Flowers of Glass

Addictions

Dawn had come. The sun had barely crept on the horizon dimly illuminated England.

Ada had beaten the dawn. In her arms rested the doctor's child. She smiled down lovingly at the cherry-faced infant as she fed it a complexion of cow milk and egg yolks. The young woman was startled by her Aunt Poll entering the kitchen.

She was taken aback at the astonished face the older woman wore.

"Will you return that child to its poor mother Ada?" She exclaimed as she opened the small windows of kitchen allowing dim rays of light to creep in.

"I could eat you alive!" the other coed as she bounced the babe in her arms. Ada couldn't help but think about her own children in the future. She wondered who their father would be and what they would look like.

"Just look at 'im, Aunt Poll!" She said cocking her head to the side looking at the child adoringly.

Ada was taken back by the sound of a dish shattering. Porcelain spread over the kitchen floor. Aunt Poll's eyes went wide, her eyebrows almost vanished into her hairline. She leaned towards the child in disbelief and eyed it with careful scrutiny.

"By God!" She mumbled as she looked at the child's bright eyes. "He looks just like Tommy!" She exclaimed.

The doctor had spent the night by Tommy's unconscious side. It appeared as if his body had stabilized over the course of the night with the aid of her medical care. She had spent the night praying for recovering until slumber came to her.

His skin had regained its color overnight and had become warm to the touch. His breath was steady and his hand lazily lay on top of the doctor's head. Fingers running idly through her hair.

She had fallen asleep leaning against his bed, head buried face down on the mattress. She suddenly jolted awake at the feeling of something heavy falling on her shoulders. It was that older woman from downstairs.

She let out a shaky breath after she realized the woman had kindly laid a wool blanket on her body.

She couldn't help but be on guard in this house. God only knows what Arthur and the other Shelby could've been up to.

"T-Thanks," the doctor shivered.

"How is he?" the older woman asked politely with both of her hands crossed at the front of her body.

"Better," she said with a tight-lipped smile as she brought the blanket closer to her body. Her eyes drifted away from Aunt Poll's.

(Name) wasn't sure if Tommy's family was aware of his addiction to opium. She felt it was the first of the many secrets she would keep for him...

"Also, your darling boy is precious, Love" the woman stretched the conversation with a small smile. She wasn't sure if it was meant to be a kind comment or a passive-aggressive one.

"When were you planning on telling us it's a Shelby?" The question caught her off-guard. (Name) choke on her words as she felt the blood drain from her face. The silence between the two women was haunting.

"It-It's not..." She lied. However, not as well as before.

"Shut it." Aunt Poll snapped severely.

(Name) swallowed her words.

The woman was terribly intimidating.

"I've seen you around," Aunt Poll approached her. "What I know to be true is that you're that pious girl that lives at the church," she rolled her eyes at the memory of the young woman visiting the church almost daily.

"Almost as Holy as Mary... Terrible that my nephew had to corrupt your modesty," She shook her head. "Men," She scoffed with an eye roll as she glared at her nephew.