CH 7: Light in the Shadows
"Must you leave now, Leticia? Desmond hasn't even returned from Boston!"
Leticia looked up at Flora with tearful eyes, yet she found that she couldn't hold her gaze. Glancing miserably down at the floor, she mumbled, "I'm sorry, luv, but I 'ave to… Desmond wouldn't want me anymore, anyway. Who could ever want a wife who can't even bear a son?"
Flora gave her a pained look. "Leticia, I'm truly surprised at you – since when has Desmond's love ever waned? If anything, I've found that tragedy only brings you two closer together."
"I jus' buried me son, Flora – I'd rather not speak a' tragedies right now, if ya don't mind" Leticia whispered, a lone tear trickling down her cheek as she gazed upon the cradle in the far corner. Flora had given it to her and Desmond as a present, but now it seemed that there would no longer be any use for it. Hugging herself for comfort, Leticia added, "Please tell Constance ta ready the carriage… I won't be leavin' for a few hours, but it'd still make me feel better knowin' I could leave at any time."
"Then…there's no convincing you to stay?" When Leticia shook her head, Flora bitterly glanced down at the floor before agreeing, "Very well, then…I'll get Constance to ready the carriage."
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When Desmond returned to Rose Cottage, he appeared to be no more enthusiastic than a man entering death row. Then son he'd longed for was now gone, and he'd never even gotten a chance to say goodbye.
Hanging his coat up in the foyer, Desmond absently re-adjusted his ascot before heading for the stairs, tears blurring his vision once he realized that Leticia was surely blaming herself for all that had transpired. His wife was a very delicate woman, so the harrowing thought of her possible condition was enough to make him tremble.
"Leticia?"
Cautiously pushing open their bedroom door, Desmond's heart lurched at the sight of her weeping over the cradle, one of the child's promised stuffed animals being held tightly within her grasp. "Oh, Leticia…"
With her head bowed, the performer barely even acknowledged her husband as he entered the room. Stroking the toy's head, she asked, "Whaddaya doin' 'ere, luv? I…I was 'opin' ta leave before ya came back – far less painful that way."
"But why?" Desmond demanded, by now clearly alarmed. "Have I done something wrong?"
Leticia regarded him with a tearful smile, only to immediately shake her fair head. "You, luv? Never… It's me who's done somethin' wrong, so I decided ta walk outta your life an' give ya a chance ta find someone else before it's too late."
"Tisha…" Placing a hand against Leticia's cheek, Desmond forced her to return his gaze before inquiring, "Is that what this is all about? You think I don't want you in my life because you had a miscarriage?" Shaking his head, Desmond insisted, "Tisha, we can always try again…"
"But it took so long in the first place!" Leticia mournfully interrupted. "If ya want a son, an' I know thatcha do, please allow me ta walk out so ya can get jus' that!"
"Leticia, I don't know how I can convince you of the fact, but I'm in love with you and only you – if I were to allow you to leave as you wish, I'd be miserable." Stroking her cheek, Desmond whispered, "I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm a selfish man when it comes to you…you're all I've ever wanted. Hell, all I've ever needed – if you never get pregnant again, so be it, because I can imagine life without a child long before I could ever imagine one without you."
Leticia gazed up at her husband with an incurable touch of love, her hands coming up in order to frame his face as she breathed, "Ya really mean all that, luv? You're willin' ta try again, even if I'm never able ta give ya a son?"
Pressing his forehead to hers, Desmond nodded before revealing, "As long as I've got you, the woman I love most, my life can never be unfulfilled."
"Then I'll stay" Leticia softly agreed. "For you."
Embracing one another with a fervent tenderness, the couple held one another amidst their tears and conceded that they could always try again. The sorrows of 1843 would never be forgotten, but with a love as strong as theirs, they knew all the pain and anguish would one day be overcome.
A/N: Welp, that's it! 'Twas fun while it lasted, but I've still got two other stories to write. Bah. lol
