“You don’t have to justify anything to me,” Temperance replied, “it is very clear to me that you have accepted me so graciously, and we cannot change the past, so what use is it in dwelling in it?”
“But I don’t wish for you to feel unwanted. Your father had different ideas, of course,” Albina stated. “But his views did not correspond to mine. He only wanted an heir, and I suspect that was what I was for him. And when it became clear that I could not give him one, he decided to change his behavior towards me and become entirely cruel.”
Temperance looked at her mother’s hands, resting in her lap.
“You never said,” Temperance said. “How bad it was.”
“No,” Albina agreed. “And I won’t, particularly. It is done, as you say.”
“Giving me a taste of my own medicine?” Temperance managed a weak smile, “I suppose I cannot blame you.”
“What I will say is that when I found out you were alive, that is when the solicitor came and told me, after your father died, it was the first thing in twenty-two years that felt like something given back.” Her voice was very quiet. “When you returned home, I knew and I was so angry at everything that had been taken and so grateful for what was left that I didn’t know what to do with either feeling, so I simply made you tea and talked about the weather.”
Temperance laughed, softly.
“Now that I think about it, you talked about the weather for twenty minutes.”
“I suppose it was less heavy than discussing everything that had happened before,” Albina admitted.
Temperance looked at her mother, and felt only love. It was an overpowering sort of feeling, and she reached out to grab her hand.
“I need to tell you something,” Temperance said.
Albina looked at her. “Let’s not speak about the past anymore.”
“Oh, no, it’s nothing to do with the past,” Temperance bit down on her lip. It was something that she never expected herself to say out loud, but she had been contemplating on it these past few days. “I am going to marry.”
“I beg your pardon?” Albina almost stood up. “I don’t think I’ve heard you right.”
Her reaction almost made Temperance laugh out loud.
“I know it’s a surprise coming from me, but I’ve changed my mind. I think it will... It will be good for the both of us. Having a man by side will allow me to take better care of you.”
Albina looked at her for a long moment. There was something moving in her expression that was complicated, not entirely comfortable.
“You are doing this for me?” she said.
“I am doing this for us,” Temperance said.
“Temperance…”
“Please don’t make a big deal out of it. I am not a martyr about it,” Temperance said, before Albina could go further. “I want you to understand that that I am not sacrificing anything I value more than I value your stability. I have thought about it clearly and it is the right decision and I am at peace with it.” She held her mother’s gaze.
When she didn’t say anything else, Temperance went on.
“What I need from you is not an argument about whether I should do it, as the decision has been made already. I need is for you to trust that I know what I’m doing.”
“You are the most stubborn person I have ever met,” Albina said finally.
“I am your blood, after all.”
Albina reached out and took Temperance’s hand in both of hers.
“You are not responsible for me,” Albina said. “I want you to know that I know that. Whatever you decide to do, I want it to be for yourself as well. Not only for me.” She paused. “I have had enough of people making decisions entirely for someone else’s benefit. It does not end well, as a general rule.”
“I know,” Temperance said. “But this is different.”
“How?”
