“It is so, Lavinia. We even eat our supper in the nursery by ourselves.”
“I had no idea.”
“When Papa and Mama sat down to tell us about you, Lavinia, it was the first time in months that the four of us were together. We knew something was wrong. We could hear them arguing, and Mama was in bed for several days. We thought they were going to send us away to school, at least we hoped so. At least that way we could be with other children.”
Lavinia bowed her head, and put her arms around Mina.
“You are much kinder than we are, Lavinia. I saw how much love you showed Annie. I was jealous. Olive and I want you to love us, Lavinia, and teach us how to love each other.”
“I already love you, Mina. That I can freely give, but what you will need to learn is how to love yourself. Once you do that, loving others is easy.”
“How can we when we live in a house with no love?”
“Mina, Papa is a kind, generous man. I don’t understand.”
“He is generous. We have toys, clothes, books – whatever we want. What we don’t have is him. He spends no time with us. Mama was raised the same way as us, but she didn’t even have a brother or sister. She was always alone.”
Olive came over. “Mina, those dogs took a cookie out of my mouth. I love them. I wish we could have a dog.”
“Would you like to hold Bubbles, Olive?”
“I sure would.” Lavinia pulled up a chair for Olive and put Bubbles in her lap. Bubbles licked Olive’s face and snuggled into her arms.
“Mina, did you tell Lavinia what we wanted?”
“I haven’t yet.”
“Why don’t you tell me, Olive,” suggested Lavinia.
“Mina and I want to come and live with you and Annie in the country.”
Shocked, Lavinia stared at both girls. “I don’t know what to say. This was something I never expected.”
“Well, it is a custody hearing isn’t it? Mina looked it up in one of Papa’s books. We want you to have custody of us.”
“Olive, it doesn’t work that way. Only parents and relatives can decide who can have custody of children. This hearing is about me, and where I will live.”
“Then you better go home, Lavinia. You don’t want our life,” wept Mina.
“You are my sisters. I can’t bear to think of you both so unhappy.”
“Soldier. What is going on here? Now, now. Dry those beautiful eyes and come sit with us.” The General took out his handkerchief and wiped Mina’s face. The girls took seats around the conference table. Lavinia sat next to Constance and squeezed her hand. Constance smiled and squeezed Lavinia’s hand in return.
Mr. Stewart sat at the head of the table. “Mr. Rexford,” he began, “You have called us all together to discuss Lavinia’s living arrangements. Would you like to begin?”
“Yes. My wife and I have discussed this matter at great length. We intend to take Lavinia back to New York with us after this meeting. We have a spacious home in New York with a large household staff. As you know, we already have two daughters, and Lavinia will be a welcome addition to our household. Naturally, you can all see her as often as you like, and she can certainly take short visits to Chadds Ford.”
Constance became visibly distressed. “Alex, you are not giving us enough time to prepare Lavinia. What about her clothes and personal belongings? Surely you want a thorough understanding of what she is studying so you can continue her lessons properly.”
“The girls have an excellent tutor, and I’ll make arrangements to have her things shipped to New York.”
“Lavinia has her own routine, things she likes and doesn’t like. At least give us a few weeks.”
“Lavinia is nearly thirteen years old. She can tell us what she wants and doesn’t want.”
“Who will supervise Lavinia’s day-to-day activities?”
“Charlotte will.”
Lavinia squeezed Constance’s hand twice.
“Is that so, Charlotte? Are you ready to accept a third daughter? You must be very busy with two girls already. Lavinia is quite active, with many interests. Also, Lavinia has asked that Annie join her, and there is Bubbles, of course.”
“Annie and Bubbles are welcome as well, Constance. I know how important they are to Lavinia,” said Alex stiffly.
“Will they come with me now, Papa?” asked Lavinia.
“Well, not right away sweetheart. Charlotte and I want to make sure we get you settled first. Annie and Bubbles can join you later.”
Claire drew in a deep breath and began to speak. Mr. Stewart grabbed her arm and gave her a look of caution.
Constance spoke directly to Charlotte. “Alex claims that you have agreed to these arrangements. Are you ready to coordinate the schedules of four girls and a dog?”
“And a cat. You forgot about Sweet Pea,” Annie reminded Constance.
“What do you mean by a schedule?” asked Olive.
“A schedule is arranging the things you do each day—your activities, the places you go with your mother, and supervision of your schoolwork. It’s about managing your time,” replied Constance.
“We don’t go anywhere with Mama, and she never comes to see about our studies. Our tutors do that.”
Alex said, “Don’t be silly Olive. Don’t you go shopping and out to museums? What about your little friends and their mothers?”
“We don’t have any friends, and we’ve never been to a museum,” said Mina.
“That’s ridiculous, Mina! Your mother tells me that you girls do all sorts of things, and that you have lots of friends. This is not the time to tell false tales.”
“I’m not telling false tales. How would you know, Papa? You are never home and, when you are, you rarely speak to us.” Mina turned to Lavinia. “Listen to me. I don’t know what will happen to Bubbles. Mama said that the only way we could have a dog is to keep it outdoors.”
“If Bubbles is sleepin’ outside, so am I,” declared Annie.
“No, you’re not. Mama is going to put you in the kitchen to train with Cook. I heard her say so,” said Olive earnestly.
The General stood up. “By God, Rexford, if I had my sword, I’d carve you in two. How dare you take our little Annie and turn her into a kitchenmaid!” He picked up his cane and headed menacingly toward Alex. George and Martha stood and growled.
“Hold on, Uncle,” said Claire as she grabbed his arm. “Let’s see how things play out here. Sit down.”
“I’m warning you, Rexford.” The General sat and glared at Alex.
“Look! This is absurd. No one is sleeping outdoors, and Annie is not going to become one of our servants. Charlotte, take the girls and wait outside.”
“Please, Papa, let us stay,” begged Mina.
“If you were truthful, he probably would,” said Charlotte vindictively. She gripped both girls by the arms and slammed the door behind them.
“How much do you travel, Alex?” asked James.
“No more than usual.”
“If usual means the schedule you had back when we were partners, you are away from home a great deal.”
“You know that the nature of the export business requires hands-on management. I prefer to oversee things myself.”
“I know you do, Alex, but Lavinia is your daughter,” chided Belle. “It is not enough to make space for her in your home. She needs you in her life. I’m not sure that Charlotte is ready for the amount of responsibility that will be placed upon her shoulders.”
“Charlotte is much stronger than she looks.”
“No doubt, but I wonder if you know what goes on in your home when you are not there?” continued Belle.
“I should say not!” retorted the General. “That woman doesn’t take care of the children she has now.”
“My wife is an excellent mother. Our girls are well cared for. I can’t explain their behavior today or the reasons behind it, but I can assure you that we do not lock them in the nursery and ignore them.”
Lavini
a squeezed Constances’s hand and sighed. Claire leaned over and said, “Let’s get up and walk around a bit, Lavinia.”
Lavinia handed Bubbles to Annie and followed Claire out into the hallway.
“I knew something was wrong the first time I saw Charlotte and Papa together at the opera. I couldn’t see the love between them. I know Papa wants me with him, but I can’t live in New York with a family like that. Mina and Olive are so unhappy, Claire. I wish I could help them.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t feel too badly for them if I were you.”
“What do you mean, Claire?”
“Those two little beasts are exact replicas of their mother.”
“What are you talking about?”
“They put on a little show, probably staged by Charlotte.”
“I don’t believe it.”
“It’s true. I have many friends in New York and I asked around. Charlotte and those girls go everywhere together. They are no more locked away and forgotten than you or I. Come on, let’s listen in on their conversation.”
Lavinia followed Claire silently down the hall. They stopped next to the waiting room.
“How did we do, Mama?” asked Mina tartly.
“Did you like the part about putting the dog outside?” giggled Olive.
“You terrible girls! I couldn’t have done a better job myself. It was sheer brilliance telling them that the little Irish brat was going to train in the kitchen!”
“Thank you Mama, and the best part was that you didn’t even have to say anything. Papa will blame it all on us.”
“I guess we’ll be going to bed without any supper,” pouted Olive.
“It’s only for one night darling, and I shall take you to your favorite ice cream parlor to make up for it.”
“Mama, why does Papa love Lavinia and not us?” asked Mina.
“Well, he’s a busy man. I’d like to think that he does love us, in his own way.”
“It doesn’t seem like it,” said Mina uncertainly.
“Well, I love you, and that is far more important.”
“Lavinia said she loved us, and she doesn’t even know us. I believe she is a better person than we are, and that is why Papa loves her.”
“A better person? Ridiculous! Why, that girl will tear our family apart. Is that what you want?”
Mina shook her head miserably.
“Don’t I take care of you?” asked Charlotte irritably.
“Yes, you do, and you promised us new dresses,” said Olive.
“They shall be the prettiest dresses that money can buy. You certainly earned them. I don’t think we have to worry about taking care of any long-lost relatives. Those country bumpkins looked like they were ready to head for the hills.”
Claire stepped around the corner, clapping her hands. “That was quite a performance. I must commend all three of you on your acting abilities.”
Charlotte, Mina, and Olive stood in shock.
“Very well done, don’t you think, Lavinia?”
“No, I don’t. You don’t deserve a kind, decent man like Papa.”
Charlotte recovered first. “How little you know. Your precious Papa has nothing to give, Lavinia. If there was any love at all, it died with your wretched mother. Your Papa is a bitter and cold man.”
“Is that so?” commented Claire. “I picked up a great deal of information about you, Charlotte. The word around town is that you have a very nasty disposition with a vicious tongue to match. You’ve slandered and betrayed many people, and driven others to ruin. You are the one who is bitter and cruel, and your daughters are following in your footsteps. You blame everything on Alex because you can’t face the real truth. He doesn’t love you and he never will. But he does love Lavinia and that threatens you, doesn’t it?”
“Threaten me? That little witch doesn’t deserve a minute of my time.”
“Is that so, Charlotte?” asked Alex, stepping into the room.
“Alex! Oh, no. Please, I can explain.”
“I think you have said enough for today. Take the girls and go back to the hotel.”
“Where will you be?”
“Does it matter?”
At that moment, George charged into the room, followed by the General.
“Come quickly! There’s a fire on the second floor. We must leave immediately.”
“A fire? Good Lord, Uncle. How do you know?”
“George smelled it first. Smoke’s pouring out the window below. No need to panic. We’ll go down the stairs. Alex, make sure the others get out safely.”
Alex nodded and started down the hall.
“You’re never around when we need you, Alex. Stay with us!” demanded Charlotte.
Alex turned around. “You don’t need me, Charlotte. Follow the General and obey instructions, for once in your life.”
“Be careful, Papa,” called Lavinia.
“Hurry, Lavinia, these old buildings are like tinderboxes. Grab my hand,” ordered Claire.
Mina and Olive began to scream. Charlotte pushed them past Claire and Lavinia. “Go girls! We must save ourselves!”
They descended to the next floor where the General ordered them to stop. “It’s no good. We must find another way.”
“What are you doing?” shrieked Charlotte. “We must hurry or we’ll die!”
“George won’t go that way.”
“You idiot! I’m not entrusting our safety to a dog. We’re going down.” Charlotte and the girls continued to descend the stairs.
“Sir, what shall we do?” asked Lavinia.
“Cover your nose and mouth with my handkerchief. We will follow George. Take us out, boy!”
George stopped and sniffed the air. He headed out onto the third floor and wound around the hallways. By this time, flames were crawling up the walls and the smoke was very thick. A loud crash came from the other side of the building.
“What was that, Uncle?” cried Claire.
“It was probably the staircase collapsing. Keep moving Soldier. I know what you are thinking, but we must press on. George will get us out.”
“Where is Grandmama and Annie?” coughed Lavinia.
“I’m sure they are already on the ground. Don’t try to talk, and make sure you hold tightly to Claire’s hand. That’s an order.”
They trailed behind George, who pawed at a heavy door.
“George has found the other staircase.” The General opened the door. “Good, it’s clear. Let’s go.” As they descended the steps to the first floor, Lavinia thought she heard a faint cry for help.
“What was that, Claire?”
“I don’t hear anything, Lavinia. Come, we are almost out.”
“Help!”
“Did you hear that? Claire, someone is up there.”
“We can’t help them, Lavinia. I’m sorry.”
“No! It sounds like Annie!” Lavinia let go of Claire’s hand and raced up the stairs just as the General pulled Claire out of the building.
“Stop! Uncle! Lavinia’s not with us!”
The General opened the door and a wall of fire blocked their way. The door fell off its hinges. Screaming, Claire tried to go back in. She fought the General, who held her back, until she collapsed on the frozen ground.
“We can’t go after her, Claire. Get up or you’ll freeze,” ordered the General. “We must find help.”
Firefighters ran around them with hoses; the water froze in pools and arcs around the building. The windows exploded from the heat. A firefighter looked up as more glass cascaded to the pavement. “I pray that everyone has made it out. The building will be coming down soon, that’s certain.”
Claire buried her face in her hands while the General held her. George barked furiously. Then he turned around three times, bounded back to the door, and leapt through the flames.
Flax -“Fate”
Chapter 24
Lavinia climbed the stairs toward the cries for help. She held the General’s handerkerchief tightly to her nose and mouth
. As she rounded the stairwell to the third floor, the smoke became thick and gray. She stopped to listen and heard nothing.
“Perhaps I was mistaken,” she thought. “I’ll go another floor and if I don’t see anyone, I shall leave.”
She ascended to the fourth floor and stumbled over something on the stairs. She reached down and felt a small child.
“Help.”
“Olive?” she cried. “Where is your mother and Mina?”
Olive coughed and coughed. “I don’t know,” she gasped.
Lavinia tore a piece of Olive’s skirt and tied it around Olive’s nose and mouth. “This will make it easier to breathe.” Lavinia picked up Olive and gripped her around the waist.
“Why are you helping me, Lavinia? Mama told us that you didn’t like us, and we shouldn’t be nice to you.”
“Olive, you and Mina are my sisters. I would do anything for you. Hurry, we must go quickly.”
As they turned to go, George bounded out of the darkness. He barked at Lavinia and pulled at her skirt.
“What is it, boy? Do you want us to follow you?”
George pulled Lavinia up the stair and let go of her skirt. He ran up a few stairs and turned around.
“We must go up. Perhaps George has found another way.” Lavinia pulled Olive up several flights of stairs. George pawed at a large door.
“Olive, you must help me open this door.” The girls pushed open the heavy door and stepped out onto the roof. George went over to the edge and began to bark furiously.
“Why are we here, Lavinia?” asked Olive, her face streaked with tears and soot. “How will we get down?”
“I don’t know, Olive. I want you to sit over here.” Smoke billowed up, but the fire had not yet made it to the roof. Lavinia went to stand beside George, and looked over the edge. She tore her petticoat and waved the large piece of cloth above her head.
Down below, Martha barked furiously and George responded from above.
“I’m so cold. I want my mama!” sobbed Olive.
Lavinia went over and held Olive. “George is letting Papa know we are here. They will come for us.”
She rubbed Olive’s hands between her own, and blew on her little fingers.
“Mina was right, Lavinia. You are better than us,” said Olive tearfully.
Lavinia's Window Page 19