Burn (Barlyle) (COMPLETE)

35

Barnum turned away from the window, head spinning. He hurried out into the hall, where Charity was waiting. Down the hall, his daughters peered curiously out another window.

"Mommy, what are all those people doing?"

"Get away from there, Helen. You too, Caroline." Charity glared at Barnum as she motioned their daughters over.

"Char, where... where's Phillip?"

"Is he all you care about?" Charity hissed. "First you tell me you'd like to—" she drifted off as the girls came running, but Barnum flinched anyway, knowing exactly what she was about to say, "—and then I find you in that room..."

"We didn't—"

"After I specifically told you to sleep in the other spare." She gritted her teeth.

"We didn't do anything, darling, I swear."

"Does it matter? And don't you dare call me that."

"What's wrong, Mommy?" Helen looked up at her, then over at her father.

Charity sighed. "Nothing. How about you and your sister go play with your dolls?"

"What about those people outside?" Caroline piped up.

"We'll get them taken care of," Charity promised. "Go on, now."

After the girls left, disappearing into Helen's room, Charity gritted her teeth and turned her back on her husband.

"It's like I don't even know you. I found you in his bed, Phineas, what do you expect me to think?"

"I wouldn't do that with the girls in the house—"

"Oh, but the second we leave you'd be all over him."

Barnum was silent. He swallowed a lump in his throat.

"I'm trying." Charity's voice broke, and her shoulders shook as she started to sob. Barnum approached her, slowly, and rested a hand on her shoulder, but she flinched away the second he made contact.

"I'm trying, I'm trying so hard to be supportive of your...decision...because I love you, Phin, and I love our girls, and I want their lives to be as normal as possible. But you can't keep doing this to me," she spat. "First it was Jenny, but now a...a man? A man, not just any man but Phillip, a man that I actually respected. And all...this outside." She motioned vaguely toward the window. "Phineas, really?"

"He kissed me," Barnum choked. "He kissed me in the fire, Charity, I told you, I...I thought you understood. It wasn't my fault. I...don't know how..." His eyes flicked to the window and flicked back.

He didn't know, but he had an idea.

Charity's shoulders stiffened. She dabbed at her eyes with her sleeve as she turned to face her husband, who took an uncertain step back.

"He may have kissed you first,"

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"but you reciprocated."