Tenderly you turn to dust all that I adored

[Harriet Prewett]

Word count: 367 | Outfit: Here | Date: 8th February, 1886

Harriet had done wrong in her life- that she would readily admit. She had been quite the gossip in her day, her spite could know almost no bounds, as could her anger. She had been rather vain, and she’d always and still had her pride. She’d been uncharitable and had taunted Maureen. 

And for all that, she was certain she’d been punished. Her Mother had been lost too early for her to know her, five of her children had never even lived long enough to feel the sun on their skin, her husband had been taken wrongly from them, Fee had gone through so much, there had been widowers made, Felicia had been lost, as had grandchildren, and she’d come so very close to losing the others. All of it had taught her that her family always, always had to come first.

And now life threw this at her.

Fee’s letter had been half turned to ash, half torn into shreds as the witch alternated pacing and screaming and sobbing. The birth of the twins had been a trial, but that was nothing compared to what they’d brought to her door since. Fitzroy must have been born self-destructive- that could only be the explanation for him being a widower already, for his career path, for almost getting himself and his brother killed, for his spell in prison, and now- now, for this.

Harriet spent the best part of the day swinging between anger and utter despair and fear and confusion. Nobody disturbed her- they all knew better by now. It broke her heart to think of what Gideon would have said. He had deserved better for his children, for his sons. The pain at having let him down caused the first of many tears. She hadn’t been able to save him, it had been left to his son to clear his name, and now she couldn’t even protect his legacy.

Hours later, a vase sat shattered and sheets of parchment had been scribbled on, burn, torn apart, discarded without regard. A wine decanter was empty, and all the same, Harriet was no closer to knowing what it was she had done to have brought this upon them.