Thank you so much for your enthusiastic comments! It was interesting to see that though most readers wanted James to die, a creative few found ways of making him suffer for a long time.
Chapter-32
The next few hours pass in a blur of people coming and going, and pain, also coming and going.
Carlisle arrives sooner than I had imagined was possible. Edward and Alice had helped me to my room and made me lie down, but I could not find a comfortable position. Had it been this bad when Lizzie was born? I can't remember.
My uncle assures me that though it is early, it is not unusual as far as babies are concerned, and he or she will be fine. Meanwhile, Mrs Stanley has sent for Molly, the village midwife, and she joins him in the assurance. They also concur that there is a little time for the babe to come into this world, so Carlisle and Edward leave me to the care of the midwife and the housekeeper, with Alice hovering in the background, ready to do their bidding.
At any rate, I prefer my uncle not to be in the room when the baby is being born. Unless it is an emergency, of course.
Mrs Stanley leaves me now and then to supervise the kitchen and the servants, but always comes back to sit by me. She asks me if I would like my mother to be here, but I tell her that it would be better to inform my parents after things are more settled in the household. I have not forgotten that Jasper is injured and James…Well, I don't know what state he is in, but I hope he is at least unconscious.
Alice skips out for a few minutes and comes back to report that Carlisle is checking up both of them. And James is definitely out cold.
Molly the midwife goes to the kitchen to get a cup of tea, and I take the opportunity to ask Mrs Stanley if she can be trusted to keep the things she hears to herself. The servants must be talking among themselves after witnessing the scene in the hall.
"I wonder what happened to James," I say softly, my throat still feeling the effect of his attack. "Did Edward hit him with something?"
Mrs Stanley looks almost coy, which I would have deemed impossible for her. "It was Mister Stanley. He hit Lord James with a brass candelabra."
My mouth falls open with shock. Mr Stanley, our prim and proper butler, hit James? A servant hitting his lord is almost unheard of, even to protect himself. Look at poor Jasper, all beaten up because he could not stop James attacking him.
She hastens to explain. "He would not have let you go otherwise, my lady. He was bent on strangling you, wasn't he? I think he had lost his mind completely."
"Oh, I don't mind that Mr Stanley hit him," I say quickly. "I am only surprised that he did. I am sure Edward will reward him handsomely for saving my life!"
She protests that a reward is not necessary, as it is their duty to serve us. "Nobody likes Lord James anyway," she adds, an expression of disgust crossing her face. "I cannot tell you, my lady, what a relief it was to have Lord Anthony take over the running of this place from his father. There was no maid whose virtue he did not seek to destroy, nor a man who was not thrashed at his hand one time or other when Lord James was the master here. He even had the gall to proposition my daughter when she was only fifteen!"
For a second I forget my pain as my eyebrows climb up my forehead. "He did not even care that you and your husband were here with her? Did he have no shame?"
She snorts loudly. "Shame! That man does not know the meaning of the word. We guarded our daughters as long as they were here, for none of us trusted him. It was only when they were married and away from here that we could stop worrying."
Molly returns then, with the news that James is still unconscious, and Carlisle has cleaned Jasper's wounds and bandaged them.
"He has tied his middle too, as a couple of his ribs are broken," she continues, and I see Alice wince in sympathy. "It is a wonder none of his bones are broken as well, the way Lord James used that cane on him."
That reminds me of something James had been screeching while thrusting that daguerreotype in Edward's face. Did he mean that Jasper was more to Anthony than his valet?
But that is something I can ask only Edward. And this is not the time for that.
Another wave of pain engulfs me, and I forget everything else but trying to breathe through it. The midwife examines me and pronounces that I might be ready in an hour or two.
Edward comes in to confirm that Jasper has been made comfortable and is sleeping peacefully. He sits with me, looking awkward and helpless as I pant through another bout of cramping and squeeze his hand with both of mine. He apologises for putting me through this suffering, making me smile. Ever since this world has housed man and woman, it is the woman's lot to bear pain so the next generation can come into being. Why should I be any different?
Finally the midwife announces that I am ready to give birth and requests Edward to wait outside. He kisses my forehead and then leaves reluctantly, after confirming from Molly that Carlisle is not needed here.
Thankfully it does not take too long, maybe twenty or thirty minutes. Molly takes care of me while Mrs Stanley cleans the babe using the boiled water that Alice had brought earlier. Alice herself had been dismissed from the room at the last moment as she is an unwedded girl and as such should not witness childbirth.
When she is allowed inside, she brings me a washcloth so I can wipe my face and arms, and brushes my hair and braids it neatly. The prevalent custom among the upper class is to let a maid care for the babe while the mother rests, but I am too impatient. Therefore, as soon as I have changed my clothes and Alice has changed the bedsheet, my baby is handed to me.
Even though the father is supposed to wait for a while before seeing the baby and the mother, I ask Mrs Stanley to allow Edward in, even if for five minutes. I know he must be pacing outside and probably pulling at his hair.
I am proven right as soon as the door is opened. Edward is standing right there, waiting, and when he enters his eyes are flashing and his hair in disarray.
"Lord Edward, please come and meet your son, the Viscount Masen," announces Mrs Stanley with a smile. Yes, we have the heir James had been clamouring for, only he is unable to meet him.
I hope it will remain so.
Edward sits by me and envelopes both of us in his arms, his eyes closed and his expression devout as his lips murmur heartfelt thanks to the heavens. The others leave the room, giving us some time together.
When he opens his eyes they are shining with unshed tears, but he is smiling warmly. Then he kisses both of us and thanks me for bringing more joy into our life. He touches the soft cheek of our son gently with his forefinger.
"He is so beautiful," says Edward, marvelling at the perfection of his tiny features. "Did you see his hair?"
"Mrs Stanley gave him to me swaddled like this," I answer, "but she said it was a dark blond. And he has blue eyes, but so did Lizzie when she was born. They became green only after she was six months old."
Edward nods in understanding. "And everything is all right with him? There is no problem because he came early?"
'No, no problem," I assure him. "Molly said he might sleep a lot, but babies do that anyway. Everything is fine with him."
As if to prove it, our little baby opens his eyes and looks at us. And then he opens his mouth and lets out a lusty cry.
Edward laughs. "He certainly has a good set of lungs on him!"
"I suppose he is hungry," I say, fidgeting a little. "I should, uh, feed him."
Edward gets the hint. "Of course. I will leave you to it then. Are you sure you don't want a wet nurse for the nights? You will get more rest if you don't have to wake up every two hours."
I shake my head. We have discussed this before, and my decision remains unchanged. "I will manage. It is not as if I have much to do otherwise."
This is true. Except for feeding the babe, I can rest as much as I like. I don't have to clean the house, cook food or wash clothes like a peasant. There is some advantage of being rich!
His eyes are soft as he looks at both of us. "I love you, both of you." He kisses me again and then goes out of the room.
Molly goes home, Mrs Stanley sends me a nourishing meal and Alice hovers, ready to help me in any way required. Edward comes back and tells me that messages have been sent to my parents as well as his mother. They will visit us tomorrow.
The rest of the visitors, mostly from our social circle, will be invited to meet the baby at the christening ceremony when he turns a month old. There are a few others, like my aunt and my sister, who may visit us after two weeks. It is better for an infant to have as few people around as possible, especially outsiders.
Edward also tells me that Carlisle has tried everything to bring back James to consciousness, but has been unsuccessful so far. It is possible that he has suffered some internal injury.
Am I wicked to think this is a good thing? I should be praying for his health, but I can't bring myself to do it. After all, he did try to kill me!
"Did you really give that ring to Jasper?" I ask curiously.
Edward looks uncomfortable. "Yes." He clears his throat before proceeding further. "You must have figured out by now that he was the man Anthony loved?"
"I had imagined it would be another nobleman," I confess. "But the more I think about it, the more sense it makes. The picture…"
"Was a gift from Anthony to Jasper," he nods. Then his eyes turns wary. "I didn't tell you earlier because it would have saddened you even more, and Jasper was going to leave anyway. I knew he wouldn't be able to live here when Anthony's memories were scattered everywhere. Are you…angry with him?"
I sigh heavily. "I should be, but I am not. In a way, Anthony was never mine; he loved Jasper but was too scared to do anything about it. If anything, I feel pity for Jasper. I suffered for years but I have you now, and the rest of our life together. He has nothing but memories, probably very bitter ones."
It's true. If I had known about Jasper while Anthony was alive, I would have hated him, hated both of them. But now I don't want to waste a single moment in either hate or regret. What is done is done, however wrong it was. Right now, I want to live only in the present.
"Have you spoken with the servants about James?"
He sighs. "Yes, they are ready to swear on their life that they know nothing of what happened in the hall. I am not sure what I will tell James when he wakes up. Maybe that I was the one who hit him because he assaulted you. He can't blame me for trying to protect you, can he?"
"Do you think he will tell people about Anthony, and what he did?" This is what scares me. The scandal will destroy our family.
Edward says he doubts that, but I think he is worried nevertheless. This is something that will be decided only after James regains consciousness.
Thankfully, he never does. The next morning, I wake up to a relieved Edward informing me that James passed away during the night.
News will be sent to our friends and acquaintances that he was ill when he arrived at the estate, and lost consciousness soon after. It must have been some kind of infection that he picked up during his hasty travel to the estate. Carlisle even finds some fancy-sounding name that seems to fit the symptoms James was showing last morning!
Mr and Mrs Stanley will have a talk with the servants so that they concur with the story that Edward and Carlisle have concocted. If any of the guests ask, they will be told that James arrived here with a high fever and spouting nonsense. Even blood-letting didn't help.
Elizabeth comes to see me before my mother does. When she comes to know that James is dead, she actually smiles. But when Edward tells her how he had attacked me, she turns pale with anger. If James wasn't already dead, I believe she would have gone and murdered him right then!
We can't tell her the whole truth, therefore we stick to James having lost his mind or being possessed by some wicked spirit. It is probably not far from the truth.
When my parents arrive, we ask Maggie to bring Lizzie as well. She is wide-eyed with wonder that the baby is here, but a little disappointed that he doesn't talk or play with her. Still, she is determined to be the best big sister and teach him everything she knows, including brushing his teeth properly.
"You will have to wait a bit for that, sweetheart," says my mother as she strokes Lizzie's soft hair. "He doesn't have any teeth yet."
This worries my daughter a lot. "How is he going to eat anything then?" she asks.
"He will drink milk until he grows teeth," I answer.
"But then, how will he grow up?" she asks, sincerely concerned. "Miss Maggie tells me that eating my vegetables will make me strong and big. Will the baby remain the same size until he grows teeth and eats vegetables?"
We smile but try not to laugh at her statement. Maggie explains to her that infants get all their nutrition in milk, but once they grow a bit, they need other food just like Lizzie does. This satisfies her for now. I have no doubt that she will have new questions every day regarding her brother.
James is given a grand funeral, with the whole village attending. I can't imagine anyone is sad over his death though. He lived a life where he and only he was important, and had no sympathy for anyone else. In fact, if anybody remembers him, it will be for his cruelty and his dictator-like ways.
As you sow, so shall you reap.
A.N. : Do you think James had an easy death? I could have dragged it, but as long as he was alive, the Masen household would have been on pins and needles.
I did not mention Charlie in Bella's room because he wasn't expected to be there, being a man. He will meet the baby later on, at the christening ceremony.
There are some threads to be tied yet, but that will happen in the epilogue. And if there is anything you would like to read as an outtake, either past or future, please let me know. Perhaps an EPOV of a certain incident or chapter?
Important Reminder: If you have not read the entries for P.S. I Love You fanfiction contest, please take some time and visit the page. There is a lot of variety there in how these three words can be said! Voting begins on the 4th.