Marqouiness Edith Pelham watched her oldest daughter as she scurried up the front lawn. The sixteen year old heaved a gigantic sigh as she skidded to a stop in front of her, nervously combing back a wisp of curly brown hair behind her ear.
"Sorry Mama. I was out back."
She lowered her gaze to her daughter's cake stained blouse then sighed. She knew the real reason for her Marigold's sudden disperence during the party and couldn't help but sigh because of it. She wasn't blind to her daughters quarrels in fact not a day went by when she didn't want to jump in between their fights and intervene. But Bertie had always insisted that she didn't. It was best for them to figure it out for their own, he said. That eventually they would be able to get past it and laugh at it all in the future. Yet a part of Edith feared that they would never arrive at that blissful date. After all eventually her and Mary had learned to reconcile their differences. But it wasn't that way with her daughters. Marigold had a way of taking it all, suffering her younger sister's abuse without a word then forcing a smile on her face as everything were alright. At least Edith had the spunk to stand up to her sister, Marigold-well she just couldn't...
She rested her hand on her daughter's shoulder flashing the teenager a sympathetic grin. "Wash up and come downstairs again. She's cooled off a little bit."
"Must I?"
"Yes."
"I really would rather not. I have a lot of homework to catch up on and it's not like Virginia would want me to be there anyways."
A part of her felt like pardoning the young girl but she knew she couldn't. The entire family had drove down for her daughter's birthday party and it would be just plain rude if Marigold didn't make an appearance.
"You know you must."
She bit the inside of her cheek then sighed. "Fine. Do I have to talk to her though?"
"Yes."
She caught a slight eye roll but decided to ignore it. Grumbling something under her breath the teenager slipped past her mother then proceeded to scurry up the staircase to her bedroom.
She decided not to wait for her eldest daughter to come down the stairs. Knowing Marigold it would be quite awhile until she would rouse herself into facing her sister again. Not that Edith could blame her, after all if Mary or Sybil had thrown cake in her face there was no telling what she would do. All though politely excusing herself to run away to the back field to cry about it all defentily would not have been it.
The party was already staring to die down a little now. They had long since recovered another cake and sang happy birthday to the guest of honor now all there was to do was for the young people to dance while the older fuddy duddies sat and talked.
She skimmed her eyes across the crowd until she found her second eldest daughter dancing the jitterbug with the head of high school debate team-the boy Marigold had been interested in.
She felt a gentle tap on her shoulder and turned to see her husband behind her. "Has the offender calmed herself?"
"Who Virginia?"
He shook his head pressing a gentle kiss to the nape of her neck. "Your daughter, Marigold."
"Marigold isn't the offender. Virginia was the one who threw the cake in her face."
"She dropped the tray on purpose, darling. She was mad about not getting a party for her birthday so she tried to sabotage Ginny's."
She had forgotten about not giving Marigold a party this year. The poor dear had been ecstatic about finally having her first grown up ball but Virginia had thrown a fuss and demanded that they share the party instead. Eventually she had changed things around so much and canceled the invitations of so many of Marigold's guests that the party had become completely hers. Marigold had cried for days about that...
She rolled her eyes slipping out of her husband's hold. "There isn't a sabotaging bone in her body. She tripped, she shouldn't have been carrying it anyways."
"I'm not saying she didn't trip I'm just debating whether it was on purpose or not."
It was just like Bertie to take Virginia's side and to be honest Edith wasn't sure if she could entirely blame him. After all Virginia was his blood Marigold was just his wife's baggage, a painful reminder of the love affair she had with another man.
Deciding to change the subject she skimmed the room once again to find said painful reminder. She had changed now, into a plain lilac summer frock. Edith had reminded Marigold thousand of times of the proper attire for the seasons but she never seemed to care, or perhaps she did care. Perhaps she cared all too a little much, she realized then that the frock wasn't a simple slip of mind but rather calculated-her forgotten daughter's silent rebellion.
Which to be honest was a lot less than she deserved.
She watched her for a little longer now. Her eldest daughter had found a place amongst the crowded room to stand beside her eleven year old brother. She looked somber, most likely attempting to forget this evenings earlier betrayal. All of a sudden her son leaned over and whispered something in his sisters ear, she instally frowned.
Suddenly her eyes cast to Virginia and the debate captain.
James had done that on purpose. He had wanted to hurt her...painfully and brutally just like his older sister had earlier this evening. They always wanted to hurt her-because she was different... no that wasn't true it was because of the lie (Edith) she had told.
Her mind drifted back to another fall evening not much unlike this one.
The ten year old giggled collapsing back onto her mother's bed. Pure joy had streached over the girl's face as she snuggled closer to her mother's breast finding a safe and comfy home.
"Are your feet hurt from dancing too Mama?"
Edith shrugged cuddling her child just a little closer. "Not too bad. I didn't dance as hard as you though. I'm too old for such a thing..."
"You are not Mama."
"I'm past forty."
"Grandmama is past 60."
It was just like her oldest daughter to always try to mend wounded feelings. A born fixer of broken hearts...
"You're sweet you know that?"
round grey eyes wandered over to the vanity table mirror now and Edith knew she had lost her daughter's attention.
"Mama?"
"Yes my darling."
She twirled a strand of curly brown hair around her finger then paused. "Do you think my real mother had brown hair-or well I suppose you're my real mother since you raised me and all-but the woman who gave birth to me that is."
Her heart stopped. Her daughter's real mother... the fabricated lie she had used to save both their reputations. It killed not being able to tell her beloved little girl that she was her flesh and blood. A day didn't go past when she didn't want to to tell her. Yet she couldn't...for everyone's sake...
"My Darling are you quite all right?"
"I-" She shook her head snapping herself out of her daydream. "Yes just thinking I suppose."
"Do you think we got her enough presents?"
"Of course we did. It took her nearly an hour to open them."
He squeezed her shoulders tighter then cast his eyes over to Virginia. "Do you know who that boy is?"
"Yes."
Marigold had spent hours telling her about the handsome debate star. She knew almost every detail about the boy, his impressive winning streak at the school finals, how he had ever the slightest lazy eye, hell she even knew that his favourite food was baked beans with toast. Marigold had idolized him for the last three months now-Virginia hadn't even known his name.
"Edward Bletchly..." She sighed relaxing back into her husbands arms. "He's nice enough..."
Not nice enough to not lead a girl on then dance with her younger sister but nice enough she supposed.
"How do you know him?"
"Marigold is practically in love with him."
He rolled his eyes then mumbled something unilltengable beneath his breath. "Marigold, Marigold, Marigold. God I wish you would stop talking about her for once. It's Virginia's birthday after all..."
"Sorry. I just can't help but feel bad for her. She's such a sweet child and the other children do have a tendency to-"
Suddenly she felt another tap on her shoulder. She turned meeting the smiling freckled face of her niece.
"Sibby!" She immediately hugged the girl pressing an eager kiss to her cheek. "You arrived!"
"Da and I nearly missed the train but we made it just the same."
She couldn't help but smile looking at the girl, a perfect incarnation of her mother. Dark hair barely touched her shoulders framing her heart shaped face perfectly. She was tall and slender yet curved at the waist just like how Sybil had been back when she had been alive. Edith couldn't help but grin thinking how similar her niece was to her late sister.
She squeezed the girl tighter then pulled away fighting back a smile. "How's college?"
"Fine, the work isn't so bad and I've met some good people."
She nodded allowing her gaze to slip over to her daughter. She looked increasingly upset since seeing Virginia dancing with that boy and was now by herself in the corner, melancholingly munching away on the corner of a roast beef sandwich. Every bone in her body ached to go over there yet she knew she couldn't, not with company over that was...
"That's fine..." She tore her gaze away from Marigold then forced a smile. "It's always important to have friends."
"Very and speaking of which I should find Virginia. The last time we spoke I told her I would take her and a few of her friends for a ride in the car. To the ice cream parlour downtown."
"What about Marigold?"
"Oh yes Marigold." The other girl smiled then shrugged. "I almost forgot about her."
Yes almost forgotten about. Marigold was always forgotten, always shoved away to the corner and dismissed for more beautiful and brighter things. Nothing more than a burning star in a room full of suns...just as she had been once...
