The paining (7) - not edited

It takes forever to finish the painting. When I can move again, I'm so tired and hurting in every part of my body.

The few muscles that were spared from Alexander's passion now ache for being still for too long.

«It will dry in an hour or so, my Lord, my Lady,» Marvin exclaims. «No one shall touch it for that time.»

He seems confident and content of his work.

Before I can get up, Alexander steps behind me and massages my shoulders.

«My dear, are you tired?» he inquires.

His tone of voice is rather loud. It's clear his words, even though directed to me, are for someone else to hear.

«I am,» I say, more to accommodate whatever insecurity he feels.

I'll just repeat how much I love him until he's satisfied. We didn't see each other for long, so I need to recuperate all the times I couldn't. Alexander wrote enough letters, so I am the only one in debt.

Before I have time to carry on the plan and be left alone, I catch the painter's gaze on my neck.

I knew it. The makeup was perfect, but my moron husband just got his hands suspiciously close to it.

He erased the makeup and revealed our shameless practices to the world. He'll hear me as soon as we're alone. Oh, how much he's going to hear...

But I can't just scold him now. I'll have to wait.

Finally, Lavinia is left walk on her feet. She walks to Alexander and tugs his trousers, asking for his attention. She missed him even more than I did, asking about her father to me and talking about how awesome her daddy is with the maids. Kate has taken track of all the sweet things she said, and she told me she might let me have the list in case I needed.

What use is there, though?

«Daddy, Vinnie wants to see,» Alexander says.

He brings her to the painting, leaving me alone on the chair. I can't just follow and intrude in their time together, can I? As such, I stay here and wait, silently observing their reaction.

«Pretty,» Lavinia whispers to Alexander's ears. «But daddy's drawings are prettier.»

Daddy's drawings? What are they talking about? I didn't know Alexander draws for Lavinia. There's nothing wrong with it, so... Why hiding it?

«How interesting,» I chuckle. «What can you two be talking about?»

They seem startled, as if I found out their biggest secret. They brace each other in fear and look back at me.

Oh, goodness me.

«Is there something I don't know?» I wonder, tipping on my chin. «You two seem to be plotting something.»

Lavinia shakes her head with a desperate expression, and Alexander starts sweating. Their secret is uncovered, but why such a reaction?

If I knew better, I would also keep some of his drawings of Lavinia! They hid to keep them all for themselves, right? I have a couple in my drawers, but... I still can't understand.

«Lavinia, come here,» I say.

She strolls to me, her lips crooked and her eyes uncertain.

«Tell your mother, do you like your father's artworks?»

She nods, even thought she feels so, oh so guilty. What in the world is there on those drawings?

«Can I see them too? I'm curious,» I add.

She shakes her head, firmly set on protecting their little secrets till the end.

«I see,» I sigh. «What a pity. I thought you two loved me as well, but you seem to only love each other.»

This line is not for Lavinia. She's a kid and won't care about my feelings as much. It's for a certain war commander to hear. He shall know that hiding from me his deal with our daughter, he's breaking my heart.

However, something goes wrong and Lavinia runs away instead of Alexander. She comes back a few minutes later with some papers tied together.

«Here, mother,» she says. Her face is red like pepper, and she avoids my eyes.

She even runs back to Alexander after delivering the package. She asks him to pick her up, and they wait for my sentence together, tense like bows.

Oh, my. I might have overdone it. But their reaction made me really, really curious.

I undo the knot and look at the first drawing. It's a scenery. Nice, but nothing to hide. Also, I have something similar in my secret stock.

«Your father draws very well, am I right?» I say out loud. It's better to comfort Lavinia before she thinks there's something wrong with this. «I like this drawing very much. You have a good eye,» I add.

She nods and then hides her face on Alexander's shoulder, sinking it in his shirt. I didn't know she was this shy.

I turn the paper and check out the second. I'll take a look at the first few and give it back. I don't want to check out my child's things like this. It went out of my control, and Alexander didn't help one bit.

However, I'm stunned by what I see. No scenery, no cute animals... But me.

There's a drawing of me, a portrait.

I turn the third and find myself looking at the window while pondering, maybe trying to solve some of Kyre's issues.

Other than the first, the rest is all or almost about me.

Oh, my... For goodness's sake, they were talking about this! I can tell why they're so tense, now.

«So pretty,» I continue. «Your... your father has such a good hand.»

I don't know what to say. My daughter has many drawings of... of me. How odd, I didn't think she liked me at all, and look at this. I understand she keeps them because Alexander made them, but... The first scenery was there to cover those under it! It was a trap!

My daughter is such a witty child. She takes after Alexander for sure. I wouldn't have thought of this; not at three years old for sure.

«So pretty,» I repeat.

What... What can I even tell them?

«This drawings make me think I am also pretty,» I say. «There's so much love...»

Lavinia stops hiding and looks back at me. She observes how I caress one of the best pieces, and she makes Alexander lean her down in a hurry.

She runs to me and takes it away with force. She pulls until I let go and presses it on her chest. She bites her lips, confused and embarrassed. She was caught while secretly plotting with her daddy, it can't be easy to accept.

«Mother is prettier!» she shouts before collecting all the papers and disappearing in the hallway. Two maids follow her, and I remain alone with Alexander.

He just shrugs.

«It was our secret,» he says.