Updates
Welcome to Charming
Welcome to Charming, the year is now 1895. It’s time to join us and immerse yourself in scandal and drama interlaced with magic both light and dark.

Where will you fall?

Featured Stamp

Add it to your collection...

Did You Know?
Did you know? Jewelry of jet was the haute jewelry of the Victorian era. — Fallin
What she got was the opposite of what she wanted, also known as the subtitle to her marriage.
all dolled up with you


Private
drowning out, drowning out
#1
October 17th, 1894 — Lestrange Household
They called the midwife before Cash left for work that morning, and he had been exiled to the parlor once she arrived. Cash had felt very strongly about keeping Adrienne safe since the pit, and fluttered nervously around the room until the valet stepped in and insisted that it was normal for gentlemen to go to work when their wives were in labor. The midwife, he insisted, had it covered. So Cash, at a loss, took the floo to the Ministry. He was unable to focus for most of the day — he kept going to the nearest toilet to be sick, and even when he did not feel sick working felt impossible. He barely found his office work interesting on a normal day — how was he supposed to cope with it now?

The owl arrived around three o'clock in the afternoon, from the midwife.

Mr. Lestrange,

Your wife has developed a fever. You may want to return home and —


He did not read the rest of the letter. Cash crumpled it in his hand, the sharp edge of his own home-office paper cutting his palm, and shoved backwards from his desk. He thought he told his coworker, Beauregard, what was going on — he could not be convinced that it was coherent. He stopped again to be sick, took the lift to the atrium, and flooed home to Wellingtonshire. His hands were shaking; his fingers felt numb.

The butler was there to greet him when he stumbled out of the floo, covered in the fireplace's ash. "You have a son," he said, "Mrs. Lestrange is still feverish."

There was a healer upstairs. Things weren't cleaned up yet. The wet-nurse had the baby in the nursery if Cash wanted to see and name him. Cash sat down heavily in the armchair, and stayed there with his head in his hands. They had names in mind, for boys and girls, but the thought of naming the baby without asking was unbearable. Cash stayed in the parlor. Staff moved around him, bringing food they thought would appeal, sometimes water or coffee — he did not touch any of it until the valet thought to add gin to the coffee, and then he took periodic sips. It was not taking the edge off of anything — not his fear, not his grief.

It was early evening when the midwife came down; there was blood on her robes. "Mr. Lestrange," she said, "Her fever is still high. You may want to go upstairs while we see if the potions take effect."

Cash cleared the shattered-glass feeling out of his throat. He should write letters to her family, her twin. Cash asked the midwife if she would die in the next hour; the midwife said that Adrienne should last through the night even if the potions did not work.

That was good enough. He could say something to her family after he went upstairs; Cash stood up, clutching his coffee-gin like a lifeline, and took the stairs two at a time. He closed the door to Adrienne's room behind him when he entered. It smelled like blood and sickness.

Cash sat in the chair next to her bed; the chair the midwife had used. "Adrienne," he said, quietly. Could she hear him?

Adrienne Lestrange Philomena Sprout

The following 1 user Likes Cassius Lestrange's post:
   Rosalie Hunniford



MJ made this!
#2
Ever since being trapped in the pit at the Padmore Park, Adrienne had been quite content to keep to their home in Hogsmeade. She wasn’t by nature a skittish type of person, but in her present condition combined with the sheer terror of feeling the earth sink beneath her, every time so much as a book dropped, Adrienne felt her heart leap into her throat. Curiously enough, it was only when she felt her child move within her that she felt at ease. They, together, had survived that catastrophe. So she was certain that when the time came for the baby to come into the world, all would be well.

It started off as she expected it would. The pains came in increments. First, like the ones she felt a few weeks ago; intense, like when she had her monthly courses. Gradually they’d become more painful, but tolerable. It was during this that she smiled as placidly as she could at her brother as he hovered in the room. Normally men were not allowed in the birthing room, but she didn’t have the heart to tell him to go. And truth be told, Ari's presence comforted her. It gave her a distraction from the pains to let them know she was doing alright, and moving along just as she expected.

But then the pains, they - predictably - became less tolerable. It was at this point that she told Ari to go back home; made him promise to leave and that he would be called if something happened. Because Adrienne knew what was coming, and she knew that she wouldn’t be able to pretend that it didn’t hurt for much longer. Just as scheduled, the pains reached a threshold of pain she had never known, and she keep quiet the cries she let out as she felt the baby shift, as she felt her body push, but she had started to scream instead. She screamed because it hurt, and she screamed because there was no going back after this, that her dreams were on hold possibly never to return, and she screamed because she wanted her mother but her mother had been lost to her long ago.

Somewhere in the agony, she heard the sound of crying; crisp and clear and a sound that was not her own but one that called to her all the same.

“Un garçon!” Came Olympe’s cry of delight. “Madame, vous avez un garçon!” A boy.

But by then the world was hazy and unfocused and then went black. When Adrienne opened her eyes, she was freezing, as if ice had settled along the very creases in her bones. She heard sounds and saw shapes again. Thick blankets were laid on top of her and something awful was poured down her throat, and she threw it up. She tried to push it away, but eventually, hearing the gentle coaxing by the midwife, by Olympe, she tasted the awful liquid once more, and this time felt it settle hollowly in her stomach.

When she heard her name being called, it felt like it took ages to reach her. She almost ignored it, she was so very tired. Somehow, her eyes fluttered open. “Cash?”


The following 1 user Likes Adrienne Lestrange's post:
   Theodore Gallivan

[Image: VIzcNLA.png]
#3
There were layers of covers over her; they were, Cash suspected, trying to sweat it out. This was the worst he had ever seen her look. Her hair was damp with sweat, her face was pale and sweaty, and there was still that smell of sick and blood in the air. All this, for a baby, for an heir, that Cash had never been sure he wanted.

He reached out and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. What was there to say? I'm sorry; I'm sorry; please don't leave me; I'm sorry.

"I'll get Aristide back," Cash said, instead, voice soft. "And I'll inform your uncle."


The following 1 user Likes Cassius Lestrange's post:
   Adrienne Lestrange



MJ made this!
#4
As soon as she felt his touch, Adrienne leaned into it as if she’d been starved. It was comforting to her, and she could see the worry on his face. Perhaps if she could reciprocate by reaching out to him too she might be able to press the crease of distress from his brow. But her arms felt like dead weight, and she could only offer him a small smile. Which quickly turned into a grimace of horror at his next words. “Why, what happened?”

She could scarcely find her voice - somehow it had gotten hoarse - but the fear seized her more tightly than the chill that ran through her bones. “The baby, Cash, what happened? Is he alright?” Adrienne searched wildly about the room, with as much strength as she could muster for any sort of reason why her father and brother would be called back and informed. That would only happen if something terrible was on the horizon.


The following 1 user Likes Adrienne Lestrange's post:
   Cassius Lestrange

[Image: VIzcNLA.png]
#5
Cash kept his hand on Adrienne's forehead. Heat radiated from her; he swallowed and struggled to answer the question. "The baby's healthy," he answered — the air stagnated as he tried to come up with what to say next. How did he explain to her that she may well be dying?

"You're sick," he tried.





MJ made this!
#6
The baby was healthy. Healthy. They had a son. Adrienne let out a sigh of relief that quickly stuttered into a sob, and she leaned into her husband again. It was over. They’d done their duty and everyone had survived. Everyone except -

She frowned. “I’m…I’m sick.” The words took a while to get to her, moving through her mind at a snail’s pace. The past few minutes - hours - suddenly hit her and Adrienne felt her breath quicken. She was sick enough that Cash wanted to call her father and brother to be by her side. “Don’t - no,” she let out, struggling to sit up. Her muscles screamed at her. Everything hurt. Her voice hurt.

“No, don’t call papa and Ari, they’ll- ” Oh, the whole world started to spin out of control. “Don’t call them, they’ll only worry.”


The following 1 user Likes Adrienne Lestrange's post:
   Cassius Lestrange

[Image: VIzcNLA.png]
#7
Cash felt a surge of nausea, because Adrienne was trying to move upwards, and he had said the wrong thing. "Shh, rest," Cash said swiftly, desperation leaking into his tone — the more she moved, the more likely she was to hurt herself more, when she was already doing so poorly. He brushed his thumb against her warm forehead.

"I won't write them," he lied. If Cash kept Aristide from his twin's deathbed, the other man might kill him. That Adrienne called Trystan Selwyn papa slid right past him.


The following 1 user Likes Cassius Lestrange's post:
   Fortitude Greengrass



MJ made this!
#8
After the initial alarm, Adrienne realized she did want her father and brother here. She wanted to see their faces because she wanted comfort. She could tell Cash was barely hanging on as it was, clearly worrying about her, and she didn’t want him to have to be the one to maintain control. But she wasn’t one to go back on a request. So she nodded, and stopped struggling, obeying her husband and leaning back into the many voluminous pillows.

And in the strangest moment of clarity, Adrienne realized that it always seemed something was simmering just underneath the surface with Cash. She couldn’t describe it if she tried, but it was just a feeling that struck her as she focused on breathing. She lifted a hand to his face, shadowed as it was from the previous day and scruffy. She loved him. Of that much was certain. Before she could even think about broaching the previous thought that had crossed her mind, the squawking of a baby reached her and she inhaled sharply. “Cash…” She whispered, as if any more noise would suddenly make the baby disappear. “Is…is that him? Our son?”


The following 1 user Likes Adrienne Lestrange's post:
   Cassius Lestrange

[Image: VIzcNLA.png]
#9
She settled back down. Cash was not sure how long he should stay here — leaving felt like he was closing the door on something, on the possibility that she was going to feel better right away. Leaving meant he would have to write her brother, her father, his father — leaving the room meant that he was going to look the thing that had been hovering around him all day in the eyes.

Their son's bawling punctured Cash's thoughts. He looked back at her, smiled softly. "Yes," Cash answered, "That's him."


The following 1 user Likes Cassius Lestrange's post:
   Adrienne Lestrange



MJ made this!
#10
They had a son. It kept running through her head, that they were parents now. And they’d done their duty - they’d provided a son. Even though Cash wasn’t the first born, Adrienne’s chest swelled with pride at having gotten it right from the first go. And as if the nurse had been waiting for some sort of cue, she entered into the room holding the baby boy. Adrienne’s hands immediately went up to reach out to him. “Can I hold him?” She asked, blue eyes already brimming with tears. She blinked rapidly to clear her vision. “Please…”

Of course the nurse complied, and Adrienne clutched him to her chest. He was a wiggly little thing, despite being swaddled up tightly. Adrienne dipped her head back to kiss her son on the forehead. “He’s so beautiful.” She found herself saying, even though the tiny human in her arms was quite squishy looking and his head was oddly shaped (she knew from her midwifery training that was normal and not something to fret too much over).



[Image: VIzcNLA.png]
#11
The nurse brought the baby towards them, and Cash's breath froze in his chest. He watched Adrienne hold him, so gently, like she knew exactly how to do it. He was the first grandson of Lucius Lestrange, the de facto heir until Claude remarried — this squishy, wrinkled, very pink baby.

"He's blond like you," Cash said, trying for a smile and for his breath.





MJ made this!
#12
He was blonde indeed, little wisps of hair sticking out from his head; when catching the light, it almost looked like a little halo. If it was possible, Adrienne could feel her heart growing two times in size. A sob escaped her, this time a happy one as she gazed down at her son and started to coo at him in French. It wasn’t long before she turned her attention to her husband. Her husband, who looked positively terrified; as if the smallest breath in his son’s direction would destroy the babe completely. “But he looks like you.” She murmured, shifting gingerly so she faced more towards Cash. “Do you want to hold him?”


The following 1 user Likes Adrienne Lestrange's post:
   Cassius Lestrange

[Image: VIzcNLA.png]
#13
There were stones in Cash’s chest, slabs of them, and he was trying to breathe calm steady breaths through them. There were things they had not talked about, decisions to be made — if she died, what were they to do? Cash knew what he wanted, he knew how to get it, but he was not sure of anyone who would follow his wishes.

He was terrified, his chest hurt, he was so, so, tired. And then she looked at him again. Cash wanted to say no, wanted to protest — he did not want the baby to look like him — but instead extended his hands to very gently take their son from her. ”He’s so small,” Cash breathed.


The following 1 user Likes Cassius Lestrange's post:
   Adrienne Lestrange



MJ made this!
#14
“He is.” She agreed. He was terribly tiny, but Adrienne still felt strength in the small body in her arms. Every little movement was uncoordinated and clumsy but decisive. His small hands grasped at the air. Adrienne let herself sit back in the bed as a wave of exhaustion overcame her again. She had known Cash was terrified, just as much as she was. But, as the moments passed for her to reflect on what had just happened, Adrienne realized she must have given him a horrible scare with this delivery. He looked exhausted; the kind of exhausted that one felt after being terrified for so so long.

But now that they were parents, they had to make decisions. Plenty of them, but one was quite apparent, and something they could easily accomplish (or at least begin to) right now. “What shall we call him?”



[Image: VIzcNLA.png]
#15
They were going to have to name him. Cash glanced at the baby, who he very much wanted to hand back to Adrienne, and then back up at his wife. "Louis for the middle name," he said, because it was the easiest decision they had the opportunity to make — and because he did not want to make any others, right now.





MJ made this!
#16
Adrienne smiled and nodded. “I like Louis for a middle name.” She murmured, then reached her arms out for the baby again because her husband looked a little uncomfortable. “Louis is good.” It was also Aristide’s middle name. He’d certainly like that. As for a first name, Adrienne wanted to think it over, and she didn’t think Cash would mind. And because she figured that he wanted the same thing, she touched his arm gently and said, “I think that we should both get some rest, Cash. I’m tired.”



[Image: VIzcNLA.png]

View a Printable Version


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)
Forum Jump:
·