(The last paragraph of the chapter 19)

Meanwhile, back at the Daniels' house, Grace sat in the car as Pearl pleaded with Nathan to give her the baby and leave. His time was up and Grace refused to come in until he left. He kissed the little tot so many times her little pink face was damp.

"Mr. Nate, Please," Pearl said, reaching for the baby.

"All right."  Nathan  handed Pearl the baby, but she held on to her daddy's lapel and fussed. He gently pried her little hands loose and forced himself to tune out her crying, or he knew he'd never leave. He rushed out of the house to keep from breaking down.

Outside, Nathan spotted Grace's eyes peering at him. He ran to the car and tapped on the window. Grace turned her face away from him. Joseph sat in the driver's seat looking lost and helpless.

"I love you," Nathan yelled to her. He got into his car and drove off.

**************

(Chapter 20)
Margaret dabbed a little of her favorite perfume on her throat and smoothed her hand over her hair. She was going to the Korens to demand to see Nathan. He wasn't answering her letters. Knowing how the Korens felt about her, she suspected Nathan never even saw them. They may have intercepted her letters, but they wouldn't refuse her face-to-face, especially if she made enough of a ruckus. The Korens were very particular about how they appeared to their neighbors. Margaret intended to take full advantage of that. She'd make such a fuss that the Korens would let her in rather than bear the harsh stares of their neighbors.

The bedroom door was cracked open, and Netty quietly knocked before entering.  Margaret, busy primping, saw Netty in her mirror.

"Miss Margaret, your mother would like to see you in the family room."

"Thank you, Netty. Tell her I'll be right down."

"Yes, Miss." Netty backed out of the doorway and left the door ajar.

Downstairs, Rose Wainwright paced nervously. Big Tom was out and about, overlooking the  men he had in charge of running his cattle empire. He loved riding horseback and admiring all that belonged to him. He was like a miser--his eyes counting and taking in all the wealth he owned.

Margaret, dressed in a two-piece black top, black and white checkered skirt, walked into the family room clenching her purse.

"Mother, you sent for me?"

"Yes--dear. Close the door."  Margaret slid the French doors closed; she walked over and stood before Rose.

"Is something wrong? You look worried," Margaret asked, frowning.

"Sit down, dear." But she didn't sit--and looked at Rose suspiciously.

"I don't want to sit down. If this is about Nathan, Father didn't get anywhere with me, and neither will you."

"All right, stand then." Rose stopped pacing and stood looking at her. "Dear, there's something you need to know. I don't care if it hurts me anymore. I'm...I'm more concerned about my grandchildren. I don't want them hurt because of something I've done.

Margaret put her purse on the sofa and looked at her mother sympathetically. "You're scaring me. What is it? Is it Father?"

"No. I said it was something I've done. And what you do with what I'm going to tell you will affect your children. I'm hoping you'll keep this to yourself."

"What on earth could you have done that could affect the children?"

Rose started pacing back and forth in front of the cold fireplace and wrung her hands like a nervous criminal.

Margaret raised her hands shoulder high, then let them flop in front of her. "Mother, for God's sake, what is it? I can't stand it."

Rose stopped pacing again and looked straight at her. "Many years ago, before I met your father, I was in love with a young apprentice. I wanted to marry him, but my father didn't think he was good enough, so he married me off to Tom."

"Mother. You? In love with someone else? But you did fall in love with Father?"

"Eventually. But unfortunately not before making the worst mistake of my life." She started wringing her hands again.  "After Tom and I were married, my young apprentice married too. But we couldn't stay apart from each other." Rose blew out hard, then paused. "We had an affair. His wife found out and threatened to ruin my family with scandal. So I backed off." Rose searched Margaret's face--perhaps to find a positive reaction.

Margaret cupped her face with her hands. "Oh dear, did Father know?" she asked above a whisper.

"No. And he must never know,"  she said, her eyes pleading.

"Well--of course I won't tell. But what does this have to do with me and the children?"

"It seems this woman is very fond of Nathan. She's like a second mother to him and is threatening me yet again.  She's vowed to expose me unless you stay away from him."

"This woman, you mean, the wife of your former lover?"

"Exactly."

"She wants me to stay away from Nathan? This...this mystery woman?"

"Yes."

Margaret's eyes danced momentarily, like she was thinking deep and hard. Then as if a light bulb had suddenly flashed in her brain, she cocked her head and looked at Rose.

"Mother, you had me going there for a while. Of all the crazy things you've done. Did Father put you up to this?"

Frown lines appeared on Rose's forehead, and she shook her head as if puzzled. "What are you talking about?"

"If you think this crazy made-up story of yours is going to make me give up Nathan, you're sadly mistaken."

Margaret turned, grabbed her purse from the sofa and headed for the door. Rose scurried--pulled her back hard and spun her around. She pushed Margaret back away from the door--away from possible prying ears.

Shocked at her mother's aggression, she blurted, "Really!  Mother!"

"Margaret, I'm sorry, but you have to listen." Margaret squinted at the seriousness on her mother's face and stood attentively. " I didn't want to have to tell you the whole story," Rose continued,  "but I see I must. Rose swallowed hard then said, "Tom is not your father. Dr. Koren is your father."

"What!" There was a long pause.  Margaret stared at Rose in disbelief.  Then she slowly stumbled over to the sofa and eased down.

She sat in a daze while Rose told her the whole sordid story--including how the Wainwrights' family doctor blackmailed her after disclosing medical facts of Big Tom's inability to produce children--a bad case of the mumps when he was a boy. He had kept that fact from the Wainwrights, knowing how important producing heirs to their fortune was to them.  After learning of Rose's pregnancy, he leaped at the opportunity to make a little of that fortune for himself. The doctor, later, left town, taking the secret with him.

Margaret buried her head in her hands, then looked up at Rose with blazing fire in her eyes. Tears rolled down her face as she kept looking at her mother in amazement. Rose was still talking, but Margaret had had enough. She ran from the room, sideswiping Big Tom in the hallway. Big Tom frowned as he watched her run up the stairs. He jumped slightly when he heard her bedroom door slam. He walked into the family room where Rose stood looking off and wringing her hands.

"What the hell is the matter with her?" Big Tom asked, looking over his shoulder and up the staircase. Then he looked at Rose. She couldn't look Big Tom in the face. She cast her eyes down at the floor.

"I just told her she had to stay away from Nathan, or else."

"Oh--I see that went well," he said, limping over to the liquor cabinet.

She looked over at his legs. "What happened to you?"

"Old age, Darlin', that's what's happened to me." He rubbed his saddle-sore backside then poured himself a stiff drink.

**************

After a couple of hours of sulking, Margaret slipped out of the house and headed over to the Korens. She was going to have it out with Elizabeth. She arrived shortly and stood banging on the door as loudly as she could. An angry Dr. Koren jerked open the door and stood blocking her way; but Margaret forced him aside and stormed in.

"Now wait one minute, Missy," Dr. Koren snapped. Koren walked briskly behind Margaret then stopped when he saw Elizabeth walking towards her. She stared at Margaret as if she wanted to tear her apart.

"Nate is not here; and you get out of this house before I call the police," Elizabeth blazed at her.

Margaret stood majestically--head straight---shoulders back--one hand resting in the palm of  the other;  she glared at Elizabeth. "You're not going to call anybody, " Margaret told her,  "you're not dealing with my mother. You're dealing with me now."

Elizabeth raised her chin in defiance. Margaret walked to her and stood close.

"You're not going to call anybody, because then, you'd have to explain to your daughters why I'm calling their father Daddy." Elizabeth's eyelids fluttered and she breathed hard. "...Not to mention," Margaret continued,  "what would happen to your grandchildren. Who'd want to play with them?" Margaret leaned in even closer to her and said very menacingly, "So you see, my dear step-Ma-ma, you have just as much to lose as we do. I'll see Nathan whenever and wherever I please. And you and my mother and dear daddy over there can go straight to hell."

She turned and strolled over to the door like she had just flashed her winning poker hand and had taken all the money and left the table. She turned halfway around and said with a smirk to Elizabeth, "It seems the shoe is on the other foot."

"You're right. Life could be really hard on my family if I said anything," Elizabeth admitted--her face flushed, "but can't you see what you're doing? You think it's fair to break up Nathan's marriage. He tried so hard to forget you. I know--I was there: the tears, the hurt, the humiliation of being told he wasn't good enough for you. I comforted him. Finally, he met someone who could make him forget you. If you really love him, you'll leave him alone."

"Leave him alone?"  Margaret stood--mouth partly opened, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"You've got everything," Elizabeth continued with pleading eyes, "money, a royal title, a castle in England. Everything Nate has, he built from scratch. Now you want to tear it all down."

Margaret looked sternly at Koren then swept her eyes over to Elizabeth. "He loves me, and I love him; and we are  going to be together. Stay out of it, Elizabeth--I mean it."

She opened the door and walked out. Elizabeth and Dr. Koren stood in the doorway as the motor raced and Margaret's car sped off. Elizabeth sighed. What seemed like victory a few days ago, had now come back to bite her in the ass.

"Koren, what are we going to do?" she asked, looking like she'd just lost a battle with the devil.

"Pray," he said, putting his arm around her shoulder as they both stood in the doorway with the cool evening air brushing against their faces.