The Broken Daylily

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: The reality of giving birth

Thomas had shown Madilyn a drawing of Arthur. She could only confirm that the man on the drawing was her sister's husband. And apparently also Thomas' brother. The man she was supposed to marry – the lord of Colston – was a slave trader and child abuser. And somehow, her parents wanted their two daughters to marry those men.

What was her family up to?

It might be a coincidence, tis true. But twas not very likely. Both men knew each other, and they wanted to marry to the sister of their friend's wife. Was it something the men had planned, or were her father and mother part of it all?

She could not imagine that. Certainly, her mother was not the kindest woman. And her father was easily played and stubborn. But to be bad people and steal child beggars so that they could sell them, seemed highly unrealistic. Besides, her father made enough money. He had too much work, and worked long days. Many people wanted him to represent them, and they would pay him anything. So her father had no reason to earn more money by selling children.

Even her mother could not be in the need for more money. Since her husband worked all the time, she could spend it all. There was food and clothing that needed to be paid, of course. But the rest she would use to treat herself and Eleanor – her favourite daughter. The new piano? That was for Eleanor. The most beautiful dress in the store? Eleanor received it. Many compliments? They were directed toward Eleanor.

Twas not a secret that Madilyn did not like her younger sister. She was the most beautiful Hayes daughter, and also the most perfect. She was loved by both her parents, while Madilyn and Adelaide had to appreciate the love they received from each other.

Eleanor got the best tutor, the most beautiful dresses, the most choices, the best piano... And she was not even that good at playing the instrument! When Madilyn was young, she had hoped that mayhap she would get her parents' attention if she excelled at something else. That is why she started violin lessons too.

But they would not listen. They would tell her to stop playing so that they could listen to Eleanor hitting the piano keys with a smile. Their parents would applaud and cheer for her, tell her how good she was. But Madilyn and Adelaide? No, they did not deserve all that.

Madilyn suppressed a sigh. Why did bad things always come up during bad moments? And she was not just referring to the banished Brompton son who was an awful husband to her sister, but also to the weak screaming that was filling the Jones House.

Early in the morning, they had received the knowledge that Victoria was giving birth. When they first arrived, her screams had not been weak. But it had been going on for hours now, and the lady sounded tired.

Madilyn was allowed to enter the room, but she did not want to. The screams were already frightening enough for a pregnant woman. She really did not want to see all the blood as well.

So she had denied the request and watched Elizabeth enter the room to support her friend. She took a seat with the rest of the family in the parlour. Andrew had been pacing the room with Alice in his arms. But now that the girl was asleep in her grandmother's arms, he had fallen on the coach with his hands in front of his face.

He was clearly worried – as was everyone. Victoria had had problems during her first birth, but her second pregnancy had been a more difficult one. She had had pains in her belly, and headaches. She spoke of flashes before her eyes and feeling unwell. She said she knew it was because of the baby, and that it frightened her.

And there was also the fact that her mother had had the same problems and died during her second labour. The fear was big for everyone in the family, and unfortunately, the possibility of Victoria dying was there.

Andrew had gotten the best doctor, but even he could not make miracles happen. In the morning, when her shouts had been strong and powerful, everyone believed all would go well. But now that her voice sounded weaker and the shouts had turned into wails, the fear rose.

And as the tension in the room became more and more tangible, the door suddenly opened. Andrew jumped us as he saw his sister walk to him. Her face was full of worry, and it did not help anyone's panic.

"She is not doing well," Elizabeth told Andrew, while she tried to stop the tears from flowing. "She has requested your presence."

Twas a very unusual thing for a man to enter the room while a woman was giving birth, but she was not surprised anymore that the Bromptons did not bother about the rules. Andrew started shaking his head in desperation while tears fell down his eyes. "No," he told his sister like he could change the truth if he believed hard enough. "No, she is doing fine."

"Andrew," Elizabeth said while Madilyn could feel her own heart break, "she needs you now. Go to her."

With a sob, the man turned away from his sister and ran out of the room. When the door behind him closed, Elizabeth fell down on the floor and started crying. Madilyn could also not hold back the tears falling from her eyes, while she watched William comforting his wife.

Everyone was shedding tears, except for Alice because she was asleep. And everyone wanted to be sleeping like the little girl was, for then no pain would be felt.

Everything was falling down, Madilyn realized. Not just for Victoria and Andrew, and not just for their family, but also for Madilyn.

She had pulled away from Thomas the last few weeks. She had done it on purpose. She saw his wondering eyes sometimes, but he never voiced a question. He merely accepted it.

He did not fight for her, and she did not like that. But she also understood, for she was not certain she would fight for him. But her mind was playing tricks on her now, telling her he should know, but making certain she did not want to say.

When he would come to her after her walk through the garden, she would tell him she wanted to be alone, and he would let her. With a mere nod of his head, he would walk away. Certainly, he had many things on his mind – like the involvement of his brother in his work. But was he too busy to worry about his wife?

She had been trying to know him, but since half a month – since she got the news – she had been pulling back. She was frightened of how he might react, uncertain if he wanted this. But what was there to change? Twas a fact that not even he could make different.

So for the last half a month, she had been crying herself to sleep again. She already had before, but then she had started accepting the way her life had turned out. But now, everything was feeling bad again. Everything was falling down. Not just for Victoria and Andrew, and not just for their family, but also for Madilyn.

How was she to tell her husband that his unwanted child was a twin?