Scandalous Part 6
"Please don't take this the wrong way but I don't want my child raised by a nanny." Maggie said as she was rocking her little girl in the nursery. Ashtoreth smiled softly, pulling up a chair next to the rocking chair.
"I'm simply here to help, dear." Ashtoreth smiled at the baby before looking at Maggie. "You do still need to go to school and you will have homework. I'll be here to take care of her during those times but you'll be responsible for her care otherwise."
"I think I can agree to that." Maggie nodded. "My dad was afraid I'd have to drop out...." She sighed softly, looking down at her now sleeping daughter.
"I'm going to make sure that doesn't happen, dear. Your schooling is very important." Ashtoreth nodded.
"Warlock said that you pretty much raised him until he started school. That his parents weren't around much." Maggie got up and went to put Rachel in her crib.
"That is true, I'm afraid." Ashtoreth sighed softly. "Harriet Dowling loves her son more than anything but she was a bit overwhelmed with everything. And Thaddeus....well work was more important to him even though he said otherwise." There was no hiding the fact that Ashtoreth really didn't like Thaddeus.
"What about this Brother Francis he talks about?" Once Rachel was settled into the crib, Maggie made a motion for Ashtoreth to follow her as they left the nursery. She had the speaker end of a baby monitor in her hand.
"Brother Francis was the gardener while Warlock was little. We both tried to teach him as he was growing up. He was a very dear friend of mine." Ashtoreth nodded. "Warlock adored him."
"What happened to him?" Maggie asked. It was a question that Ashtoreth knew she was going to get eventually.
"He wasn't exactly a young man when he was working for the Dowling's. Shortly after we left their service, he did retired but the years hadn't been very kind to him. It was actually not long after Ezra and I got married that his age caught up to him, I'm afraid." She sighed heavily and cleared her throat.
"I'm so sorry." Maggie said as she put a hand on Ashtoreth's arm. Ashtoreth patted Maggie's hand.
"It's quite alright, dear. It was a while ago. I've had time to grieve. And I had my Ezra to help me." She smiled softly. Maggie just nodded. The two of them went into the kitchen to get some tea. Ezra was there and Ashtoreth went over to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Could we get some tea my love?"
"Of course, darling." Ezra said with a bright smile, returning the kiss on the cheek before going about making their tea. It was rather domestic and Ashtoreth found herself liking it a bit more than she thought she would.
"I really hope that one day Warlock and I can get married. Maybe after we finish schooling. It'd be nice." Maggie said as she took a seat at the kitchen table. Ashtoreth sat across from her and nodded.
"I'm very sure that you'll be able to do exactly that." She reached over and patted Maggie's hand. "And perhaps your little girl could be the flower girl."
"That would be great, wouldn't it?" Maggie chuckled.
"Now, don't go planning the wedding just yet, ladies." Ezra said as he brought over the tea and some biscuits. "You've got some time yet."
"What was your wedding like?" Maggie took her cup of tea and sipped it as she looked at them expectantly. Ezra cleared his throat and looked at Ashtoreth as he took a seat having gotten himself a cup of tea as well.
"It was actually rather simple. Just the two of us, Brother Francis of course. We didn't want anything too extravagant." Ashtoreth grinned. She'd actually been thinking about what their wedding would have been like.
"What about your parents?" Maggie asked as she sipped her tea.
"Oh, Ezra's parents were too far away to be able to travel and my parents.....well they died quite a long time ago." Ashtoreth stirred her tea as she answered the question. "Brother Francis was the closest thing I had to a father. It was still a very lovely ceremony."
"I wouldn't mind something simple like that." Maggie nodded. "Though knowing Harriet Dowling it'll probably end up being a huge state affair." She made a face. "With a lot of people I don't even know being invited to attend."
"Harriet isn't an unreasonable woman, dear." Ezra said. "I'm sure she'd be happy to let the two of you plan things. When you're ready, that is." He eyed Ashtoreth for a moment.
"Why don't we worry about taking care of your beautiful little girl right now and we'll worry about your wedding when the time comes, hmm?" Ashtoreth asked with a bit of a smirk. She chuckled when Maggie blushed.
"I keep getting ahead of myself." She giggled a little and sipped her tea. "There's years before we even need to worry about it."
"Exactly, dear." Ashtoreth nodded. The three of them sat there drinking tea and talking until the baby monitor picked up Rachel crying from the nursery. Maggie got up and went to take care of her.
"Do you think they'll actually get married?" Ezra asked after Maggie was out of earshot.
"One can only hope." Ashtoreth said softly. She really did just want what was best for both of them.
"I'm simply here to help, dear." Ashtoreth smiled at the baby before looking at Maggie. "You do still need to go to school and you will have homework. I'll be here to take care of her during those times but you'll be responsible for her care otherwise."
"I think I can agree to that." Maggie nodded. "My dad was afraid I'd have to drop out...." She sighed softly, looking down at her now sleeping daughter.
"I'm going to make sure that doesn't happen, dear. Your schooling is very important." Ashtoreth nodded.
"Warlock said that you pretty much raised him until he started school. That his parents weren't around much." Maggie got up and went to put Rachel in her crib.
"That is true, I'm afraid." Ashtoreth sighed softly. "Harriet Dowling loves her son more than anything but she was a bit overwhelmed with everything. And Thaddeus....well work was more important to him even though he said otherwise." There was no hiding the fact that Ashtoreth really didn't like Thaddeus.
"What about this Brother Francis he talks about?" Once Rachel was settled into the crib, Maggie made a motion for Ashtoreth to follow her as they left the nursery. She had the speaker end of a baby monitor in her hand.
"Brother Francis was the gardener while Warlock was little. We both tried to teach him as he was growing up. He was a very dear friend of mine." Ashtoreth nodded. "Warlock adored him."
"What happened to him?" Maggie asked. It was a question that Ashtoreth knew she was going to get eventually.
"He wasn't exactly a young man when he was working for the Dowling's. Shortly after we left their service, he did retired but the years hadn't been very kind to him. It was actually not long after Ezra and I got married that his age caught up to him, I'm afraid." She sighed heavily and cleared her throat.
"I'm so sorry." Maggie said as she put a hand on Ashtoreth's arm. Ashtoreth patted Maggie's hand.
"It's quite alright, dear. It was a while ago. I've had time to grieve. And I had my Ezra to help me." She smiled softly. Maggie just nodded. The two of them went into the kitchen to get some tea. Ezra was there and Ashtoreth went over to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Could we get some tea my love?"
"Of course, darling." Ezra said with a bright smile, returning the kiss on the cheek before going about making their tea. It was rather domestic and Ashtoreth found herself liking it a bit more than she thought she would.
"I really hope that one day Warlock and I can get married. Maybe after we finish schooling. It'd be nice." Maggie said as she took a seat at the kitchen table. Ashtoreth sat across from her and nodded.
"I'm very sure that you'll be able to do exactly that." She reached over and patted Maggie's hand. "And perhaps your little girl could be the flower girl."
"That would be great, wouldn't it?" Maggie chuckled.
"Now, don't go planning the wedding just yet, ladies." Ezra said as he brought over the tea and some biscuits. "You've got some time yet."
"What was your wedding like?" Maggie took her cup of tea and sipped it as she looked at them expectantly. Ezra cleared his throat and looked at Ashtoreth as he took a seat having gotten himself a cup of tea as well.
"It was actually rather simple. Just the two of us, Brother Francis of course. We didn't want anything too extravagant." Ashtoreth grinned. She'd actually been thinking about what their wedding would have been like.
"What about your parents?" Maggie asked as she sipped her tea.
"Oh, Ezra's parents were too far away to be able to travel and my parents.....well they died quite a long time ago." Ashtoreth stirred her tea as she answered the question. "Brother Francis was the closest thing I had to a father. It was still a very lovely ceremony."
"I wouldn't mind something simple like that." Maggie nodded. "Though knowing Harriet Dowling it'll probably end up being a huge state affair." She made a face. "With a lot of people I don't even know being invited to attend."
"Harriet isn't an unreasonable woman, dear." Ezra said. "I'm sure she'd be happy to let the two of you plan things. When you're ready, that is." He eyed Ashtoreth for a moment.
"Why don't we worry about taking care of your beautiful little girl right now and we'll worry about your wedding when the time comes, hmm?" Ashtoreth asked with a bit of a smirk. She chuckled when Maggie blushed.
"I keep getting ahead of myself." She giggled a little and sipped her tea. "There's years before we even need to worry about it."
"Exactly, dear." Ashtoreth nodded. The three of them sat there drinking tea and talking until the baby monitor picked up Rachel crying from the nursery. Maggie got up and went to take care of her.
"Do you think they'll actually get married?" Ezra asked after Maggie was out of earshot.
"One can only hope." Ashtoreth said softly. She really did just want what was best for both of them.
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