Hi guys,

You asked for it and here is a new period time piece called "The Lady's Dilemma". Our main character is Miss Anastasia Whitby I hope you enjoy this new story and leave your comments below. Thank you for reading!

Your author,
A. S. G.

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"A Lady's Dilemma"

A Novel by: A. S. G.

England, 1917.

Please dear God no, my father was already dead, if mama died too I would also be alone in this world. No siblings, no pets, nothing but me left behind with the hope like the flickering flame on the candle waving beside mama's bed, these were my only prayers these past weeks.

"You will get better, the doctor has high hopes." I cleaned the tears off my face pressing in my faith.

"Doctors never know when our time has come. They are not fortune tellers. You feel it in your bones that you will fade. I feel it now. So don't cry too much. I shall finally be free now."

"Free? What are you saying?"

"I will finally tell you the truth." She caressed my cheek. "Then I'll have eternal peace," she smiled.

"What? I don't understand. You're not making any sense."

"You know you've been a gift to me, you brought so much joy into our lives even with your stubbornness. I need you to know that."

"Mama I would never think otherwise."

"Good never do. I'll be with you whenever you look upon your reflection. The same way your father has always been with you whenever I look at you. Both so stubborn. And your smile, the vigor behind it is so much like his. This joy for living." She traced my face with her fingers. "It's like he never left you or me for a day."

"Then don't leave me now."

"I have to but don't be too sad because your father won't."

"Mama, he's already gone. Do you not remember that?"

"Yes your papa is gone but your father is not. He is indeed very much alive. And he will be with you as he was with me. I am sure of it. You will never be alone dear."

"What?"

"This is what I need to ask of you, you must seek him out. Find him. Tell him who you are. He will be of comfort to you." She struggled for a breath.

"Just breathe," I raised her head.

"Dear..." She shook her head trying to breathe but the rocky sound emanating from her chest grew louder.

"Mama? Just breathe please!" I asked but her breathing waned. "Help! Doctor! Help!"

The doctor and my aunt busted into the room taking her away from my arms. They dragged me out of the room. But I stared into my mother's face, pale as a ghost replaying the words she'd uttered to me on her death bed.

"She's gone child," my aunt told me.

My mother Mrs. Lia Whitby had died and left me with a sentence I had never heard in my life before.

The funeral was arranged for the next day and as I was of age I would not be under my aunt's care. I was an orphaned lady of title and enough money to tempt some men to offer me marriage but I was already taken by the one who surpassed them all, Joshua Armistead. An officer in the navy who could not be here with me to bury my mother and who my mother would never see me wed.

"My condolences Miss Whitby," each of them said.

"Thank you," I replied and when the funeral was over I walked alone back to the house I grew up in.

Yet the one thing I thought about was not so much her death or the nice words said at her funeral. Nor how many hands I shook. The flowers given to her grave. It was whether to believe if my mother was delirious or not on her deathbed. Could she not have been lucid?

"Anastasia," my aunt called my attention as I sat in the lawn by the lake of our house.

"Yes aunt."

"How were your last moments with her?" She asked.

"Um..." I blinked trying to say what I could. "I'm not sure she was lucid."

"Why not?"

"She said things I didn't understand. I'm not sure they were for me."

"So she told you?" Aunt asked yet knowing what I'd probably heard.

"You knew?"

"She said you were never to find out until her death but whenever she said it it was almost like she was hoping the day would come soon." Aunt talked but I could not. "If you do not want to hear it we never have to talk about it. I think it would be best that way." So I nodded to her. I did not want to hear about something so strange.

How could my mother have lied to us for so long? Mr. Jonas Whitby was my father in every way. He was the kindest soul, the most amiable of all men with a title and of noble stock. He was perfect in every way a daughter ever expected one to be I did not need another.

"I must get back to my home so I was thinking perhaps it'd be best if you came with me to London."

"I am not in the mood for traveling."

"But you will stay here all alone? With no one to keep you company?"

"Yes."

"Well when you do wish to be with your family come to London. Until then make sure you are mourning properly."

"Goodbye aunt," I said hoping she would stop talking.

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The weeks passed by slowly driving me to madness. Rethinking every memory with my own father who never treated me anything less than his own child. Then I began to look back for men around my mother's age who she could have had an affair with. She had an affair! Absurd! It wasn't of her nature to be given so easily to men how could such a thing have come to past? Who was this man who was tempting enough for my own mother to betray my papa? How did she manage? To look my papa in the face while having been with another? Nothing between their relationship looked cracked enough for me to ever suspect such a scandal. I was a scandal. A filthy dirty scandal. My aunt was right. It was better to not touch the subject ever again. All I had to do was wait for the one I loved, and when we were married I'd leave the name I knew now to be a facade used to hide my mother's sin, to hide me. I'd be his and nothing else would matter.

"Miss we found this while cleaning your mother's room." The maid showed me a chest.

"Where was this?"

"Under the bed miss. We had always cleaned around it but we didn't know if you'd like to open it now. Or what we should do in case you did not know about it."

"Take it to my room please." I eyed the chest up and down.

What else would I find after my mother's death? What could be inside that chest? Although I wished to ignore it I knew exactly where the lock was. Mama had been preparing for her death for a long time now just like aunt mentioned. But weren't some things best left unopened?

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PS. Story under extreme revision. But here are some completed stories you can check out:

The Greatest Journey: Gothic Romance - Historical Fiction

The Modern Romantics: Coming Of Age - High School First Love

The Scientist: Supernatural Mystery - Past Comes Back To Haunt

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No part, character, names, plot, setting, conflict or resolution, point of view, theme or symbolism of this story may be replicated.

Copyright: All Rights Reserved to A. Sena Gomes.