The Family Origin

Chapter Sixty-One: JOSEPH POV

 I should have never said anything to Maisie. If I knew this was how she was going to react, I would not have told her I wanted to leave. Even before Miles confronted me about the money, I could not get the image of Maisie covered in blood out of my mind. When I brought her here from the tavern, I never expected this to happen to our family. She was here to be a wife and mother, not to witness murders and cook human meat for dinner.

Maisie's eyes were wide in horror as she listened to Miles come down the stairs, but she did not turn. Miles did not have his usual blank expression. His brows were furrowed, jaw clenched, and hands balled at his side. His glare was ice cold, and I was prepared for him to come forward to attack me. Instead, he went straight to Maisie and grabbed her shoulder. She took in a sharp breath and wiped the tears off her cheeks.

How quickly would she tell him? My mind raced to think of an excuse, but nothing coherent formed. My mouth had gone dry, and my tongue was heavy. I cleared my throat to ensure it did not crack from fear. Miles could not know I was afraid. I was his father. I needed to be brave.

"What is wrong?" Miles asked Maisie.

She needed to speak, but another sob escaped her lips. Her hand trembled as she raised it to cover her mouth. At least she was trying to control herself.

"Maisie," Miles said.

She squeezed her eyes shut as she shook her head. A few more tears rolled down her cheeks. Miles took a step back, but his hand did not leave her shoulder. His eyes assessed her for any injuries. Did he think I would hurt her?

Miles turned his attention to me and narrowed his gaze.

"Why is she upset?" he asked.

"She is emotional," I said. "You have seen her like this before."

"What happened this time?"

I took in a deep breath. He cannot know what I was planning. Would he kill me if he found out? He so easily killed all of those other people because he thought they would hurt Maisie. My son had always been different, but I let him become a monster.

I had to lie if I was going to get Maisie and Jasper out of this house. I had to save the Wilcox family from Miles.

"We were talking about Briar," I said.

Maisie opened her eyes but did not lower her hand. Did she know what I was doing?

"Why?" Miles asked. "You know she cries."

"She started it," I lied. "I told her it was a bad idea, but she would not listen."

Maisie furiously shook her head as she lowered her hand. She tried to speak, but it came out as short bursts of shaky breath as she tried to control herself.

"You should go upstairs to rest," I told Maisie.

Hopefully, if she disclosed what I had told her, Miles would think it was emotional and delusional nonsense. If she continued to cry, he might even use the tranquillizer. If she were unconscious, I would have time to think of either a plan or an excuse to tell Miles.

"You're lying!" she screamed.

Miles yanked her closer. She stumbled as she fell into his chest. Her movements were jerky as she tried to fight against his grip. She let out a frustrated scream as she tried to hit him.

A high-pitched cry came from upstairs. Maisie must have woken Jasper. Miles wrapped his arms tightly around Maisie to pin her to his chest. Why could he have not turned her the other way? I hated seeing her cry.