Flower and Jewel; or, Daisy Forrest's DaughterMiller, Alex. McVeigh, Mrs.
Philosophy
Flower and Jewel; or, Daisy Forrest's Daughter
Miller, Alex. McVeigh, Mrs.
Gothic fiction; Mothers and daughters -- Fiction; Sisters -- Fiction
The kind-hearted Tibbie murmured an approval of this kindness, and
with the cook's assistance, soon had Flower undressed and placed in
bed. Then seeing that she was still in a dazed and half-unconscious
condition, and either unable or disinclined to speak, they shaded the
lamp and withdrew, locking the door as ordered, and giving the key to
the triumphant Jewel.
In the meantime the physician arrived and pronounced Mrs. Fielding
temporarily insane.
"I will leave soothing medicine for her, and I will send two nurses
from town, for she will have violent paroxysms, and it will take at
least two people to restrain her from doing harm to herself or others,"
he said, and took leave, wondering at the coolness and self-command of
this beautiful young girl, whose bright eyes were not dimmed by a tear,
as he explained to her the terrible condition of her mother.
He would have been more surprised if he could have read the thoughts of
that vindictive heart.
"So she is really insane!" she said to herself. "I am glad of that.
There will be no one now to interfere with my plans for Flower. It is
true she would have killed her if she had been let alone, but I do not
want her to die yet. I want her to live and wither under the shame of
her birth, and under the agony of her desertion by Laurie Meredith. I
will torment her as much as I can until the child is born, then I hope
she will die, and the brat, too, so that when Laurie Meredith comes
back I can have the pleasure of telling him that they are dead, and
showing him their graves."
Her passionate, jealous love for handsome Laurie Meredith was mixed
with hate now, and she delighted in stabbing his heart as he had
stabbed hers when he turned from her dark, dazzling charms to her
sister's fair, angelic beauty.
Going to her room, she unlocked her trunk and took out some papers,
over which she gloated with fierce delight.
"Although I long for power and gold, millions could not buy these
from me, for my sweet revenge is better than gold! Ah, how cleverly
I parted them! They outwitted me when they managed to steal away and
get married, but I've kept them apart ever since, I've made them pay
dearly for their temerity!" she cried, exultantly.
The papers she held were the half-burned diary of Charley Fielding,
the marriage-certificate and card she had stolen from Flower's desk,
and the note she had intercepted on its way to Flower, together with
several letters that Laurie Meredith had written to his wife since his
departure, and which, through Jewel's clever plotting, she had failed
to receive.
She pressed them in her hands, gloating over them with more delight
than a ball-room belle would have done over the most priceless
diamonds, for they represented the power she thirsted for so
ardently--the power to torment those whom she hated.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account