Among Men: Genesis, Book 1

Chapter 7

Madame returned to Octavia's chambers and found her sitting on the edge of the bed. Her head was leaned back and she huffed in small pants with a hand holding the bottom of her womb. Carla appeared from the side, in the door to the small bathroom where she'd made Octavia's water in the tub. She curtsied to acknowledge her mistress and Madame watched Octavia curl forwards in pain.

"The tightening again? Around your belly?" Madame asked coming close, and caressing her back. Octavia nodded and groaned working through her pain,
"It only lasts for a moment."

"Carla." Madame said over her shoulder, "Help me move her to the tub, please."

"Yes, madame." Carla said coming around to the opposite side, taking the girl underneath the arm, waiting for her labored breathing to stifle.

Octavia nodded for them to begin and they rose her from the bed, carefully helping her trudge to the bath. "You're dehydrated. We need to keep you drinking to lessen these pains."

They came to the tub and Carla carefully un-tied Octavia's fiery red hair from the braid down her back, nearly to her waist, and shook the twists away from its confines. Madame assisted her to sit on the tub's edge while she removed her nightgown, letting it fall from her legs.

Octavia took it upon herself and began lowering down into the water and Carla objected worriedly stretching her arms to assist,
"Miss, let us help you!"

"I'm alright. I'm not entirely helpless. I'm just blown up as big as a bear!"

She sat down in the water and hummed happily feeling the water consume her aching belly. She sighed relieved as the Madame pulled her hair away from the tub, draping her locks over the lip behind her.

"Would you like me to wash her hair, milady?" Carla asks, folding her hands in front of her apron.

"No, dear." Madame said sitting on the small wooden stool behind Octavia, readying a comb and basin to begin on her hair, "Be relieved for the night, please. Thank you."

Carla nodded and Madame listened as they heavy chamber door closed behind the girl. She scooped her basin into the bath as Octavia closed her eyes in bliss to the warmth of the water and brought it to her feet. She rose her skirt to her knees and rested the basin in her lap. Gathering her orange hair, Madame carefully submerged it in the water to begin washing and combing.

She smiled and began to reminisce, "I remember the first time, I combed these curls. Your head had matted worse than a sheep's."

Octavia chuckled under her breath and said, still closing her eyes remembering the stumbling child brought on the hay cart and dropped on the doorstep,
"I was only a girl then. Still afraid to prick her fingers sewing and stitching. Just a wee lass, clumsy as a calf."

"You're still a girl." Madame said wringing the water away from her locks, "Only a girl. Seventeen is hardly a woman. You've hardly lived a life just yet."

Seventeen years. Hardly two decades of memories. Only four years' worth of happy ones. Memories not remembered by dirt floors and beds of straw next to the cattle. Carla, Sybil, and Naomi, they were all comfortable. Each girl being on their third, perhaps fourth Lord and Lady in waiting. They all came from something. Octavia came from empty, from nothing. Only the wish that her obedience may serve her into something better. Not a mother to sing her to sleep or a father to defend her honor. Only a girl. Just a girl.

"Have you thought of names?" She asked softly, beginning to lather her wet hair with a bar of Castile soap to begin washing. Octavia thought day and night of names. A strong name for a boy and a beautiful name for a girl. But she wouldn't know until they arrived what to call them. And what if there should be two girls? Or perhaps two boys.