"Edna? Are you taking care of my daughter like I asked?" Mother asked Edna who nodded and smiled.

"Yes Mrs. Theresa."

"Blessings upon you Edna! Never let him near her, never, I told you he won't do," mother spoke of Mr. Henry no doubt after hugging Edna.

"How do you like it here?" I asked mother but she shook her head.

"I do not, would you take me with you? They hate, only hate, only hate."

"What? Why do they hate you?"

"Because of the screams, oh the screams all night long, they have silenced everything except the screams and now they wish to silence my past, do not let them please if I lose my past I shan't exist."

"Oh mother of course not."

"Milady?" Edna asked.

"I shall take you home, we will depart from here today."

"You were always good, too good, you have loved me and God will reward you for loving me."

"Of course I will always love you mother."

Though I knew it would displease everyone and although I had no assurance of its safety I could not bear to see my own mother treated like a prisoner so I set out to free her now that the soundness of her mind was better. For the money I was paying it would have been expected for my mother to have a nice room and be living in better conditions, her fire was out and then I noticed some cuffs and chains that came down from the walls.

"Edna call the nurse immediately, we are taking her home."

"Yes milady," Edna hurried away and I just brushed mother's messy black hair backwards as we embraced each other waiting to be helped out of there.

"You cannot take her milady, she is not fully well yet," the nurse stormed back in the room.

"I understand but she is not a prisoner here so I wish to take her back please."

"Miss you should not interrupt the treatment, who knows what it could do to her."

"Please will you be so kind as to get me her release?"

"I cannot even if you wanted to, it says here only two people may sign her out are her sister or her son."

"Why Daniel or my aunt Mrs. Green? That is very strange, surely my name should be there too."

"I see no Daniel here or Mrs. Green, it says Lady Johnson Walker and her son Mr. Henry Walker."

"He is here? No take him away! Take Mr. Henry away from my daughter!" Mother began to shout and the nurse was ready to restrain her.

"But she is my mother, this woman is my mother, see, look at her, look at me!" I was trying to point out the facial similarities confused as to this huge misunderstanding.

"Nurses!" The nurse called and I stayed holding on to my mother's hand, "milady I need you to let go of her!"

"No, this is wrong, there is something wrong!"

"Milady you did not put her here so you cannot take her out unless you are her family, can you prove it? Do you have a birth certificate of being born from Mrs. Theresa Johnson."

"I... Mrs. Theresa Johnson?"

"Yes her birth certificate on file says her name is Theresa Johnson."

"What?" I looked at Edna who was just as confounded at me by all the affirmations being said by the nurse.

"You have to go! Get her out of here please," the nurse talked and before the nurses could get their hands on me I kneeled in front of my mother.

"Mother I... Forgive me, I had no idea," I lamented what I had let Lady Walker talk me into doing.

"I forgive you Alice," she touched my face and cried.

"I will get you out of here soon, I promise," I wiped away her tears, "just wait for me, do not be so impetuous please."

"I will wait for you Alice," she said and I hurried with Edna out of there traveling back to London where I could find Mr. Henry and Lady Walker at once to clear up this misunderstanding.

Back in London a rushed letter was sent to Lady Walker as I paced back and forth waiting for her in my drawing room.

"Lady Walker milady," Edna announced.

"Oh thank you," I sighed ready to clear up the misunderstanding which had prevented me from taking my mother back with me to our country home.

"Good afternoon Lady Alice," Lady Walker sat down to take some tea.

"Good afternoon Lady Walker please do take a seat."

"Thank you, so why have you summoned me here?"

"Well we need to talk..."

"I could deduct that from the letter."

"About my mother..."

"Right my son said you went to see her, so is she better?"

"A little, but her living conditions are deplorable for the wages I am paying the hospital, which is why I am going to bring her back home to be with me."

"Absolutely not child," she gasped putting down the tea, "she is to stay where doctors can treat her illness."

"Lady Walker with all due respect she is my mother, I will deal with her in the manner I see fit."

"She may be your mother but you will be my daughter in law so mind your behavior in front of me or this will not be a pleasant union."

"Excuse me but I am not even married to your son and you are treating me as if I had no mind of my own."

"Well do you? For any true lady would know your mother is not be seen, she is an infected animal who needs treatment and distance from the rest of us. I mean who knows who she might pass on her madness to?"

"Lady Walker!" I shouted going forward near her as my hand almost flew into her face for talking of my ill mother in such a manner.

"You are to marry into the Walker family and I will not let you shame my Henry or any of us because you are so easily swayed by your emotions!"

"Then I have a simple solution."

"Oh really?"

"Yes I shall not marry into your family if I am such a burden and shame and thus our friendship is concluded," I waited and she scoffed while drinking her tea.

"Oh you young girls know nothing of society, a bunch of half-wits you are compared to the ladies I was out on society with, now they had real notions of how things worked."

"Then there it is, if this is what you think of me then please be on your way, your son and I are done and I expect my mother back soon." I got up for her to leave but she stayed in her place inside the drawing room.

"Do you really think that withdrawing your engagement is acceptable at this point?"

"No but it is what must take place, I shall write to your son explaining the circumstances which have led to this error in judgement on both our parts."

"Hear me loud and clear Lady Alice, you and my son will remain engaged and marry as soon as it is possible for I will not tolerate you snubbing your nose at us."

"Lady Walker I did not propose to your son and you cannot make me marry him so please I bid you good day," she finally got up as I waited for her to leave the parlor room and never touch the sole of her feet again in my home.

*************************
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.