the Vanderbilt mansion w

s apparently already spreading like wildfire thr

hat mountain gir

s! Claimed she had some magic

Trying to steal Clara Beaumon

ded was a gauntlet. Faces peered from passing cars, fingers pointed. When I stepped o

ntorted with outrage. "Using pregnancy to climb

Trying to tra

I found myself looking directly at Ethan Vanderbilt. He was on the balcony of an upscale r

t, were fixed on me, a single tear t

ing glare fo

han, darling... is that her? The one your mother... If she truly has that... that blessing... wh

is voice a low murmur, meant to sooth

ou heard what those people

ver marry a woman I don't love just for an heir. Besides, my doctors are v

ion was clear. He believed he was getti

ruth. He never would

The media, clearly fed by someone influential, continued its relentless assault. "Appalachian Gold Digger Exposed!" one headline scr

otonous cycle of confin

port flickered on the small

countless commendations. Now, he was fighting for his life in a VA hospital, old combat injuries flar

my mind. A danger

iller... a man the en

ize my gift in a way the Vanderbilts could never tarnish. It w

a way to reach

my gilded cage. She didn't come alone. She arrived with an entourage of s

of comfort w

ts for simple things were ignored or endlessly delayed. The new housekeeper, a stern wo

ed with toast that was burnt black an

yes?" the housekeeper asked,

inside me snapped. I'd endured their whispers, their glares, their pe

rew it against the wall. The china shattered, blac

ce dangerously quiet.

lmost imperceptibly. Before she

and

s happening? I heard a crash... it startled me so!" She leaned heavily

towards me, his eyes blazing. "What in Go

h. "She... she threw the plate, Ethan! I just came to see if she needed anything... a