Page 87 of The Unforgiven
“Everyone will know he’s mine,” Madeline cried.
“No, they won’t. The only people who know the truth are Bette, Cissy, and Joe, and if they breathe a word of it to anyone, they know there’ll be hell to pay. Amelia is in her bedroom even as we speak, ready to exchange the pillow beneath her petticoat for a live baby. We will then announce the joyous news to the world,” Sybil said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
Sybil carefully handed the baby to Joe. “Get him settled in the boat,” she barked.
Joe put the sleeping child into a Moses basket that was lined with clean linen and padded with a soft blanket, and positioned it in the center of the canoe where it couldn’t tip over.
“Joe will come for you next week, Madeline, by which time I hope you will have seen sense,” Sybil said. She was about to leave when Madeline grabbed her by the arm, forestalling her.
“That child is mine, and I won’t let you take him away from me. I have no intention of marrying Gilbert Montlake, nor will I stand by and allow Amelia to claim my baby. My heart goes out to her. Only now that I’ve had my own baby can I even begin to comprehend her pain, but it’s not for me to save her from it. You will tell George to obtain a divorce. And if you don’t, I will tell everyone what I know.”
“And what might that be?” Sybil asked, yanking her arm out of Madeline’s grasp.
“I’ll tell them your son married his own sister, who was the daughter of a slave. You will be disgraced, and all doors will slam in your face.”
Sybil turned to Mammy, her face white to the roots of her hair. Her eyes narrowed to mere slits, and her breath came in shuddering gasps.
“I hated you,” Sybil spat out. “I lay in bed every night thinking up new ways to hurt you. I would have had you flogged until your skin hung off your back in ribbons of bloody flesh. I would have sold your children. I would have plunged a knife in your heart and watched the lifeblood drain out of your body,” Sybil sputtered. “But I didn’t. Do you know why? Because deep down, I knew you had no choice. My husband wanted you, and he had you. You were as much a victim as I was.”
“Madam…” Mammy began, but Sybil held up a finger to silence her.
“I brought Corinne into the house to shame him, to torment him with guilt, but he didn’t care. She was nothing to him; just another slave girl to pour him coffee and shine his boots. I didn’t punish Jean; I punished myself. I lost my son,” Sybil cried. “I lost the person I loved most in the world.”
“I’m sorry,” Mammy mumbled.
“Are you?” Sybil screeched. “I let you go. I let you be with your daughter, and I was good to your sons and their families. I never took my anger out on them. It wasn’t their fault, or yours. But this is,” she hissed, pointing a finger at Mammy. Her breathing had calmed and her voice now had a granite edge to it. “You told her, and now everything I hold dear is threatened once again. Well, this time I won’t be so forgiving.”
“What do you mean?” Madeline cried. She’d only said what she had to gain some leverage over Sybil. She’d never meant for Mammy to get the blame, but Sybil’s wrath was directed at her grandmother, who was now entirely at Sybil’s mercy. “I begged Mammy to tell me the truth,” Madeline tried to explain. “I wanted to know why my father was banished.”
“Well, now you know the truth. And are you better for it?” Sybil cried. “You’re an abomination, a stain on the family name. Ademon sent by God to torment me for all my days. And it’s all her fault,” Sybil roared.
Sybil looked deranged, the years of keeping the sordid secret finally giving way to madness. She yanked a handgun from the pocket of her gown and pointed it at Mammy, who stood stock-still, her eyes wide with shock. The gun was ridiculously small, almost toy-sized. The ivory handle was intricately carved and fit perfectly into Sybil’s hand, and the silver barrel glowed as it reflected the morning sunlight. It was difficult to imagine that something so small and pretty could actually kill, but if the weapon were as deadly as the look in Sybil’s eyes, Madeline would not escape unscathed.
“No!” Madeline screamed and lunged at Sybil. The noise that erupted from the handgun was no louder than the popping of a champagne cork, but the bullet wasn’t as harmless. Madeline felt a searing pain in her chest as a bloody flower bloomed on the front of her camisole. She tried to breathe but gurgled instead, unable to draw air into her lungs.
Sybil looked momentarily horrified by what she’d done, but the gun went off a second time, and Mammy crumpled into a heap next to Madeline.
Madeline stared up at the sky. It was so blue, so clear. Only a crane, startled by the shot, marred its perfection as it took flight. The baby began to cry but quieted quickly. Paralyzed with pain and shock, Madeline used the last of her strength to reach for Mammy. She inched her arm closer to her grandmother, finally closing her fingers around Mammy’s hand. It was still warm, but Madeline knew in her heart that Mammy was gone. The bullet had found its mark, and Mammy had met a quick end, unlike Madeline, who gasped for breath and wheezed as the air leaked through her damaged lungs.
“Missus!” Madeline heard Joe gasp in horror. “What have you done?”
“Joe, toss Clara into the bayou,” Sybil ordered. “Let the crocodiles have her.”
“No,” Madeline rasped. “Please…”
“Shall I go for the doctor?” Joe cried. “Miss Madeline is still alive.”
“Are you mad?” Sybil had regained control and was now all business. “I will be accused of murder and sent to the gallows. Unless, of course, I tell the sheriff that you murdered Clara and Madeline, in which case you will be sent to the gallows,” she said calmly. “One word of this to anyone and you will swing. Understood?”
Joe nodded miserably.
“Well, go on then,” Sybil prompted.
Madeline tried to hold on to Mammy with all her strength, but Joe yanked Mammy’s hand out of her grasp. He tried not to look at her, but Madeline could see the tears in his eyes. He was a good man, but he didn’t have much choice. Sybil wouldn’t hesitate to shoot him as well or turn him over to the law, if that’s what it took to cover up her crime. A dragging noise was followed by a loud splash as Mammy’s body hit the water and began to sink.
Madeline saw colored spots in front of her eyes. Her chest heaved as she tried to breathe, but her body was running out of oxygen. She knew she didn’t have long. Her mind began to wander, going over every moment she’d spent with her son. She saw her mother’s face. Corinne was smiling and beckoning to her.
“Don’t be afraid, Maddy,” she whispered.
