A/N: Hey, just a heads up, this chapter mentions childbirth, dying in childbirth, and losing a child. If any of that is going to trigger you, don't read. Also, this chapter has some Period typical views (the late 1800s) on marriage and having children outside of wedlock.
Chapter Seven: Illegitimate
"She demanded to know about your twin brother." Papa's words echoed through my head, a twin brother, I have a twin brother?
"I have a twin brother?" I demanded, "First I'm adopted, now I have a twin brother?"
Isabela snorted, "No, that's how they knew that I hadn't read Mama's journal. I would have known that you weren't a twin if I had read it."
"Okay," I said slowly, turning to my mama, "Why did Isabela think that I was a twin?"
Mama sighed, "You know how you are actually Bruno's daughter, right?"
"No, not really, you haven't explained that to me yet," I pointed out, "We were going to talk about it after lunch."
"Right," Mama muttered, "We haven't re-explained that to you yet," she sighed, "I guess we can explain it now," she said, everybody nodded in agreement.
"I like the story," Antonio announced, I just can't believe how tall he is, "It's even better than the story of how we got the miracle."
"Why's that Tonito?" Abuela asked.
"Mirabel's in it," Antonio stated matter of factually.
The family chuckled at the young boy, I guess he hasn't changed much from what I can remember of him.
"So, why did Isabela think that I had a twin brother," I asked, "It isn't Camilo, right?"
"Hey," Camilo snapped as Dolores snorted next to him.
"No, it wasn't Camilo," Mama said, sighing slightly, her face falling slightly, making her look sad. What was wrong, what had caused her to be so sad, so suddenly?
"Mama?" I called out, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, it's just hard to think about," Mama said, "The night that you were born, I..." Mama's voice cracked, "I lost a baby…. A boy… he only lived a couple of hours… there was nothing that I could do for him. It hurt so badly, holding him, mi bebe, my little Pedro, and knowing that I would never see him grow up," Mama trailed off, wiping at her eyes as Papa squeezed her shoulders.
I opened my mouth but closed it again, I really didn't know what I should say after that revelation, or what I needed to say. No one spoke for a whole minute, as everyone was watching me. Obviously, the familia was waiting for me to say something, and respond to this new information. Of course, they were, this was old news to them, but new to her.
"So," I finally said, trying to piece together what I knew, "You lost a baby, so Tio Bruno gave you me instead?"
"It's more complicated than that, Mija," Tio Bruno insisted, "Giving you to Julieta was just as much for your benefit as for her."
"I keep hearing that," I admit, "Everyone keeps saying that, but I still have no idea why they keep saying that!" I was getting frustrated, they keep telling me it was for my benefit, but I still don't understand.
Tio Bruno sighed, "You needed a mother, Mija. I was only thinking about what was best for you."
"What happened to my real mother then?" I asked, "If you gave me to Julieta so that I could have a mother."
"She died," Tio Bruno insisted, his voice dropping low as he did so, "giving birth to you."
"Then why didn't Mama just help you raise me?" I asked, "Why did you give me up? Several women die during childbirth. It wouldn't have been a big deal."
"It's more complicated than that," it was Abuela that spoke up, surprising me, "Bruno was worried that if the Encanto knew that you were his daughter, his illegitimate daughter at that, they would treat you badly."
"Illegitimate?" I echoed, glancing at everyone with my eyebrows raised, honestly I'm surprised that I'm surprised at this new information. I should have realized that I was illegitimate when I first learned that Tio Bruno was my father. I mean, I've never, ever heard of him being married, there are no pictures of his wedding day. No pictures of him on a date, or anything like that. Of course, when he disappeared after my failed gift ceremony, Abuela put up all of the pictures with him in them. But everything made sense now, this was probably why I didn't get a gift when I was five. I wasn't a real Madrigal.
"What are you thinking Mija," Mama asked, concern in her voice as she looked at me.
"I'm Illegitimate," I muttered, "which means I'm not a legal Madrigal, I'm not a real Madrigal, that's why I didn't get a gift when I was five," I turned to glare at Tio Bruno, "It's all your fault," I announced as I stood up from the table and ran back upstairs.
… Bruno's P.O.V. …
I watched as my daughter ran upstairs. This wasn't the first time someone had speculated that Mirabel's illegitimate status might have played a role in her failed gift ceremony. Mama had suggested it when she first learned that Mirabel was my daughter, but at least Mama had tried to be tactful of the accusation. She knew that I would have married Ana if I just had the chance if her brother had just allowed us to. I wouldn't say that we were young, I was thirty-five at the time. I should have known better.
Mama was making an odd noise from her spot at the head of the table. I looked up at her to discover that she was trying her hardest not to laugh.
"What!" I demanded, "It's true isn't it?"
"It's not that, Mijo, it's..." Mama trailed off, "That glare, that tone of voice, how I never noticed that she was Ana's daughter was beyond me."
"Ay," Pepa pipped up, "She certainly got her stubbornness, and here I was blaming Juli for it for all these years."
"Ay," Felix said, "I have a feeling that we would have figured out the truth about Mirabel even if Isabela hadn't found Julieta's journal."
"You know, there were a few times that Tio and Tia mentioned that she was taking after Ana while growing up, especially right after her gift ceremony," Dolores admitted, "I never thought much of it. I can kind of remember Ana, and..."
"Honestly, I thought that Mirabel was Ana for a little while," Isabela interrupted, "She was three and she told me that I was just a kid and needed to stop working and play with her. I don't remember Ana that well, she died when I was six, but I do remember her telling me that just because I had my gift does not mean that I wasn't still a child."
Julieta and Agustin laughed, "I remember that day," Julieta insisted, "You told us all that Mirabel was really Ana Perez, and Bruno, poor Bruno, he was just sputtering."
"I thought she had somehow figured out about Ana and I," I protested.
The family lapsed into silence as Luisa stood up and took her plate to the sink. Now that we weren't laughing at how blind everyone was at not realizing that Mirabel took after her own madre when it came to personality. She took after me when it came to looks, accept her eyes, she had her mother's eyes.
"Well Bruno," Julieta finally spoke up, breaking the silence, "As much as I hate having to repeat this story again, I have no idea when Mirabel's memories are going to be back, if ever, and she has a right to know the truth."
I nodded, running my hand over my face before knocking on the table in front of me, "This would be so much easier if someone hadn't just told her that she was illegitimate," I confessed, shooting Mama a look.
Mama just gave me her I-don't-know-what-you're-talking-about-look, which Pepa obviously saw cause she snorted, "Honestly Mama, think for a moment, you've gone to church and school, what do they teach kids about illegitimates and their mothers? If you need a hint, Mirabel wasn't the first person to suggest that her illegitimacy was the reason that she didn't get a gift."
Mama's face drained of color as she formed a little circle with her lips, "Illegitimacy is something to be ashamed of, should be shunned," she muttered, rolling her eyes, "Everyone knows that the only reason that Mirabel was born outside of wedlock is that Rev. Perez refused to wed you. You made a mistake and tried to fix it."
"Did you just call Mirabel a mistake?" Agustin asked, his voice low and stern. There's a reason I allowed him to raise my daughter as his own.
"I hardly see Mirabel as a mistake," I added, "In fact, that girl is the best thing that ever happened to me."
"Look," Julieta said sharply, I bet if there wasn't a table between me and Mama that she would step between us, "The past is the past, maybe, technically, morally speaking, Bruno and Ana shouldn't have had Mirabel before getting married, but it happened. There is nothing we can do about it."
I absolutely love Julieta, I needed to remember to tell her that, she's the best big sister a guy like me could ask for. Unfortunately for me, Mama still had something to say about it, "You should have come to me, I could have helped you."
I snorted, that was almost funny, had Mama really forgotten how bad our relationship was? How bad it still is. Come on the whole Encanto knows that I don't really trust her. Love her, absolutely, but trust her, no, not at all. That trust was lost a long time ago, and she was still earning it back. That didn't even take into account Ana's relationship with Mama. I was too timid to really argue with Mama. Ana thrived on arguments.
"You would have helped Ana Perez join the family?" the fact that Dolores was the one who was speaking up spoke volumes about how bad they hated each other. Dolores had only been six when Ana had died.
"What does that mean?" Mama demanded.
"I might have only been six when she died, but that doesn't mean that I don't remember that Ana Perez was always getting after you about the way you were treating us. Heck, during your big argument with Mirabel I heard Papi tell Mami that it was like watching an argument between Ana Perez and you. It makes sense, seeing as she was her mother."
Mama actually laughed at that, "Ay, Ana was very outspoken, just like Mirabel, I truly was blind not seeing the similarities, both Julieta and Agustin are rather soft-spoken, at least compared to Mirabel."
"If she had survived childbirth," Julieta pointed out, "I'm sorry Mama, but even if Ana had been in Casita when she gave birth, I wasn't physically or emotionally able to help. She very well could have..." she trailed off, looking at me apologetically. I tried to give her a warm smile, and let her know that I was okay with her talking about it, but I could tell that Julieta saw through it, she always did.
"Discussing this here isn't doing us any good, the person we need to tell this to is upstairs," Agustin pointed out as he stood up.
Right, we did need to tell this to Mirabel.