Dolly
Southampton
Ruth was growing into quite the curious little child, and though Patsy kept her most of the time during the day while Kelly and Daniel worked, Meg insisted on letting her stay from time to time so that she could spend the day playing with the little one.
At nearly two, she was in constant motion, always getting into things and running about. Meg liked to take her outside and push her in the pram. Ruth often had a better idea and would climb out and play in the flowers. She seemed to like the lilacs and oleander the best, too, but Meg was always very careful to make sure she never put any of the plants in her mouth. She knew that oleander was extremely poisonous.
Ruth had fiery red hair, the same color as her mother’s, which curled up at her neck. Her vocabulary was immense for such a small child, and she kept Meg on her toes answering inquiries and explaining what different items were. She loved to look at picture books, particularly of animals, and Meg felt that she spent a good part of the day “moo”ing.
One day, while they were playing in Meg’s study, Ruth managed to pull open a drawer to an old bureau, one Meg hadn’t looked in for as long as she could remember. There, in the bottom lay one of her old dolls, the one she had called simply, “Dolly.” As Ruth gasped in delight and reached for the plaything, Meg gathered both the little girl and the remembrance into her arms, sitting down on the rug as Ruth wiggled and shouted, “Baby!”
“It is a baby,” Meg agreed. “It was my baby a very long time ago.” Looking at the doll reminded her of happier times, when she used to play in the garden. She’d received this doll from St. Nicholas for Christmas one year when she was just a bit older than Ruth, though she suspected her father had actually picked it out. She’d spent hours in the garden pushing her around in a toy pram.
“Eyes broke,” Ruth said, pointing at Dolly’s eyes. “Baby ouchy.”
“Oh, I see,” Meg replied, noticing for the first time that the doll’s eyes were broken. One of the blue orbs was cracked and the other was missing entirely. She had no idea how that had happened, but she suspected it might have had something to do with that awful Ms. Strickland. She never liked for Meg to play with toys. She also wondered if the woman might know what happened to her other doll, Lilac, which was nowhere to be found.
“Baby night night,” Ruth said, snatching the doll from Meg’s hands and carrying her across the room to rock her in one of the chairs that sat by the window.
“Is it time for baby to take a nap?” Meg asked.
“Shh!” Ruth insisted, covering her mouth with a chubby little finger. “Baby night night!”
“I’m so sorry,” Meg replied, stifling a giggle at the cuteness.
“What are you doing?” Kelly asked, walking into the study and spying her child rocking the baby.
Ruth showed her mother no mercy. “Shh!” she said, even louder this time. “Baby night night!”
Kelly looked at Meg, and they both had to cover their mouths to keep from laughing aloud at the little child’s antics. Ruth only liked to be laughed at if she was laughing, too, so they knew if they were caught, they’d certainly be scolded by the small tyrant.
Kneeling down next to her daughter, Kelly whispered, “Did you find a doll?”
Ruth nodded her head up and down vigorously.
“Do you know this doll used to belong to your Aunty Meg?”
Ruth’s eyes went to Meg, and then she nodded again.
“I believe her name was…”
“Dolly,” Meg supplied.
“Oh, yes, Dolly.”
“Dolly’s eyes broke,” Ruth informed her mother.
The dolls eyes happened to be closed since she was sleeping, and since Kelly didn’t want to wake the baby and upset the little mother she took her word for it. “That’s too bad,” she whispered.
“Maybe your daddy can fix them,” Meg said shrugging.
Kelly turned and looked at her. “Oh, we can’t take Dolly,” she began.
“Of course you can,” Meg said, sliding closer to them on the rug. “Who am I to keep a loving mother away from her baby.”
“Oh, but Meg, this was one of your favorite toys. Didn’t your father give her to you?”
“Yes, and now I’m giving her to Ruth,” Meg smiled.
“Well, maybe one day, when Ruth is older, she can give her back to you—if you have a little girl who might like to play with her.”
“NO!” Ruth interjected, no longer concerned that the baby was sleeping. “Ruth’s baby.”
“Oh, well then,” Meg said, trying not to laugh, “I think that answers that question.”
Kelly was clearly trying to hold back a giggle as well. “Thank you, Meg,” she said leaning over and putting her arm around her friend. “You are so kind to my little lady.”
“You’re quite welcome,” Meg replied, hugging her back. “Your little lady is very special to me,” she said, patting Ruth’s chubby little leg.
“What do you say to Aunty Meg?” Kelly whispered to Ruth.
Eyes wide, Ruth looked from her mother to Meg, a questioning expression on her face. Kelly whispered in her ear again, and then Ruth said, “Thank you, Aunty Meg!”
“You’re welcome, darling,” Meg said, leaning over to kiss her head. “I love you, my sweet.”
“I wuv you, too!” she said, letting go of Dolly with one hand so that she could hug her aunty back.
“Come on, Ruth. Daddy will be home soon,” Kelly said as she rose and plucked her child up off of the chair.
As Meg watched them walk out into the hallway, she wondered if she would ever be so lucky as to have a child of her own. She pulled herself to her feet and glanced out the window. Ezra was there, working in the yard. She sighed at the memory of the adventure they’d had, stealing her uncle’s motor coach. Would it be possible to take Ezra with her to America? Could they have a family there? Could she really be a loving mother, like Kelly?
She wasn’t sure if any of those things were possible, not after what her uncle had done to her and not with the predicament she was in with Charles Ashton. One thing was sure, however. Meg wasn’t willing to let go of her happily ever after without a fight.
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