The late afternoon sun was beginning to set in Biloxi, Mississippi. Though night was fast approaching, the air was still hot and thick with humidity. The white washed Victorian house that sat at the forefront of a large plantation was tainted red-gold by the dying light. In the shadow of the wraparound porch sat a beautiful woman with hair the color of sunset, a raven-haired child at her feet. The woman was rocking in her chair, humming to herself as she continued to embroider a white lacy pillow, which she rested on her stomach, large and round with pregnancy. Her ivory skin was pleasantly flushed and slightly pink, and her temper was better than it had been in years. She even gave the child at her feet a loving squeeze every now and then. Yes, Elizabeth was happier than she had been in a long time. She need only wait another two months or so before she had another darling child to hold and cuddle.
The child was happier than she had been as well. Little Mary Alice, so taciturn and withdrawn, had begun to take to her mother in a way she never had before. She sat at her mother's feet, sometimes playfully picking at her dress, sometimes playing with her dolls. She cooed softly and let her young imagination take hold as she imagined life in the future; a baby sister to play with, a mother that wasn't afraid of her, a father home more often. Life, little Mary surmised, would be better.
True, Elizabeth thought, the way in which she found out she was pregnant was a bit of a shock. Just when Elizabeth had presented her husband, Nicholas, with an ultimatum, little Mary, who Elizabeth had continually perceived as a blight on their otherwise perfect life together, had popped her head out around her bedroom door and asked what her baby sister would be named. Elizabeth remembered her and Nicholas turning, shocked, to stare at Mary until the girl, uncomfortable with being stared at, withdrew back into her room.
At first Elizabeth had refused to believe it, refused to grasp on to the little shred of hope that was waving its glorious self in her face. After all, Mary's episodes weren't always factual. But as the weeks went by, Elizabeth failed to have her womanly time. She brushed it off to stress; she still couldn't believe. Then another month went by without any sign. The hope was beginning to seep into her brain, permeating her thoughts like a gas leak, albeit, a happy one.
About that time the sickness came. She'd lay in bed all day, waiting for the sudden nausea to hit her like a blow to the stomach. She'd lean over and start retching into a pan. During these times, if she tried to stand, she'd faint and fall back into bed.
All of this she hid from Nicholas. She knew that he would jump to conclusions that would only hurt him in the long run. In truth, she hoped that this was a false alarm, that there was no baby, as much as she wished there was. Elizabeth knew her own sanity would break if, instead of being blessed with a rosy haired, green eyed baby, she was given another Mary.
So she kept her mouth shut. She had chicken blood planted on her undergarments, lest he decide to check. She put on her bravest face, and blamed fatigue whenever Nicholas questioned her days spent in bed.
One day, a month later, Nicholas and Elizabeth were preparing to make an appearance at the Christmas party hosted by the owner of the local bank. Nicholas was, naturally, ready before Elizabeth and he sat waiting impatiently in the foyer. "What could be taking this long?" he wondered, "she started getting ready three hours ago." Though, he wasn't particularly annoyed. Ever since the incident three months ago, he'd been reluctant to show any dissatisfaction with Elizabeth. The shame and guilt she had inflicted on him every time she'd laid eyes on him during that whole next month had thoroughly and properly humbled him.
Upstairs, Elizabeth was near having hysterics. "Anna!" she screeched, "Anna, where are you? What's taking so long?" She couldn't believe what was happening. None of her corsets fit. Anna, her faithful maid, could get none of them to lace up. So she'd sent Anna out to find longer lace, but that had been nearly ten minutes ago and Elizabeth could not afford to wait. After the fiasco of a party three months earlier, if they didn't go to this party, they would be forever shamed, dropped from the socialite ring for the rest o their natural lives. Longer, even! Heaven knows, gossip outlives even the oldest people. Crying and cursing everyone who'd be at the party, Elizabeth fretted and paced. Finally, Anna returned.
Empty handed.
Elizabeth couldn't believe it. "Where is the lace, Anna?" she screamed at the poor frightened girl.
"I…I couldn't find any, ma'am," Anna fretted, wringing her apron between her hands. And she couldn't, she really couldn't. She'd looked everywhere. She'd gone to the neighboring houses and asked the servants if they had any, but there seemed to be a shortage of lace throughout the area.
"Couldn't find any?" Elizabeth screamed. "Well, what do you want me to do, Anna? Go to the party with my buttons undone? Because without a corset they won't, you know!" Then the hysterical laughing started, "Well, that's it then, isn't it? We shan't go! Well, what choice do we have? Nicholas can't go without me, and I certainly can't go in this state! We shall be shamed. Permanently. We'll have to let you go, Anna, you know. We won't be able to afford having you, not after Nicholas is forced to quit. No, you'll have to go join a whorehouse or something. Little Mary will work in a factory, as shall I! My poor hands will turn rough, or perhaps I'll lose one in an unfortunate accident! Oh yes, all this shall befall my beloved family, and we'll all fall to ruin. All because you, my dearly devoted maid, couldn't find any lace!"
By this, Anna was in tears, and Elizabeth was near faint. Neither had heard the quiet, soft footed Mary enter. She'd stood watching her mother fret, and it had hurt her little heart. She may not have showed it, but she loved her mother very much, and would do anything to protect her. Stealthily, she walked up behind Elizabeth and pulled at her skirt. "Mother," she started.
Elizabeth cut her off, "Oh, not now. Mommy's busy." She tugged her skirt out of the girls little hands.
Mary stared at the floor for a moment, before starting up again, a little more forcefully than before: "Mommy, please. Just, wear one of your old dresses!"
Elizabeth looked at her in amazement. "My old dresses? Oh, you simple child! The only old dresses I've got are the ones I wore when I was pregnant with you! What would people say? They'd… heavens! They'd think I was pregnant again! "
Mary was steadily gaining her voice, "Then, tell them that you are!"
The wretched hope began to creep along the edges of her mind once again, but Elizabeth stomped it out firmly. "How would you know? You're just a child! You know nothing of things like this!" she screamed, losing her temper. Hysteria caught her as she turned sharply towards her daughter. Nausea started to build and her head started to spin. She saw Mary staring at her through those sapphire blue eyes, full of knowledge that shouldn't have been there. The bile began to rise in Elizabeth's throat and her vision started to blur. Loathing fogged her brain as she reached her hand out to slap Mary across the face. Before her hand made contact, however, the strength in her arm gave way, and it fell limply to her side. Her body began to sway, then her knees gave out and with a gasp, Elizabeth fell to the floor.
Anna rushed past Mary, who stood frozen at the doorway, downstairs to the parlor, where Nicholas sat waiting. "Sir, oh sir. Come quick. Missus Elizabeth has fainted, sir!"
Nicholas was up in a flash. "Fainted?" Within seconds, he was upstairs and running to his wife's apartments. Upon entering her rather large closet, he found little Mary sitting there, Elizabeth's head on her lap. Mary's face was serene as she stroked Elizabeth's copper hair into place.
"Don't worry, Daddy. The baby didn't get hurt."
By the time she finished, Nicholas was gathering Elizabeth in his arms to carry her to bed. "Baby, what baby?" he breathed. He laid Elizabeth down in her bed, turned to Anna and asked, "Anna, would you please run and get the Doctor for us?" Anna nodded her head and rushed downstairs, running to the Doctor's house in a panic for the second time in eight years.
Within fifteen minutes, the Doctor was there. Spectacles on, hair combed in place, his suit and tie immaculate, the Doctor paused briefly to shake Nicholas' hand and exchange niceties. Elizabeth still lay unconscious, oblivious to the panic in Nicholas's eyes, or the concern etched on the face of the doctor, as he pulled her eyelids up, felt the blood pulse on her neck, and gently examined her abdomen. His brow unfurled slightly as he noted the rounded, firmness of her belly.
He sighed and lifted his head. "Well, she'll be fine. Exhaustion is all. Women in your wife's condition shouldn't put themselves under such strain."
By this time Nicholas was utterly confused. "Condition? What… what condition?"
The doctor looked at him with questioning eyes. "What do you mean, 'what condition'? Your wife is near four months pregnant. Surely you knew?"
The news hit Nicholas like a battering ram to the head. A thousand thoughts flew through his mind at once. Was it true? A baby! Girl or boy? Why did Elizabeth not tell me? Will it put Elizabeth in danger? Mary had known…This last thought fluttered through his mind more often than any other.
Yes, her birthday had been four months ago. She'd asked about a baby… four months ago. Just now, she said the baby was fine. Could it be true? Had Mary truly known that Elizabeth was pregnant mere days after conception must have happened? No, it couldn't be. Had Elizabeth been right all along? Was their daughter the "freak" Elizabeth had accused her of being so often?
He turned his thoughts from his daughter, and tried to save face in front of the Doctor. "Oh, yes. Of course I knew. I was just… just shocked by what happened. Yes, we've known for a while now. Overjoyed! Yes, Mary will have a little brother or sister. Wonderful, isn't it?"
The Doctor wasn't sure he believed the man, but he didn't question it any farther. A good doctor doesn't pry into the personal life of his patients, after all. "Well," he said, as he stood up and prepared himself to leave, "send word to me when she wakes up. Tell her she needs plenty of bed rest."
Nicholas put on a wide smile, "Oh, yes, of course. Plenty of bed rest. Certainly." And with these flighty reassurances, he showed the Doctor to the door. As soon as the man was gone, Nicholas poured himself a glass of brandy and sank into his favorite armchair, his head reeling. No sooner, however, had the amber liquid wetted his lips than Mary's clear, bell like voice rang from downstairs, "Daddy, Mother's awake!"
Nicholas dried the sweat from his brow and made his way upstairs. Elizabeth was sitting up in bed, staring around in confusion. "Nicholas, what happened?"
With a bright smile, Nicholas sat on the edge of the bed and grasped Elizabeth's hand in his. "My dear, you fainted. The doctor says you're four months pregnant! How come you didn't tell me?"
Elizabeth's eyes widened. "Pregnant? Are you sure?"
Nicholas laughed, "Why, of course he's sure! But, dear, how could you not have known? I mean, shouldn't a woman… know these things instinctually?"
Elizabeth forced a smile and said, "I guess not." Then, after silence had hung over them for a second, she asked, "Do you think it's a boy or a girl?"
Nicholas opened his mouth to answer, but Mary cut him off: "It's a girl!" Her face was lit up, joyous at the fact that her mother would have to face what Mary had been trying to tell her for months now.
For the first time in years, Elizabeth's motherly instinct kicked in, and she beckoned Mary to sit on the bed, at which point she took the slight child in her arms, and kissed her hair. "A girl, is it? Well then, poppet, what should we name her?"
Mary's face went blank for a second, before she answered, "Cynthia!" Elizabeth and Nicholas exchanged looks before Nicholas said, "Cynthia? Well, Mary, I think that's a fine idea! But what about the party?"
Elizabeth smiled and said, "Well, my darling, you'll have to go without me. Tell everybody your beautiful wife is at home and resting, in order to make sure her new baby is as healthy as it can be!"
Yes, Elizabeth remembered fondly, that had been the start of a blessed, peaceful few months. As soon as word had been raised that Elizabeth Brandon was pregnant again, letters full of good wishes and inquiries into health had flooded their home. People seemed to forget the fiasco of a birthday party, and once again accepted the happy couple into their social circle.
The beautiful, young woman reached her arms down and playfully squeezed her daughter around her waist. She was thinking about the years to come, and the happiness they'd bring. She imagined herself forty, with two beautiful daughters married to the richest, most eligible men in the city, sitting back with Nicholas, enjoying the sunset together.
How very false these daydreams turned out to be.
