No One Ever Loved Me - Chapter 55

The person Margaret brought was a gypsy.

She looked almost like a witch, with loose, wild hair and a dark shawl wrapped around her shoulders.

“You wanted to keep this a secret, didn’t you?”

Margaret pointed at Elodie. “She’s the one who needs help.”

The gypsy silently knelt down beside the sofa where Elodie lay.

“Doctors are useless when it comes to keeping secrets.”

With that, Margaret grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet.

“There’s probably a doctor around here who treats women like her. But if we’d called him, Count Linton would’ve heard about it right away.”

The gypsy placed her hand gently on Elodie’s stomach.

I stood my ground, refusing to be dragged away by Margaret.

“I’ve never completely understood you, Cecilia, but this… this is just insane.”

Margaret’s voice trembled with frustration as she pointed toward Elodie.

“Can’t you see what’s happening? If we’d left, the caretaker would’ve called a doctor, and you could’ve played the innocent. That would’ve been the end of it.”

I barely heard her. I couldn’t take my eyes off Elodie’s stomach.

It was clearly swollen—round and full, unmistakable.

It was no wonder she collapsed. Tightening a corset over that for months… if she hadn’t gotten sick, that would’ve been the strange part.

“Fine. Since it’s come to this, we’ll put on a full performance. The gypsy won’t talk if she’s paid enough. And even if she does, who’s going to believe her? She’s a gypsy.”

Margaret was already writing the script for us.

But I wasn’t listening.

“When Count Linton comes back, I’ll leak the news at just the right time. She won’t be able to go on stage like that. Eventually, people will wonder why she’s hiding. Once the pregnancy becomes public, not even Count Linton will be able to avoid scandal.”

I turned to look at Margaret.

The woman who once offered me friendship didn’t show even a shred of sympathy for Elodie.

“I told Edgar I wouldn’t care if Miss Elodie had a child.”

Even now, seeing her belly, I didn’t regret that promise.

If anything, learning she got sick trying to hide the pregnancy made me feel strangely relieved.

At least now, she didn’t remind me of my mother.

Still… I worried about Edgar’s reaction.

Would he try to raise Elodie’s child as the heir to House Linton?

Given how much he despised Ricardo, it seemed unlikely.

This was the same man who’d likely demand we sleep together just to produce a proper heir.

“How far along is she?” I asked the gypsy.

She held up five fingers.

“Five months?”

She nodded.

“That’s going to be hard to hide,” Margaret said.

“Is it really that hard?” I asked.

Margaret’s face changed, as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“Are you seriously thinking of hiding this from Count Linton?”

I hesitated for a moment, unsure how much to tell her.

Elodie’s pregnancy meant I had to act sooner than planned.

If the truth came out, even Edgar wouldn’t escape untouched.

And I already knew what he’d do next—he’d try to have a child with me, use it as a shield behind our marriage, claim we were a loving couple, and bury the scandal that way.

That couldn’t happen.

But I hadn’t won over Marchioness Federica yet. And the Queen was still far beyond reach.

At best, I could hope for Josephine’s support.

But Josephine was respected because she avoided drama. She held herself and others to the same strict standard.

She had earned her place as a respected elder by staying above gossip, rumors, and politics.

I couldn’t imagine her risking her peace and reputation by openly taking my side.

More likely, she would wait until the dust settled and offer me the same “fair chance” she gave everyone else.

Even if things went badly, I wouldn’t be ruined—but her help wouldn’t come soon enough to change anything now.

“We should talk to Lord Ricardo,” Margaret said, interpreting my silence however she wanted.

“He would do anything for you, Cecilia.”

Ricardo wasn’t even part of my plans.

“If you told him to hire mercenaries and ambush Count Linton on the road, he’d probably say yes.”

It was obvious how little Margaret thought of him.

“You said he was cunning.”

“Exactly. That’s why. If it’s for you, he’d gladly be used—and dance while doing it. If that’s not cunning, what is?”

I didn’t have a response.

Instead, I turned to the gypsy woman.

“Can you tell when she’ll wake up?”

Pretending she hadn’t heard a word of our conversation, the gypsy pulled out a small vial from within her shawl.

She opened it and held it under Elodie’s nose.

Soon, Elodie coughed weakly—and her eyes slowly opened.

“I wish she had something to bring her fever down too.”

The gypsy woman pulled out another small bottle.

Barely conscious, Elodie didn’t even seem to know what was touching her lips, but she swallowed it down without protest.

Once she finished her work, the woman held out her palm to me. I reached into my pocket—only to remember Sarah’s scolding that a proper lady never carries cash.

“The man who brought you here will pay.”

The gypsy’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“He won’t cheat you. I’m staying here—I still have things to say to this woman. If he refuses to pay, you can come back and demand it from me.”

Reluctantly, the woman withdrew her hand, clearly displeased.

The fact that she hadn’t spoken a single word the entire time was striking.

Maybe she couldn’t speak—but more likely, it was intentional. She wanted her clients to know she kept strict confidentiality.

Now and then, I’d caught the faintest “tsk” or low muttering while she examined Elodie, almost inaudible. That made me believe my guess was probably right.

“Elodie, can you hear me?”

Propped up on one elbow, Elodie looked back and forth between me and her bare body, her face flushing red.

“You suddenly collapsed. Your fever was dangerously high—we had no choice but to remove your clothes. I hope you understand.”

Elodie opened her mouth, but only a hoarse rasp came out, which startled her into closing it again.

“Lady Margaret, I think it’s time for you to go now, don’t you?”

“You’re still calling me Lady after we’ve just seen all that together?”

Margaret was relentless.

Suddenly, I remembered what she said on the boat—that she and Ricardo were the same kind of people.

Their personalities were very different, but if she meant their persistence, then yes, I had to agree.

“I’d never reveal Cecilia’s secrets.”

When we first met, Margaret had seemed like a much simpler, straightforward person. I had no idea what turned her into someone who reminded me of Ricardo.

Surely, it wasn’t me. I wasn’t the kind of person who had that kind of effect on others.

I forced both Margaret and Ricardo out of my mind. Right now, I needed to speak with Elodie.

“Elodie, I’ll wait. Please go and put something on.”

Elodie hurried into the next room.

She wasn’t stumbling—perhaps the fever medicine was already working.

I heard the rustling of clothes. When she returned, she walked slowly, awkwardly, her arms wrapped around her clearly rounded belly as if trying to hide it.

“It’s a bit late to try hiding it now,” Margaret muttered.

When I looked at her, she let out a deep sigh.

“Fine. I’ll stay out of it from here.”

I patted the sofa, inviting Elodie to sit down.

“If you can’t speak, it’s fine. You can just nod or shake your head.”

Elodie nodded.

I mentally organized the questions I needed to ask.

“Does Edgar know you’re pregnant?”

Elodie sucked in a sharp breath, and tears immediately welled up in her eyes.

“He doesn’t.”

Elodie gave a tiny nod.

“Do you plan to tell him?”

Her shoulders began to shake as she sobbed.

She kept her head bowed, nodding at first—then slowly shook it.

Elodie had loved Edgar. She had tried to see only the good in him. But even she must have realized by now—

He wasn’t a good man.

At the very least, some people—no matter how flawed—are loyal and kind to their family or their partner. Edgar wasn’t even that.

She hadn’t told him after five months. Likely because she didn’t trust him.

“I can help support the child.”

Elodie looked up sharply.

“Keep it hidden as long as you can. And when you no longer can—leave Edgar. After that, I’ll help you find a place to stay. I’ll also hire a midwife so the baby can be delivered safely.”

I decided to treat Margaret’s irritated huffs and sighs as background noise.

“But there’s one condition.”

I met Elodie’s eyes, steady and sincere.

I didn’t know what motherhood felt like. But just as Marchioness Federica loved the Queen with all her heart, if Elodie truly loved this unborn child, this offer would reach her.

“When I divorce Edgar, I want you to bring the child forward. Let the baby be the proof of his betrayal.”

In a world full of illegitimate children, just saying the baby was Edgar’s might not be enough to justify divorce.

“I want you to speak out. Tell the world you had to hide because of him. That he ruined your career, kept you off the stage.”

Elodie had many fans.

Her sudden disappearance wouldn’t go unnoticed.

If she reappeared one day, with Edgar’s child in her arms and a quiet appeal for sympathy, people would talk.

And Edgar… cared too much about what others thought.

He wouldn’t be able to endure that kind of public criticism.

“Demand child support from him. And compensation for the damage done to your career.”

“…Do you really think… I could get that?”

Elodie finally spoke, her voice barely a whisper.

“Probably not. But that’s not the point. You just need to make Edgar look bad. I’ll make sure your child wants for nothing.”

If I took Edgar to court for divorce, his entire financial portfolio would be revealed during the asset division.

Once I reclaimed everything registered under my name, supporting two people would be easy.

“The child… will be hurt.”

“More than a child whose mother raised them alone, in shame, without knowing who their father is?”

Elodie wrapped her arms protectively around her stomach.

I waited.

Margaret’s sighs continued, the same repetitive noise in the background.

And finally, Elodie answered.

“I’ll do as you say, madam.”

I smiled.

To my surprise, Elodie did too, just faintly, but unmistakably.

Tears still clung to her lashes, but even so, she smiled.

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