The Thirteenth Tale

Margaret arrives at the train station, and the snow is coming down hard. She is able to find a taxi driver to take her to Vida’s house, but he is barely able to find his way in the storm. When she arrives at the house, she finds Vida in Emmeline’s room and immediately confronts her with the fact that bones had been found at Angelfield. Then she notices that Emmeline has died, according to Vida, just a few minutes before. Margaret whispers in Emmeline’s ear to find her own twin and tell her to come to Margaret. She then reveals her story to Vida, that she and her twin had been attached at birth, but the other twin had been depending on Margaret’s heart, and when they were separated, the other twin had died. Margaret then confronts Vida with her discovery, that Vida had been the third child. Vida admits that it is true, and finally tells Margaret her entire story.

John-the-dig begins finding signs of someone in the garden. Strawberries are being stolen, the garden faucet is being used, and someone has been sleeping in the garden shed. He locks the shed and turns off the faucet, but that night he worries about the person who was using it, and wonders what they will do instead. He sets a trap and catches what he thinks is a young boy trespassing in the garden. The child is wild, starving, and feverish, with an infected foot. He and the Missus feed and clean up the child, and realize that it is a girl, and that she has the green eyes and copper hair that is characteristic of the Angelfield family. They decide not to tell anyone about the child, even though she is clearly an Angelfield, and most likely Charlie’s child. In the end, they also decide that she belongs at Angelfield, and so she stays. The Missus tries to call her Mary, and John calls her Shadow, and no one else ever used her name.

Margaret then asks her about Aurelius, why he was abandoned, and what happened the night of the fire. Vida asks her to call Judith instead. They put Vida to bed and try to contact Dr. Clifton, but the phone lines are down because of the storm. They decide to take shifts staying with Vida all night.

Margaret sits with Vida first, and Vida continues her story. In it, Vida, the third, nameless child, knows that Ambrose likes her, and she likes him too, but her loyalty to Emmeline leaves no room for him. She turns him away, and he stops coming to her. A few months later, she notices that Emmeline is pregnant. Emmeline does not even seem to realize it and does not understand why Vida is angry. She fires Ambrose, who shows her, before he leaves, how to kill a chicken so that they can feed themselves. Vida loves Emmeline, but only gets Emmeline’s attention when Adeline is gone.

Emmeline has her baby, and thanks to their reclusive life, no one knows. Vida continues to assume Adeline’s identity with everyone from the outside world, as the real Adeline’s mental health has declined, and she is not in contact with anyone anymore. Even after the baby is born, they do not contact Dr. Maudsley because of their history with him.

After the baby is born, Vida is faced with the reality of caring for him, but she loves him deeply. Adeline, however, is jealous, and Vida realizes that the child is in danger from her. Once, she comes upon Adeline apparently about to smother the baby with a cushion. She begins to spy on Adeline and sees her carrying cans of gasoline out of the coach house and placing them around the house. Vida hides the cans in the library, thinking that once Adeline runs out of cans she will stop.

Vida is exhausted from caring for the baby and watching Adeline. One night she wakes up to Adeline taking the baby from his cradle. She follows Adeline and finds her building a fire in the library fireplace and putting the baby atop the kindling. While Adeline is looking for more fuel for the fire, Vida takes the baby from the fireplace and replaces him with a pillow. She hides the baby in the church, in Ambrose’s game bag, and then returns to the house to deal with Adeline. When she gets there, Adeline and Emmeline are struggling in the library, which is already on fire. She sees Emmeline, for the first time, fighting back against Adeline.

Vida pulls Emmeline to safety and tells her that the baby is safe. Emmeline keeps trying to return to the library, where Adeline still is. Vida locks the door to the library and pulls her outside to the garden. Once they get there, however, she is not sure whether she has saved Emmeline or Adeline. When she hears people coming, she ducks into the woods and returns to the church for the baby. She leaves the baby on Mrs. Love’s doorstep, then she watches from the woods as Mrs. Love takes the baby inside. Vida then returns to the Angelfield fire and when people see her, they assume she is Adeline.

After she tells her story, Vida falls asleep and while Margaret is sitting there, thinking over the story, Vida dies.