Beauty--Remastered Ch. 08

Even the massive bed didn't escape his fury. He lifted the heavy mattress clear over his head and sent it crashing against the bedroom door. The thick wood frame splintered under his onslaught as he pulled and tugged at it. When the bed lay in a heap of broken and splintered wood, he thundered into the bathroom.

Every little thing he could easily smash, crumble or throw disappeared. Broken perfume bottles left shards of glass in pools of sweet smelling liquid, and he walked over them without feeling a thing. The smell of them, most recently scented on Annabelle's soft skin, drove him even further into his madness. The mirror shattered beneath his fists, and he didn't feel the glass embedded in his knuckles.

Pipes were wrenched from their berths, causing water to leak onto the dirty floor. Donovan turned and tore the thick, hefty door right off its hinges with a loud crack. Lugging the thing through to the bedroom, he sent it flying into and through the bare bedroom window.

That last, heavy crash seemed to wake him from his manic trance. He blinked hard and focused, listening carefully. Water was trickling somewhere behind him. When he moved toward the sound, he stubbed his toe into the pieces of shattered bed. The scent of Scarlet's perfumes slowly wandered from the bathroom. All at once, he realized what he had done. The rooms were in shambles. Nothing had escaped his wrath.

He turned and stumbled to the bedroom door, tripping over the mattress in his haste. He nearly bowled Abner over as he escaped the hellhole he'd created, and skulked up to his rooms.

Abner stared around the clutter of what had once been his Mistress' room. His Master had done a number on it; Abner had never seen such destruction in all his years looking after his fierce tempered master.

The water from the bathroom was seeping into the plush carpet in the bedroom, and filling the air with the scents of Scarlet's perfumes. Abner carefully entered the bathroom and groaned softly. The destruction his master had wrought on the once gorgeous bathroom alone would take hours to clean and probably weeks to repair. First, though, he'd have to get the water turned off before it spread any further and weakened the floor.

A harsh shudder ran through his body as a loud noise filled the cold, empty halls. It was like a howl. The high, wavering, bestial cry echoed down the stairs and sent chills down Abner's spine. He hurried downstairs, trying hard to get far away from that haunted noise.

Donovan curled in his rooms, hiding in the shadows. Hiding from the emotional pain, and ignoring the physical pain from his cut and bloody feet. The howl had been involuntary, but it had helped to ease some of the pain, temporarily. He already felt that pressure coming back.

He ached for Scarlet, more than he ever thought he would – even after he realized how he loved her. Her betrayal hurt him, but somehow, he wished he hadn't kicked her out. He wanted her back, bastard baby or not. But after the way he'd treated her, she wouldn't come. He'd lost the only woman he'd ever loved, and who he'd though could ever love the beast he was.

The long, sharp, animal noise rose into the darkness again.

***

Scarlet adjusted her jeans for the umpteenth time. It was taking some getting used to, wearing pants again. She almost felt exposed. But she hadn't worn a dress since she'd come home three days ago.

"Are you ready, Scary?" Joey poked his head in the guest room. She nodded and pulled on her sweater. "You can wait a few more days, if you want..."

"No, I have to do this before it's too late."

At the hospital, Scarlet hesitated outside the door of her mother's room. She hadn't seen the woman in over two months, and so much had happened since then. Most of the bad things, though, had been Michelle's fault for not telling the truth, and today was her day of reckoning.

Scarlet had a suspicion that her mother would know exactly why she was pregnant. She'd kept so many other secrets to her daughter; a pregnancy would be just another lie she could try to cover up.

"Do you want us to go in with you?" Danny hugged her from behind, while Joey took her hand.

"No, I can do this." She shrugged them off gently and slowly opened the door.

"Annabelle, daughter," Her mother's voice met her ears. It sounded hoarse, tired, old. Scarlet looked back at her friends and they pushed her gently in the door. "It's so good to see you."

"We need to talk, Mother." She sat down beside the bed and looked upon the woman she'd once believed loved her.

Michelle was a withered, gray husk of her former self. Her hair was longer than usual and drab, hanging limply over her shoulders. She had lost so much weight; the expensive bedclothes she wore hung off her emaciated body. Without makeup and her usual perfect copper coif, she looked decades older.

"I've missed you, daughter."

Scarlet looked away, refusing to let her anger be swayed by her sickly, dying mother. It was harsh, but until she knew what was what, it was her only choice. "I'm pregnant."

Michelle's face went through a quick change of emotions. First fear, then hope, and settled on forced, hesitating happiness. "Congratulations, Annabelle. I'm sure you and Lord Alford will be very happy with the baby."

Did Scarlet detect a hint of emphasis when Michelle said 'Lord Alford?' Maybe she was imagining it. "Tell me whose it is, Mother."

"I don't understand," Michelle's wilted, gnarled hands fidgeted with the coverlet on her bed.

Scarlet looked directly at her and spoke slowly and clearly. "You do. You know whose child this is, and whose it isn't."

Michelle looked down guiltily. "I...I..."

"You forced me into a marriage to cover something up. Just like you covered up Father losing me to Don–Lord Alford's father. What happened this time, Mother? Why would you lie to me?"

"I didn't lie...I just didn't tell you the truth," Michelle's voice was petulant, whining, pleading. Scarlet narrowed her dark eyes, pinning her mother in her stare. "You don't understand. I had to do it!"

"Whose is it?" Scarlet almost shouted, but she reined in her anger and lowered her voice. "I deserve to know."

It was a long, tense minute before Michelle nodded. "Bring Lord Alford in. He should know, as well."

"I'm not with him anymore. Tell me." Scarlet blinked tears away for a moment and hardened her gaze again.

"Oh, Annabelle, I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you like this," Michelle lapsed into hoarse, body-shaking sobs, but her daughter wasn't moved. Michelle reached for her hands, and Scarlet leaned further back in her chair. The look in Michelle's eyes was wounded, but understanding. She hated to do this to her daughter, and the lies had nothing to do with her; she just wanted to see Scarlet taken care of, after so many bad things. She wanted her daughter to have a good life, after the pain her father had caused. Scarlet sat still until the tears stopped. "Okay, I'll tell you. It was the night of the accident..."

***

"Scary?" Joey burst into her bedroom. "Come on, you have to eat something."

"I'm not hungry." She didn't bother opening her eyes. It had been almost a week since her visit to the hospital; she hadn't left the room since they got back, and she hadn't eaten in a day.

"Get up!" He snapped at her, tugging at her arms. She flopped back as soon as he released her.

"Why bother?"

"For me?"

She sat up, but faltered when she tried to swing her legs over the edge. "I'm sorry, Joey. I can't do it."

"You'll kill your baby."

"And? It's not mine." She didn't hate the baby; she hated the fact that it was in her, and who had put it there. Michelle had revealed so much, it had left Scarlet too stunned to be angry any longer. Now, she was still reeling numbly, and she was glad for that. Any protection and love she'd felt for the baby, before she found out the truth, had faded to almost nothing. There was still that instinct to take care of herself and it, but she forced herself to ignore it.

"Your body is giving it life. It is yours, whether you want it or not. You don't really hate it, do you? You're really in love with it, right?"

She refused to answer his question. "I – I can't get up."

"Dammit, Scarlet!" Joey scooped her up in his arms and sat with her. "You can do this. You know you want it to live, and if you don't think you can raise it on your own, you could always give it up for adoption."

"It's not that easy, Joey."

"The hell it's not. You've got me and Danny to help you. We've told you, you can move in permanently – we *want* you to, in fact. And even if you wanted to move out on your own, you have the means to live comfortably for years."

"I do not."

"Alford's butler sent this for you." He pulled an envelope out of his pocket and opened it when she didn't touch it. "It's a check for three thousand dollars, and bank details."

"Send it back, Joey. I don't want his money."

"There's also a note in here," Joey ignored her and read it aloud.

"'Milady,

I know you don't want this money, or anything from Lord Alford, but please believe me when I say: I want you to take it, for the baby. No matter what Lord Alford, or anyone says, you're a wonderful girl. And, as crazy as it sounds, I believe you that it wasn't your fault, somehow. You don't have to do anything with the account, you can let the money sit until you need it. But this check is from me, personally, and if you don't use it – and I will know – I will be very disappointed in you.

Go out, buy yourself something nice. Buy something for the baby. You can call me sometime, if you'd like. I have a separate phone. I know I would love to hear from you. But, if you can't, or won't, I hope you know I loved you like a daughter, and the two months you were here were some of the best this house has ever had. I do, however, expect pictures of the pregnancy and baby, when the time comes.

Love, your faithful servant,

Abner.'"

Scarlet reached for the letter and reread it. "Abner was too kind for me."

"Oh, shut up. He was as kind to you as you deserved, and there's nothing you don't deserve."

"Donovan –"

"To hell with what that bastard thinks! If he loved you, he'd at least listen to you, if not believe you."

Scarlet nodded and shakily climbed off of Joey's lap. "Okay, I'll do it. I'll get up, and I'll eat. For you and Danny and Abner. Later, we'll decide about it...the baby."