A large group of maids and manservants stood waiting behind the doors. Two twin bannisters twirled upstairs leading to a wraparound hallway with bedrooms that lined each side of the magnificent “coat room”. At the bottom of the two bannisters, were various doorways leading to huge rooms devoted to parties, balls, feasts, company, etc. In the middle of it all, on the floor separated from the carpet by a strict line of rocks and a carved iron fence, was a garden with succulent, ferns, and flowers. An orange tree was planted in a patch of land in the middle of the garden surrounded by a pleasing, gurgling stream. Here and there pots of sweet smelling flowers were scattered around the borders of the indoor garden. A glass roof supplied them light, but in this case, lightning. It was a very pretty room.

After Lady Adelaide shook her wet dress safely behind the wooden doors she clapped her hands and shouted at the nearest maid, “You, draw my daughters’ baths! Lavender bath salt and soothing oils! Get their new dresses, wash them, and make sure they have dresses ready after they get out of their baths. And draw mine too. Rose water, my special bath salts, the usual.”

The maid nodded quickly and began giving orders to lower maids. The house was in a flurry as the three daughters hurried up the twin bannisters to the inner rooms, dripping and happy, each clutching a golden envelope.

Adelaide followed them up the stairs, shaking her head at her damp dress. A maid tapped her arm as she went up. Lady Adelaide turned her head wearily, as the maid said “My lady, you have guests waiting for you in the fourth parlor, it’s a woman with a baby and a boy, she came from the village just a few hours ago, and there’s a lady from town, it’s Lady Matilda Morgan. They’re all quite impatient.”

Lady Adelaide huffed and nodded to the maid. “I’ll go as soon as I have a bath.”

The maid bowed and left to the fourth parlor.

A few hours later, in a well heated room covered in plush carpet sat the three sisters talking and laughing. They were now cozy and warm, curled up on scattered cushions. In the other room, the fourth parlor, Lady Adelaide sat with her guests.

A woman across her, dressed in a flamboyant green dress, pinned up with scarlet ribbons and orange pearls sat across her. Lady Matilda Morgan.

Another woman in a plainly made grey dress sprinkled with blue flowers sat on a plump stool bouncing a baby on her lap. Her golden hair gleamed in the lamplight and her blue-green eyes twinkled.

Lady Adelaide scrutinized her closely, something about her face was familiar, but she couldn’t remember where she had seen it.

The woman with the baby started first, “Lady Adelaide, I know you’re probably surprised to see me, you probably thought I’d never come back, but I have, for a good reason.”

The woman fondled the baby’s golden curls, waiting for the lady to process her words. Lady Adelaide sat forward with a confused expression on her face. Lady Matilda sighed and wringed her hands together.

“I want my daughter back.”

Lady Adelaide reeled back. Suddenly realization hit her. She knew exactly who this woman was. Lady Adelaide’s slim white hands gripped the arms of the chair, fury building up quietly in her cool grey eyes. Lady Matilda sighed, apparently expecting the outburst. The woman with the baby continued.

“You see, Thomas and I finally earned enough money to take care of our little baby, Leo, the triplets and Daniel. We have a shop now, and we’re doing quite well, Daniel is quite the businessman, he takes care of the shop while his father’s not around. I was thinking you could give her to us maybe with some money, to cover her expenses and maybe her dresses, it would sell well in the store.”

Adelaide exploded.

“Cara, what do you think you are asking?! What are you even doing here! You gave her to me, years ago, gave her to me! How dare you come back! That child was the cause of your shame, you wicked woman! She didn’t even have a name, beacause you left! How dare you, you coward! Get away from me!” The furious lady thundered at her.

Lady Matilda put a hand on Lady Adelaide’s trembling arm saying, “Addie, dear, think about what she’s saying. You should give Lia back, maybe she should know her true family. Lia may get mad at you if you ever tell her. I don’t want Lia to be hurt like that. She is a very sensitive girl.”

Lady Adelaide glared at her, “Matilda, don’t you even think about saying that to me again. Aurelia is my daughter, as good as my own, and she is part of my family now, nothing you say will make me change my mind. The Wellmans are her true family, the ones who took care of her, the ones who raised her, fed her, and clothed her. At least we didn’t abandon her! She’s a young girl, used to a comfortable, carefree life and I would never let her live the life of misery and shame, like the one you live, Cara. She belongs to me!”

Lady Matilda shook her head sadly, “Addie, I didn't mean to offend you, of course I love all your daughters as much as you do. I love them all, but I think you should give her back, where she really belongs. I’m worried what she’ll say if you tell her. It's quite a secret.”

Cara smiled at Lady Adelaide and said, “I do want my daughter back miss, she should probably know who’s her real mother.” Lady Adelaide fumed at the impudent words the woman was saying.

She remembered when Cara, still a maid, came to her, begging to take her baby daughter

Cara used to be a maid in the Welleman household, the cheerful one, always singing while she worked. She was extremely pretty, and Lady Adelaide loved her. Cara used to take care of Mina when she was a little girl.

Cara was just newly married to Thomas at that time and had a baby at home, her eldest son, Daniel. They were still trying to make a decent living back then and Thomas still worked as a the clerk's apprentice in a village store, while Cara got a job at the mansion as a maid. Everything was fine, and the couple were able to care for their young son.

Cara was a promiscuous woman and although married, had a lot of loose relationships with the manservants in the mansion.

She caught the eye of a lot of young fellows working in the stables, gardens etc. Plenty of times she had been caught with other men in the house which infuriated the mayor, John Welleman. He didn’t like the young maid, due to her frivolity and stupidity, but since his wife pleaded with him not to fire her, he let her stay with one exception—to stop carelessly carousing with the other men in the house, or else she would be dismissed from the mansion. Cara kept her promise, much to the their surprise.

For a long time, Cara refrained from her usual habits. It couldn’t last long, however.

One day Cara left the mansion without notice. For a few weeks Cara was absent. Lady Adelaide fussed and fretted over what could have happened to her, while her husband listened to her in grim silence.

After weeks of waiting, Lady Adelaide saw Cara again, with a baby in her arms. Cara was crying and crying, apologizing again and again. She had a child during that time, after the mayor made the rule.

Her family had abandoned her after figuring out what had happened, and were even more shocked that the mayor knew. They refused to speak or meet her again. Only Thomas, her husband, agreed to help her, even forgave her, but wanted her to get rid of the baby, to forget about it all. Cara desperately wanted to set things right with her family and Thomas, so she gave the baby to Lady Adelaide.

After Cara pleaded and cried, Adelaide took the baby, deciding it would be for the best. Mayor Welleman was extremely displeased that Cara had broken her promise, he got rid of her immediately and told her to never come back to the mansion.

Cara begged Lady Adelaide to take care of her daughter. Adelaide resented what Cara had done to her own child, abandoned it. She started to hate Cara.

In her haste, Cara had not even named the baby, so as Adelaide stood there, she named the baby after her own beloved mother, Aurelia. John and Adelaide Welleman  were firm on the idea of raising her as their own daughter. She became part of their family, no longer was she a maid’s child. The parents decided they would never tell Lia about her real mother, because it could break up their family peace. They never told Wilhelmina either, the eldest daughter never remembered a time when she had never had little Aurelia as a sister.

A few years after, Lady Adelaide had another daughter, Ernestine. With her two siblings, Lia thought the Wellemans were her relatives. She never knew. John knew it was better if she never did. So, nothing was mentioned about Cara and her unfortunate situation. As time went by, Adelaide grew to love Aurelia, and so did John. Lia was treated like a mayor's daughter, and she never knew of a life any different than what she had.

Everything came back in a flash as Lady Adelaide stared at Cara smiling. She shuddered at the thought of her precious Lia being taken away from her. She shook her head, and a high tinkling laugh came from the other room. She sighed and looked at Lady Matilda.

“Matilda, the girls actually wanted to give you something, they just got it this evening. It’s a little thank you gift for letting us use your observatory for our party.”

Lady Matilda smiled, “Addie, that was nothing, you know I’d do anything for the girls.”

Adelaide returned to the topic and said haughtily, “Now, Cara. This is my final answer. I will never give my daughter to you. You should live with your shame. It’s what you deserve. Didn’t you remember what my husband said, to never come back here? How dare you, you nasty woman! I can’t believe you have the audacity to say something as bold as that! Leave immediately!”

Cara started to rise, but halted at the sound of a voice.

“Enough! I’ve had enough of your yelling! Don’t speak to my mother like that!” The voice came from behind the curtains on a window chair.

Cara bowed her head as the two ladies opposite of her flinched in surprise. A tall young boy with golden hair emerged from the shadows. His greenish blue eyes burned with anger as he glared at the two ladies.

“My mother was only doing what she thinks is right, and you were too! It's just because you don't have the sense to see it. All you think about is looking down on us, and I've had about enough of it. Don’t think that just because you were born in an upper-class family, you are always correct.”

Strangely, anger was the last emotion on Lady Adelaide’s mind for the boy as she stared at his golden hair and eyes, so like her Lia’s…

“Oh dear, I'm sorry, Lady Adelaide, I forgot to say, this is my eldest son, Daniel. He brought me here. He said it would be too dangerous, ah he’s such a worrier, just like his father.” Cara smiled and patted her son’s shoulder. He was already taller than all of them in the room.

Lady Adelaide cleared her throat and said, “Are you Lia’s brother, Daniel?”

The boy looked at her stonily, “No.”

Cara turned sharply to look at her son. There was hurt in her eyes.

He said "I'd never want to be related to someone as conceited as you. And as you said before, Lia is your daughter, so, no. I'm not her brother."

 Cara sighed and Adelaide noticed it. She felt rather taken aback by the boy's words as well.

Lady Matilda was only shocked. “He looks just like her, why those eyes! I’d recognize them anywhere! Except here of course. Had I any ide--”

Suddenly Lia, all blue cloth and gold locks burst in, slightly out of breath, and said, “Mama, we’ll be having dinner now, Mina and Nettie told me to tell you. Father's waiting.”