Chapter 6 - Voices in the Garden
At dawn, the rain finally cleared, leaving the estate gardens enveloped in a thick, cool mist. Elena walked slowly down the stone pathway that led toward the greenhouses, wrapped in a heavy wool overcoat Julian had ordered brought from town. Her legs felt weak after months of confinement, but the crisp September air smelled of wet soil, pine needles, and cedar—real air, unpolluted by kerosene fumes.
Julian found her standing before the rusted gate of the north shed. The structure was pitiful: corrugated metal, warped cedar boards, and cracked windows patched with gray adhesive tape.
"Why come back here?" Julian asked, stopping a respectful few paces behind her.
"I needed to see it with the door open," Elena said without turning. "While I was inside, I kept thinking that if I just closed my eyes, it would turn back into my bedroom at my parents' farm. But every morning when the sun came up, I could hear the delivery trucks on the main gravel drive. Life was moving thirty feet away, and nobody knew."
Julian stood beside her, his hands buried in his pockets. "I should have known. When Mrs. Gable told me you had resigned without notice, I should have questioned it. A girl who sends half her paycheck home every Friday does not simply abandon her job without collecting her final wages."
"She was powerful, Mr. Sterling. People like her... they don't look like monsters. They wear white suits and raise money for children's hospitals." Elena turned to him, her hazel eyes clear and searching. "What will happen to my baby?"
"This child will bear my name," Julian said firmly. "Not as an obligation, and not as a compromise. You will never have to hide in a shed, and your family’s farm will be deeded to your mother in full by tomorrow afternoon. You have my word."
May you like
Elena looked down at her swollen belly, her hand resting over the spot where new life continued to kick. "And what about Madame?"
"Victoria's time in this house ended the moment she told you to make another bowl of soup," Julian replied.
