Mary Marsh had always dreamed of marrying for love. She and her husband would have a lovely small family, she would be the perfect mother; loving and kind. He would be the perfect father; generous and understanding. They would attend the high society events and be the envy of the town. He would be caring, intelligent, loving, humorous and considerate. Understand her flaws but love her despite them. Empathise with her in times of grief and hardship. Tell her that shes the most beautiful woman in the world, even if she didn't feel like it. Mary Marsh didn't see this dream coming true.
Mary Marsh was engaged to marry Mr Blackwell. Mr Blackwell had tried to pretend he was all these things. She knew that he was not. From the moment they met, he began wooing her. Telling her how much he loved her and how much he would spoil her. What kind of man loved a woman he barely knew, she would question. What kind of man believed that materialistic spoiling would be appreciated more than pure love? She knew that her mother had money, she considered perhaps that he was desperate for this exchange. Looking back in her later years she wished that was the reason he asked to marry her. Mary knew that she truly had no say in this relationship. She hoped that perhaps one day Mr Blackwell would think of her as a wife, not a pawn to play for money.
The day Mary Marsh's uncle, Rufus Marsh, died sparked mystery in her family, his death was as mysterious as her step-fathers and her fathers before that. She maintained a feeling of closeness with her uncle before his passing, her mother and fiance kept their distance until the day he died. They suddenly became concerned with his will, encouraging them to attend as a family, to say goodbye to their beloved family member. Wrapped in her grief, she did not notice the quiet smirk that appeared when they realised the Mary would be left his hotel, or the whispered exchange after the funeral, or even the quiet meetings between her mother and Mr Blackwell in the weeks following the funeral.
One evening Mary was at dinner when her mother suggested that she should leave the hotel in Mr Blackwell's hands. Mary delighted in the idea, feeling excited that she could bring something positive to the marriage. Mary had since accepted that she was not going to be able to exit her current marriage arrangements and had instead decided to embrace them as a true lady. Mary Marsh wanted to create her perfect marriage with Mr Blackwell and it would put a smile on his face to give him the hotel Mary quickly agreed to her mother's proposal and began planning how she was going to tell him. She would no longer be a pawn to him, she would be his partner in all of the important decisions.
Mr Blackwell was delighted when she suggested that she give him the hotel to run. They spoke about what they would do with it; if they would move closer; what sort of guests would come. They spoke about their future and Mary Marsh finally believed that they could be the perfect husband and wife and have a happy marriage. Mr Blackwell, as excited as her, asked her to a celebratory dinner the next evening.
He arrived at her house at 7 pm sharp, with a bouquet of roses for her. He wore his best suit and tie and she wore her best frock. They got into his car, and he took her to the best spot in town. He ordered the finest wine and they laughed at jokes together. They found themselves ordering dessert and having a wonderful time. She knew that she had been wrong about him at the start, Mr Blackwell was a perfect gentleman. He dropped her home and walked her to the door, not once suggesting he was wanting a kiss.
Things only improved from here, Mary would meet with Mr Blackwell most evenings and they would dine together. Mary would come to enjoy her time with Mr Blackwell and she believed he enjoyed their time together too. Eventually, Mr Blackwell got down on one knee and officially asked her to marry him. Mary was over the moon, with no hesitation she put the ring on and was ready to start their lives together in the perfect marriage.
After a wonderful three months of planning the wedding Mary was in Mr Blackwell's home one evening and heard him in his office. She decided she was going to surprise him by coming over. She snuck over to the door, peered around and realised that MR JOE was not, in fact, speaking on the phone rather, he was speaking to a group of men in the office with him. She was never allowed to hear matters of business, and her curiosity got the better of her. She listened in closely, ensuring they would not see or hear her.
"She'll never know", said a voice she didn't quite recognise
"I've got the weapons stored in the safe of the hotel", she recognised Mr Blackwell's voice.
"It's important that this wedding goes to plan and you marry her, the hotel needs to become yours to ensure everything works out, in a months time business will be booming and you'll have a wonderful wife to call your own", the first voice said again.
"We will be the biggest weapons distributors in the county".
She stepped back, shocked that someone could do that to someone they claim to love. Questioning if her mother knew. Questioning her instinct, she was right to begin with but she let some stupid man convince her that he was right. All she wanted was a perfect marriage, yet she was betrayed.
She had to get out of there, quickly. She wouldn't stand for this. She didn't need to know the details but she needed to get out of there. She ran down the stairs, and took the keys to her mother's car, the car she took to get over here. She rushed into the car, dropping the keys, tears streaming down her face, fumbling to get out of there. Starting her new life. She would start it alone, but she would not be alone, she would be with her uncles legacy at the hotel. The hotel was hers and she would make sure it stayed that way.