M7 Fic: Lies Become Unraveled- 2/?
Title: Lies Become Unraveled
Author: Jourdana Standish
Synopsis: Ezra discovers that everything he has ever known is nothing more than a lie. How does he cope with finding out the truth about himself when a woman from his mother's past forces her to reveal the truth?
Author's Notes: This suddenly came to me and is a nice break up of the major h/c/angst of "These Five Words". I intend on working on them simultaneously. Feedback is appreciated.
~~
"What do you mean he's my brother?" Mary demanded of her aunt as soon as she ushered her across the street and into the Clarion's office before speaking to her. "He's been dead since just after I was born."
"His body was never found, darling," Elizabeth said. "When no one could find him after a few days, we had no other alternative but to think he died."
"Let's say he did survive, how can you possibly think Ezra is that same child you've not seen in 25 years?" Mary asked.
Elizabeth was quiet as she rifled through her bag as if searching for something. She finally pulled out an old leatherbound album that Mary recognized as one she had seen many times as a child. She watched her aunt leaf through the album until she paused. She turned the book to present it to Mary.
"Because he's identical to your father," Elizabeth said, her English accent softening the words. "Except for the eyes. Those are your mother's. Same as yours."
Mary couldn't help but stare at the image. She had seen the image dozens of times before. Had memorized the image as a child as it was the only thing she could know of either of her parents. She traced the lines of her father's face in the image. Why had she never truly noticed it before?
"How...?" Mary whispered, looking at her aunt.
"Maude is your maternal aunt," Elizabeth said, her eyes sad. "Just a year older than your mother. She would visit often but then she stopped and we never knew why. It was shortly around when your brother disappeared."
"Are..." Mary swallowed. "Are you saying that Maude kidnapped my brother? Changed his name to pass him off as her own?"
"I wish I could say that I am not saying that, but I am afraid that is what happened," Elizabeth said, remorse in her voice. "But his name was not changed. Or rather, not his first name."
"How?" Mary asked, tears forming. "Everyone called my brother little Patrick."
"Mary, your father's full name was Ezra Patrick Ashford, Jr.," Elizabeth said. "He named his son Ezra Patrick Ashford III."
Mary felt her knees about to give out and she stumbled to a chair, sitting in a daze. "He's really my brother?" she whispered.
"If he's not, my dear, he's at least your cousin," Elizabeth said, moving over to her niece once she set the album down. "But I am positive he's your brother. The resembalance to your father says it all."
Mary lifted sad eyes to her aunt. "How... how could Maude do that?" she asked. "She had to know I was her niece. Everyone tells me how much I look like Mum."
"If she truly did kidnap your brother, she would not have wanted to admit that to you," Elizabeth said. "She probably never expected her lies to come undone."
"But now they will," Mary said. "She can't deny it now."
"She will try," Elizabeth said. "Unfortunately. Maude has always been the type of woman that has done anything possible to ensure she makes it through things."
"Even at the expense of family?" Mary asked, getting to her feet. "I've always liked Maude, despite her stories and the things she has done." She shook her head. "I always tried to convince Ezra that despite the number of times Maude left him with family, she was only looking out for his best interest."
Mary turned and looked at her aunt. "And that whole time she very possibly kept him from his family? Kept him from me?"
"It's possible," Elizabeth said. "But it's all speculation right now till I can talk to Maude."
"And tell Ezra," Mary said.
"Tomorrow," Elizabeth said. "This has been too much for even you tonight." Mary nodded, but her thoughts were on Ezra. Was he truly her brother? Was he really the man who should have grown up with her and was once believed lost? The resemblance to her father was too close to not believe the truth. If nothing else, he was still family as her cousin. Family here this entire time and neither of them knew.
~~
Maude slipped out of her room late that night. Well past when everyone was asleep in their beds. She had to leave, she couldn't let things come to light now. Not after all these years.
"I had a feeling you would try and leave," the accented voice said behind Maude, causing her to stop in her tracks.
"Leave me be," Maude said, turning to face Elizabeth. "Just leave me alone."
"Not till I know why," Elizabeth said. "Don't deny it either. He looks identical to his father. He has her eyes."
"*My* eyes," Maude snapped.
"Eyes that you and Katherine got from your own mother," Elizabeth said. "What did you do, Maude?"
"I did nothing wrong," Maude said.
"You let us believe he was dead!" Elizabeth snapped. "You let his own parents believe he was dead. Did you snatch him from your own sister?"
Maude seemed to snap, a crazed look coming into her eyes. "She never wanted him," she snapped in return. "Especially after Mary was born. She neglected him!"
"Katie never neglected her son," Elizabeth said, astonished. "Patrick adored his son. You stole him from them! You stole him from Mary!"
"I did no such thing," Maude said, sniffing. Her eyes looked around, as if suspecting that Ezra would come upon them.
"You did," Elizabeth said. "They grieved his loss, Maude! Katie was devastated when she lost Ezra. She was never the same, then their lives were stolen and Mary was left alone. She could have at least had her brother!"
"Ezra is my son, Elizabeth," Maude said. "And if you dare tell him otherwise, you will regret it." She shoved past the other woman, but Elizabeth would not be deterred. She raced after Maude, demanding her to talk to her.
Neither of them saw the figure that had been standing nearby. Like Elizabeth, Ezra knew his mother would try and take off when cornered. But even he could not go after her, not after what he heard. There was only one place he could go.
~~
Mary frowned as she heard a persistent knocking on her door. It took a moment for the sound to full penetrate the haze of sleep. Lifting her head, she frowned at the darkness before rising.
"Just a moment," she called sleepily as she pulled a dressing gown on over her nightdress and slipped her feet into a pair of slippers. She managed to light a lamp and carried it to the door, opening it.
"Ezra?" She blinked as she looked at the man. Her mind was still fogged with sleep until he spoke.
"Are you really my sister?" he asked, his voice rough.
Mary was stunned but she swallowed and stepped back, opening the door wider. Luckily Ezra had come to the back entrance. They were going to face enough when they got to the bottom of things without rumors circulating at his late night visit.
"Come in," she said.
Ezra stepped into the room, trying to find something else to concentrate on instead of the woman in the room. Finally he turned. "I did not mean to wake you..."
"No, do not apologize," Mary said. She started to say something further, but Ezra began to pace like a caged animal, running his fingers through his chestnut hair.
"I need to know... is it true?" Ezra asked, pausing only once to look at her before he resumed his pacing.
"I don't know for certain," Mary said. "But the likelihood is high."
Ezra paused near her bed and slumped to the edge, his legs giving out. He frowned, a mask of loss slipping onto hsi features. "So she did kidnap me..."
Mary moved over to Ezra just as he slid off the edge of the bed to sit on the floor, leaning back against the mattress. She lifted her dressing gown and nightdress some before she settled on the floor beside the man.
"We don't know the details," she said quietly. "How did you find out?"
"I knew Mot-- Maude might try and leave," Ezra said. "So I waited for her. Apparently so did your aunt."
"Aunt Elizabeth was there?" Mary said, frowning.
Ezra nodded. "I overheard them talking," he said. "Your aunt said I look like someone named Patrick?"
Mary nodded. "My father," she said. "Let me show you." She carefully rose and walked over to the album that Elizabeth had left with her. She carried the leatherbound album over and sat beside Ezra again, opening the pages to the one she was looking for. Resting it on their stretched legs, Mary pointed to the image of her parents.
"This is my father," she said, her fingers shifting. "And my mother."
"Good lord... she looks just like Moth..." Ezra sighed. He focused on the image of Patrick Ashford. "The resemblance is unmistakable."
"I agree," Mary said. "I never made the connection before, but I always believed my brother was dead."
"That's what I heard Elizabeth say..." Ezra started to look at the other pictures. Finally he glanced at her. "Are you all right if we are?"
Mary blinked, not expecting him to ask her that question. Mary had felt a slight connection with Ezra ever since he came to town, but she had pushed it aside as nothing. When he had arrived, she had no real desire to know him because of his past as a conman, but after he had gone to the trouble of assisting the others in finding her son and finding the threat to him, she felt compelled to get to know him. What she had found was a charming gentleman who wanted to live a different life than the one he had always known. She found a man who was looking to this town and this way of life as a second chance, only using the skills he had acquired from Maude when it was beneficial for the town and his friends.
"Of course I am," Mary said. "I suppose in some ways I've been lucky. I've gotten a chance to know you as a friend and have come to respect you as such." She placed her hand on his arm. "Even if we aren't brother and sister, we are cousins. If Maude really is your mother after all, she's still my mother's sister."
Ezra gave her a bit of a smile, finally nodding. It was hard for the gambler to open up to people, but he had found it easy with Mary. Perhaps this was why. Mary shifted closer and hugged his arm, resting her head on his shoulder. Deep down, they knew the truth. Maude was not Ezra's mother.
Ezra rested his head against Mary's, letting silence fall between them for a moment before he asked the question they both had floating through their minds. "Do you think she will ever tell us the truth?" he asked. Since she couldn't answer, nor could he, silence was the only thing that lay between them now.
Author: Jourdana Standish
Synopsis: Ezra discovers that everything he has ever known is nothing more than a lie. How does he cope with finding out the truth about himself when a woman from his mother's past forces her to reveal the truth?
Author's Notes: This suddenly came to me and is a nice break up of the major h/c/angst of "These Five Words". I intend on working on them simultaneously. Feedback is appreciated.
~~
"What do you mean he's my brother?" Mary demanded of her aunt as soon as she ushered her across the street and into the Clarion's office before speaking to her. "He's been dead since just after I was born."
"His body was never found, darling," Elizabeth said. "When no one could find him after a few days, we had no other alternative but to think he died."
"Let's say he did survive, how can you possibly think Ezra is that same child you've not seen in 25 years?" Mary asked.
Elizabeth was quiet as she rifled through her bag as if searching for something. She finally pulled out an old leatherbound album that Mary recognized as one she had seen many times as a child. She watched her aunt leaf through the album until she paused. She turned the book to present it to Mary.
"Because he's identical to your father," Elizabeth said, her English accent softening the words. "Except for the eyes. Those are your mother's. Same as yours."
Mary couldn't help but stare at the image. She had seen the image dozens of times before. Had memorized the image as a child as it was the only thing she could know of either of her parents. She traced the lines of her father's face in the image. Why had she never truly noticed it before?
"How...?" Mary whispered, looking at her aunt.
"Maude is your maternal aunt," Elizabeth said, her eyes sad. "Just a year older than your mother. She would visit often but then she stopped and we never knew why. It was shortly around when your brother disappeared."
"Are..." Mary swallowed. "Are you saying that Maude kidnapped my brother? Changed his name to pass him off as her own?"
"I wish I could say that I am not saying that, but I am afraid that is what happened," Elizabeth said, remorse in her voice. "But his name was not changed. Or rather, not his first name."
"How?" Mary asked, tears forming. "Everyone called my brother little Patrick."
"Mary, your father's full name was Ezra Patrick Ashford, Jr.," Elizabeth said. "He named his son Ezra Patrick Ashford III."
Mary felt her knees about to give out and she stumbled to a chair, sitting in a daze. "He's really my brother?" she whispered.
"If he's not, my dear, he's at least your cousin," Elizabeth said, moving over to her niece once she set the album down. "But I am positive he's your brother. The resembalance to your father says it all."
Mary lifted sad eyes to her aunt. "How... how could Maude do that?" she asked. "She had to know I was her niece. Everyone tells me how much I look like Mum."
"If she truly did kidnap your brother, she would not have wanted to admit that to you," Elizabeth said. "She probably never expected her lies to come undone."
"But now they will," Mary said. "She can't deny it now."
"She will try," Elizabeth said. "Unfortunately. Maude has always been the type of woman that has done anything possible to ensure she makes it through things."
"Even at the expense of family?" Mary asked, getting to her feet. "I've always liked Maude, despite her stories and the things she has done." She shook her head. "I always tried to convince Ezra that despite the number of times Maude left him with family, she was only looking out for his best interest."
Mary turned and looked at her aunt. "And that whole time she very possibly kept him from his family? Kept him from me?"
"It's possible," Elizabeth said. "But it's all speculation right now till I can talk to Maude."
"And tell Ezra," Mary said.
"Tomorrow," Elizabeth said. "This has been too much for even you tonight." Mary nodded, but her thoughts were on Ezra. Was he truly her brother? Was he really the man who should have grown up with her and was once believed lost? The resemblance to her father was too close to not believe the truth. If nothing else, he was still family as her cousin. Family here this entire time and neither of them knew.
~~
Maude slipped out of her room late that night. Well past when everyone was asleep in their beds. She had to leave, she couldn't let things come to light now. Not after all these years.
"I had a feeling you would try and leave," the accented voice said behind Maude, causing her to stop in her tracks.
"Leave me be," Maude said, turning to face Elizabeth. "Just leave me alone."
"Not till I know why," Elizabeth said. "Don't deny it either. He looks identical to his father. He has her eyes."
"*My* eyes," Maude snapped.
"Eyes that you and Katherine got from your own mother," Elizabeth said. "What did you do, Maude?"
"I did nothing wrong," Maude said.
"You let us believe he was dead!" Elizabeth snapped. "You let his own parents believe he was dead. Did you snatch him from your own sister?"
Maude seemed to snap, a crazed look coming into her eyes. "She never wanted him," she snapped in return. "Especially after Mary was born. She neglected him!"
"Katie never neglected her son," Elizabeth said, astonished. "Patrick adored his son. You stole him from them! You stole him from Mary!"
"I did no such thing," Maude said, sniffing. Her eyes looked around, as if suspecting that Ezra would come upon them.
"You did," Elizabeth said. "They grieved his loss, Maude! Katie was devastated when she lost Ezra. She was never the same, then their lives were stolen and Mary was left alone. She could have at least had her brother!"
"Ezra is my son, Elizabeth," Maude said. "And if you dare tell him otherwise, you will regret it." She shoved past the other woman, but Elizabeth would not be deterred. She raced after Maude, demanding her to talk to her.
Neither of them saw the figure that had been standing nearby. Like Elizabeth, Ezra knew his mother would try and take off when cornered. But even he could not go after her, not after what he heard. There was only one place he could go.
~~
Mary frowned as she heard a persistent knocking on her door. It took a moment for the sound to full penetrate the haze of sleep. Lifting her head, she frowned at the darkness before rising.
"Just a moment," she called sleepily as she pulled a dressing gown on over her nightdress and slipped her feet into a pair of slippers. She managed to light a lamp and carried it to the door, opening it.
"Ezra?" She blinked as she looked at the man. Her mind was still fogged with sleep until he spoke.
"Are you really my sister?" he asked, his voice rough.
Mary was stunned but she swallowed and stepped back, opening the door wider. Luckily Ezra had come to the back entrance. They were going to face enough when they got to the bottom of things without rumors circulating at his late night visit.
"Come in," she said.
Ezra stepped into the room, trying to find something else to concentrate on instead of the woman in the room. Finally he turned. "I did not mean to wake you..."
"No, do not apologize," Mary said. She started to say something further, but Ezra began to pace like a caged animal, running his fingers through his chestnut hair.
"I need to know... is it true?" Ezra asked, pausing only once to look at her before he resumed his pacing.
"I don't know for certain," Mary said. "But the likelihood is high."
Ezra paused near her bed and slumped to the edge, his legs giving out. He frowned, a mask of loss slipping onto hsi features. "So she did kidnap me..."
Mary moved over to Ezra just as he slid off the edge of the bed to sit on the floor, leaning back against the mattress. She lifted her dressing gown and nightdress some before she settled on the floor beside the man.
"We don't know the details," she said quietly. "How did you find out?"
"I knew Mot-- Maude might try and leave," Ezra said. "So I waited for her. Apparently so did your aunt."
"Aunt Elizabeth was there?" Mary said, frowning.
Ezra nodded. "I overheard them talking," he said. "Your aunt said I look like someone named Patrick?"
Mary nodded. "My father," she said. "Let me show you." She carefully rose and walked over to the album that Elizabeth had left with her. She carried the leatherbound album over and sat beside Ezra again, opening the pages to the one she was looking for. Resting it on their stretched legs, Mary pointed to the image of her parents.
"This is my father," she said, her fingers shifting. "And my mother."
"Good lord... she looks just like Moth..." Ezra sighed. He focused on the image of Patrick Ashford. "The resemblance is unmistakable."
"I agree," Mary said. "I never made the connection before, but I always believed my brother was dead."
"That's what I heard Elizabeth say..." Ezra started to look at the other pictures. Finally he glanced at her. "Are you all right if we are?"
Mary blinked, not expecting him to ask her that question. Mary had felt a slight connection with Ezra ever since he came to town, but she had pushed it aside as nothing. When he had arrived, she had no real desire to know him because of his past as a conman, but after he had gone to the trouble of assisting the others in finding her son and finding the threat to him, she felt compelled to get to know him. What she had found was a charming gentleman who wanted to live a different life than the one he had always known. She found a man who was looking to this town and this way of life as a second chance, only using the skills he had acquired from Maude when it was beneficial for the town and his friends.
"Of course I am," Mary said. "I suppose in some ways I've been lucky. I've gotten a chance to know you as a friend and have come to respect you as such." She placed her hand on his arm. "Even if we aren't brother and sister, we are cousins. If Maude really is your mother after all, she's still my mother's sister."
Ezra gave her a bit of a smile, finally nodding. It was hard for the gambler to open up to people, but he had found it easy with Mary. Perhaps this was why. Mary shifted closer and hugged his arm, resting her head on his shoulder. Deep down, they knew the truth. Maude was not Ezra's mother.
Ezra rested his head against Mary's, letting silence fall between them for a moment before he asked the question they both had floating through their minds. "Do you think she will ever tell us the truth?" he asked. Since she couldn't answer, nor could he, silence was the only thing that lay between them now.