Page 92 of Silver Lining
"Livvy, what are you saying?"
"Think about what a seven-month baby means." Striding forward, she entered the bedroom and closed the door with an angry click.
Before Louise could think about anything, she needed to tell the others that Doc Pope was confident Philadelphia would survive. She found everyone sitting around the kitchen table waiting in worried silence. They gazed at her with anxious, expectant eyes.
"There's nothing much to report yet. Livvy and the doctor are with her."
"What are they doing?" Howard demanded.
"I don't know. My impression is that Doc Pope will deliver the baby." She didn't tell them the baby was two months premature. "The doctor expects Philadelphia will fully recover."
"Thank heaven," Gilly whispered.
But Max was the person she spoke to, the only person she saw. He dropped his head in his hands and didn't move. She guessed he was praying, thanking God. And then she remembered Philadelphia saying that she would take Max away. If she ran off with Max, it would break Wally's heart. All Louise had to do was glance at Wally's white, drawn face to see that he loved his wife. But Philadelphia had said she would take Max.
Smothering a sigh, she placed her hands against the small of her back and stretched. "I'll return when there's more news."
There was a wooden bench in the corridor outside Philadelphia 's bedroom, and she sat there to wait, leaning her head back against the wall.
Seven months ago Max had been in Piney Greek. She knew he hadn't left camp during the summer because she'd been aware of Max by then and had kept an eye on him. There was no possibility that Max could be the father of Philadelphia 's child.
Lowering her head, she rubbed the bridge of her nose with thumb and forefinger. Livvy was right. Now they knew why Philadelphia had taken such an adamant position against seeing a doctor. She might deceive Livvy and Louise, and almost had, but a doctor would know at once that she was not as far along as she claimed.
The scope of Philadelphia 's deceit was staggering to think about. She would have married Max and let Max raise another man's child while believing it was his. And Wally. Wally had married Philadelphia to give a McCord child the McCord name. If Philadelphia had told the truth, Wally's life would have been very different now.
Fin ally, to protect her deception, Philadelphia must have deliberately fallen down the staircase, hoping to induce labor when labor should have begun if the baby had been Max's. She must have known that she might seriously injure herself and her baby, but she had done it anyway.
Louise shuddered and pressed a hand to her stomach as the door opened and Livvy emerged, holding a bundle in her arms. She jumped to her feet. "The baby lived!"
"Only for a few minutes. It's a boy," Livvy said in a flat voice.
"Where are you going?"
"This is not a McCord. I want the men she deceived to see this baby and know what she did."
"Livvy, wait." Louise caught her motherin-law's arm. "There's no reason to tell anyone about this baby.
You'll only bring pain to those who love her. They don't have to know." She didn't want Max to learn that Philadelphia had betrayed him with another man. It would hurt too much. "Please, don't do this. We can keep her secret for the sake of those we love."
Anger flashed and burned in Livvy's gaze. "She betrayed Max. And she intended to pass another man's by-blow off on my son to raise as his own. Wally didn't have to marry her; he could have had his own life, could have chosen his own bride. Then she allowed her father to punish Max when Max had nothing to do with this pregnancy. And she dared—she dared—to call you indecent! She did these things to my family, and by God in heaven, I will not protect her. Get out of my way."
Livvy carried the baby down the stairs and into the kitchen. Circles of scarlet flamed against her pale cheeks as she told Max, Wally, Howard Houser, and Gilly what she had come to say.
"That is a filthy lie!" Houser stood abruptly, shaking with anger. "How dare you suggest that my daughter had sexual congress with another man only two months before her wedding?"
Livvy's chin came up. "Doc Pope will confirm this child was premature." Livvy turned back the blanket that had hidden the baby's face. "If you still doubt, then look at this child. See for yourself that this is not my son's baby."
Louise drew a sharp breath. From where she stood, she could see a shock of black hair and the baby's face and chest. His skin was the color of coffee with cream.
Howard Houser stared, then he threw out an arm to catch himself. Leaning, he steadied himself against the kitchen wall. "Luis Delacroix," he whispered, blinking at the bundle in Livvy's arms. "That son of a bitch!"
Max met his mother's gaze; then he stood abruptly and walked out the back door, letting it slam behind him.
CHAPTER 20
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She floated through laudanum dreams for fourteen hours before she awoke with a dry mouth and severe anxiety. Pretending to sleep for another thirty minutes, she considered her circumstances and reluctantly concluded that she was backed into a corner. Though it wasn't fair, she was going to be blamed.
