Scarlett by Margaret Tanner

Author:Margaret Tanner
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Published: 2017-12-03T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

Jake was away on one of his trips when Scarlett gave birth to a little girl. It had been a long, arduous labor and neither of them would have survived had it not been for Ruby and Pearl’s help.

As Scarlett sat up in bed a few hours after giving birth she was surprised by the other doves coming to see her and baby Katie. They oohed and aahed as they held the baby, and Scarlett suddenly saw the wives and mothers they might have been had fate not led them to Jake.

****

Over the next couple of weeks, Scarlett became adept at feeding and caring for Katie. She spent a lot of time in the kitchen with Pearl who had no children of her own, but had helped her mother raise several younger relatives.

Pearl Wilson was a generous hearted woman in her fifties, and unlikely to ever have children. She was a plain looking woman who wore her brown hair in a tight plait which was fastened into a bun at the nape of her neck. Her husband, Seth, was a slightly stooped man a few years younger than her. He did gardening and odd jobs around the place even though he only had one arm. Pearl had once mentioned him losing his arm during the war.

“What are you going to do about Katie when Jake gets back?” Pearl asked this one afternoon as they were sharing a coffee in the kitchen.

“I don’t know.” Scarlett gnawed her lower lip. She had thought of practically nothing else since the baby’s birth. “I can’t put her in an orphanage. I won’t.” Tears filled her eyes. “I’d rather give her some of Ruby’s medicine and put her to sleep forever.”

Pearl gasped in shock.

At least it would be a peaceful way to go. Of course, she would follow her baby to the grave. The infant started crying and Pearl bent over the crib to pick her up. She handed her over with obvious reluctance. Scarlett put Katie to her breast and the little one suckled strongly.

“Seth and I could take her.”

“What!”

“You know I love her. I’d tend to her as if she were my own flesh and blood.”

“No!” Scarlett cried out in anguish. “She’s my baby, I can’t let her go. She’s all I’ve got.”

“Shush child.” Pearl patted her shoulder. “I know how much she means to you, but you can’t keep a baby in a brothel, even if Jake agreed, which he wouldn’t.”

“I know. I know.” Scarlett couldn’t hide the anguish in her voice. “Maybe I could get another job.”

Once the baby finished suckling on the first side Scarlett eased the tiny rosebud mouth from her nipple, laid her against one shoulder and patted her back.

“I don’t want to take your baby, Scarlett much and all as I’d love to have her. Just remember, the offer is always open. I’ve spoken to Seth and he’s agreeable.”

“Thank you, Pearl. I shouldn’t have spoken to you in such a nasty way, I know your offer came from the heart.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.