✔ Mrs Mandray

17. Children and House Wives

Isabella

Oliver was energetic today. He talked his grandmother's ear off about a story he had made up about his toys. She had never seen him talk so fast or so much, he was eager to share and both women knew it but it wasn't until Mrs Mandray had sighed tiredly and given Oliver a look that he stopped.

She was grateful for the peace but a heaviness settled in her chest at his sudden sullen silence. Not that it lasted for he was soon happily playing away but he wasn't the only one to have gone quiet all of a sudden.

"What did Annalise give you?" The questions were so sudden that Isabella paused, turning to the elder woman in surprise. She thought Mrs Mandray had told Annalise of Oliver's heritage but now... "Why do you ask now?"

"Answer my question, girl." She snapped and Isabella shrunk back as she leaned forward, there was a brightness to her eyes that Isabella had never seen before. "Because I thought I told you to take no more extra coins."

"I haven't taken any more."

"Then what did you need from Annalise, do you think I don't know what she sells?" Isabella stuttered in surprise at the woman's sharp words, she had never behaved like this before. But that look in her eyes, the fear and rage all swirling together as though her very soul was fractured. Did she not know that Oliver was Fae? Isabella could have sworn that she did, not that they ever said the words aloud. "Answer me, Child."

There was a tremble to her words that had Isabella pausing, shaking her head quietly at the woman in question.

"Oh for the love of- what have you been taking, Isabella." She hissed a frantic note to her tone as she glanced around the room in fear as though one of the men would overhear. "Do you think I'm naive? You should have gotten pregnant by now and believe me my husband is aware of that fact as well."

The blood drained from Isabella's face.

"Annalise is well known for selling fae herbs that solve certain... problems." her gaze turned accusing. "So did you kill the babe or prevent it from ever happening because either way we need to get you something to counteract whatever poison you have been ingesting."

"You think I'm doing this on purpose." Isabella whispered, eyes watering as the one person in this family she thought she could trust glared at her. "Do you think I don't see the way Tomas is crushed every month I bleed? You think I don't know the consequences-"

"Not having a family or heir is a far bigger consequence than you realise."

"He has Oliver, why is that not enough-"

"For how long will you keep up this feeble charade with the boy, hmmm." She snapped, "How long do we have to keep caring for a boy that is not ours? Our purpose is to keep our family together, Isabella, we care for the men as they provide for us. It is also simple human nature that we build a family or is that not what you want."

"You know that's what I want." Isabella snarled through her tears, voice thick.

"Then what is the problem?" She yelled and Isabella reeled back in surprise, there were tears in Mrs Mandray's eyes now, a desperation to her tone that wasn't there before as it drops to a whisper. "My child, do you have any idea what they will do to you? Families like ours only survive if they have children, if the mother's brood is large and if you're not the one capable of doing that..."

She shook her head, trembling hands softly held out until Isabella clasped her hands with her own.

"... do you have any idea what you are sentencing Oliver to? Give them what they want Isabella, the business cannot be run by grandfather Mandray and my husband for much longer. They are planning for the next generation to take over and you need to be a part of that... Do you understand?"