Cathy-girl
Alone in the enormous bed shadowed by stars, Maddy was deep asleep when the sound of her daughter's crying woke her. She struggled out from under the covers with a growl. "Dammit all." Fumbling in the dark, she found the satin nightrobe, and wrapped it clumsily about her as she climbed out of bed and, still swearing, padded out into the hall.
She found Katharine shrieking in the arms of the featherbrained nurse, who was petting her sooty hair and crooning ineffectually. "Hush now, hush now, there's a pet, there's a sweet babe..."
"Hellfire," said Maddy in exasperation.
"Oh, ma'am--"
"Give her to me." And as the girl hesitated: "Damn it, give her here. Go back to bed. Get!"
The nurse, quailing, handed over the child and fled. Maddy let out a deep sigh, and leaned her forehead against Katharine's.
"Shut that up, Cathy. Mama's here. Hush it. Damn, you're not wet, you're not hungry, you're too little to have a nightmare, stop your noise. Stop it. Blasted brat... O Goddess...." She sank into the rocker. "Goddess, Goddess, Goddess..."
Stuck with yet another howling brat, when she'd come so far to get away from them. "Goddess, Goddess..." She buried her face in Katharine's downy hair and rocked, mechanically. The child's wails subsided slowly into steady, muted sobs.
"You know your daddy ain't here, don't you, Cathy-girl, that's your matter, ain't it? You can tell he's gone off 'n' left you, left me... When you get big enough I'll teach you to spit in his face. Oh, but Goddess, of all the men I had to have his kid, the bastard, that double-barrelled bastard. I swear... Oh, he'll pay for this, Cathy-girl. He'll pay dear. If he don't come through... Goddess!
"You're all right. Shush there. Shush. You ain't ever goin' to marry, Cathy-girl, you ain't goin' to get nowhere near a man till we find one'll give you everything you want 'n' not pull somethin' like this. You're goin' to be a princess, baby, you're goin' to be ev-ery-body's little lady, you are. Oh, Goddess! If I never do nothin' with my life, so help me, you 'on't get screwed over like I been.
"You'll see, Cathy-girl. Poor sweet little girl, her daddy's gone off with a rich-fuckin'-merchant-bitch an' left her a bastard, but it don't matter, no, she's so fine 'n' sweet 'n' precious 'n' pretty, yeh, she's a little lady 'spite of everything, nothin's too good for her. An' then he'll see, won't he, Cathy-girl? He'll see he can't doublecross your mama and get to laugh last, no-- you'll be everybody's darlin' and he, he won't hold his head up again--"
Maddy broke off, choking back a hysterical giggle. Oh, but by hell he wouldn't! And then he could have the bitch and welcome, if she wanted him by then.
Katharine had quieted, was lying very still with her head on her mother's shoulder, her own small shoulders heaving. Her eyes were wide open.
"Cos you're mama's girl, ain't you? Look at you. You're mama's good girl, to hell with daddy, mama's good quiet baby. That's my girl! That's my Cathy-girl!"