"The truth." Dumbledore sighed. "It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution."
~J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1)
Then 23 years ago
On a sunny day in June of singing birds and bright sunshine a very heavily pregnant Letitia Whitewood was expecting her first child with Thaddeus Whitewood.
Letitia and Thaddeus had been in love for a long time. Although their marriage was arranged it was one of the few cases where it was love at first sight. For an ambiverted person like Thaddeus who was more on the introverted side with his reading a bubbly person like Letitia was perfect.
Although some thought the match was ill suited for Letitia was a socialite the biggest of that time and Thaddeus was rather reclused. Although Thaddeus was rather reclusive he and Thomas were very sought after. Thaddeus being more sought due to his mysterious personality he was rather quiet at balls and Thomas was the more vocal one.
Then there was Alexia Longwood who just like Letitia was a great socialite but Letitia was deemed better than her. She simply lit up a room. Whereas Alexia simply just sparkled here and there. Nevertheless they both married into the Whitewood family as prestigious as the Whitewood though some thought it would be better for Alexia to marry Thaddeus than for her to marry Thomas.
But no one could deny that Thaddeus and Letitia loved each other. Even when the elders of the family were on Thaddeus and Letitia's case about them not having any children yet. Alexia and Thomas bore the first grandchild. Eddison Alexander Whitewood. And Thaddeus and Letitia still remained childless it wasn't until three years later when Letitia had finally gotten pregnant that the late Marquis Whitewood had told Thaddeus that even if they had a daughter whoever were to marry that daughter (of course with equal standing of them) that they would take over the Whitewood family.
So it didn't matter that Eddison was the only male grandchild in the family. The late Marquis loved Thaddeus and Letitia just as he loved Eddison. But Thaddeus was the heir to the Marquis title; everything would go to him after he died. If the child was a girl and Thaddeus and Letitia's only child then the child from that girl would be the Marquis afterwards. But if Thaddeus and Letitia had another child that wasn't a girl then that child would become the Marquis.
Eddison would take over one of the other businesses and lower title. But with this something in Alexia changed. She had already had an inferiority complex towards Letitia. She was the diamond of society and now a diamond in the Marquis estate and she hadn't had an heir and now she had had something that would guarantee that her future descendants would take over the Marquis title.
So a plan had formed between Alexia and her nanny who had been with her since she was a child and Alexia was now pregnant also. Heavily pregnant with Letitia and the late Marquis was overjoyed at the blessing of having two grandchildren born so close together.
And that day in June Letitia went into labor and she gave birth to a girl. With a hair full of beautiful black curly hair. "She looks like you". Letitia said smiling down at the child. "I agree". Thaddeus said proudly. "My necklace could you grab my necklace thaddeus". Letitia asked.
Thaddeus nodded and went over to her jewelry box and handed it to Letitia who was overjoyed. "My mother gave me this to give to my daughter and you, my little bird, are my daughter". She said, pecking the child on her forehead. "Are we naming the child little bird". Thaddeus joked. "I shall come up with a name, don't rush me". Letitia laughed.
Thaddeus had a name but he wanted to hear what Letitia would name her for she had always wanted a girl first. So the child was left unnamed. And the late Marquis was overjoyed to have a granddaughter and spent most of the day with that child and the half of the next day with them.
That was until Alexia went into labor the day after Letitia had given birth and that day was rather gloomy and cloudy. And Alexia's labor was long and hard and no one was allowed in but the doctor and her nanny. It soon began to rain and with the rain came another granddaughter.
And the so-called death of the eldest granddaughter. Letitia's wails could be heard throughout the halls of the Whitewood manor and what should have been a celebration of the birth of two grandchildren was in mourning instead.
Thaddeus was stoic, staring at Letitia who was holding the dead child. "How could this have happened"?! The late Marquis asked the doctor. "It has been a rising problem lately of infants dying in their sleep". The doctor said, "the child was just fine yesterday how could one die in their sleep"! Thaddeus suddenly yelled. "I don't believe it". He trailed off. He fell on the ground in tears but no sound would come out of him.
After the mourning period of a week they buried the child. Letitia had finally named her Ilene which meant bird. "You still haven't named your daughter yet". Thaddeus asked Thomas who was holding his daughter. "No I'm waiting on Alexia I feel as though a woman should and her first daughter I named Eddison". Thomas said. "You named Eddison". Thaddeus Said raising an eyebrow. "Yes you helped me but I still I had an input". Thomas laughed.
"Would you like to hold her"? Thomas asked. Thaddeus hesitated; he had barely held Ilene because he thought she was so small. But eventually he nodded and held the child. He was almost natural with the child holding her finger and it wasn't until then did the child opened her eyes and stared back at Thaddeus that he had seen himself in the child.
Those golden brown eyes. The saying is a mother knows their own child but in that moment it was a father knows his own child. He slipped the baby hat off the child's head revealing the same curly black hair that Ilene had had. He looked behind her ear and the same birthmark was there that he had had on his. More and more his heart sank and he looked up at Thomas who had been staring at them in gleeful joy.
"Does she have a necklace"? Thaddeus muttered. "What"? Thomas asked barely hearing him. "A necklace with a flower"? He asked again. "Ah how do you know"? Thomas asked. "I thought father must've slipped it on her as a surprise". He said cheerfully giving the necklace to Thaddeus.
"I have to go talk to father". Thaddeus said placing Ilene down gently. "For"? Thomas said chasing after him. "I hope you aren't upset for him giving that necklace to my child"! Thomas yelled after him.
But Thaddeus was on a mission and he could not hear the yelling and pleading of Thomas's voice. Soon his feet were at his father's office and he burst into the room. Leaving both his father and the elders that were there stunned. "What is the matter"! The late Marquis yelled. "Father something is a amiss"! Thaddeus yelled.
Maybe if Thaddeus hadn't looked so frantic that day maybe the late Marquis and even Letitia would have believed him that Thomas and Alexis had their baby. But he looked deranged. A mad man who was still mourning over his lost baby girl. And continued on with this so called theory the elders and his father said for days. It seemed that Thaddeus could not get over it.
And Thadddeus himself soon began to think he was mad himself going to see the baby everyday with Thomas in secret. "Everleigh". Thaddeus said holding the child. "How about you name her Everleigh". Thomas smiled. "Everleigh is a nice name". Although Thomas didn't know the truth of the matter of what was going on with Thaddeus he could see that Thaddeus was at a con when he and Thomas would come and see Everleigh.
But he still wanted to at least wait and see if Alexia would name the child so he called the girl Everleigh in secret and at that time a power struggle was happened within the family of some of the elders wanting Thomas to become the next Marquis because the way had deemed Thaddeus mad with grief but the other side still wanting Thaddeus for he was a genius at that time coming up with the many of new businesses and even renewing the already businesses in place.
But eventually the side that wanted Thomas won and Thomas became the heir instead of Thaddeus. Thaddeus however was too consumed in the the thought that Everleigh truly was his and Letitia and it wasn't until that night when Thomas was proclaimed the heir instead of him that Alexia came to him in the next in his office and told him the truth.
"The child is truly yours Thaddeus". She said.