The House of Eve (94)

When Rose and William Senior knocked at five thirty on the dot, William had still not arrived home from the hospital. Wilhelmina had just stirred awake from her catnap.

“There she is.” Rose had brought along a stuffed bunny, and she made its paws clap over the basket.

William Senior trailed Rose, carrying two paper bags that smelled of savory beef.

“Now, now.” Rose reached for the baby.

“Look at this little face. What’s the matter?” Rose cooed.

“She just woke up. I better warm the formula.”

“Pity we can’t give her breast milk. Wet nurses should have never gone out of favor,” Rose said, and her words hit Eleanor right in the chest.

William Senior placed the food on the counter and then said he’d go make himself at home in the den. Eleanor could hear him flip open the newspaper.

Once the bottle was warmed, she tested it and then reached for the baby.

“Let me.” Rose took the bottle from her. She was seated at the kitchen table and slipped the nipple into Wilhelmina’s mouth. As Eleanor watched a satisfying look cross Rose’s face, she felt an annoying trickle on her spine. Rose Pride always got what she wanted, no matter the cost. Mother Margaret’s voice echoed in Eleanor’s head.


I’m so glad Rose and William contacted me.



In that moment, Eleanor was sure that Rose had orchestrated the entire adoption, William acting as her faithful assistant. As she watched Rose light up with Willa in her arms, she felt the pebble of anger in her stomach start to stretch into a heavy rock.

Just then, William came through the back door, bringing in a burst of frost with him.

“Sorry I’m late.” He kissed his mother on the cheek first, peeked at the baby and then came over to Eleanor. She gave him a tight smile.

“How was she today?” he asked as he removed his wool overcoat. Despite his long shift, he looked impeccable, wearing a cashmere sweater and slacks perfectly creased down the front.

“Fussy. She barely slept.”

“Karo syrup is the key,” Rose chimed.

“I added one tablespoon.”

“Two tablespoons would coat her stomach and help her sleep,” Rose added.

“But I read—”

“I’m married to a doctor and raised two healthy boys. I think I should know these things.”

Eleanor bit her tongue and looked up at the kitchen clock. How much longer until they would leave? she thought as she moved to the cupboard and took down the dinner plates. William poured an aperitif for him and his parents and then ushered them into the dining room. As Eleanor set the table with linen place mats and her good silverware, she listened to them chat about the conference they had attended. The three of them ping-ponged back and forth with medical jargon and names of people Eleanor had never met. Sleepy and agitated, Eleanor reached for Willa, who had fallen asleep in Rose’s arms faster than she ever did in Eleanor’s.

“I’ll put her down so that we can eat.”

The quicker they ate, the faster Eleanor could get rid of them and finally confront William about his deceit. She couldn’t hold back any longer. She placed Wilhelmina in her basket that she situated in one of the dining room chairs and draped her in a receiving blanket.

Over beef brisket smothered with onions and gravy, William’s father asked him about his rounds at the hospital.

“I’ve just started a rotation in neurology. So far it isn’t my favorite.”

“Be careful of bringing the germs home.”

“I wash my hands so much they’re starting to crack.” He held them up for his father to see.

“It won’t be much longer before you’ve paid your dues, son. You’ll be the third generation of a physician in our family.” His father beamed.

“My pride and joy.” Rose reached out and squeezed his hand. Eleanor rolled her eyes down to her plate. What a deceptive team the two of them made. Before she could eat three good bites of food, Willa started fretting. Eleanor stood to get her.

“Hand her to me,” Rose insisted. “You need to eat so that you can keep up your strength.”

Eleanor gritted her teeth but did as she was told.

“There, there, little one,” Rose cooed. “Aww, she’s opened her eyes for me.” She nestled her nose closer to Wilhelmina. “Looks like she’s going to have beautiful green eyes.”

“The jury is still out.” Eleanor picked at her food, but she had noticed her light eyes, too.

“You know, green eyes come from my side of the family,” said Rose to no one in particular.

What in the devil was she talking about?

“My great-grandfather had green eyes. They usually skip a few generations,” she chuckled.

The rock in Eleanor’s belly felt like a boulder. Mother Margaret’s voice vibrated in her ear. Why had they gone behind her back to instigate the adoption? Why not just introduce the idea to her and ask Eleanor if it was something she wanted? Unless there was something to hide. There was a motive in everything that Rose Pride did. Willa was no different.

Then it hit Eleanor like a ton of bricks. All those late nights at the hospital, William unreachable. Eleanor wasn’t sure if it was the lack of sleep, or if the heat was turned up too high, but the room started to spin. As she put her hands on the table to steady herself, Eleanor looked around and it was like seeing them all for the first time. They were all liars. These people who were supposed to be her family had played her like a fiddle.