With dinnertime looming nearer and still no sign of her two boys, Victoria’s anxiety grew. She kept peering out the living room window hoping to catch a glimpse of Heath and Nick riding through the iron gates. She worried not about their late arrival for dinner, but rather about them having met with a raging snowstorm. The thought continued to prey on her mind as the minutes dragged on.

“Mother, can I fix you a glass of sherry?” Jarrod offered, hoping to break her trance. “Mother?” he repeated louder when he failed to get an answer.

“What?”

He held the glass in front of him. “A sherry?”

“Oh yes, please.” She returned to her son and took the glass. After taking a sip, she resumed her seat in her favourite armchair. Jarrod followed to stand behind her where he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry Mother. They probably lost track of time like they did last year.”

“I remember they had a snow fight along the way and showed up soaked to the skin. They had to spend Christmas confined in bed with the flu.”

“Do you think they’d be insane enough to repeat that stunt?” He stood in front of her to gauge her reaction. The answer was glaringly obvious. “Yeah, you’re right. If I know my two foolish brothers, they would.”

“They just like to have fun with each other,” Audra defended.

“Mother!” the familiar bellow resounded in the foyer, prompting the three to leap to their feet.

“Nick! Heath!” Victoria gushed. “I was worried sick. What took you so long?”

“My smarty-pants kid brother here,” Nick playfully elbowed Heath in the side, causing him to crack a mocking grin “argued my tree was a beanstalk and insisted on chopping down another one. If you’re sore at our lateness, give him the belt not me.”

“You’re both here and thank goodness you’re not soaking wet. Now you two get upstairs and change for dinner. We’re having a guest so put on your Sunday best.”

“Oh, who is it?” Heath asked.

“An old friend of mine who’s in town for a few days, Beatrice Shyer.”

Nick squinted at the name that sounded familiar. “That name rings a bell.”

“She used to come to the house often when you kids were little. Heath might not remember her but surely you do Nick?”

“Very vaguely.”

“She’s the one who would bring you both candy at each visit,” Jarrod reminded with a teasing wink.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh, now I remember. Aunt Gumballs”

“Aunt Gumballs?”

“Yeah. That’s what me and Heath used to call her. She usually brought us gum balls. ”

“Well please, let that remain a family secret,” Victoria cautioned “Go on!” Victoria clapped her hands and slapped Heath and Nick on the buttocks. “Upstairs and get dressed. She’ll be here in thirty minutes.”

“Oh by the way, how did the Christmas shopping go?” Nick asked with a mischievous grin.

“We’ll talk about it later. Now get going!!” Victoria urged with a wave of the hand.

They stopped at the top of the stairs and waited until the retreating backs were no longer in view.

“Hey Heath! Late tonight? The attic?”

“Too risky. Better wait till tomorrow morning. I’ll wake ya up before dawn.”

“Deal!” They shook hands on their wicked scheme and parted ways.

Peals of laughter could be heard from the living room at Beatrice’s lively account of Victoria’s mischief with a former beau.

“That man worshiped the ground your mother walked on,” Bea depicted to Jarrod and Audra who hung on her every word. “But she was not the least bit interested in him.”

“Why is that, Mother?” an amused Audra queried.

“Tom Barkley, that’s why,” Bea answered for Victoria whose face flushed scarlet.

”Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh,” Audra and Jarrod chorused.

“I think I can understand why she wouldn’t give Mister Vachon the time of day. One look at father and she was mesmerized,” Audra defended her mother who smiled her gratefulness.

“Well, not quite,” Bea teased. She raised the glass of sherry to her lips to hide her amusement at Victoria’s warning glare.

“Bea, don’t. They don’t need to know.”

“What? What?”

“It wasn’t love at first sight this much I can say. In fact it was a rather bumpy encounter.”

“Well, tell us more,” Jarrod encouraged with a wicked grin as he took a seat facing the two women.

Victoria placed a hand over her eyes and shook her head in disbelief as she steeled herself for the deluge of quips and cranks that were about to befall her.

“I do believe Mother is blushing,” Audra remarked teasingly.

Dashing Nick and Heath made their timely appearances much to Victoria’s delight. “Boys!” she gushed, meeting them halfway to the living room to kiss them both on the cheeks. “Perfect timing.”

“Oh?” Nick exclaimed with a trace of query in his voice. He and Heath offered an arm to their mother to escort her the rest of the way.

“Beatrice, this is Nick,” she said proudly, motioning to her dark-haired son who stepped up to the woman standing with outstretched arms.

“Little Nicky Wicky.”

Heath sneezed out a chuckle at Bea’s pet name, one that received a glare from big brother before he hugged her Aunt Gumballs.

“It’s Nick now,” Nick corrected courteously before turning to Heath with a devilish toothy grin. “And this is…what-d’ye-call-him? Froggy Pants?” he gloated.

“I believe that was your nickname for him. My pet name for Heath was Angel Face. Come here my boy. Let me hug you.”

Heath flashed a mocking grin at Nick who grumbled his annoyance.

Bea pulled back from the tight embrace and held Heath at arms’ length to give him a quick once-over. “Let me look at you. My, you have grown into a handsome man.”

“What about me?” Nick asked with an affected pout.

“You too Nicholas...oh sorry…Nick.” She turned to Victoria with an amused expression. “I see those two are still very competitive?”

Victoria smiled her answer.

“Excuse me, Mrs. Barkley. Anytime you’re ready, dinner is served,” Silas announced.

“We’ll be right in, Silas. Thank you.” She turned to the assembled company. “Shall we?”

“Gladly.” Bea draped her arm in Jarrod’s, Victoria in Heath’s in Audra’s in Nick’s as they walked to the dining room.

The men gallantly pulled the chairs for their lovely escorts and took their seats.

“I’m curious to know where that Froggy Pants nickname comes from,” Audra asked casually, glancing at both Heath and Nick expectantly.

“Heath’s pants pockets were always dripping with frogs, that’s why. We didn’t tell him that their legs ended up in the frying pan.”

“Nicholas!” Victoria chided.

“Well it’s true!”

“It’s alright, Mother,” Heath reassured with a tap on her hand. “I kinda figured that’s where they went when Nick took a sudden interest in them and they started disappearing.”

“I told the kid them frogs were homesick and jumped back into the stream.”

“That he did,” Heath confirmed.

“See! I’m not that cruel.”

“Didn’t you name one after me?” Bea asked with idle curiosity.

Heath chuckled. “That one I recall putting back in the stream. I didn’t want Nicky Wicky to get his hands on it,” Heath said with a taunting grin directed at Nick who reciprocated with a silly face.

Sitting across from the blond Barkley, Bea marvelled at his striking likeness to Tom. “It’s staggering how Heath is the spitting image of Tom. Looking at him you wouldn’t believe he was adopted.”

All heads jerked toward the bearer of the shocking revelation. All were mute with consternation, with the exception of Victoria who shut her eyes and buried her chin in her chest in shame at the secret revealed.

“What? What are you talking about? What adoption?” Nick grilled the woman sitting in repentance of her blunder.

“Oh dear God! “ she put a hand to her mouth and turned to Victoria. “I thought…I thought you and Tom told him.”

The stunned siblings’ attention shifted to the end of the table to gauge their mother’s reaction, confident she would deny the allegation. Her restrained silence spoke louder than words.

“Mother? Is that true? Is Heath adopted?” a distraught Audra ventured to ask.

“Mother?” Jarrod joined in on the same query tone.

With tears stinging her eyes, Victoria finally raised her head to confront the shocked expressions boring at her. She prepared for the onslaught of criticism that was bound to rain down. “It’s true,” she confessed shamefully in a hushed voice.

“But how can that be?” a dumbfounded Jarrod queried. “You were pregnant when you left for that mining town and you came back two months later with a baby. We assumed that was Heath.”

“He was Heath,” Victoria replied sternly. “Just not…” her voice faltered when a wave of emotions rose to her throat. She covered her quivering lips with her napkin and dropped her eyes.

“Excuse me.” Heath pushed his chair back and walked out of the dining room without so much of a glance at his mother.

“Heath!” Nick shouted to get his woebegone brother’s attention. He glowered at his mother as he shoved his chair back. “I suddenly lost my appetite,” he said scornfully before chasing after Heath.

Bea sat shamefaced at the can of worms she had inadvertently opened. She hazarded a sidelong glance in Victoria’s direction. “I think I’d better go.”

“Yes I think you should,” Audra lashed out with a leer.

“Audra! You will apologize right this instant!” Victoria commanded.

“I will not, Mother,” Audra defied, tossing her napkin aside before storming out of the room.

“Excuse me.” Jarrod followed suit.

A tense silence ensued before Victoria collected her thoughts and spoke solemnly, “I’m sorry Bea. They never behaved this way before.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for Victoria. I’m the one who made a mess of things. I can never apologize enough for my indiscretion.”

“You didn’t know. Tom and I had discussed telling Heath when he was old enough to understand but we were afraid of hurting him and maybe lose him. That child became a part of me, a part of all of us over the years. We never treated him or loved him less than the children I bore in my womb.”

“He looks so much like Tom.”

Victoria strained a wistful smile and sighed. “He does. Tom was overprotective of him growing up. Heath would follow his father around everywhere he went. He eventually grew into a replica of Tom.”

“Mrs. Barkley. Should I serve dinner now?” Silas asked, a bit puzzled at the sight of empty chairs.

“Not for me. I’m leaving. I’m done enough damage tonight.”

“Bea please, I….”

“Victoria it’s better this way,” Bea interrupted before Victoria could finish her thought. “I don’t think your children like me very much right now and as I said I don’t want to aggravate the situation.” She reached out to clasp Victoria’s hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “I’ll be at the town hotel for the rest of the week. If you want, drop by.”

Victoria inhaled deeply before giving a light nod of the head. “We’ll see.” As she walked Bea to the front door, Victoria glanced up the stairs at the three siblings standing outside Heath’s bedroom door. All three willingly ignored the two women below as they attempted to get their distressed brother to unbolt his door.

“Heath, come on. Open the door,” Nick entreated with a tinge of warning about his voice as he continued rapping on the door.

“Go away Nick. I want to be alone,” came the scathing answer from the bedroom.

“Please Heath, we want to talk to you,” Audra beseeched as she hoped a woman’s plea would dissolve his armour.

“Brother Heath, what happened down here doesn’t change anything.” Jarrod explained plainly as he in turn believed a direct approach would do the trick.

“Leave me alone, all of you!”

Once Bea was out the door, Victoria hiked up her skirt and marched upstairs to the pack of angry wolves. Without making eye contact with the mob of smouldering stares, she shouldered her way to the door and knocked on it. “Heath, it’s me. Sweetheart I beg of you, open this door.”

“Mother please, go away!”

Victoria was relentless. She had no intention to let this wound fester. It needed to be cleansed with the truthful circumstances of Heath’s birth and adoption. “Heath, we need to talk. I think it’s time you, all of you, know the truth.” A short beat ensued, followed by the click of a key in the lock. Gently, Victoria nudged the door open and poked her head aside. Heath was lying supine on his bed, staring vacantly at the ceiling. Victoria, Nick, Jarrod and Audra walked behind their mother up to the bed where they formed a circle around their tormented brother. Victoria perched herself on the edge of the bed by Heath who didn’t bother acknowledging her presence. She risked a comforting hand on his shoulder hoping he would accept it without flinching.

The incident downstairs had reduced the matriarch to a quivering mass. She shut her eyes and drew in a shuddering breath to summon her courage. “That morning of September 24th, I left with your father on what was to be a three-day business trip to the town of Strawberry.”

“But you didn’t come back for two months,” Jarrod remarked.

“Jarrod, please,” Victoria admonished. “This is difficult enough without you interrupting.”

“Sorry, Mother.” He lowered his gaze in repentance.

“I was seven months pregnant at the time and quite irritable. I thought the change of scenery would do me some good so I agreed to join Tom on the trip. He had business to conduct regarding the purchase of a profitable goldmine. He was told that the area abounded with natural resources and ore was one of them.” Her heart ached dully but distractingly at the memories she was compelled to summon up. She breathed in another lungful and continued while rubbing her hand on Heath’s arm. “We lodged at the only hotel in town run by a couple named Simmons. At first glance you would think they were decent and obliging people but in their case appearances were gravely deceiving.” She saw Heath give her the glimpse of acknowledgement she needed to proceed with the heartrending story. “There was a young woman working for them; the proper term would be slaving,” she accented the last word with a dash of cynicism. “Her name was Leah Thomson. She was a darling young woman; very amiable and courteous; always aiming to please the customers. Tom and I found out that she was the proprietor’s sister and that he was mistreating her for the shame she brought on the family.”

“What shame?” Audra asked.

“She was an unwed mother carrying a love child.”

“Me,” Heath said bluntly, grief bearing heavily on him at the expected answer, this causing three quizzical expressions to fasten on Victoria’s face.

“That’s right,” Victoria quavered in shock.

“I don’t understand.” Nick shook his head in confusion.

“You will. Just let me finish.” Victoria waited for her children’s nods before continuing, “Tom and I took a liking to Leah. During the day when the Simmons weren’t watching I would help her with the chores while Tom was out conducting his business. She and I forged a friendship. She needed someone to understand what she was going through without judging her. She said the father of her child was a travelling salesman by the name of Charlie Sawyer and that he had promised to marry her. Only he didn’t want any children. When he discovered that she was with child, he left her.”

“The creep!” Nick raged.

“She had a bad cough. I tried convincing her to go to the doctor’s but she wouldn’t, assuring me that it was only a cold. Thankfully she had help back at her house. Her name was Rachel Caulfield, a long-time friend who stood by Leah through thick and thin. Again, a delightful woman.” Victoria’s heart quailed at the next painful passage evoked. She stood from the bed and folded her arms across her chest as she ambled over to the window. “The business transaction was lingering on; therefore your father and I stayed longer. But something went wrong.” She inhaled a shuddering breath and held it, pursing her lips and squeezing her eyelids together to prevent the tears from pearling down her cheeks.

“What?” Nick asked impatiently, sensing his mother’s torment.

“I fell down the hotel staircase and I...” Victoria’s choked on the word too painful to utter. “I lost the baby.”

All four faces fell to the floor. Jarrod edged up to the grieving mother to place comforting hands on her shoulders. Although Bea Shyer was the triggering element, he nevertheless felt a twinge of remorse at being party to having her relive those harrowing moments.

...Continued