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Chapter Forty-Two
Perfect Eyes
After a week the family was starting to get more into a routine. The girls were going to stay off a few weeks to help with the baby and Ethel was grateful for the extra pair of hands. Currently, Ethel was sleeping as she had been up with Prudence as she would not settle. As she slept her family looked after the baby and currently Sybil was giving the tiny girl a bottle.
"She is a Hallow in and out already with her appetite" Mildred commented as Prue had a small appetite like her mother and aunties. It had been worrying so when the health visitor came around they mentioned it but Prudence was getting what she needed she was just fussy and had a small appetite.
"Don't you know it" Sybil said as she held her niece gently as she fed her. She finished her bottle when suddenly there was a horrid smell.
"Err I think she has pooped" Sybil said covering her nose from the stench. Mildred who was sat next to her, covered hers too.
"Want me to help you change her Sybil?" Julie asked knowing the girl still needed some help with that.
"No, I don't want to clean poo, you can do it" Sybil said handing the baby to Julie.
"I thought you liked looking after her?" Esmie asked her sister and Mildred.
"I love looking after her but you can change her when she poos, it is gross" Sybil said and Mildred nodded in agreement. Esmie rolled her eyes.
"You two are such children honestly, do you want me to change her Julie?" Esmie asked as Julie was cooking the dinner, hoping to have it ready just for when Ethel got up.
"If you don't mind" Julie said as Esmie stood up and took the baby off her cooing at her and kissing her cheek.
"Come on, let's get you nice and clean" she said to her in a baby voice.
"Call me if you need help" Julie said. Though Esmerelda and Ethel had been changing her for over a week now so they didn't really need help anymore.
"I will do" Esmie said as she took the baby to change her. "Come on Prudie, come with auntie Esmie" she told her as she walked off with her.
The next night Ethel was up around one in the morning, changing her baby who had a wet nappy. Esmie woke up from the noise of rustling and turned on the light on her end. They had a small lamp they used nearing the changing area to try stop the other person being woken.
"Well if it isn't two of my favourite people" Esmie said as way of greeting, smiling at them as she saw the baby and Ethel.
"And if it isn't our favourite Esmie" Ethel said as she threw away the soiled nappy and put a fresh one on Prudence. "You can go back to sleep you know I can manage" Ethel said thinking it was silly they were both awake.
"I know you can, you are amazing with her" Esmerelda replied honestly. Ethel was already an amazing mother, despite her young age and her personality.
"Thank you Esmie" Ethel replied with a smile "It is hard not to want to look after her, she is beautiful isn't she?" Ethel commented as she got the fresh nappy on Prudie and buttoned up her little babygro.
"She is absolutely gorgeous, just like her mama" Esmie said stroking the babies cheek gently as Ethel picked her up and sat on the bed next to Esmie. The baby was wide awake so she had to send her off to sleep.
Esmie noticed that when she said 'gorgeous like her mama' Ethel flinched slightly which was a strange reaction to say the least.
"Are you alright Ethie?" Esmie asked worried she had said something wrong, though she was not sure what she could have said wrong. Ethel looked into her babies eyes and then looked down sadly.
"She has his eyes" Ethel commented looking at her daughter's hazel eyes and knowing she didn't get them from her, she must have gotten them from her father. Esmie put her arm around Ethel, mentally slapping herself for saying something stupid.
"She has beautiful eyes, and they are perfect because they are hers, that man…...has nothing to do with Prue, she is a sweetheart and is nothing like him" Esmie said trying to reassure Ethel. She knew she loved her daughter so much but she knew she was thinking of her attacker when she saw her daughter's eyes.
"You do know she might not have his eyes don't you?" Esmie commented when Ethel said nothing. At them words, Ethel looked at her sister curiously wondering what she meant.
"I mean we have hazel eyes in our family don't we? I got mine of dad, maybe she got that gene as well" Esmerelda commented knowing it was likely. Esmie and her father, Triton, had hazel eyes, which were similar to Prudence's. Ethel looked at her sister and saw her eye colour was similar to Prue's, only she could not be sure, it could have been from her father.
"I don't remember his eyes colour" Ethel said sadly, wishing she knew one way or another about this. Esmie could not say anything but just comfort her sister as she cried gently, finally having to come to terms with that reality.
Esmie watched Ethel the next few days. She was still madly in love with Prudence and had not mentioned anything about her eyes again. Esmie knew she was thinking it though and Esmie wished there was a way she could reassure Ethel one hundred percent. So that is when she started reading and hoping for a solution.
The next day, when Ethel walked into the bedroom she shared with her sister to grab something Esmie stopped her knowing she had to tell Ethel what she had been doing.
"I found a potion, it allows you to see whose eyes someone has, it is like a DNA test, they determine how similar they are, I am just letting you know so that you have the option if you want to" Esmie told her. Ethel looked at her curiously.
"Will I have to cause her pain?" Ethel asked prepared to refuse if she had too.
"No, it is harmless, if someone's eyes match each other they glow the same colour" Esmie told Ethel and Ethel sighed. She didn't want to trick her baby but she had to know if she was looking into her attackers eyes everyday. Ethel went to get her baby and brought her in to the room, she took the potion Esmie had made and put a little in her bottle of milk, hoping this really would be okay. Baby's could have potions, parents used them for pain relief and sickness so she was not to worried.
Esmie took the potion too. As their father was not there, and they could not convince him to do this test even if he was, Esmie would have to do it, she had his eyes anyway.
"If our eyes match they will glow white for a second, it somehow tests the genes to see if there is any match in that area, if nothing happens…...well we don't share any traits in our eyes" Esmie told Ethel to warn her, she prayed they would glow, they had too.
Magic could do amazing things, things non-magical people could not do yet. Esmie and the baby looked at each other as their eyes glowed white. Ethel beamed and hugged her baby tightly crying with relief as she had the same eyes as her auntie and not her biological father.
"See, she has my eyes that is all, her eyes are to pretty to belong to that bad man" Esmie said taking her niece and cuddling her tightly against her chest. She knew it still could be possible some of her niece's traits were from her father but she was glad she could reassure Ethel on this at least. Ethel cried in happiness more and Esmie put her arm around her, holding Prue, with her other arm and Prudie looked at her mother looking sad.
"Mummy is just crying as she is happy baby" Ethel said holding the babies tiny little hands and kissing them.
When they told the rest of their family everyone was thrilled but none more so than Ethel, as when she looked in her baby's eyes now she saw their beauty and their kindness she loved so much, the same she saw when she saw Esmie looking at her with her kind eyes.
"Mama loves you Prudie" Ethel said as she rocked her gently and kissed her cheeks.
"We all do" Mildred said sitting next to Ethel as she watched her with the baby happily. She had had her worries because Ethel could be childish and selfish but she had to admit, Ethel was an amazing mother so far.
"Yes well it is hard not to" Ethel said smiling as she looked at her baby, falling in love with her more every time she did so.