Hey. How's it going? Here's the next chapter as promised. Pamela Travers is finally going to enter the story. In case you haven't heard, she's Bert's half sister. She is much younger than he is. I figure they have different fathers, and they are nothing alike. Let's see how she and Mary react to each other shall we.

When I was eight and a half months pregnant Bert sent for his half sister, Pamela, to come and stay with us. At the time she was eleven and would be good company for Jane. We had never met before, she and I, and I was anxious to please her. Bert's father died when he was about fourteen and his mother married again a few years later. Pamela was born from this union. They were not close by and means and yet he hoped they would become so.

As I said, I was anxious to please her. I decorated the guest room in a pretty shade of pastel blue Bert said was her favorite, and on the eve of her arrival I spent hours on my feet in the kitchen trying to make her favorite meal by hand, no magic included.

All of my lovely preparations were in vain however. The moment Pamela entered our beautiful home she began to complain and I could see by the way she looked at me that she did not approve of her brother's choice to take me as his wife at all.

"You're Mary?"

"Yes. Welcome to our home Pamela. It's so nice to finally meet you."

"I wish the feeling was mutual." I bristled at the comment but did not retort.

"Shall I show you to your room."

"I suppose so. I do hope it's on the first floor."

"Oh I am sorry. We've put you on the second floor next to Jane."

"Who is Jane?" She asked quickly.

"Our niece. Come along." She nodded and then focused on my stomach.
"Just how far along are you? I know you've only been married about four months."

"Yes, I'm afraid we got a little ahead of ourselves in that department. It doesn't really matter though. We're both quite anxious for the baby to be born." She laughed and we walked quickly up to her room, although she did continue to pick on me.

Bert tried desperately to sway her. He tried to show her why he had fallen in love with me in the first place, but Pamela was adamant about her dislike for me. I was a cold petulant woman who had put her dear brother under a spell and nothing either of us said could change that.

Even with all the stress put on me by Pamela, I was anxiously awaiting the birth of our child. Bert was convinced it was a boy, and I was just as convinced that I was carrying a girl. We began to seriously contemplate names. We agreed on Nicholas if it was a boy, but we couldn't agree on the name for a little girl. Bert liked Adelaide or Madeline. I was hoping for Emily.

Pamela discounted all of these names from the very beginning, especially Emily. As it turns out she hated the name and did not want her niece to be forced to deal with such a dreadful thing. Personally I thought it was a beautiful name, a name I had adored since I was a little girl. Bert liked it as well. He just happened to prefer Adelaide and Madeline.

One would expect my husband to choose a side in the arguments Pamela and I often had, but he never did. He preferred instead to remain neutral, like Switzerland. If he sided with me he knew Pamela would be angry and if he took her part he knew I would be so he didn't take either. He said very little about the arguments, and often sat quietly behind his newspaper smoking his pipe, while I sewed spinner silk into a very fine christening gown and Pamela and I exchanged barbs, mine always a great deal better than hers.

Of course living with us Pamela was bound to notice the magic I had lived with for twenty-six immortal years. Bert knew of my gift and had since the day we met really. He saw it as such and he promised it made me so much more irresistible to him. Pamela was a different matter. She saw it as a defect, something to be dealt with as quietly as possible and with luck it wouldn't pass to my unborn child.

Well there you are. Obviously they do not care for each other. In the next chapter something is done about Bert's mortality and Mary goes into labor. Read and Review and I'll update quickly.

Love

Alycia