Cruel World Alas Chapter 5

That night someone different came to breast feed Miriam her dinner.

It was a beautiful young woman with a light dusting of freckles upon her face and rosy cheeks, with large bright green eyes and thin fair colored brows and and a fair complexion.

Her face was abit hollow, but she was very beautiful.

And she had reddish blond curly hair that went just past her shoulder blades, accompanied by an ample bossum in the front.

Miriam narrowed her little eyes abit in suspicion.

Wasn't this woman abit too good looking to be a wet nurse?

Well the answer to her question came soon after Miriam started to suckle when the woman started to say a catholic prayer.

"Mumble, Mumble...Blessed thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of the womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death. Amen."

An Irish accent!

Oh boy, things just got interesting.

Miriam was devotely catholic in her childhood in her last life so she knew plenty of catholic prayers.

Not to mention most people of the modern world could recognize a irish accent easily.

Many Irish were surely immigrating to America, as Irish immigrated to America in massive numbers in the 19th century if her memory is correct.

She was curious as to why her black wet nurse was not coming tonight though.

Was she busy perhaps?

Who knows. She guessed she'd find out eventually.

After finishing her 'meal' Miriam was gentley burped and her cloth diaper was changed before she was put into her crib for the night.

With today being so eventful, she was tired out. Young babies didn't have alot of built up stamina yet, afterall. Baby Miriam quickly drifted off to dreamland.

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The next morning a different black woman came over and fed and tended to Miriams needs.

This black woman would become the newest wet nurse of hers, and after counting each day they spent together from then on, she had been with this new wet nurse now for 3 months.

And when she woke up this morning she was surprised to find her mother, wet nurse, two maids, and another little girl, standing by her crib. This little girl looked around four or five.

And the maids she couldnt really accurately guess there ages, they both had light brown hair though. If that even mattered...

Ah how envious Miriam was, this child next to her could walk already and most likely have the ability to articulate words and thus her needs and opinions.

How tired Miriam was of the one-sided conversation she and her wet nurse had been having. Her newest wet-nurses name was Beckie. She didnt sound the brightest from what she talked to Miriam about, but then again, education standards during this time period were probably rather lacking compared to the high class private schooling she got back in her old life.

Miriam was wondering if Beckie was Beckies real name, or if it was a nickname for a longer or more elaborate name like, Rebecca, for example. She couldn't really ask her that now could she though?

Anyway, upon looking up at her mother, she noticed her mother looked a bit tubbier than the last time she had seen her.

Was she pregnant again!?

'Poor mother.' thought Miriam.

Looking back at the child holding a maids hand she had long straight black hair and piercing light blue eyes, with a rather round face, and healthy skin complexion.

The little girl opened her mouth and said "Mother is this baby sister? She looks just like you. Look her hair is yellowy." The child said and drew nearer to the crib and pointed at Miriams blond locks of hair.

Did this girl who was apparantly her older sister just call her hair color yellow?

Miriam felt that her future was indeed looking bleaker by the day.

Lady Genevieve laughed softly and pointed towards Miriam and said, " Yes this is indeed your sister my dear Martha. Her name is Miriam Matilda Mavis Stuart. Just as your name is Martha Anna Stuart, and your other younger sisters name is Danella Marie Stuart.

And hopefully the baby inside me right now will be Edgar Brent Reiner Stuart."

Lady Genevieve looked down at her belly and softly patted it.

"Their already so big so they must be a boy this time."

The two maids looked at each other and one daringly opened her mouth.

"Mistress Lady Genevieve, my aunt Penelope had twin boys and her tummy was about as big as your in the begining. Maybe you will have two baby boys!" The taller of the two brown haired maids said.

Lady Genevieve looked up and towards the maid and sarcastically smirked, before retorting " I dare not ask God for such a blessing."

The maid quickly shut her mouth and looked at the other maid who gave her the side eye.

"Excuse me, littest miss needs her feeding now." Beckie said as she lowered her head not daring to look the female master of the plantation in the face for fear of punishment for her outburst.

Lady Genevieve looked at Beckie for a moment and gave a small, but genuine Mona Lisa esq smile before saying " I'm glad this one knows her duties come first, I can tell this wet nurse won't end up like the last one, sleeping in the grave."

Beckie didn't even flinch but unbenounced to everyone their she clenched her fist tightly that was hidden inside her sleeve.

However, Miriams reaction was much more noticeable.

Miriam went pale in the face so much so that she looked like a ghost baby.

The grave? Her old wet nurse was in the grave? Whatever for? She was never really mistreated by her old wet nurse. Although she would sometimes be left alone for periods of time, Miriam didn't mind.

Afterall, she was only a baby in the physical sense, not in the maturity sense.

Was her mother implying that her old wet nurse had died because of her?

Was that even legal?

Miriam was deep in thought as Beckie hurriedly rushed to the crib and gently picked up baby Miriam to feed her.

Miriams mother looked at her pale faced daughter, shook her head lightly, and motioned for Martha to follow her out of the room. Martha shyly waved goodbye to her littlest sister before exiting the room holding her maids hand.

One maid remained in the room with Beckie and Miriam. The maid proceeded to start cleaning the room. She was the boot kicking maid from earlier.

Miriam meanwhile was absently minded begining to auckle and all the while she was rather crest fallen about learning about the other wet nurses death.

Why did she really die? Surely there must be more to this story than it seemed.

The last person she saw interact with her previous wet nurse was the head maid.

Miriam decided that she was going to remember that head maids face and try and ask her when she was old enough to covertly probe people with 'innocent' and 'harmless' questions.

Little did the head maid know she was already being plotted againt by a baby not even half a year old yet. If she had known, she surely would have gone running to her local church for protection from the wicked and unnatural.

It was certianly a cruel world, alas.