Single Father Helped His Elderly Neighbor Every Day—Then the Businesswoman Who Dismissed Him Opened Her Door
Chapter 4
They returned to the cottage before sunset.
Margaret wanted to send word to her household.
Samuel stopped her.
“No letters.”
“Why?”
“Because we don’t know who we can trust.”
She stared at him.
“You think my own servants might betray me?”
“I think someone powerful enough to hide a murder for twenty years may have friends everywhere.”
Margaret slowly lowered the pen.
“You’re right.”
It was the first time Samuel had heard her admit it.
That night, Samuel placed the ledger beneath a loose floorboard.
Clara watched.
“Is that treasure?”
“No.”
“It looks important.”
“It is.”
“Then why hide it?”
“Because some things become dangerous when the wrong person finds them.”
Clara thought about that.
“Like Papa’s temper?”
Samuel sighed.
“Go to bed.”
She giggled.
Margaret heard them from the next room.
For the first time in many years, she smiled.
The next morning, Samuel received a message.
He had been offered his old position back.
The offer came with double his previous wages.
Margaret placed the letter on the table.
“I didn’t send it.”
Samuel looked up.
“Then who did?”
“I don’t know.”
The letter contained only one sentence.
Return the ledger, and your daughter will remain safe.
Samuel’s blood ran cold.
Margaret saw his expression.
“What is it?”
He handed her the letter.
She read it.
Then she looked toward Clara.
“We leave.”
“Where?”
“My house.”
Samuel shook his head.
“Absolutely not.”
“Your cottage is being watched.”
“I won’t bring my daughter into your household.”
“You misunderstand. I am not offering charity.”
“What are you offering?”
Margaret’s eyes hardened.
“A fortress.”
Samuel said nothing.
She leaned closer.
“Someone knows about the ledger. They know about Clara. And they know you.”
Samuel looked at his daughter.
He had spent his entire life protecting her from hunger, cold, and disappointment.
But he could not protect her from a threat he couldn’t see.
So, reluctantly, he agreed.
By dusk, Samuel and Clara entered Hawthorne Manor.
The servants stared.
Some whispered.
One elderly housekeeper crossed herself.
Samuel noticed.
Margaret noticed too.
“What are they afraid of?” he asked.
Margaret’s expression darkened.
“My uncle.”
