The Peacemaker

Blood in the Water

Claire would never forget that night. They had been able to spend three glorious months together before her father and his friends had caught up to them. Once her and Wyatt had run off, apparently her cousin Amelia had gone to her parents and told them that they had eloped. When that terrible knock came that night, her happily ever after went up in smoke. She knew her father was going to kill Wyatt. He beat him and left him lying in a pool of his own blood as they dragged a screaming Claire away. When they got her back home, they locked her in her room and refused to let her come out or let anyone in. In turn, she refused to talk to them or tell them her secret.

Day after day she watched the people walk by. Hoping, praying that somehow Wyatt had survived that brutal beating and would come rescue her from this prison. "Claire come to the dining room for supper," her mother said. Claire just glared back in response. She could see the hurt in her mother's eyes. "Good," thought Claire. She stood and followed her mother to the dining room. She might hate her family, but she still had to eat. She had learned quickly that if she did not eat with them, her father would not allow food to be sent to her. She got into the dining room and gasped. Sitting there at the table was the Gray boy she had been "promised" too before she had married Wyatt. It had only been two months since her father had killed Wyatt. How could they ever expect her to marry this boy who looked at her like she was just any other person. Wyatt had always looked at her like she was everything.

"Hello Miss Claire," he said as she stood their dumbfounded. The rest of the night was horrible. Her father glaring at her, the Gray boy trying his best to make small talk, and her mother looking a mixture of concerned and hurt by her daughter's continued silence. Claire marched back to her room as soon as the boy had left. Her father followed her. He yelled at her about how hard he had worked to keep this engagement for her, how ungrateful she was, and how she would marry that boy in six months. Claire sobbed silently that night. 

Three months before the date of her wedding, her parents were in the other room arguing with each other loudly. Claire laughed at them. They had finally learned her secret, and it had ruined all of their perfect plans for her life.  She was pregnant with Wyatt's child. She was due to have the baby just  a couple of weeks before her wedding. "She can't get married if she has an illegitimate child!" screamed her mother.

"She can't keep the child Eliza! We'll find some family to take the child. We'll make sure no one knows about it! This daughter of yours will be our ruin!"

At this, Claire burst into the room. "I will not have my child taken from me." It was the first words she had spoken to her parents since her father had brought her back. They both looked at her in surprise before composing themselves. "This child is the last bit of Wyatt I have left and you will not lay a hand on my baby."

"Absolutely not Claire! You have taken this whole Wyatt nonsense to far," her father yelled. "I am leaving right now to find some poor couple that can't have a child of their own. Eliza talk some sense into her while I am gone."

"Yes Henry," her mother responded and then turned to Claire. Once her father had walked out, her mother began to cry. "Oh my precious girl. Please don't stop talking to me now. I will convince your father to let you keep the child until you can wean it."

"No. I will not give up this child at all." Her mother caressed her face. Claire had missed her mother so much. They had rarely argued when she was younger and now look at them. This was the first time in months that they had spoken to each other.

"Ok. We will figure out a way for you to keep the child." After that conversation, things between Claire and her mother went back to the way it used to be. They planned in secret on how Claire would keep the baby. They made baby clothes together. Then her mother helped her give birth to a beautiful baby girl.