”

When she did, his heart clenched at the pain he saw in her features. He held out his arms, and his sister quickly crossed the room to him and cried into his chest. Her tears soaked through his shirt. He wanted to give her words of comfort. Instead, he silently cursed Charlotte with Victoria’s heart-wrenching sobs. Charlotte hadn’t just hurt him with her lie, she had hurt her brother and his sister, and Milton would never forgive her for doing so.

He wasn’t sure how long he stood holding Victoria in his arms, but it didn’t matter. He would have held her the rest of the evening and the next day if necessary. His sister was hurting, and he was hurting right along with her.

She finally pulled away and swiped at the tears still flowing from her eyes before asking, “When are you leaving for Atlanta?”

He drew in a deep breath. Felicia had to be told, and it would be up to her to decide whether she believed him enough to postpone the wedding and not call it off entirely. He would be asking her to postpone their wedding. Would she willingly postpone their wedding knowing what he’d been accused of? Would her parents even allow her to do such a thing, knowing the embarrassment it would cause their daughter? There was another possibility he had to face: What if Felicia believed Charlotte’s lie and ended their engagement altogether?

“I’ll start packing tonight and leave first thing in the morning.I called to let her know I’m coming but won’t tell her why. Since this visit wasn’t planned, I’m sure she knows something is wrong.” There was no doubt in his mind that his voice had given something away.

“I am praying things work out for you and Fee.”

He nodded. “And I’m hoping things will work out for you and Waylon. I’m sure you know that, regardless of his father’s directive, he will not give you up just like he said.”

“I hope not.”

“He won’t.” There was no way he would tell her their pa was so mad that Milton was convinced the “unforgiving Madaris pride” he’d always heard about had kicked in with a vengeance. If it had, he had a feeling that regardless of the outcome seven months from now, the feud between the two families would never end. Hopefully, a marriage between Waylon and Victoria would reunite the families again and mend the hard feelings. “I hope you believe me when I say Charlotte’s baby isn’t mine,” he finally said.

“Of course, I believe you.” Then she asked, “Is it true that Pa can tell whether it’s a Madaris baby when it’s born?”

“Yes, but there’s no birthmark. Pa is certain he will be able to tell but it doesn’t matter.”

“Why?”

“He saw the look of fear of being caught in a lie flash in Charlotte’s eyes when he mentioned the birthmark. Now he knows for certain she’s lying.”

Victoria nodded. “Charlotte will be exposed as a liar. I hope things will turn out alright for you and Fee. It’s not her that I’m concerned about, Milton. It’s her parents. Postponing the wedding because of the accusations against you might not sit well with them.”

Milton was afraid of that. “I know, and I’m asking for everyone’s prayers. I have to believe things will work out for all of us—me, Fee, you, and Way—in the end.”

“There you have it,” Milton said, not only to Felicia but also to her parents. Over the past months, he had forged a bond with his future in-laws and hoped they believed his innocence in what he had told them.

“My goodness. This Charlotte sounds like such an evil person,” Mrs. Lee said with distress in her voice.

Nobody said anything else for a moment. While telling them everything, he had been focused on Felicia’s features. They were expressionless, so he had no idea what she was thinking or even if she believed a single word he’d said.

Reverend Lee began speaking, and Milton held his breath. “Those are serious allegations leveled against you, young man. However, just as your parents believe in your innocence, I do as well.”

Before Milton could expel a sigh of relief, the minister added. “However, as my wife said, that Charlotte woman is truly evil. I honestly don’t like the thought that if you and Fee were to marry, their paths would eventually be crossed. Someone that evil will do anything. If this plan doesn’t work, who should say she won’t try something else? Something even more devious.”

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