So Shameful! Chapter 27

Mzia peered up at Stephen, who was wearing his mask of love and care at the moment. A giggle almost escaped her thick, once luscious looking but now chapped lips.

At one point in both their lives they were madly in love with each other. But breaking a man's trust is something one should never do, and she did it twice.

She had tried to go after a different man because she wanted someone already successful so she could take care of her family right away. In the end, she ended up getting pregnant with the successful mans child and having a girl.

The successful man refused to marry her, giving the excuse that she bore no son, and was therefore useless and would never give birth to a son.

Heartbroken, she let her elderlt mother raise her baby girl and went to work as a maid for a young man, and she met Stephen again.

This time she was determined to be with the man she loved and not tempted by money and wealth.

So when she lured him in and got pregnant by him, she asked if he would marry her and take responsibility.

In response to her, Stephen said he had been so heartbroken by her betrayel the year before he had itmediatly went and married a very wealthy heiress from the south.

Shocked, Mzia couldnt believe her luck, she had thrown out the keeper for a fake seeker, and now he was already married. Whats more, his wife was already pregnant.

At that point she had decided to just be the mistress, as long as she could get lifetome support, her losses wouldn't be too bad.

Agreeing to her demands, he bought her a nice house in New York and payed for all the daily needs of her family as well as some extra luxuries for them to keep up pretense.

She had told her children that their father was always busy on business trips and thus would rarely come home.

All was going well until the old man had came by looking for his daughter years later. Luckily, her children had been away at their aunts, her yougner sister, who had managed to wed a wealthy Spanish man of high noble blood, viscount's son. Who just so happened to be the 10th son in his family and therefor was not as high up on noble ladies eligible marriage list. Afterall, almost all of his elder brothers had plenty of sons already, so he had no chance of inheriting the family title.

Her younger sister Marine, happened to be very talented in music and had impressed the 10th son so much that he went on a fast so long he almost died from lack of food just for permission to marry her sister, Marine.

Their father having been a doctor and illegitmate son of a lord of their home country, was probably the only reason the parents could actually consent without losing as much face, and blesses the marriage in the end.

When that man who fathered her daughter visited, she had only two or three female servants at home at the time.

The man had gotten older, and looked like he was a stone throws away from death.

He asked her if she was happy that she was someone's mistress, and hidden away in the corner of a house.

He offered her the chance to marry him, if she could promise she would have a son this time.

The greed that had been hidden in her jeart had surfaced once more, she wanted to be someone who was in the spotlight and loved dearly.

Agreeing to the mans demands they quickly went to a nearby church and got married, and nine months later she sent him word of their son.

The only reply she got back in the mail was from the mans oldest son who had told her his father passes away and that the family wanted nothing to do with her.

Heartbroken again, when she saw Stephen next with her new child he itmediatly knew it was not his.

A year or so later she started having muscle problems and her body functions had begun to deteriorate.

Mzia knew she did not have much longer to live, and was grateful that she and her children had not been thrown out of the house Stephen owned, and financial aid cut off.

Answering Stephens question, Mzia said "The doctor visited two weeks ago and said my condition is worsening, it's getting hard for me to speak and talk."

As she said these words, she sounded positively winded at the end of her sentence.

"Have you arranged any plans for the children yet?" Stephen asked in a low voice.

Closing her eyes with fatigue, Mzia answered, "I have written my sister Marine, and she said she can take Jeremy, but she hopes Francine can be married off before my death. Lest she have to be single until the end of my mourning period."

Barely able, Mzia waved her hand a little towards the water glass on the other side of the room and Nathanial itmediatly got up to go fetch it for her.

He poured the water from a large glass pitcher into a small lightweight cup.

Walking carefully back as to not spill any water, Nathaniel handed his mother the glass of water.

Taking a few small sips, she handed it back before turning her head to look Stephen directly in the eyes.

Looking at him with large and watery pale green eyes, Stephen ran his hands through his own dark hair on his head.

Noting his behavior, Mzia could not help but seek the hope that began to bubble up within her effortfully breathing chest.

Stephen looked at her and let out a long, contemplative sigh.

"I can pay for the house until Evergreen and Ophelia can get married. I'll give them until age 19. It may be abit young but I'm sure we can find some good suitors for them. Plans are also in the works for me to open up a profitable mining operation sometime soon so the expenses won't be too much of a drain."

Mzia let out a sigh or relief, surely she could get someone to look after the children, it was the expenses she worried about.

Nathanial didn't like this, and butted into their conversation.

"What about Francine's marriage? A tailor's son is courting her very fiecrely right now. He studies medicine at a nearby college. He is trying to marry up higher, will he be okay with Francine being born out of wedlock? There are also a few other gentleman that are eyeing her."

Mr.Stuart looked over to his usually quiet son and shook his head in disappointment. If only this son of his could speak his mind on more topics, who knows. Maybe he would even be in the second in line running for heir to his fortune.

His icey blue eyes locked onto his sons light brown eyes, and he replied in a deep voice.

"I do not know why you ask me this, she isn't even my flesh and blood. I have already done her a great service by letting her call me father. Sending birthday gifts, and the like. You think I'm cruel and cold-blooded but what about her actual father? The one that dumped your mother so that she had to become a maid to make ends meet. He then came and slipped into one of my women's beds and gave her a son. Which was born and conceived in supposed wedlock but when word was sent, the old dodder had already keeled over and his older children shunned him and gave him none of his dues."

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Anetta had long left the entrance of the room by now to go check on how the servants were doing, and noone was left to guard the door from eavesdroppers.

Thus, when these unwhispered words were said a girl who stood outside the door had heard it and was almost at the point of fainting from what she heard.

Francine wasn't her full sister? The eavesdropper was non other than Adelaide who had snuck up the stairs and to the door of the room to hopefully hear what was going on and any mention of her illegitmate sister.

She had expected her mother to chew out her father for being unfaithful once her older brother Nathaniel had tattled on him to her.

But prior to her expectations, the roles had reversed! Her eldest sister Francine had been the one born out of wedlock from some oaf, and not only her but also her youngest brother Jeremy.

Adelaide's mind was in overdrive as she tried to think about what all the implications this family secret would mean.

If her mother got married to another man while her father was still alive that could only mean one of two things, either her mother was guilty of bigotry, or she never married her father in the first place.

Cold sweat ran down her face and back. Should she tell Francine? No, no, she couldnt tell Francine.

Knowing Francine she would either destroy herself or someone else if she found out this information.

Although there family appeared middle-class, Francine sometimes managed to weasle her way into the friendship groups of the lower high class. If Francine or her friends discovered this information, she would probably be to embarrassed to come out of the house ever again.

So shameful!