The Girl Underground

Chapter 23: Another Man's Child

Chapter 23: Another Man's Child

Lucy and Lydia were both beautiful girls, each with their own specific traits that set them apart. Lydia was the spitting image of her mother, with the blonde hair and bright blue eyes, but she was showing signs of her father's height, despite being the younger of the two. Lucy, on the other hand, Malia found a bit odd. Not because she herself wasn't a pretty girl, because she was—Malia noted that they both reminded her of fragile porcelain dolls—but she had dark brown hair, something Malia had not seen in either John or Abigail. John's hair was jet black. But she had the same blue eyes as her sister, and her mother's sharp features. It was just her hair that stood out.

Lydia was the child Malia had already met in the market when she and John had had the first of their intimate encounters. She immediately recognized Malia too, offering her a bright smile and a happy wave, as though incredibly excited to see her. Lucy, on the other hand, displayed her mother's immediate cool and wary nature, eyeing Malia up and down apprehensively, which was odd for a girl of her age. Still, Malia smiled anyways and tried her best to be as amiable as possible. Probably Lucy was another Abigail, just with darker hair.

But as the day wore on, Malia started to notice some rather odd things about Lucy that perhaps stood out more than it should have. She brooded more than most girls her age, and didn't interact much with her sister. In fact, she hardly even looked at Lydia; it was as if they were strangers. Malia tried to get Lucy to join in on their activities, but she would just smile tightly and kindly refuse. For a girl her age, this was all odd; it made Malia wonder what had been done to her.

While Betsey took Lydia aside for a moment, Malia took that chance to sit with Lucy and speak with her. She didn't know what fruits that would bear, but she figured it was worth a try.

"Lucy?" Malia called the girl over and patted the seat next to her on the garden bench. "Can you come here for a minute?"

Lucy tossed Malia a slightly irritated look, and nodded. When she took a seat, Malia smiled at her, but felt her heart racing.

"Is everything alright, Lucy?" Malia asked.

"Yes," she said. Though her voice clearly spoke in the tones of a little girl, she sounded as crass and cold as her mother.

"You've been distant with me all day," Malia said. "I am sorry that your governess is not here, I hope that I can do my best to—"

"You are."

"I am what?"

"Doing your best."

Her tone and the things she was saying caused chills to run up Malia's arms. "How is your mother, Lucy?"

"I don't know," Lucy looked up at Malia with a frown. "Mama doesn't talk to me or Lydia. Papa is the only one that talks to me. Everyone ignores me. Even Mrs. Evers."

"Mrs. Evers, your governess?"

Lucy nodded.

"You can talk to me, Lucy," Malia whispered, reaching forward and taking the girl's hand. "I won't ignore you."

"Yes, you will," Lucy squirmed out of Malia's grip and stood. "You will. They always do."

With that, she stood and walked towards where Betsey was playing with Lydia. Malia watched with a heavy heart as she sat a few feet away and watched with a blank expression as her sister laughed on with the head house maid. Every once in a while, she turned to look up at Malia, only to avert her eyes and stare off into the distance, as though lost in her own pool of morose thoughts.

No little girl should ever have to feel ignored. Never!

Malia knew better than most that everyone deserved a childhood that they didn't have to recover from, she wished there was something she could do for Lucy... But what? What could she do? She was having an affair with the girl's father, and yet she had the gall to want to help her. Everyone needed someone.