Page 51 of Spilling the Tea

Nothing she said would change her father’s mind about the wedding. He hadn’t even given Levon time to dress decently. She had a feeling he was wearing the same buckskin pants and Western shirt he’d worn to work the ranch that day.

After they were declared husband and wife, Hattie and Reverend Potts left. Her pa told Levon to leave the room as well. Her husband of less than five minutes hadn’t wasted any time getting out from under the barrel of her father’s shotgun. Her mother had cried throughout the ceremony and was still wiping tears from her eyes.

“You brought shame to this family, Charlotte,” her father snarled. “Not only did you lie to us, but you swore on the Satterfield family Bible!” he said, raising his voice. “I won’t everforgive you for doing that. Your lie started a feud between two families and neighbors who took sides.”

Charlotte figured it would be best to remain silent and let her pa have his say. He seemed determined to have it anyway. He would be mad with her for a while, but eventually, he’d come around and forgive her. She was his daughter. His Queenie.

“What you did to this family is a sin and a shame, and it will be years before your ma, brother, and I live it down. We repeatedly asked you to be truthful, and you claimed you were. And the very thought you were pregnant before, and your aunt Jessie helped you end your pregnancy, is another thing I can’t stomach. Thanks to Hattie’s wagging tongue, everybody around these parts will know what you did and that you even lied about being a virgin.”

He paused as if to let his words sink in before adding, “I’m sending you away, Charlotte. After your six weeks of recovery from childbirth, I want you gone from this house.”

“How long will I need to be gone?”

Her father moved closer to the bed to ensure she heard his next words. “You are never to come back, not even to visit.”

His words were like a slap to her face, and the loud gasp she heard from her mother was a strong indication that she hadn’t known of her father’s decision. “What do you mean I can’t come back, Pa?”

“Just what I said. I am giving you and Levon your aunt’s house in Denver. That’s where you will stay the rest of your days with your husband and child.”

“You can’t mean that, Pa.”

“I do mean it. After all the shame you brought to this family and all your lies, we are disowning you as our child. Tomorrow, my attorney will remove your name from the family roll as a Satterfield. When we die, I don’t want you to attend our funerals. And you will never be able to inherit anything owned by a Satterfield. Nothing. Not this house, land, or anything else.You, your husband, nor your offspring—present and future. I will make sure my attorney files the necessary paperwork and sees to it. You are as much as dead to me, Charlotte.”

“Kurt, you can’t mean that,” Penny Satterfield said with tears gathering in her eyes.

“I do mean it, and you will abide by my decision, Penny. It is final.”

Charlotte glanced at her mother with pleading eyes. “Ma, surely you won’t let him do this to me. What about your first grandchild? Are you willing to never see him again? Turn your back on him, too?” Instead of answering, her mother began crying.

“Lies have consequences,” her father said sternly. “You should have thought about that before lying on an innocent man.”

“Pa, when I’m well, I’ll visit the Madarises and—”

“Do you not fully understand the magnitude of what you’ve done?” her father yelled, interrupting what she was saying. “The Madarises don’t want a Satterfield to set foot on their property. The only thing you’ll do is leave here when you can travel and never come back. I’m being gracious by giving you your aunt’s home. Free and clear. That is the last thing you’ll get from us, Charlotte. If you ever try to return here again, I will have you arrested for trespassing.”

Her mother began crying harder but her father ignored his wife.

“You’re doing this because of Waylon, aren’t you? I’m being punished because of his broken engagement to Victoria.”

Her father stared at her for a long moment and said, “I’m doing this because of lies you told not only to me and your mother but to anyone who cared to listen—shaming a decent family in the worst possible way. Penny and I thought we raised a decent human being. Tonight, you proved us wrong. And don’t bother writing. We don’t want to see or hear from you ever again.”

Her pa then left the room, and her mother followed.

“In a way, I feel sorry for Charlotte Satterfield, Milton,” Felicia said as they held hands while walking through her parents’ rose garden.

He had arrived that morning, sharing the news that they could reschedule their wedding. Not only had it been proved that Charlotte’s baby wasn’t his, but according to the midwife, she hadn’t been a virgin either. She had gotten pregnant before, and that had resulted in a botched-up abortion nobody had known about. She’d confessed to her parents that her aunt Jessie had taken her to some woman in Denver while she’d visited over the summer two years ago.

“Well, I don’t feel sorry for her,” Milton replied. “Pa is still upset about the scandal and won’t let Waylon come to our home to see Victoria. She delayed leaving in September for nursing school in Savannah, hoping that her engagement to Way would be back on, but Pa refuses to talk about it.

“To be honest, Fee, I doubt things will ever get back right between the Madarises and Satterfields. Charlotte’s lies caused irreparable damage. That’s sad because Victoria and Way love each other so much.”

“Have you tried talking to your father on their behalf?” Felicia asked.

Milton released a deep breath and said, “Yes. I tried talking to Pa. Mama has, too. However, he is full of what Mom calls Madaris pride and is unforgiving of all the Satterfields, and that includes Way.”

“Well, we hope that changes over the next few months, Milton. Every time I talk to Victoria, she starts crying. Can’t your father see what it’s doing to her and Way? What happened wasn’t their fault.”

“I know. I even told Pa that Way never believed I was guilty of what Charlotte had accused me of doing. But he doesn’tcare. The Madaris name has always meant integrity and honor in Houston, but because of a Satterfield it was nearly ruined.”

---