The Broken Daylily

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN: Falling...

A few months had passed since the birth of Gwendolyn and Hazel. They were already so much bigger than the first time Thomas saw them, yet they only became more and more beautiful.

They slept better through the night and twas a blessing for both Thomas and Madilyn, but also for the entire staff. A disadvantage of letting the two girls sleep in the same room was that if one of them cried because she was hungry, the other would start crying because she was woken up.

And thus nights could be long if either one - or both - did not want to sleep, and thereby cried her sister awake.

But now they were good sleepers and Madilyn and Thomas could sleep through the entire night without having to wake up. Twas truly a blessing.

Thomas found Madilyn in her chamber. If she was not in his study nor in the sitting room and the house was silent, he knew he had to look for her in her bedchamber. Apparently she liked reading a book on her bed. He had found her reading to Gwendolyn and Hazel a few times, and she had always looked so peaceful.

She was a good mother, Thomas realized. She loved her daughters and would probably give her life for them. The girls also loved her and easily smiled at her. Thomas loved watching her as she entertained them, and then enjoyed their high-pitch chirps.

She had told him once she wanted a big family, and he must admit she would be the best person for it.

But more than a good mother, she was a good person. Thomas had completely misjudged her when she was hiding in his house. She did not have a haughty air - not when she was around him or his family anyway. Only when she was with the ton did she pretend to be prude. But did not everyone pretend to be better than they were so that they could impress the ton?

She seemed like a perfect lady, a wealthy and beautiful daughter, kind to everyone. But in reality, there was no such thing as perfection. Not even Madilyn - a gorgeous shell - was perfect.

She carried a big demon that was her past, represented by two monsters that were her parents. She was afraid to disappoint and was easily hurt. But if she wanted something enough, she would fight for it. Mayhap not with her full strength, for a blow would cause more pain, but she would fight nevertheless.

And the people she would fight for most, were the two little girls sleeping in the room next to hers. They were not expected and brought her quite a lot of hardship, but Thomas believed she had come out stronger. And that made her love so much greater.

He walked inside her chamber and sat down on the chair he always occupied when he entered her chamber. She looked at him with her eyes in slits.

"What?" he asked, feeling a bit intimidated by her stare.

"You have never had any lovers since we married," she told him, her voice filled with suspicion. "Or did you manage to hide them too well?"

He laughed at her assumption, and answered: "no, I have not had any lovers since we married."

"Why not?" she asked as she closed her book and laid it next to her.

Thomas shrugged. "A married man should not have lovers."

"But we were not happily married. You had every right to find yourself a woman who could truly love you."

Were?

He ignored her choice of words and suppressed his excitement as he said: "I did not feel the need to invite a lover. Twould not be respectful to you. And besides, those women do not truly love me. Just like I merely enjoy them, they use me for the same purpose."

"Still," she said with a small shrug, "I am quite surprised."

"And what brought on this sudden thought?" he asked curiously.