"Alas…"
Hearing Charlotte propose such an idea, wanting to keep the child in a disguised way, Charles could only sigh again.
If he couldn't bear to part with her now, it would be even harder later. It seemed he could only try to persuade her through other means. If he didn't resolve it now, taking the child away later would surely cause Charlotte more pain. Since he had to make a heartless choice anyway, he might as well do it now.
He said no more, continuing to comfort and guide Charlotte with sweet words, hoping she would recover her health soon. But he secretly decided to take their daughter to Philadelphia as soon as possible.
Before this daughter was born, his care for her was merely out of a sense of responsibility. But after seeing his daughter, truly holding her in his arms a few times, that feeling of flesh and blood connection had made him extremely fond of her. Especially with Charlotte looking so frail now, he was even more protective of their only daughter and would not allow any harm to come to her.
The days spent with his daughter and Charlotte flew by. Unbeknownst to Charles, he had already stayed in Pittsburgh for almost a week. It wasn't until Franklin himself sent someone from Philadelphia to summon Charles that he realized it was time to return to Philadelphia.
In these past few days, Charles had already discussed it with Greenspan, Jonathan, and others. For the child's health, it was best to take her to Philadelphia now. However, how to present this arrangement to Charlotte was a problem, and several people shirked responsibility, unwilling to take it on. It wasn't that Charles lacked manliness; it was simply very difficult for a true family member to hurt the feelings of a loved one face-to-face.
Finally, out of helplessness, they decided to tell Charlotte when all of them were present.
After more than ten days of postpartum recuperation, Charlotte's body was still very weak. But she no longer had to lie in bed all day. Instead, she could occasionally walk around on her own and even go outdoors for some activity.
Taking advantage of the beautiful spring weather in March when flowers bloomed, Charles often accompanied her and their daughter outside to breathe fresh air. However, because newborns are not suitable for strong light, they had to constantly use a large parasol outdoors to block the warm sunshine. This meant that Charlotte, as a mother who wanted to be with her daughter at this moment, also had to go under the parasol, avoiding the sun that was very beneficial for her recovery.
The day before Charles was about to leave, the group was still sunbathing together on the lawn outside the South Gate. Finally, Greenspan, as a father, couldn't hold back any longer and was the first to bring up the child's issue with Charlotte.
"Charlotte, the Duke is about to return to Philadelphia. We must give him a definite answer about the child's arrangement before he leaves! Have you thought about how to handle it?"
When Charlotte heard Greenspan bring this up, her body, which had been relaxing in the rocking chair, trembled.
"My dear, are you leaving so soon?" Her body immediately turned towards Charles.
"Yes, Charlotte. I've already stayed here for a week, and now I must go!" Charles, sitting beside her, immediately held Charlotte's hand tenderly, expressing his helplessness.
Charlotte had never made a fuss when Charles had to leave for business before. But this time, she uncharacteristically turned to Charles and pleaded:
"My dear! Can't you stay a few more days?"
Because her keen intuition had already instinctively sensed that Charles' departure would also mean her daughter's separation from her, she subconsciously made this request.
Charles was very soft-hearted about Charlotte pleading with him like this for the first time. His face showed a moment of sadness, and he didn't immediately refuse.
But Jonathan and Greenspan, who were nearby, naturally wouldn't stand by and watch Charles be swayed by Charlotte. Jonathan immediately stepped in to stop her:
"Madam Charlotte, the Duke has official business to attend to. It would be best if you didn't hinder his normal work!"
If she hindered him, then this old butler, with his special status, wouldn't mind using other means to protect the overall interests of the family.
Although Greenspan was very displeased with Jonathan's tone towards his daughter, he still urged Charlotte:
"Charlotte, don't throw a childish tantrum. This matter is not a joke. The Duke has his own work and cannot stay here with you forever. When you made that choice, you had to be aware of this!"
Hearing her father's words, Charlotte's expression darkened, and she immediately changed her tone:
"Alright! My dear, when are you leaving?"
Angry at her father and the old butler's interference, she stopped talking to them and simply turned her head to ask Charles directly.
"President Franklin's messenger told me to depart as soon as possible, so I'm afraid I have to leave tomorrow. But your health isn't good, and without me by your side, you still need to take care of yourself!" Charles looked helplessly at Charlotte, whose complexion had already begun to worsen.
"Alas! Alright, you don't need to worry too much about me. With so many people watching over me, I'm sure I'll be well taken care of." Charlotte sighed, instead comforting Charles thoughtfully.
Her face, which had recovered a good deal of spirit after a few days of rest, now showed a hint of dejection again.
"Are you planning to take the child with you?" Charlotte continued to ask.
Since she had already agreed to let Charles leave, Charlotte, who saw things very clearly, naturally also understood the intention behind several people bringing up this matter to her. Although she loved her daughter more than her own life and couldn't bear to let her go, in such a clear situation, she put away her overly sentimental heart and directly asked Charles.
"Yes, I think it's best to take her to Philadelphia together," Charles nodded, confirming.
Charlotte silently turned to look at her daughter in the maid's arms, a touch of sorrow on her face. The maid serving nearby, however, was very understanding and immediately carried the child to Charlotte's arms, letting her hold the child again while leaning on the rocking chair.
Looking at her angelic daughter, tears were already welling in Charlotte's eyes.
"Alas! Duke, I hope that after you take the child to Philadelphia, you can bring her back to see us, to see her mother, as much as possible. This would be the best care for us! This is also the only request I have truly made to you in all these years," Greenspan interjected from the side.
Since his daughter did not explicitly object now, it meant that Charles taking his granddaughter to Philadelphia was a foregone conclusion. Greenspan could only now try to secure as many opportunities as possible for himself and his daughter.
Jonathan, upon hearing Greenspan's words, had originally intended to speak up immediately, the reason naturally still being the health issue. But he looked at Charlotte, who was holding the child and weeping, and also genuinely looked forward to seeing the family heir, so in the end, he just opened and closed his mouth, then stood silently, not expressing a differing opinion.
"Of course, when the child grows up, I will also let her often return to Pittsburgh, return to Scarlet Town. Her relatives are here, and this will always be her home!" Charles solemnly promised.
Listening to the conversation of those around her, and looking at the child who was squinting and not crying, tears welled up in Charlotte's eyes once again.
"Poor child, I haven't even named her yet!"
Charles was also affected by the sad atmosphere before the mother and daughter's separation, his heart full of sorrow. Hearing Charlotte's words, he immediately chimed in:
"Charlotte, you can name her first. This can be considered your mark left on her, and it is your right!"
Charlotte looked up at Charles, and said with full of resentment:
"I was originally going to wait for you to come and let you name our child, but I didn't expect…"
Then she choked up and couldn't continue.
At such a moment, what more could Charles say? He could only walk over and embrace Charlotte, expressing his concern.
Perhaps the sad emotions also infected the infant in her arms, as the child immediately began to cry loudly, the mournful sound as if weeping for her imminent separation from her mother.
The child was eventually named Lottie, the name of Charlotte's grandmother, which was also a form of remembrance for her. Charles did not object to this and immediately began to call his lovely daughter Lottie.
Although she didn't cry about her daughter's departure, to express her longing for her, Charlotte, despite her illness, handmade a large number of clothes for her daughter. Charlotte's handiwork was undoubtedly exquisite; not only were the clothes beautifully made, but she also embroidered Lottie's name on each garment, not allowing the maids to help at all. Finally, she stayed up all night, sewing clothes while watching her daughter lying beside her, which pained Charles immensely. He could only persuade her while staying by the side of the mother and daughter.
When Charles finally left, besides the wet nurse holding Lottie and Charlotte's personal maid, there was also a large trunk full of children's clothes, enough for Lottie to wear until she was four or five years old.
In March 1783, Charles returned to Philadelphia with his illegitimate daughter, Lottie.
Although there were inevitably heartbreaking scenes of Charlotte and her daughter's near-fatal separation when leaving Pittsburgh, for Charles, the biggest problem he now faced was how to explain his situation to Diana and introduce the child to her.
It was predictable that this would be an even more difficult battle.