The Family Origin

Chapter Seventy: MAISIE POV

Jasper seemed unaffected by Alice's crying. I sat on the bed and watched him as he climbed over the blankets and pillows. I smiled and tried not to flinch at each shrill scream that rang in my ears. If I became emotional, he would become upset and scared. He was always a happy baby. I did not want to ruin that.

Focusing on Jasper prevented my mind from imagining whatever was happening in the kitchen. Thankfully, I got us upstairs before there was a bloody mess. I hated witnessing the violence.

The screaming stopped, and silence fell over the house. Jasper's sweet giggle caused my heart to flutter as warmth spread through my body. We were all safe and happy.

Heavy footsteps walked up the creaky staircase and down the hall. The door opened, and I gasped when I saw Miles. Blood was soaked through his clothes, and streaks of red were smeared across his face. My stomach twisted into a tight knot at the grotesque sight.

I grabbed Jasper and pulled him onto my lap. My hand trembled as I placed it on the side of his face to attempt to block his view. He whined and wiggled in my grip, but I did not let him go. Miles walked over to the side of the bed and lowered himself onto his knee. A small smile formed his lips, softening the features under the streaks of Alice's blood.

"Da-da!" Jasper yelled as he kept trying to escape my hold.

How was he not afraid? He saw Miles as his loving father and not some scary being covered in blood. I was not scared of Miles, but knowing he was covered in someone's blood caused nausea to sit like a heavy rock in my stomach.

"I brought you something," he said.

Miles held out his hand, and his fist was clenched. I let out a deep breath before I let go of Jasper with one shaky hand. I wished I could appear brave, but I hated it when anyone came into the house. An outsider murdered Clara. What if Alice tried to hurt me or Jasper?

I held out my palm, and Miles dropped something metal from his grasp. Despite the streaks of blood across the silver, I could see it was Alice's necklace. The beautiful heart-shaped pendant caught my eye. When I was a child, my mother had a similar necklace. In one of my parent's nasty fights, my father ripped it off her neck and smashed it under his boot.

"I can never afford to buy you something nice, and we cannot sell this in town," Miles said. "This would look beautiful on you."

I swallowed past the lump forming in my throat. Her warm blood was slick on my palm, but I could not set the necklace down. I did not want to spend tomorrow scrubbing the blood off the bedding or floor.

Miles stood and pressed his lips against the top of my head. I closed my eyes and kept Jasper in a tight grip, despite his wiggling. My muscles were tense while I listened to his footsteps and the door click shut.

–

Neither Miles nor Joseph mentioned Alice again. Life returned to our regular routine. We were happy, just like we had always been. When my nausea returned and did not pass for a few days, we were even happier. Another baby was coming into our family.

Once I was able to get out of bed without being sick, Miles returned to treating me as if I was made of fragile glass. His hands were always on either my hips or back, like he thought I could collapse and shatter. He would help me into bed and tuck the blankets around me before he laid next to me. During the night, he would hold onto me while he slept. It was nice to have his attention like that again. He showed me he loved me in odd ways, but I always knew he cared.

He leaned against the counter as he watched me wash the breakfast dishes. Joseph had already gone outside to start his chores, and he would soon join him. The summer was ending, but the air in our home was still thick and humid.

Jasper grabbed my skirt and was tugging at the material to try and get my attention. When I glanced down, he was looking up at me with a big smile.

"Ma-ma!" he repeated. "Ma-ma. Ma-ma."

I giggled at his sweet voice as I finished washing the dishes. While I was drying my hands on the rag, Miles reached down to pick up Jasper. Miles's smile was small, but I could see how happy he was whenever he looked at our son. Warmth spread through my chest when I watched them together. If our next baby was a boy, I knew he would have the same love his next son.

"I am going to take him outside today," he said.

The warmth in my chest was instantly replaced with an iciness running through my veins. My stomach clenched with fear as the colour drained from my face. Since Jasper was born, he had been safe inside the home with me. The only time he had not been in my sight was when Joseph would spend time with him in the evening.

"Outside?" I asked. I wanted to appear brave, but my voice wobbled. "Why would you bring him outside?"

"He is not staying inside forever," Miles said.

"But-"

"One day he will be taking over the farm and be in charge of the family," he cut me off. "He cannot do that if he is inside all day. The weather is still good. He is going to love it outside."

"It's not safe out there."

My fingers fiddled with the heart-shaped pendent Miles had given me. I had kept it around my neck since I scrubbed Alice's blood off the silver. I chewed on my lip as Jasper sucked on his thumb and rested his head against Miles's shoulder. He was so sweet and innocent. One day he would grow up and be doing chores outside, but he was still a little boy.

"I will be with him," Miles said. "He is not going to get hurt."

"I want to go too," I said.

"Maisie, no." He shook his head. "You belong inside."

I took in a sharp breath when Miles turned and walked toward the door. He pulled the chain off from around his neck and unlocked the door. Jasper lifted his head off Miles's shoulder when they stepped onto the porch and into the sunlight. He started to squeal in excitement, but the sound was silenced when the door shut. I leaned over the sink to get a better view through the metal bars of Miles and Jasper as they walked onto the grass.

Watching them walk toward the barn caused my heart to pound. The nausea from my pregnancy had left me alone for the past few mornings, but now I was worried I would start vomiting in the sink. Jasper was too small to be outside. What if an outsider tried to hurt him?

My knees were shaky as I walked over to the door. I needed to know he was safe. The door was locked and the knob did not turn. I gritted my teeth and tried harder to turn the doorknob, but it did not move. I pounded my fist on the door out of frustration, but it was useless.

I moved back over to the sink so I could stare at the barn, but I was unable to see anything. I stayed staring out the window and fiddling with my pendant while I waited for Miles to bring our son back into our home.

If anything happened to Jasper, I would never be able to forgive myself.