The Hockley's- Hearts Betrayed

By HL Griffiths

The Hockley's - Hearts Betrayed

Chapter Two

"Crosswinds" Hockley Home, Philadelphia

In the year 1913 – August

The morning after the cotillion Emily Hockley rose early, she had slipped away early to her bedroom. The rest of the Hockley's had partied until the early hours. The sound of the music floating up faintly to her room where she lay on the bed tears slipping down her face.

Fate had been cruel, she lay quietly bemoaning her life.

All she could feel was this inexplicable pain in her heart, a vast sadness, thinking of her sweet Gerard lost to her forever, their conversations and caresses playing through her head, she could see his kind brown eyes, his delicate kisses and his tenderness all she had to sustain her through these dark days of her marriage to Caledon. An enigma of a man... a stranger to her.

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Emily walked slowly, her fine blonde hair in a thick braid down her back; she walked silently in bare feet fearing to wake people up, a soft violet dressing robe round her slight form. She looked like a young child. Emily touched her stomach. Her weight had fallen off after the birth of her twins in July.

Another cross to bear. She should have been ecstatic after the birthing of her children. She had been unconscious for most of the birth but it had been relatively easy.

The midwife had been excellent and had been assisted by Sylvie who had been supportive. Emily could not look Sylvie in the face, to meet her questioning looks why she had cheated on Gerard. Every pitying glance was like a knife in her guilty soul.

She longed to grab Sylvie and tell her the awful truth, that Caledon had abused her that she still loved Gerard and always would and that she had been weak and should have told Gerard the truth. He would have found a way and protected her and her children from Caledon.

The twins, Caledon's twins. Baby Vaughn born first, surprisingly fair coloured with large wide startling expressive eyes, a quiet easy baby.

Sylvie had told her after that Caledon and Nathan was shocked that the Male Hockley baby was fair; she said Nathan's eyes had widened in almost horror and he had shouted that he did not want any Tremaine blood tainting the Hockley bloodline and had marched from the room in disgust...

Tremaine being the family name of Cals long dead tragic mother. Evidently, Nathan and Cals mother had not had a happy marriage. No one knew anything of her. Cal never mentioned her. She had died when Cal was nine.

The boy baby was hurriedly passed and wrapped up so the Nurse could care for him.

Then Vaughn's sister, feistier and definitely, a Hockley arrived. She came out screaming lustily. Dark hair on her head, the eyes like Cals and Nathan's.

Cal had grabbed the yelling baby off the Nurse when she had been cleaned up and wrapped in a blanket and paced up and down with her and gazed at her lovingly.

"Hello Vivienne" he whispered almost tenderly to his daughter. Both babies' names already decided by Nathan. Vaughn Nathan for the boy and Vivienne Marie for the girl.

"She looks like me" he had exclaimed and was hooked; he totally ignored exhausted Emily lying in bed. Sylvie had quietly brought the male twin to her and placed him in her arms. Emily felt a rush of love for her son who gazed her with serene but knowing eyes. No one offered her Vivienne to hold.

Her sweet cuddle with the baby who was so tiny and perfect was interrupted by Caledon instructing the nurse to remove the baby from Emily.

Emily had protested and had tried to hold Vaughn tightly but Cal cut across her and spoke in harsh tones.

"Emily, don't get too attached to the babies, the wet nurse will take care of them from now on, and Mrs Moore the new nanny will be their primary carer. I will not have you hanging round the nursery interfering, your role is to be my wife not a nursemaid."

Emily had dissolved in silence and cried copiously, feeling the agony of her children being wrenched from her and what was to come for them in the future

Sylvie standing at the door of the bedroom had felt tears prick her eyes. Caledon treated Emily badly, what man would deny a mother her newborn children. Nathan Hockley would! He thought children should be brought up to be strong and proud. To be Hockley's!

Sylvie longed to say something but from years of being Nathan's wife she knew you did not speak out against Nathan's wishes Caledon would do what his father demanded.

A long ago memory stirred in Sylvie's mind, of something Nathan had said to her years before just before their marriage. He had told her he had separated Caledon from Demelza his mother when he was born because he did not want Demelza spoiling Caledon.

She had through at the time that had been cruel and had made sure when her son Gerard was born she was the power in the nursery and had a great deal to do with Gerard's upbringing.

She loved Nathan but he was not easy, but because she supposed because she was the only woman Nathan had ever loved and respected, he was more lenient and tolerant and let her bring up Gerard.

Caledon had no love for Emily that was clear. Emily was going to have a hard time of it with regards to having a role with these children. Sylvie wiped a tear away and walked away quietly.

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Emily stealthy reached the door of the nursery suite, if she was lucky Mrs Moore the hatchet faced stern Nanny would not be around, she might be able to sneak a look at her twins, her heart aching to see them, hold them. She tried not to think of them; to miss them and want them too much as it tore her apart when she could not be with them

Their was a light shining under the crack of the door, the door ajar, Emily peeked round the edge silently.

To her surprise there was Caledon stood in his dressing robes, in his arms he held his sleeping daughter tenderly in his arms Vivienne sound asleep, Cal was singing quietly to her, his face relaxed and kind,. Emily was stunned, this was a side of Cal she had never seen, he genuinely loved Vivienne.

Suddenly Emily leant too heavily on the door and it creaked open revealing her stood there staring at him. Caledon whipped round and annoyance flashed on his brows. His dark eyes narrowing with disgust as she saw her.

"Emily!" he snapped "What are you doing spying on me?" he accused. Emily was struck dumb with terror as she often was with him. His cutting tones reducing her to a quivering wreck.

At her fathers harsh voice Vivienne opened her baby eyes and wailed loudly in protest.

"Look what you've done" Caledon shouted. Emily started to shake, words failing her.

At his sisters loud cries Vaughn's own shrieks joined the melee.

Emily hearing him was instinctively pulled forward to his crib, ignoring Cals demands she slipped over to him and picked Vaughn up holding him tightly to her chest, on being cuddled by his mother Vaughn stopped and was still and contented.

Vivienne carried on screaming. Cal shouted, "Look what you've done, I told you to leave them alone!"

"What's going on?" Mrs Moore the Nanny appeared in a thick brown robe, her grey hair still in her nightcap. She blinked surprised at the sight of Emily Hockley stood pale holding Vaughn tightly to her. Mr Hockley stood stony faced with Vivienne in his arms; the looks he was giving Mrs Hockley were of pure hatred

"I'll take Miss Vivi," she said. Caledon shoved the baby at Mrs Moore who laid the crying mite back in her cot.

"Put Vaughn back in his crib" he spat at Emily loudly She automatically turned and placed the baby woodenly back in his bed. Tears shining in her eyes, the rush of love she had for him overwhelming her, he was most definitely her baby, he responded to her. The girl child just shrieked when she had tried to hold her.

"I'll get their bottles on Mr Hockley" Mrs Moore said, "Mary will be along to help in a moment"

"Mrs Hockley won't be bothering the babies again," Cal said tightly.

Cal turned to Emily, silence between them, the tension palatable.

He grabbed Emily's arms roughly and pulled hard and she left with him.

In the corridor, the nursery door shut Cal released Emily's arm, they looked at each other Cals eyes burning with anger. Emily's with fear.

This girl was so stupid; he had told her not to interfere with the twins. Father had warned him that her type of insipid woman corrupted the minds of such young children and made them like her.

Especially his son, the blondeness of Vaughn and his blue eyes starting to darken to a stormy grey, his gentleness and placidness made the boy not a typical Hockley. The child made him uncomfortable he could not relate to him he did not want his son a copy of his weak wife.

It was his Vivienne, who was the true Hockley his look alike daughter with all the fire and spunk.

Emily whispered sorry quietly and backed away from him hoping to escape.

Caledon's anger rose within him, he hated being married to her, she Gerard's spoils, he had only married because of the twins. He hated her pale blondness and softness. He thought of his Rose, passionate, red-haired and alive, oh, she had made him feel alive and Jack Dawson had stolen her.

The feelings of loss and pain made his vision blur

Emily gasped as Caledon lashed out and grabbed her roughly by the hair and twisted it. He pulled her roughly towards him and said into her face cruelly.

"Keep away from my children Emily, you bare just a chattel my property and will do what I want"

Tears fell down Emily's face. She dare not fight back not with him in one of his black moods.

He released her hair and grabbed her robe "Come with me! your my wife and you'll be my wife in every way" he roared and dragged her with him towards his room.

Emily's teeth chattered, there was not fighting him. She wished she was dead anything was better than this hell.