smells and is particularly ugly. Papa is missing us terribly and especially the opera.” Her mother’s voice got suspiciously tight. “He’s all alone and here we are, living in a palace without a care in the world, planning the most wonderful season and he’s…he’s…” With that, her mother buried her face in her hands and began crying copious tears.
“Mama, I’m supposed to cry, not you,” Maggie said, coming over to embrace her mother, who continued to sob. She knew she should not laugh, so used all her willpower not to.
“I suppose it will seem particularly real if it looks as if I’ve been crying, too,” Harriet said in a rather waterlogged tone. “But you are not doing your part.”
“I am trying,” Maggie said, allowing herself to laugh. “See?” She put a great effort toward becoming somber and pointed to her eyes, which were completely void of tears.
Harriet didn’t think Maggie was very amusing, and her comment only served to produce even more tears from her mother. A dry-eyed Maggie continued holding her mother, trying to absorb her bodyracking sobs. Suddenly, Harriet thrust her away, the expression on her face almost hateful.
“Why ever did you do that?” Maggie asked warily.
“You should be crying, not I,” her mother said angrily. “You are the one who got us into this mess. You are the one who gave your virginity to a man without the benefit of a wedding. You are the cause of your father embezzling money, the reason he’s rotting away in prison. Do you think he would have felt such pressure for money if not for your lofty ambitions? You had to go to Newport. You had to attend all the same balls as Elizabeth, which meant more and more ball gowns and jewelry, things we couldn’t even begin to afford but which you happily accepted without a single thought to their cost.”
Maggie shook her head in shock, all levity of the moment completely wiped away by her mother’s horrible words, and her eyes flooded with tears, spilling over to course down her cheeks. “But that’s not true. I never asked for any of that. I was grateful, but how could I have possibly known what Papa was doing in order to fund all of those things?”
Harriet let out a sound of disgust. “You threw away the only man who was ever willing to marry you. Do you truly think you are such a catch? Do you really think you’ll find any man to marry you? Perhaps if you trick him. Is that what you were trying to do with Arthur? Is it?”
“My God, Mama, no. Stop. Stop,” Maggie shouted, putting her hands over her ears and squeezing her eyes against the horrible things her mother was saying to her.
“None of this would have happened if not for you.”
She heard those words through the roaring in her ears, and was tempted to tell her mother just how low she’d sunk in her vain effort to try to help her father. Had it been guilt that had driven her to such a depraved act with that man? Was there some truth in what her mother said? No. She’d never asked for anything, had simply enjoyed what her parents had given her never once questioning whether they could afford such luxuries. If she was guilty of anything, it was only ignorance. Her mother’s hateful words rang again and again in her ears, drowning her, killing the small amount of joy she still held in her heart.
“You can’t believe that,” Maggie said, sobbing now as she looked at her mother.
And then her mother smiled and pulled her into an embrace. She resisted, but her mother held tight. “Of course I don’t.” She put her hands on each side of Maggie’s face and used her thumbs to wipe her tears away. “Look at all those wonderful tears.”
“Wh-what?”
“You look like you’ve been crying for a week,” her mother said rather happily.
It dawned on Maggie slowly that her mother had been saying those horrid things simply to make her cry. “You are quite possibly the worst mother on earth,” Maggie said darkly, wiping tears off her
“Mama, I’m supposed to cry, not you,” Maggie said, coming over to embrace her mother, who continued to sob. She knew she should not laugh, so used all her willpower not to.
“I suppose it will seem particularly real if it looks as if I’ve been crying, too,” Harriet said in a rather waterlogged tone. “But you are not doing your part.”
“I am trying,” Maggie said, allowing herself to laugh. “See?” She put a great effort toward becoming somber and pointed to her eyes, which were completely void of tears.
Harriet didn’t think Maggie was very amusing, and her comment only served to produce even more tears from her mother. A dry-eyed Maggie continued holding her mother, trying to absorb her bodyracking sobs. Suddenly, Harriet thrust her away, the expression on her face almost hateful.
“Why ever did you do that?” Maggie asked warily.
“You should be crying, not I,” her mother said angrily. “You are the one who got us into this mess. You are the one who gave your virginity to a man without the benefit of a wedding. You are the cause of your father embezzling money, the reason he’s rotting away in prison. Do you think he would have felt such pressure for money if not for your lofty ambitions? You had to go to Newport. You had to attend all the same balls as Elizabeth, which meant more and more ball gowns and jewelry, things we couldn’t even begin to afford but which you happily accepted without a single thought to their cost.”
Maggie shook her head in shock, all levity of the moment completely wiped away by her mother’s horrible words, and her eyes flooded with tears, spilling over to course down her cheeks. “But that’s not true. I never asked for any of that. I was grateful, but how could I have possibly known what Papa was doing in order to fund all of those things?”
Harriet let out a sound of disgust. “You threw away the only man who was ever willing to marry you. Do you truly think you are such a catch? Do you really think you’ll find any man to marry you? Perhaps if you trick him. Is that what you were trying to do with Arthur? Is it?”
“My God, Mama, no. Stop. Stop,” Maggie shouted, putting her hands over her ears and squeezing her eyes against the horrible things her mother was saying to her.
“None of this would have happened if not for you.”
She heard those words through the roaring in her ears, and was tempted to tell her mother just how low she’d sunk in her vain effort to try to help her father. Had it been guilt that had driven her to such a depraved act with that man? Was there some truth in what her mother said? No. She’d never asked for anything, had simply enjoyed what her parents had given her never once questioning whether they could afford such luxuries. If she was guilty of anything, it was only ignorance. Her mother’s hateful words rang again and again in her ears, drowning her, killing the small amount of joy she still held in her heart.
“You can’t believe that,” Maggie said, sobbing now as she looked at her mother.
And then her mother smiled and pulled her into an embrace. She resisted, but her mother held tight. “Of course I don’t.” She put her hands on each side of Maggie’s face and used her thumbs to wipe her tears away. “Look at all those wonderful tears.”
“Wh-what?”
“You look like you’ve been crying for a week,” her mother said rather happily.
It dawned on Maggie slowly that her mother had been saying those horrid things simply to make her cry. “You are quite possibly the worst mother on earth,” Maggie said darkly, wiping tears off her
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