Bab 9: Family (1)
"Be careful with it. If I find a mark on any of the bags, you will be fired," Beth said to the maids.
Beth stood in the middle of her closet watching as the new bags delivered not long ago were carefully put away. An early gift for the pregnancy.
Beth spent yesterday worrying about how she would get herself out of the position she put herself in and just when she thought of telling the truth, Jack surprised her with bags. Bags she had been asking for, but Jack would always say no.
If the baby was leading to her being spoiled then it wasn't time to reveal her lie yet, but to keep with it until she was pregnant.
It was a second gift to see the papers smear Scarlet, asking the same questions Beth wanted the answers to. Why was the divorce taking so long?
Beth was informed that the town was questioning why Scarlet wouldn't let Jack go when he was having a child. A heartbroken woman refusing to let go when her husband was already lost.
"I should call the papers here to give a few more words. No, Jack wouldn't like that. Where is that man?" Beth wondered, walking out of the closet.
Since morning Jack was busy and she hoped it was because he was finally putting an end to his marriage with Scarlet. Beth wanted to be married soon before the town could realise she was pregnant without marriage.
Beth found Jack sitting in the drawing room, reading the morning paper once more. "Why do you keep reading the paper? Do you feel sorry for her?"
Jack scoffed. "Sorry is the last thing I feel for that woman," Jack replied, putting down the paper. "You should rest your feet."
"It is too early for that," Beth replied.
"A doctor would tell you, but you wouldn't let me send for one. You must think of the child first," Jack said, wanting nothing to happen to the child.
He was finally blessed with the child he yearned for. Jack was ready to do what was needed to keep Beth happy, safe, and sound during the pregnancy.
"I will go to a doctor, but right now the town is prying deep into our relationship. Then there's your wife," Beth said in a mocking tone. "What if she sends someone to harm me for having the child she couldn't conceive? You don't know what jealousy would make her do."
"I have a family doctor," Jack reminded Beth. "He can-"
"Where is he?!"
"M-Mother?" Jack whispered, startled by his mother's voice. How did she know of this mansion? "Stay here," he ordered Beth.
Beth was too shocked to give a response and quietly watched Jack walk out of the room to speak with his mother. Why was his mother here? She never had the chance to speak to his mother during their relationship. Was she delighted about the news of a grandchild?
Jack panicked, knowing his mother's trip all the way here wouldn't end well.
His mother Dorothy Humphrey stood by the stairs with her two guards behind her. Jack was quick to go to her side to greet her.
"Mother-"
His greeting was silenced as a slap echoed throughout the mansion.
Beth disobeyed Jack's order, running out of the room to see what happened.
Dorothy's hand was still in the air where it connected with Jack's face. "You fool!" She spat.
Jack clenched his fists, calming his anger to avoid doing something stupid. His mother was still involved in the family business and could toss him aside if she wanted. "You should speak before hitting your son."
"You deserve it for the mess you caused us. Leaving Scarlet for some whore who can offer nothing aside from her body. All that money I used for your schooling was for nothing. You should be lucky that a single slap was all you got," Dorothy said, lowering her hand that still itched to slap him again.
News of Jack's child had Dorothy stop her plans and travel to find him. It was no surprise to find him in a mansion he might have thought was a nice secret with the little fox by his side.
"You left Scarlet for this?" Dorothy questioned, unamused by the mansion and the woman.
"I am happy and in love with Beth," Jack answered.
"No. You're a foolish man lusting after someone. Our relationship with the Collins is done for," Dorothy snapped.
They lost a good business partner because Jack couldn't remain faithful to his wife. Dorothy's gaze moved from Jack to Beth. A woman with no good background to offer anything to bring a bright light to the mess Jack created.
"Scarlet and I have not been in love with each other for some time now. Would you rather I stay married to her? That I try to make the marriage work?" Jack asked.
Dorothy shook her head. "You couldn't ask her to take you back. That marriage is done for. I hope it was worth it."
Beth made a bold move by going to Jack's side. She could not let him face his mother alone though the woman terrified her. "Our-"
"I did not ask you to speak," Dorothy sneered.
"She is the mother of my child. I cannot abandon her now," Jack said, slowly inching Beth behind him.
Beth was not to speak to Dorothy. Not when Dorothy was not ready to accept her.
"You shouldn't have abandoned your wife! All that I did to raise you, this is how you turned out. You have no choice but to marry her when the divorce is signed and done with. Stay out of the public's eye for a while. We can't have any more scandals. And you," Dorothy addressed Beth. "Don't approach her again."
"I was only trying to get Scarlet to move the divorce along. How much longer must the father of my child be married to someone else?" Beth asked.
"This is what you have to deal with for the choices you made. Do not make more of a mess," Dorothy warned Beth.
The divorce was already messy and more of it didn't need to be shown in the papers.
Having enough of the poor sight of her son and his lover, Dorothy turned around to leave.
Beth stepped out from behind Jack and declared, "I will try my best to make you proud, mother. It wasn't the right way to do it, but we couldn't help falling in love. We're all family now so we should try to get to know each other."
"Make no mistake. Only the child you carry is my family," Dorothy said, continuing to walk out of the mansion. If not for the child, Dorothy would have been setting him up to marry someone else.
Beth was lucky.
Jack left Beth to see his mother out. The slap infuriated him, but he needed his mother to calm down. Once he married Beth then his mother might slowly come around as long as Beth acted like a proper lady. Beth had much to make up for since her family background wasn't the greatest.
Beth frowned, put off by Dorothy not accepting her. She had Jack's love and now spoke of a child. What else did she need to get Dorothy to like her? What would it take to be spoiled by her mother-in-law like Scarlet was?
No matter what it would take, Beth would be seen as part of the Humphrey family.
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