What a miserable visit to Great Smials this was turning out to be. There was no answer to her knock so the Mistress Rose pushed open the low door of what had once been a smokehouse and stepped inside. She blinked in the darkness as all the windows were shuttered for some reason. Her eyes began to adjust to the cool dimness and she looked around with tight-lipped curiosity. It was all one large oval room. At her end was the teensy kitchen and a rather lovely oak table with mismatched chairs. In the middle was the (Rose sniffed with disdain) 'studio' which was cluttered with easels and buckets of brushes, large squares of canvas and rolls of paper. And at the far end was a comfortable bed set off from the rest of the house by a midnight blue curtain embroidered with silver stars. Which made her even more angry, if that were possible. The walls were entirely covered with layers of sketchings and paintings and the smell of the oil-colors mingled pleasantly with the scent of hickory smoke that still clung to the timbers. The faces on the artwork were so well drawn that the eyes seemed to be eerily following her about. Rose sighed heavily. Well. One thing she could say about that licentious old slut, Delphinium Grubb, she was talented.
A sudden coo from the bed startled her. The baby! The baby? Here all alone? She stepped through the clutter of the studio to the neatness of the bed and, yes, there it was, a boy, waving his bare arms and legs in the air and burbling. Rose looked down at the little thing as he tried to fit a foot in his mouth and felt her heart sink down into the ground. The rumors were all true. Every inch of his sturdy little frame and every copper-curly hair on his head spoke of Merry-lad, that careless, thoughtless idiot. He spotted her and grinned her son's smile in welcome and she winced at the painful beauty of it. A bastard child. She was simply going to kill Merry-lad for bringing this sort of shame to the family.
"What are you doing here all alone?" she asked and reached out. A sudden booming growl above her head stopped her cold. Hot breath stirred her hair and she fought back a scream. Arms still out she slowly turned her head and looked up at a mountain of fur and sharp teeth. Mercy alive, it was almost as big as a pony. "N...n...nice dog? Nice dog?" she gasped. She slowly and very carefully drew back from the baby and, even more slowly, if it were possible, held out her hands to the brindle monster to sniff. "Nice dog, please?" How in the world had she missed HIM when she came inside?! Well, it was dark, her frightened mind whimpered as she underwent the most thorough smelling of her life by a black nose as big as her fist. "Please be a good dog."
"Huan's a very good dog, obviously," came a low sarcastic voice from the door and Delphinium Grubb walked in to set a bucket of fish down on the table. Huan wagged his tail at the compliment. "Sit," she ordered and the beast backed away and sat to Rose's great relief. She approached the bed then and the baby gave an extra hard kick and squealed. Rose studied her and was surprised. She had expected an aged, grinning and avaricious spider that preyed on gullible lads but the Grubb was young. Terribly young and colder than a killing frost. Del scooped the boy up and away from the matron as if she were diseased. "You can leave the door open on your way out," she shot over her shoulder as she wandered back into the kitchen.
But Rose wasn't gotten rid of so easily as she began to revise who was at fault in this mess. After all, the girl had never approached the Gardners with a claim. Had never demanded so much as a penny. Honestly, if it weren't for gossiping Tooks, Rose wouldn't be here at all. "How old are you?"
The girl looked at the dog as if tempted to sic him on the intruder but she controlled herself. "I'm nineteen."
Rose gasped in horror. Not even a tween! Merry-lad was a full seven years older and Rose wanted to weep for the happy past when she thought he had merely been stupid instead of callous. To father a child and not admit it! Not even to his own parents! She was going to kill him. She was simply going to kill him dead. She took a deep breath and gave the girl an incriminating, and legally binding, admission. "That is Merry-lad's child."
The look Delphinium gave her would have killed an orc at fifty paces. "This is MY child," she corrected and clutched the baby tighter. He drooled on her hair.
Rose shook her head and then covered her eyes with her hand as she fought for control. Had no one taught this girl that there were herbs and potions that could prevent this sort of thing? Evidently not. Evidently she had no family at all or she wouldn't be living in a smokehouse on the edge of Great Smials. "Any fool can see," she finally said "Whose baby that is."
"No one has a claim on my son but me," the girl snarled back and Rose raised her head as she caught a note of fear. The girl was afraid. Afraid of what? That the wife of the Mayor, with all her riches and influence, was going to take the baby away, you dolt, she answered herself.
"Don't judge us by Merry's behavior," she said. "We won't touch you or the boy." Huan was sniffing at her again and she held very still but she refused to be quiet. "You're owed our help."
"I don't need your help."
"You and the baby must be owned to," Rose sighed, "Merry-lad will be responsible as he should have been from the beginning, damn him, and the three of you will be provided for. The child will have a name." She took a deep breath, "It's the proper thing to do. You have to admit it."
Delphinium's eyes practically glowed in the shadows. "Proper? My sister did the proper thing, once." A sister? Rose tilted her head. "She decided to marry a well-off farmer to give the two of us a bit of stability when we found ourselves on our own," Delphinium went on. "Everyone said, oh, very wise of you. Well." She put the baby on her other shoulder. "Within a year, my sister regretted everything. And she blamed me. If she hadn't had to think of me she would never have trapped herself in such a loveless, wretched mess. I left as soon as I could." Huan whined and crossed over to the girl. She petted him. "You're mad to think I would do such a thing to myself. To my child." Her voice became so quiet that Rose barely heard what she said last. "To Merry. Just to save the lot of you from embarrassment."
Rose's eyes went wide as she realized the truth. "Merry doesn't know." A wave of relief swept her towards one of the mismatched chairs and she collapsed into it. Oh, thank the merciful heavens, her son was stupid and not heartless after all. "You craven little coward, he doesn't even know."
"I NEVER said it was Meh..."
"And you love him, I know it." Delphinium shook her head in frantic denial but it was too late. Rose slapped the table with her hand and the dog jumped. "Or the baby wouldn't be here. Oh, my dear, I can see right through you. It's like looking at myself. If I...if I had only had a child, some piece of him to keep with me," Rose said. "I would have fought tooth and nail to keep it safe. No matter what anyone thought. Or said. Or did. Propriety be damned. Just like you." Her face screwed up and she hid her eyes again as she fought for control. Yes, a child. Perhaps with dark hair and blue eyes? Oh, if only...was that a flash of sympathy in the Grubb's eyes? Huh.
Whatever it was disappeared as the fear took hold of Del again. "I never said it. You can't prove it, no matter who Miro looks like, he belongs with me."
"His name's Miro?" came a deep voice from the open door and Delphinium looked up in sheer horror. Rose almost laughed. It was Merry-lad. Evidently he'd heard the same rumors from the Tooks that she had and had come down from the guest rooms to verify them for himself. He saw the baby and clapped a hand over his mouth. "Del," he breathed. "Oh, my Del..."
The girl was panicking. "You can't! He's mine!" Merry came into the cabin and crossed the distance between them in three long strides, backing Del into a corner. Miro held out a friendly hand to the newcomer and Merry gently took it, awed. Miro's little fingers were so small in her son's large, strong hand. Rose burst into quiet tears. "You...no...he's mine..." the Grubb continued to protest.
"You idiot," Merry murmured. "So am I. I always have been but you wouldn't listen..." Del shook her head and gasped as he pulled them both close. "Tell me Mum's right. Tell me you love me."
Del's cold, frightened mask cracked as she looked at him. "Merry!" she suddenly groaned and he crushed her to him. Rose sincerely hoped they didn't smother poor, little Miro her first grandson! between them and she got up from her chair.
Huan, alarmed, moved towards the small family but Rose caught his collar and stopped him. He could have taken her entire head off with a single nip but he merely looked down at her with wide eyes. "C'mon, dog, out the door." She gave him a push that barely bent his fur but he complied all the same and they moved out into the sunshine together. Little Miro's sudden laughter echoed through the smokehouse. Rose turned to see Merry holding him and looking into his face with delight and wonder. Her arms suddenly ached. She had never gotten a chance to hold him herself. Well, there was still time. All the time in the world really. Delphinium's laughter suddenly joined her son's and Huan perked up his ears as if he'd never heard it before. Maybe he hadn't. Rose sniffled and sat on a stump to wait for the young couple to come out and humor her. Huan relaxed and plopped down beside her to keep her company and she scratched behind his ears. "I'm still going to kill him. And her. But we're getting a beautiful baby out of it all. And a good dog, seems like. You ARE a good dog, aren't you?" Huan wagged his tail modestly. Yes, yes he was.
End
~