Sing Sweet Nightingale
Estrangement
Annabelle remained in the lounge for the entire day, not once moving. Their doorman had told her that her husband had left just after dawn with their daughters which worried her immensely. He never took the girls out by himself, lest of all not that early in the morning. Naturally, he didn't know where they had went so she was resigned to sitting in her chair, listening intently for any sound of her daughters returning.
She refused the offer of food from the staff and would periodically rise from her chair to gaze out of the window, willing her daughters to be running up the gravel to her. Whatever had come over her husband scared her. Yesterday he had brought a man of science into their home and today he had taken the girls. She was not a silly woman, she knew when to realise that two things were unequivocally linked, and there was no mistake that the man's arrival in their home was the reason behind the girls not being with her.
It was growing dark when the door finally opened and she rushed from the lounge and into the hallway, wrapping her arms around Adeline who had flew towards her. "Oh, my sweet girls," she murmured, holding her tight as she opened her arm up so that Drucilla could join. "I have missed you so."
"Don't be silly," her husband chided, making her grip her daughters tighter. "We were only gone for the day."
She pulled away and placed a hand on either girl's cheek. "Why don't you go and wait in your room for me?" she suggested, nudging the two girls towards the staircase. She rose to her feet and watched as they climbed the stairs and disappeared before turning back to her husband. "How could you do that?"
"Do what? Take my daughters out for the day?" he dismissed, stepping around her and going into the lounge.
"I am no fool. You took them to see that man of science."
He sat in his chair and studied her for a moment. "That is none of your concern."
"I don't want them near him!" she exclaimed, staring at him in disbelief. "You may indulge in whatever pastimes you want, but don't you dare include our daughters."
"I think you are forgetting that I can do whatever I please with my daughters," he replied briskly, turning to look at the fireplace rather than at her. "They will see him whenever I choose and you will be silent about it. I'm not interested in hearing you harp on about your disinterest in the matter."
Annabelle stared at her husband in shock, wondering just where the man she'd married had gone. Never had he spoken to her like that, not even in the early days when they were nothing more than strangers. Her father had assured her that the man would care for her in every way and that her needs would always be fulfilled, and yet it seemed as if that man no longer existed.
She pressed a hand to her abdomen and turned to leave before stopping in the doorway. "How long?" she asked quietly.
"How long what?"
"How long have you known this man?" she snapped, turning back to look at her husband.
"Since the beginning of the year."
That was far too long. Any hope she had of drawing him away from the man and his science was destroyed with his words. Had it been a few weeks, she might have been able to seek help elsewhere to kerb his association before word got out, but she'd known him long enough to see that it was futile at this point.
She left the room and checked on her daughters, relieved that neither seemed to be harmed in anyway. Not wanting to be near her husband, she got one of the staff to bring food to the girls' room and they ate their dinner there and when it was time for her to retire to bed, she slept in one of the guest rooms that they had.
If Annabelle had her own way, she would gather her girls in her arms and not let go of them. She would keep them safe from the world, including their father. But the harsh reality was she couldn't do that, so when a week later she once again awoke to find her daughters missing, she knew where they were, and when they returned her husband let it be known to her that he had allowed them to be studied by Doctor Sevane. That infuriated her and she accused him of not caring about their daughters only for him to walk away from her.
The next fortnight he did the same so while they were out, she moved out of their shared bedroom and into one of their guest rooms. That angered her husband but she refused to lie with a man who would put their daughters in harm's way. Eleven weeks after he begun allowing their daughters to be a heretic's study, she received the news that she was once again with child. Instead of joy, all Annabelle could think of was how could she have another child who she would not be able to protect?
When her husband was told - albeit from the physician, five days after she had been told herself - he was overjoyed and when he attempted to grab her hand in affection, she pulled it away from his grip and turned her head away. His idea that their estrangement would end with this news was extinguished in that moment.
As Annabelle grew bigger, she had to watch as each fortnight her daughters were taken by their father in the early morning and returned late at night, almost asleep on their feet. She would attempt to coerce Adeline to tell her what the day had consisted of but her youngest would shake her head and look afraid.
It was when she was in her last twelve weeks that she became aware of just what her daughters were being subjected to. It was not an intentional discovery and it was not made by she, but rather the nurse who bathed her daughters approached her late one night two days after their last excursion with their father. Her face was ashen and Annabelle brought her into her room for secrecy, well aware that it would not be wise to speak of it in the open.
As a precaution, she locked the door and gestured for the nurse to follow her to the other end of the room, furthest from the door, before finally allowing her to speak. "What is it, Marguerite?" she urged quietly.
"I don't wish to cause any trouble, ma'am," the nurse began, "but as I was bathing Adeline, I discovered a small incision in the crease of her elbow."
"And what of it?"
"Drucilla has the exact same one, and when I questioned the girls about it, she was the only one who would speak about it, though she didn't say much. Just that they had it because they are twins."
Annabelle frowned and rested her hands on her stomach. "Is there more?" she asked.
"Each time they return with their father, both girls have small bruises on their arms. They get covered by their sleeves so I wasn't certain of whether you were aware."
"I wasn't aware," she said briskly, raising a hand to rub her forehead. "Can I trust you?"
Marguerite looked surprised before nodding quickly. "Of course, ma'am."
"What have you heard about a Doctor Sevane?"
"I've never heard that name before."
"What about the new phenomenon of science?"
That made the nurse inhale sharply and her eyes widen in shock. "That is devil's practice! I have heard many things about a sect that resides in town, some even say that they take children off the street to study."
A chill ran down her spine at those words. "What does this 'study' entail?"
"Horrid things!" the woman exclaimed, raising a hand to her mouth. "This science claims to want to learn about our bodies but from what I have heard, it is closer to torture!"
Annabelle gasped and reached out to steady herself against the wall. "Surely not?" she protested. "They would not do that to my girls - he would not let that be done to our daughters!"
Marguerite looked unsure. "I can ask around, if you'd like?"
When their conversation was over, the nurse left and Annabelle was forced to come to consider the reality that her husband might not care for their daughters as she once thought.
She refused the offer of food from the staff and would periodically rise from her chair to gaze out of the window, willing her daughters to be running up the gravel to her. Whatever had come over her husband scared her. Yesterday he had brought a man of science into their home and today he had taken the girls. She was not a silly woman, she knew when to realise that two things were unequivocally linked, and there was no mistake that the man's arrival in their home was the reason behind the girls not being with her.
It was growing dark when the door finally opened and she rushed from the lounge and into the hallway, wrapping her arms around Adeline who had flew towards her. "Oh, my sweet girls," she murmured, holding her tight as she opened her arm up so that Drucilla could join. "I have missed you so."
"Don't be silly," her husband chided, making her grip her daughters tighter. "We were only gone for the day."
She pulled away and placed a hand on either girl's cheek. "Why don't you go and wait in your room for me?" she suggested, nudging the two girls towards the staircase. She rose to her feet and watched as they climbed the stairs and disappeared before turning back to her husband. "How could you do that?"
"Do what? Take my daughters out for the day?" he dismissed, stepping around her and going into the lounge.
"I am no fool. You took them to see that man of science."
He sat in his chair and studied her for a moment. "That is none of your concern."
"I don't want them near him!" she exclaimed, staring at him in disbelief. "You may indulge in whatever pastimes you want, but don't you dare include our daughters."
"I think you are forgetting that I can do whatever I please with my daughters," he replied briskly, turning to look at the fireplace rather than at her. "They will see him whenever I choose and you will be silent about it. I'm not interested in hearing you harp on about your disinterest in the matter."
Annabelle stared at her husband in shock, wondering just where the man she'd married had gone. Never had he spoken to her like that, not even in the early days when they were nothing more than strangers. Her father had assured her that the man would care for her in every way and that her needs would always be fulfilled, and yet it seemed as if that man no longer existed.
She pressed a hand to her abdomen and turned to leave before stopping in the doorway. "How long?" she asked quietly.
"How long what?"
"How long have you known this man?" she snapped, turning back to look at her husband.
"Since the beginning of the year."
That was far too long. Any hope she had of drawing him away from the man and his science was destroyed with his words. Had it been a few weeks, she might have been able to seek help elsewhere to kerb his association before word got out, but she'd known him long enough to see that it was futile at this point.
She left the room and checked on her daughters, relieved that neither seemed to be harmed in anyway. Not wanting to be near her husband, she got one of the staff to bring food to the girls' room and they ate their dinner there and when it was time for her to retire to bed, she slept in one of the guest rooms that they had.
If Annabelle had her own way, she would gather her girls in her arms and not let go of them. She would keep them safe from the world, including their father. But the harsh reality was she couldn't do that, so when a week later she once again awoke to find her daughters missing, she knew where they were, and when they returned her husband let it be known to her that he had allowed them to be studied by Doctor Sevane. That infuriated her and she accused him of not caring about their daughters only for him to walk away from her.
The next fortnight he did the same so while they were out, she moved out of their shared bedroom and into one of their guest rooms. That angered her husband but she refused to lie with a man who would put their daughters in harm's way. Eleven weeks after he begun allowing their daughters to be a heretic's study, she received the news that she was once again with child. Instead of joy, all Annabelle could think of was how could she have another child who she would not be able to protect?
When her husband was told - albeit from the physician, five days after she had been told herself - he was overjoyed and when he attempted to grab her hand in affection, she pulled it away from his grip and turned her head away. His idea that their estrangement would end with this news was extinguished in that moment.
As Annabelle grew bigger, she had to watch as each fortnight her daughters were taken by their father in the early morning and returned late at night, almost asleep on their feet. She would attempt to coerce Adeline to tell her what the day had consisted of but her youngest would shake her head and look afraid.
It was when she was in her last twelve weeks that she became aware of just what her daughters were being subjected to. It was not an intentional discovery and it was not made by she, but rather the nurse who bathed her daughters approached her late one night two days after their last excursion with their father. Her face was ashen and Annabelle brought her into her room for secrecy, well aware that it would not be wise to speak of it in the open.
As a precaution, she locked the door and gestured for the nurse to follow her to the other end of the room, furthest from the door, before finally allowing her to speak. "What is it, Marguerite?" she urged quietly.
"I don't wish to cause any trouble, ma'am," the nurse began, "but as I was bathing Adeline, I discovered a small incision in the crease of her elbow."
"And what of it?"
"Drucilla has the exact same one, and when I questioned the girls about it, she was the only one who would speak about it, though she didn't say much. Just that they had it because they are twins."
Annabelle frowned and rested her hands on her stomach. "Is there more?" she asked.
"Each time they return with their father, both girls have small bruises on their arms. They get covered by their sleeves so I wasn't certain of whether you were aware."
"I wasn't aware," she said briskly, raising a hand to rub her forehead. "Can I trust you?"
Marguerite looked surprised before nodding quickly. "Of course, ma'am."
"What have you heard about a Doctor Sevane?"
"I've never heard that name before."
"What about the new phenomenon of science?"
That made the nurse inhale sharply and her eyes widen in shock. "That is devil's practice! I have heard many things about a sect that resides in town, some even say that they take children off the street to study."
A chill ran down her spine at those words. "What does this 'study' entail?"
"Horrid things!" the woman exclaimed, raising a hand to her mouth. "This science claims to want to learn about our bodies but from what I have heard, it is closer to torture!"
Annabelle gasped and reached out to steady herself against the wall. "Surely not?" she protested. "They would not do that to my girls - he would not let that be done to our daughters!"
Marguerite looked unsure. "I can ask around, if you'd like?"
When their conversation was over, the nurse left and Annabelle was forced to come to consider the reality that her husband might not care for their daughters as she once thought.