The next morning Martha walks down the stairs and saw me setting the breakfast table. "Morning Amelia" she said pleasantly. "Morning Aunt Martha, did you sleep well?" I asked.
"Yes quite well thank you" she responded. I nod my head and continue to set the table refusing to make eye contact. "I apologize if what I told you yesterday upset you my dear. I hope you know that that wasn't my intention" she told me.
I could hear it in her voice that she wasn't sorry and that she enjoyed to see my upset. But more importantly I could hear that that was her intention and I couldn't take it anymore.
I stop what I was doing and I glared up at her. "Let's stop beating around the brush I don't know what you are up to but nothing you can say nor do is gonna break me away from my father and brothers" I told her.
"Look here I'm only doing what your pathetic mother couldn't. This environment is unhealthy for a girl like you and it's improper" Martha told her.
"Why because you say it is or is it because it doesn't go by your standards of what is or isn't proper?" I asked her. She doesn't answer and I couldn't help but smirk.
"Well I got news for you Aunt Martha because I don't care because I love living her with my Pa and the boys. And to make this clear my mother would want me to be here with them" I told her.
"Not if I have anything to say about it" she told me and she slaps me across the face.
I heard footsteps walking on the stairs. I look up and I was relieved to see my Pa and brothers.
The look on Pa's face told me that he had seen and heard everything that just happen. Thank God! Pa with the boys quick on his heals walk over to us. I look over at Martha and I could see her trying to put an innocent look on her face.
"How dare you hit my daughter!" my father boomed loudly. "Ben I can explain she had it coming she was being a rude little brat. You should have heard the way she spoke to me such utter disrespect" Martha said trying to sound innocent.
"I heard what my daughter said and I also heard what you said. Amelia is my daughter and her well being is my affair not yours. I will raise her how I see fit" he said.
"Why a fool like my sister married you I would never know. If she had any brains at all she shouldn't have. The only reason you married Catherine was to get over the lost of your tramp of a wife Marie" Martha accused coldly.
"You Ben Cartwright are a disgrace and I hate how my niece is being brought up by you and your worthless scoundrels you call sons" said Martha.
"Don't you ever talk like that to my father again? My father is the most honorable man I have ever known. As for my brothers they are far from being scoundrels" I told her.
"I never had the pleasure of knowing Marie let alone my own mother but that doesn't mean that I don't consider Marie as my mother because I do and the same goes for Inger and Elizabeth. They each loved my father and married him. They each gave him his sons, my brothers so how can I not think of them as my mother's because my mother did the same thing for my brothers and father. Marie was a wonderful woman and she was a dear friend of my mother's that makes her all the more special to me" I told her.
"You haven't heard the last of me. This isn't over" Martha warned and then she storms out the door. I close my teary eyes and started to count to ten. I was still fuming over the things she had said.
"Amelia are you alright?" I heard Adam ask. I nod my head not ready to look up at them. I look up at my father. "Would Mama be ashamed of me for how I just acted?" I asked him.
Pa was surprise and walks over to me and hugs me. "Oh no darling your mother would be extremely proud of you just like I am"
I pull away from him and I look up at him. "What Martha said about you marrying my mother to get over Joe's that wasn't true was it?" I asked him. I knew it wasn't but I felt that I needed the reassurance.
"No honey it wasn't true. I fell in love with your mother and that's the only reason why I married her" he assured me. I smile then I turn to my brothers.
"I'm sorry boys for going off on Martha like that when she insulted you" I said to them. I walk over to Joe and I knew he was upset about how Martha talked about his Mama. I took hold of his hand and look at him.
"I'm sorry for what she said about your mother Joe" I told him. Joe looks at me surprise. "Don't worry about it and thank you for what you said about my mother it meant a lot to me more than you can know" Joe said with tears of pride in his eyes.
I reached up to him and wrap my arms around his neck. I whisper softly in his ear telling him that I love him. He whispers back to me telling me that he love me too. After a few minutes we pulled away from each other.
"Pa what do you think Martha is gonna do?" asked Hoss. "I don't know Hoss but whatever it is we best keep our eyes open. Martha is capable anything" Pa said.