Recap: Garden of Shadows by Virginia Andrews, Part 5

Catch up:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Olivia confronts Malcolm about him raping and impregnating Alicia, and he takes the opportunity to tell her how she's failed him as a wife by not providing a big family, including a daughter. He also says he didn't rape Alicia, but she SEDUCED him because of course. He adds that it's partially Olivia's fault too because she's not woman enough for him, and Olivia is all "you mean I don't look enough like your mother for you?!" BURN.

Olivia outlines her conditions for the plan (Malcolm can't go near Alicia, once Alicia has had the baby she's to be sent away WITH all her money, Mal and Joel are to go to school and have one million dollar trust funds to give them independence from Malcolm, oh and Malcolm is going to hell), and she feels powerful over him which you can't help but cheer on.

Olivia tells Mal, Joel and Christopher that Alicia has to go away, and like the emotional manipulator she is, makes sure they know it is Malcolm who is to blame. Alicia pretends to leave, and all of the servants actually leave, having been fired because that doesn't make it seem suspicious AT ALL. When Alicia sneaks back in she accuses Olivia of enjoying the whole situation, and Olivia acts all offended even though it's totally true.

As Olivia helps Alicia settle in to her... confinement... she warns her how vulnerable she'll be in the attic room. Because that's how you help a rape victim. She makes Alicia cut her hair so that she'll be unattractive to Malcolm and therefore safe. Because a woman having long hair causes her to be raped.

The weeks pass and Alicia becomes depressed and ugly and compares herself to a dried up flower. FORESHADOWING. She misses Christopher but Olivia DGAF because he is one of the few people who actually likes her and she's happy to have him all to herself. Alicia basically cracks under the pressure and begins to act out fantasies that she's outside, with Christopher. It creeps Olivia out but she's most freaked out by the fact that all the pretending makes Alicia pretty again. She worries that Malcolm will secretly visit Alicia at night.

Olivia thinks she hears Malcolm sneaking around the corridors, and plans to catch him in Alicia's bed by sneaking through the attic entrance. But when she's in the attic, the light goes out and she thinks she hears rats and then she freaks out when she runs into an old dress form and thinks it's a person, and she bumps into everything as she tries to feel her way out of there. She makes it out and vows never to go in the attic again. Something her grandchildren would come to be grateful for. Like the sane person she is, she also decides that her bad experience in the attic was the "house protecting its own". Uh-huh. The next day she asks Malcolm if he's been creeping about but of course he denies it.

At Thanksgiving Olivia announces to the children that she's having a baby (she's been wearing cushions as a pregnant belly), and Malcolm gets all pissy because it was HIS news to announce, dammit. Christopher gets upset because he doesn't want to lose "another mommy". Awww. Alicia pretends like Olivia really is pregnant when she sees her, and soon Olivia feels as though there is something moving in her, and she thinks maybe it's God or something because she's doing his work. OK crazy.

A few weeks later Olivia is putting up the Christmas tree when she hears a scream from upstairs. She goes to yell at Alicia for making so much noise and discovers her in labour. Malcolm comes in and says HE'S in charge now, and dismisses Olivia to her room to "give birth". Olivia lies in her room for 12 hours screaming in "pain" while Alicia, actually in pain, has to remain silent as she actually gives birth. At dawn Malcolm comes into Olivia's room with the baby, all wrapped in pink, because of course it's a girl. And she is the most beautiful newborn in the history of history. Because looks are the most important thing, Olivia decides she can love this baby as her own. Malcolm gets all creepy (a.k.a. his usual self) and comments that it's how his mother must have looked as a baby, and that he's naming his daughter Corinne after his mum who he has a weird sexual obsession with. Olivia is naturally shocked and Malcolm explains that the name is to remind him that he can't trust this little girl because she will be a beautiful woman with beguiling ways. Poor Corinne never stood a chance.

Next time: Corinne grows up.