Anxious Audrey

In a modest Victorian home, the night is anything but peaceful. Faith and her husband, Mr. Carlyle, wrestle with a fussy infant who refuses to settle, while the household’s routine—cornflour, coal, and a dying fire—adds to the chaos. Their whispered verses and hurried attempts to coax the baby to sleep reveal a tender, if frazzled, domestic rhythm.

Beyond the nursery, a deeper unease lingers. Faith worries about her mother’s health, and the couple’s limited resources hint at the pressures of keeping a household running smoothly. As they tiptoe past sleeping family members and scramble for kindling, the story gently exposes the anxieties of parenthood, duty, and the quiet desperation that can hide behind polite Victorian propriety.