The Maid Under the Stairs - Chapter 72

< Chapter 72 >

As soon as Mabel wiped away her tears in a hurry and opened the door, Andrew Woolf pulled out a small lantern and revealed himself with a ghostly, hazy face. 

He then explained that he seemed to have lost a valuable item in the mansion’s garden last night and asked Mabel to help him find it.

Mabel didn’t understand Andrew’s words.

“Is it necessary for just the two of us to go out at this late hour? Wouldn’t it be better for all of us to search together tomorrow morning?”

Andrew whispered with a pale complexion, wearing a somewhat awkward expression.

“We can’t do that. It has to be just the two of us. It has to be tonight….”

Mabel’s suspicions deepened at his cryptic words.

“I can’t do that, Mr. Woolf. It’s late, so I’ll just go…”

Andrew’s attitude seemed suspicious from more than one angle. Mabel, feeling a chill, was about to close the study door.

“Wait.”

Andrew wedged his worn shoe into the door and stopped Mabel.

“The thing I lost… it’s my engagement ring. That’s why I can only talk to Ms. Willis about it, no one else.”

“Your engagement ring? What…”

“I was going to propose on this trip, but when I realized the person might feel burdened by my love, I couldn’t bring myself to tell her.”

As Mabel’s face gradually changed with understanding, she realized that the person Andrew was going to propose to was probably her. Considering Andrew’s words from the party last night and his persistent courtship despite her disinterest, it wasn’t that surprising.

As Mabel’s expression hardened, Andrew became more desperate.

“I don’t want my failed proposal to be known to others, so please help me. I must find the ring.”

Mabel couldn’t help but sympathize with him. Though she was tired of rejecting him repeatedly, perhaps his sincerity was genuine. Mabel thought it was only right to help him preserve his dignity.

“Alright, Mr. Woolf. But we can’t stay outside until past midnight. Let’s quickly search the garden together.”

Mabel said worriedly, looking out at the snowfall. Andrew smiled meekly and stepped aside to let her out.

“We have to quietly leave the mansion. Without anyone knowing….”

His words made Mabel feel uneasy once again. However, she soon dispelled all suspicions and nodded her head.

* * *

At most, she thought they would just look around the garden, but Andrew’s steps kept leading them past the garden and into the woods. Mabel, with her frozen jaw barely moving in the cold air, spoke up.

“Do we need to keep going without checking the garden again?”

But contrary to his earlier words, Andrew continued walking forward, as if there were more important things than finding the ring.

Eventually, Andrew replied to Mabel.

“Ms. Willis, come to think of it, I think I had the ring when we were in front of that forest.”

They had unwittingly crossed the mansion’s front yard and were now walking through a field of withered grass.

“I haven’t even dressed properly. I can’t go wandering through the forest in the middle of the night in my pajamas and a coat, Mr. Woolf.”

Mabel tried to say, flustered by Andrew’s actions, but Andrew continued to urge her.

“It’s just ahead, right in front of the forest. It’s not even midnight yet, as promised. So please…”

Andrew said with a frightened expression. Mabel, thinking he was shaken because he lost the ring he intended for her, reluctantly followed him.

As they arrived at the entrance to the forest, they noticed the cabin and chair where William had proposed to her. Her heart tried to evoke painful memories, but Mabel forced herself to ignore them.

Andrew was already opening the cabin door.

“No, why are you going in there?”

Mabel, suddenly awakened to the situation, asked urgently. But Andrew replied nonchalantly.

“We came here while exploring around the mansion on the first day… I’m sure I lost it here. Ms. Willis, could you come closer and shine the lantern? There’s no electricity here.”

Andrew’s upper body was already halfway into the cabin, so Mabel couldn’t see his expression.

‘Am I overreacting? After all, he’s been a close friend for the past year…’

As Mabel slowly approached him, Andrew was indeed searching for something on the dark floor of the cabin. Just as she was about to help him by putting up the lantern…

Click, clack.

Andrew quickly stood up, closed the cabin door behind Mabel, and locked it from the inside.

“What did you just do?”

Mabel turned around abruptly, holding the lantern. She noticed the lock and key in Andrew’s hand.

“Ms. Willis, you must listen carefully to what I’m about to say without being surprised. And please understand that I have no, absolutely no malicious intent.”

Andrew spoke without moving from the door he had just locked. Relief washed over his pale face as if he had finally accomplished something significant.

“From my perspective, Ms. Willis, you are a beautiful and intelligent lady with a humble background that seems too unfortunate. But I can confidently say that there are not many people in the world who see you as nobly as I do. Perhaps not even you, Ms. Willis.”

His eyes, which had always seemed cloudy, now sparkled with an unseen passion. Mabel, who had never seen him like this before, began to feel genuinely afraid.

Andrew swallowed hard, then continued speaking in a rapid tone.

“I understand that you found my courtship burdensome. I know. I, too, have always doubted my qualifications while mingling with the offspring of prestigious families in college, coming from a modest background. But don’t worry. Accepting my love will be easier for you now.”

Mabel felt a chill run down her entire body at Andrew’s words. She couldn’t understand what he was thinking or saying.

But one thing was certain: he had lured her out in the middle of the night and locked her in this secluded cabin.

With a trembling voice, Mabel asked.

“What exactly are you planning to do to me?”

She pulled the lantern in her hand closer to her chest like a shield. Her delicate hand gripping the lantern was clenched tightly, as if veins were about to pop.

But Andrew jumped back in surprise, waving his hands.

“Oh, Ms. Willis! Don’t see me as a villain. I’m a gentleman. If you cooperate, I won’t lay a finger on you until we are formally married. However…”

With a chilling smile, Andrew continued.

“Ms. Willis. I hope no one knows that we’ve maintained our chastity. Instead, they should think that we, like young lovers, spent a night consumed by love and passion. Now do you understand, Ms. Willis? Then regardless of your status, you and I will have to have a ‘marriage of honor!'”

Madness shone in Andrew’s bright eyes as he grinned. Mabel involuntarily took a step back. It was clear that he was trapped in his own world more than she had ever realized.

‘A marriage of honor, really!’

No matter how many times Mabel had rejected him, Andrew never seemed to consider that she didn’t like him. Instead, he believed that her inability to accept his love was due to her sense of inadequacy regarding her status.

“I’ve already told George O’Connor that I’m going to propose to you. So when we return to the mansion together tomorrow, everyone will understand this situation. Besides, there are many servants from Lord Herbert at the mansion, so the rumors will spread quickly…”

As Mabel listened to Andrew’s mutterings, she exclaimed in shock.

“Mr. Andrew Woolf!”

Anger and fear filled her voice, trembling with rage.

“I’ve told you countless times. I have no interest in your courtship. It’s not because my status doesn’t match yours. I have no interest in you as a person, no, I dislike you!”

Andrew flinched at Mabel’s outburst. But instead of anger, confusion filled his expression.

Meanwhile, taking advantage of the distraction, Mabel quickly made her way to the cabin door that Andrew had blocked. She tried to push and pull the wooden handle with all her might to open the door. But the locked door wouldn’t budge with her strength alone.

“Open the door, right now!”

Mabel was terrified of Andrew’s stubborn obsession, like an immovable object. 

Even if he did nothing, just being in the same space with him was terrifying enough to send shivers down her spine.