Rilla turned into the long driveway of the old house that Marianne and Carl had bought. It was a little out of the way, but it suited their needs. She killed the ignition and grabbed her bag and pulled off her driving gloves. She dusted off her tan wide-legged trousers and fixed her blouse,
"Clara!" A voice called out from the porch that was on the front of the house. A mousey hair girl said from the porch wearing a pair of matching dungarees like her friend.
"Phoebe!" She called back clambering out of the car as soon as Rilla opened the door for her.
She walked to the front door as the children ran off to play. Marianne opened it and leaned against the frame with a grin on her face. Her dark hair was short and curled, she was dressed in a pair of dark wide-legged trousers and a smart blouse.
"Such a pair aren't they," Marianne sighed.
"I still haven't forgiven you for the statue of Aphrodite," Rilla told her friend with a look but smiled as she watches their daughters.
"Oh because I am sure my present from Greece did the deed that got you pregnant," Marianne teased her back.
"You came back from Greece, miraculously pregnant and then gave me that present. The next thing the doctor is telling me is that the test is positive," Rilla sighed. "Trust me Ken buried that statue deep in the basement after Clara was born. "I'm nearly forty Rilla, and you're turning thirty-three. I love them don't get me wrong, but sometimes it's like we live in a zoo with the three that we already had." Rilla mimicked her husband's response as she played with a locket around her neck.
"But look at them," Marianne sighed watching them play.
"I know, I know," Rilla shook her head with a dreamy sigh. Neither she nor Marianne had what she considered an easy pregnancy. For Marianne, it was more emotionally difficult, afraid to become too attached. She kept waiting for the day that she would wake up too and find herself bleeding, to the point she had nightmares about it. Even though the doctor explained that light bleeding, as long as the mother wasn't cramping was fairly normal.
For Rilla, she had just graduated with her final degree. Finally a doctor and began to work when her friend had come back home. Soon enough she felt the same old familiar sickness she constantly battled. Not as easy as Rowena had been, but not as extreme as Oliver had been. It made her believe that it would be another boy.
They had been due two months apart, Phoebe was born late May, Rilla at her friend's side, as Ken watch Carl pace the floorboards of Meredith's house. Ken had never been in such a position of waiting. Carl had been offered a chance but had already fainted once at everything that was happening.
Mr. Meredith who had come out with Rosemary sat in a chair silently. It was Rilla who had come downstairs when it had quieted down.
"You can go upstairs," Rilla told Carl who was already bounding up the stairs as quickly as he could.
"The child?" Mr. Meredith looked towards Rilla.
"Perfectly healthy," Rilla told him. "I'm sure Carl will introduce you," Rilla said as she sat down slowly at Rosemary came downstairs leaving the new parents to have a moment alone.
"Carl says to tell you that you have a granddaughter," Rosemary told her husband. "Are you sure you all right Rilla?" She asked with a small frown. Ken suddenly looked at his wife, observing her anxiously trying to decide if something was wrong with her.
"Seeing and being the one to give birth is a fair bit different," Rilla said rubbing her larger-than-she-thought possible bump and then paused for a moment." I am fine though, thank you."
Clara had been born in a hospital of all places, almost four weeks early. It reminded her of Oliver, who turned out fine, so she didn't worry she felt the familiar pains but it quickly changed into something else. Rilla didn't remember much, she had been bleeding and in pain. When Rilla had woken up to see Ken sitting in a chair next to her bed, cradling the tiny, delicate little girl.
"The other?" She had asked looking around. Ken gave her a sad shake of his head. His eyes were still bloodshot. "What was, are they?"
"They said identical girls," Ken said quietly. "Mom and Dad are arranging something for her in the family plot." He almost choked out. He stood up and brought her the tiny infant, who was no larger than what Oliver had been through her lungs were loud she soon learned. Letting her hold the surviving infant for the first time who was already hours old.
It was strange to mourn one child, yet still, have the other to love and hold. Her mother held her in her arms, letting her cry and talk it out. While her father stealthily poured a shot for Ken that first night, which burned the back of his throat. Accompanied by a look that said this is between us as men only and doesn't tell your wife. They hadn't even been allowed to see the child. The only thing that had left was a small dark tuft of hair that had been clipped off and tied with a tiny ribbon by a compassionate nurse. A piece of hair had been split into two, a lock for a locket and Ken had the other put into his pocket watch. It was something they didn't talk about much.
They hadn't told the children about the possibility of twins when she had been pregnant. The older children knew of course in the aftermath of that July day. They had been waiting to explain to Clara as she got older, then one day they found her talking to herself in the mirror as a toddler. Pointing and laughing as if it was a game. Rilla had found it strange but babies could be strange creatures. It wasn't until she babbled the name Cora as she stared at herself in the mirror that Rilla knew. Cora was the name they had given to the little one who had been lost.
Ken thought nothing about it, kids have imaginary friends all the time. She would grow out of it as she grew older. They had visited the grave as a family, she most likely heard them say the name there. Still, Rilla worked occasionally, as much as it hurt her or Ken to mention. Giving Clara a chance to ask if she wanted to about why she felt lonely at times, or why she felt the need to have an extra teacup at her parties with her teddies.
"Anyway what's on the agenda today, and please don't tell me, math class?" Rilla asked her friend and Marianne looked at her soberly knowing just where Rilla had gone too for a moment.
"Of course not, just the regulars that Carl doesn't cover for us," she told Rilla and lead her into the house. They walked to the back which was a sunroom turned into a schoolroom where a handful of girls were chatting animatedly with each other. All in various stages of pregnancy.
It felt like a lifetime ago that Marianne had taken in her first girl, a young woman who had been kicked out of her home. In a moment of dire as Marianne came across her five years ago as they had come back from an excursion to Greece.
It had been rather a shock when Carl came home and found Marianne and a strange girl drinking tea.
"I can't just leave her out of the streets," Marianne whispered. "I was her age, Carl. If the police find her hanging around herbalists or those places. They'll bring her to the home of unwed mothers and force her to give up her child. She just needs some help. "
It started as simply giving Brianne a place to stay, then it was continuing some schooling she could try and support herself in some way. Helping her find a job, a place to stay at a boarding house with some woman who didn't mind watching an infant. It was never glamorous, but Marianne had built a small community of women who she could rely on.
"All right, settle down!" Marianne told them, as the girls turned to the two older women. Rilla and Marianne split up and settled into helping the girls with the schoolwork that Carl prepared for them that week.
For Rilla it was less about teaching, it was more or less about talking to the girls about their situation. She was a doctor after all, mostly focusing on women's issues as of late, mostly because it was the only area they allowed her to practice in. Still, it allowed them to talk to a sympathetic ear. Carefully giving them helpful suggestions on how to deal with what they were going through. A motherly ear that gave them options, and advice if they asked for it. They had to be ready for life, once they left the walls of the Meredith's home. Some girls did give up their babies, deciding maybe it was the best decision, but it was always their decision.
Marianne tried her hardest to find homes for those children, not allowing them to go into an orphanage or uncaring home. Though times were hard for everyone and even Marianne couldn't house everyone that came to her. She made do with what they had, she had her father's estate that she rarely touched, and when her aunt passed away and left her with a tidy sum. Carl had found an old home that had plenty of room to house their family and a few girls who Marianne seemed to find every year, or who found her.
Still, she had to spend wisely, money didn't grow on trees and Carl's professorship meant they had to maintain some sort of air of decorum.
Times were tough everywhere, the Island was no different. Money was scarce, even for doctors. Jerry who had worked for a bank was finding himself working odd jobs. At one point Nan and Jerry had found themselves and the children back at Ingleside to save money. More than once Rilla had sent presents for her nieces in ways of clothing and toys, tucking away a few dollars that she managed to stretch to give to Nan and Jerry who always objected saying they would add it to the ever-growing tally they kept. They knew Rilla would never accept it back. They were family and family helps family after all.
Persis and Joseph with the children had moved back to Toronto, settling in with the Fords. The West had been hit the hardest and Winnipeg between droughts and lay-offs that seemed right and left.
Ken managed to run a tight ship as he tried his best to reduce costs. One-income families were the rule of the city, he had no issues hiring married women as writers for the lady's magazine until now. If their husband works he was expected to give the job to someone who had no employment. He had choices of pay decreases for his freelancers or working with a skeleton crew of editors, writers and photographers who relied on him. The first cut he made was to himself, working out how much he needed to support the family and land taxes and adjusting his salary accordingly to allow money to flow back into the company.
They had savings, they had more than most once Kenneth's uncle had released his initial investment to the Maritime Division back to him when he was happy with all the progress Kenneth had made under him. It was a safety net, which was something they stressed to their children, ensuring the children knew their allowance was a privilege. That they needed to save, and also think of the unfortunate who had nothing. A penny into the plate at church, a loaf of bread to a hungry family, it all made a difference in someone's life.
"How are you feeling today Annie?" Rilla asked. Annie was on the girl near her own time, slowly withdrawing into herself as the day approached. Still unsure of her choices, wondering if she was making the right choices.
"I had a letter from my family," She said quietly as she wrote something on her schoolwork.
"What did they say?" Rilla asked.
"Mom says they would let me come home if—" She said stopping herself. "I told them I couldn't do that. I can still hear them calling me selfish."
"Have you had any contact with the Father?" Rilla asked.
"I've tried writing, but nothing comes from it," Annie said shrugging as she shifted in her seat.
"You'll manage," Rilla said.
"Were you afraid to become a mother, of birth?" Annie asks quietly looking at the two little girls.
"Of course, I put it off for almost two years completely when my husband and I married," Rilla said with a nod of her head. "As for childbirth I never had what I would consider a normal delivery. Not so much dangerous, but my children always enjoyed arriving when with a flare for the dramatics. I'm sure you'll be a wonderful mother, just don't worry so much."
"I'm sure you are," Annie said quietly. "You always seem like the mothers I see in the park."
"Well, you don't see me losing my mind when they refuse to clean their rooms," Rilla said with a laugh. "We can only do our best to guide them and to love them. Why don't we have some lunch before starting the next subject?" Rilla said looking at her watch, loud enough for Marianne to look up and agree.
Lunch was mainly sandwiches and cookies that the girls helped prepare for each other. Different tasks for different days as the girls followed a schedule. It would be chaos without a schedule after all.
"Do you need me to watch Clara anytime this week?" Marianne asked as they sat down.
"Mrs. Clarke will this week for me, it has been a slow few weeks at the maternity hospital, though I am sure the full moon will bring in a bunch," Rilla says sighing. "But that does make it interesting."
"Sometimes I do wonder about your curiosities," Marianne shook her head but had a teasing smile on her face.
"So does Ken," Rilla said with a chuckle.
"How is Ken?" Marianne asked knowing just how her husband poured over the newspapers about the wars in Asia and Russia.
"He gobbles up the paper every morning and then scowls," Rilla sighed. "Then he's back to helping wrangle kids out the door for school and telling Clara to be good and then goes to work himself."
"Carl does the same, reads, and shakes his head. Then Phoebe tells him something or comes running with her new pet rats that he got her. Without my permission, I should mention, and then his mood disappears until the next morning."
"Should I ask what the animal count is at this point?" Rilla asked amused. She knew vaguely how many animals were around this house, but mainly she stayed on the main floor.
"Two lovebirds, four rats at various ages because they can never be alone, and now Phoebe has two of her own. Two cats run about, and the dog of course. While out in the barn, we have two guinea pigs, three rabbits, three goats and two cows?" Marianne listed off the animals that resided at Ivy Hall. "I drew the line at the snake."
"Clara is dying for a kitten," Rilla said with a sigh. Artemis mainly sleeps in her chair, the poor old girl. While Basil comes and goes with Jimmy at times from the station. Oliver loves him even though he is always moody with Jimmy and no one can figure out why?" Rilla said with a groan.
"He's a teenage boy, is there ever a reason needed to be moody?" Marianne laughed.
"Fair enough there," Rilla agrees laughing. "You okay, usually Carl is around during the day and he seems to have kept himself to the barn lately?"
"He's just busy, too many females around lately," Marianne waves off the question but ultimately her mind goes to the week previous, and how she wished she could tell her friend about it.
Carl was working alone in the barn as he smiled to himself. He had everything he could possibly want in life, he had a wife who understood him, a child who called him daddy. Yet the sight of their hired help sent him into a tizzy, a rush of emotions when he turned the corner. How the dark eyes seemed too twinkle as they went through the daily chores.
At first, he thought he was just imagining thing, the slight brush of hand when passing something to another. Lingering gazes as they worked, a well timed smile, how the heat seemed to radiate off him when they were near. This was no good, no good at all. This was not how things were supposed to be after all.
"Mary?" He says one night as they climbed into bed. She was already reading her book.
"Yes, Carl? " she hummed as she turned the page. When was the last time they actively sought out each other for comfort? When was the last time they hadn't resorted to wine or spirits to enhance the experience? Marianne was busy with the girls most of the time and of course Phoebe, maybe this was just parenthood and marriage? Though the Fords seemed to be very much into each other, love bits hidden by collars when Rilla came over with their youngest.
"I think I am attracted to Sam," He says quietly, he watches her set her book down and turn to look at him.
"Has anything happened?" She asks so calmly as if she has been waiting for such a moment all these years.
"I don't know, I don't know if it's all in my head," Carl replied honestly. "There is so much at stake, you and Phoebe, Work. Please don't think I haven't been happy, I have been and I love our life. This just happened and I can't tell if this is real or not?"
"Dearest, I married you knowing this could and may happen one day" Marianne said grasping his hand. "I hope you never thought that I would wish you to be unhappy all these years, I know my first reaction wasn't the best, asking if you ever acted on such feelings and such."
"I know what you meant," Carl said shaking his head.
"The only thing I ask of you is what you have already considered. Be safe and be honest and leave me out of it." She says with a look before kissing his cheek. "If you decide against it, I can arrange for Phoebe to stay the night with Clara for a sleep over and we can break out a bottle of wine and have some fun ourselves."
"It doesn't seem fair to you," Carl said with a frown. "If I explore this?"
"If you offering me a chance at a lover, I would just stop," Marianne shushed him. "I have no need for one. Do what you feel like you need to do, If it bothers me I will tell you." Marianne tells me. "Better yet, just don't forget that you have a wife and a daughter, everything will be good."
"You will get large amount of flowers," Carl said agreeing with her. "You know I really don't deserve you."
"Well, you can always remind me," Marianna smirked at him. "Or thank me, who knows maybe that deity will give you a son for your honesty?"
"As tempting as that is, I feel blessed enough with Phoebe. Unless you are saying something else?" Carl looked her over, when was the last time they even? Marianne laughed and only shook her head before she pulled him into a kiss.
"Just be yourself and careful," Marianne told him.