The Newborn (Prompt 1)
Gordon and Gladys thought nothing of it when Malcolm asked if they could come over and see the Ives's newborn baby. After all Gordon and Claire had came by when Peter was born two years ago. But this was different visit. Malcolm remembers back nine months ago, when Claire had came to him. She was pregnant and it was possible that it was his. So he was only here to see if the child had bared any resemblance to him. Gladys had her hair tied into a tight bun and applied make-up on. Their relationship was becoming estranged, and Gladys had already started sleeping in a different room. She saw no need to save face behind close doors. The hired help knew that the love that the Murrays felt for each other was gone, because of Sir Malcolm's trips to Africa. When he had came back from his latest trip, Gladys had announced that she was pregnant.
It was the same night that Claire announced hers as well.
So if anyway Claire's newborn child was his, that would mean that he was welcoming two children into the world. Malcolm had to wait as Gladys followed after him, the weight of pregnancy slowing her down. As he waited, he remember when the Ives had move in. At the time, he was still very much in love with Gladys. But something of a fascination pulled over him, when he met Claire. She was beautiful, with her long dark brown that freely flowed down and over her shoulders, unlike Gladys. Brown eyes that lit up in such a way that Gladys' did not. Claire's eyes were lively and of good nature, and didn't need a smile to brighten it. Gladys' eyes looked dead and dull, and only the help of a smile could brighten them. But even then, Gladys looked tormented and miserable. It could be that Malcolm had fell victim to the beast in him, the one that longed for challenge, something different. And Mrs. Ives provided that with her womanly curves, that contrasted greatly with Gladys' plumpness. The melody of her voice, that draw him in, not like Gladys of course, for she sounded too haughty and dull. It had started with pulling her to the side of a hidden corridor and stealing kisses. Then it continued into something more, Sir Malcolm craved to her very existence. He became madly enviousness and jealous of Gordon to catch such a beauty. Suddenly the feel of her lips wasn't enough, and the thoughts of being inside of her became something of a plague. Until he finally did, but not in the way he had hope.
He took her on the bench next to the fountain in the garden. It was sloppy and quick, something that a goddess like Claire shouldn't have to experience such love making. But it was better than nothing. Now she was pregnant, or rather given birth to a child that was possibly his. Gordon had opened the door, when Malcolm knocked, the man was smiling pleased that his dearest friends were here. Not knowing the betrayal that Malcolm and Claire caused, not knowing that the child that lay between his wife's arms may not be his. The suspense of it all, was nerve-wracking as they walked up the stairs towards the master bedroom. When Gordon pushed up the door, Malcolm's breathe caught in his throat. His beautiful goddess looked like a fallen, broken angel. She was deathly pale, and dark shadows were underneath her eyes, her glorious hair was sweaty and stuck onto her forehead. Mrs. Ives looked tired and worn, but the smiled that Sir Malcolm loved so much was there as she stared down at her child. His child, possibly.
Gordon urged the Murrays to get a closer look at the newborn, and they took the invitation immediately. But Malcolm's heart pounded, as each step he took got closer and closer towards his beloved. The footsteps caused Claire to look up, and her smile brighten even more at the sight of her lover. This had eased some of Malcolm's anxiousness, but made him realized that not once had the child cry out nor coo. It was silent like a stillborn. But those dark thoughts quickly vanished as he looked down at the child. It was indeed his. And the little girl couldn't have been more captivating. Her eyes were a pale blue as they flickered over to him and Gladys, there was a sense of calmness in them, as they bounced back in forth between the visitors and her mother. Malcolm could already tell what a beauty she would be, how dark her features would be as they oppose the day.
"Vanessa." Claire said, "I'm to name my baby girl, Vanessa Ives."
And a lovely name it was. Malcolm thought silently, as he looked down at his daughter.
They had stayed a bit, before Gladys declared that she was tired. The smile that Claire had worn, since the moment that the Murrays arrived, drop. She glanced at Malcolm in a flitting moment, before forcing a smile towards Gladys. She told the heavily pregnant woman, that she understood and hope that her own child would be born soon. And strangely Claire's wish came true, it was only a couple of days before Mina Murray was born. With her brown eyes and blond hair, Malcolm saw how his two daughter contrasted massively. And made him think of something, as he compare how Vanessa Ives differed from Mina Murray. And an adage came to mind:
The darkness comes before the dawn
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