Chapter 5 - The Second Baby
Her name was Rose.
Not Sophie.
Not a secret twin.
Not Emma’s biological child.
Rose Bennett was the daughter of Melissa Bennett, a woman who had used false identity at St. Catherine’s.
After delivery, Melissa vanished.
Claire held emergency child-welfare authorization through private legal network.
Eleanor became short-term kinship-style caregiver while state investigated Melissa’s identity.
Why Eleanor?
Because surname coincidence created assumption she might be relative?
No.
Claire specifically recommended her.
Why?
Eleanor had foster-care certification from years earlier.
Emma never knew.
Rose stayed with Eleanor for nine weeks.
Then state placement transferred her to licensed foster family.
So why was Rose’s crib recently inside Eleanor’s old suite?
Because Rose had returned.
Three weeks ago.
Her foster mother became ill.
Temporary respite placement needed.
Eleanor volunteered again.
Why keep it secret from Emma?
Because Eleanor feared Emma would connect Rose to hospital confusion and become anxious about Sophie.
That excuse sounded weak.
Claire provided real reason.
“Rose’s mother came back.”
Melissa.
Alive.
She demanded child.
But identity investigation found something disturbing.
Melissa Bennett was actually:
Melissa Grant.
She had deliberately used Bennett surname when giving birth.
Why?
Unknown.
Then she disappeared.
Now she returned claiming biological parent rights.
DNA confirmed Rose was hers.
But court required supervised reunification due false identity and abandonment.
Where was Rose tonight?
Not in mansion.
Eleanor moved her earlier.
Where?
A licensed respite home.
Then why baby-monitor feed?
Claire had set up paired monitor so Eleanor could watch Rose remotely while staying at mansion weeks earlier.
The old monitor accidentally remained paired.
Someone activated it tonight.
So second cry was Rose.
Alive.
Safe.
At another house.
That explained two babies crying.
But not Eleanor’s driveway action.
Emma demanded:
“Why put Sophie in bin?”
Eleanor’s answer made no sense at first.
“Because Melissa was coming.”
“What does Melissa want with Sophie?”
“She thinks Sophie is Rose.”
Emma stared.
DNA proved otherwise.
How could Melissa believe that?
Because she had been told hospital actually swapped babies before discharge.
Who told her?
Anonymous letters.
For eleven months.
Melissa believed her biological daughter went home with Emma, while Rose was secretly Emma’s baby.
That was false.
DNA now established both maternal relationships separately?
Rose needed testing.
Rose DNA compared to Melissa:
Mother-child confirmed.
Sophie compared to Emma:
Mother-child confirmed.
No swap.
So someone had deliberately convinced Melissa of a nonexistent switch.
Why?
To make her target Emma’s child.
Eleanor said:
“That’s why Sophie never should have been allowed to come home.”
Emma recoiled.
“Meaning?”
“Tonight.”
Not from hospital.
Eleanor meant Sophie should never have been brought back to mansion after an afternoon security scare.
Earlier that day, Eleanor had asked Emma to stay at hotel with Sophie because Melissa had been seen near property.
Emma refused.
She “allowed Sophie to come home.”
That clarified phrase.
Not a secret adoption judgment.
A security warning.
Still, Eleanor’s response—putting baby in bin—was absurd.
Why?
She planned move Sophie into Claire’s car unseen because she believed Melissa was watching front entrance.
The blue bin was concealment.
Reckless, unacceptable, but not intended disposal.
Then Claire said:
“That isn’t the first place Eleanor put Sophie.”
What did she mean?
Eleven months earlier, during hospital security outage, Eleanor had briefly hidden Sophie somewhere to prevent incorrect discharge.
Where?
A linen cart.
Emma stared at her.
“You hid my newborn in a laundry cart?”
Eleanor whispered:
“For forty seconds.”
Claire had witnessed it.
And that was why she recognized Eleanor’s pattern tonight.
Hide a baby inside an ordinary container whenever she feared someone was coming.
Emma’s anger did not lessen.
Then police received alert.
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Melissa Grant had been seen outside Rose’s respite home.
And she was carrying a photograph of Sophie.
