“I am an only child. I can’t imagine what it would be like to grow up surrounded by so many people.”
“It can get very hectic. However, we work hard and love hard. I always know that no matter what happens I am never alone. There is always someone who will be there for me.”
“That must be really special.” She gave a weak smile that suggested deep inside her was a bit of jealousy brewing.
It was special. A part of him in that moment wanted to share that special bond with her. To take her to his home and let her be a part of a big loving family. Growing up an only child had to have been extremely lonely for her. It would be cruel to do so though. She was a temporary wife and even if it would be acceptable to introduce her to his family, it wouldn’t be right. No better she never knows the love that comes from a large family than to discover what it was like only to have it ripped from her later.
Their time in New York flew by quickly. John almost wished they could stay longer. He found that he liked spending this time with Ester. Just the two of them. He took her to a couple plays. Several were the standard one would expect from a play. One however, stood out against the crowd. On a whim he took Ester to see the production of The Seven Sisters at the Laura Keene’s Theatre. The play had no real plot to it. He didn’t see where there was even an attempt at a plot. Instead it was a musical burlesque extravaganza with no substance.
John found it to be one of those forms of entertainment that brimmed with absurdities that one would laugh at heartily at the time and be ashamed of one’s self the next morning for having been amused at such a folly.
When the actresses came onto stage in their immodestly low-cut dresses that were a few sizes too small, he noticed the wide-eyed shock on Ester’s face. She remained that way throughout most of the play. To John that was more entertaining than the play itself. She was a good and gracious sport though and didn’t criticize him later for taking her to see such a thing. Any thoughts on the sinful and wicked nature of the play, she kept to herself. Instead she did as she had with every outing they went on; she thanked him and left it at that.
Warm weather was the only thing he could think of that would have made the trip to New York better. As it was the city was freezing cold. He had never been one for winter. He much preferred the warmth of summer. The smell of flowers, and sun warming his face.
Ester however, he noticed came alive in the city. Each time it snowed the lovely lady’s face would light up with joy. He wondered if the warmth of summer would bring her just as much joy. Or was she one of those women who complained of the heat? He had thought to ask her at one point. He didn’t though. Now with her sitting next to him, heading to Chicago, he realized he didn’t want to know. Some questions were better left not asked.
Chapter 24
Chicago, Christmas Eve 1860
The carriage pulled up outside the huge mansion that had belonged to her grandparents. It was here her mother had grown up until, as a young teenage girl, she had gotten in trouble with a married man. Ester knew her mother had believed the man's promises of love and marriage, only to find herself abandoned. Not only did the man who got her in trouble abandon her, but her parents threw her out onto the streets.
Sending Ester to the school to be a governess and leaving everything to her in their will was their way of making amends. She wished her mother had lived long enough to make amends with them as well. William Warner, her half-brother, took all that from them. The sick, twisted, evil man had been sentenced last month to hang for his crimes.
She pulled her thoughts back from all that unpleasantness when John opened the door and helped her out of the carriage. Taking his arm, she walked up to the big doors and let herself inside. The foyer was larger than anything she had ever seen before, with a huge chandelier hanging down. Mr. Magill stepped out of a room off to the left and joined them in the foyer.
"It is quite impressive," he said as his eyes scanned around the room.
"Yes, it is very impressive. The sheer size of this place is more than I have ever seen before!" Ester exclaimed. In fact, it was bigger than the large estate Lady Wellington was living at in Boston. Everything her eyes could see was so exquisite. Like a small child she was almost giddy with the prospect of exploring the rest of the mansion.
"Well, if you think the size is impressive, wait until you see in the indoor privy and running water. Mrs. O'Brian, you are set to live very comfortably," Mr. Magill informed her. "I have informed the staff of your arrival, so all is set. We shall meet after the New Year to tour the garment factory. I am sure you will be find the factory very impressive. I must warn you, though, some will not take kindly to a woman in charge. I will be off now."
“Wait. Mr. Magill I can’t thank you enough for all you have done.” Ester rushed over and quickly hugged the man.
“No need to thank me ma’am. Sending Mary to school so that she can one day be a school teacher is thanks enough.” He gave a slight bow and headed for the door.
When he had let himself out the door, she turned to John and saw that he was also overwhelmed by this mansion they would now call home. "What are you thinking?"
“I was thinking about how we can deal with the employees at the garment factory. Maybe fire those who can’t accept you as the new owner.” He gave a shrug of his shoulders that implied he found the solution to be that simple.
“No, John. I would not feel right putting them out of work. I am sure in time they will accept my authority. If not, we could just let you be the face of ownership.” When she was engaged to Charles the thought of him taking over the school, grated on her nerves. It was her school and she had not intentions at the time to turn it over once married. With John though the thought set comfortably with her. She trusted John in a way that she never trusted Charles.
“Are you sure you want to do that?”
“I trust you, John.” She watched his facial features soften and knew that simple statement pleased him. “I know you are not like other men who believe that once married, they own their wives.” She leaned up and placed a soft appreciative kiss on his cheek. “You talked about your large family. When will I get to meet them?”
“About that. Ester, the answer would be never. Catholics don’t divorce. So for us to pull off this farce of a marriage, I can’t have you meet my family.”
“Oh, I see. So you went against your beliefs to help me out?” The mere realization of what he had done warmed her very soul. He risked so much to help her. Was it wrong for her to fall in love with her husband? “I want to meet them,” she blurted out. "What if I said I no longer wanted to honor that arrangement?" There she said what had been on her mind and heart for the past few days. She wrung her hands together and waited for him to say something. She wasn't sure how she would feel if he didn't want a real marriage. She watched as his expression changed but he remained quiet. “What are you thinking? Say something, please.”
"I think it is large enough to fill with a lot of children." He turned to look at her.
She hoped that his mention of children meant that he was feeling what she felt. Just when she thought she would go crazy waiting for a response, he grabbed her and pulled her to him. In the next instant, his mouth claimed hers. Snaking her arms up around his neck, she deepened the kiss. Breathless, she pulled back from him and stared up at him.
“Does that mean I can meet your family?”
“Yes, it means just that. I know my mother is going to love you.” He leaned down and rested his forehead on her. “Ester, would it trouble you greatly if we moved my family here?”
“That would be a lovely idea. But are you sure your family will accept me? John, you know that I am a bastard.”A tear slipped from her eye and slid down her cheek.
He reached out and wiped it away. “I believe that God puts us where we need to be when we need to be there. He led me to you. He allowed the truth to come out, and your mother and grandparents’ murderer was brought to justice. It is His judgment I am concerned wi
th, not society’s. You are my wife, and my family will love you. I promise.”
“I believe you are correct, my wise husband. I tried so hard to control the outcome of the situation. I found though that no matter how much I tried, I wasn’t the one in control. I forgot to let God be in control and wait for his guidance.”
“I fear I am guilty of the same thing from time to time. Together I think we can remind each other as needed to slow down and except God’s plan and His timing.” He hugged her to him. “Do you want to explore this large house with me, Mrs. O’Brian?”
Feeling bold, she pressed her lips to his and felt her body come alive as he deepened the kiss. When the kiss ended, he raised an eyebrow and all she could do was nod.
“I think exploring can wait,” he said as he swept her up into his arms. Moving across the foyer to the large staircase, he carried her up the stairs. Unsure of which room was supposed to be theirs, she told him to just pick a room. Soon, very soon, she would be his completely, and if they were lucky, this Christmas Eve they would be blessed with the conception of the first of many children.
Chapter 25
Ester took John’s hand and climbed out of the carriage. As she took his arm, her stomach lurched. Placing a gloved hand over her mouth, she tried to will her breakfast to stay down. The butterflies in her stomach were in a frenzy. To become ill right outside their home would not be the way to make a first impression.
“You will be fine, I promise.” John patted the hand resting on his arm. “It is not much, but it is home. This is where I grew up.”
“I never had a real home or a family. It was always just Mother and I.” She looked at the rundown two-story house and thought it looked better than any place she had ever seen. Just past the door was a home full of people who loved each other and took care of each other. She just hoped they accepted her.
As soon as John opened the door, she could hear loud boisterous voices. John gave her hand a squeeze and led her toward the large sitting room. Inside, she saw an older woman sitting in a high-backed chair. Several men stood around the large Christmas tree that sat in one corner. The tree was adorned with a multitude of handmade ornaments, with a ragged angel sitting on top of the tree. From where she stood, Ester could see that it had once sparkled but the sparkle had faded away with age.
“I’m home,” John called out. The room went silent and everyone looked over at him. “I have someone I want you all to meet. This is Ester.”
“Hello, Ester,” several voices greeted her in unison. Doing a quick head count, she noted that two of the brothers were missing. No one moved from where they stood, though, and she was unsure if that was more intimidating than if they had all rushed toward her.
Mrs. O’Brian rose from her seat, and Ester’s heart began to pound. This definitely was intimidating. She squeezed John’s hand and held on. “Mrs. O’Brian, it is so lovely to meet you,” she greeted the woman as soon as the older woman stopped in front of her.
“John, ye brought a girl home on Christmas Day?” She stood with her hands at her side and back ramrod straight, staring at them both with unblinking eyes.
“Yes, Ma. Ma . . . she is my wife,” John announced a smile beaming on his handsome face.
This was it, Ester thought, the moment of truth. She felt all the eyes in the room bore into her. What were they thinking? Did they see how unworthy she was? Would John still want her after they rejected her?
“Wife?” Mrs. O’Brian’s voice was barely a whisper. She stared for a moment long. “My son has a wife!” Her voice now boomed as she grabbed Ester up into her arms. When she released her, her wrinkled face was still beaming. “Come meet my other sons. Just tell me if any of them misbehave.”
“Congratulations, brother,” James said. “Since you have that there fancy carriage outside, would you mind taking a package over to the McGuire’s house?” He nodded toward the carriage outside the window.
“The McGuire’s on Christmas Day?” John asked.
“Yes, our dear brother here bought a gift for young Molly McGuire,” Gabriel said teasing his brother.
“Molly McGuire?”
“I told you when you were home last that I was courting a good girl that Mother would approve of,” James said as he used his crutch to make his way to the chair next to where their mother and Ester were sitting. “Welcome to the family.”
Not long after they arrived, John declared himself the gift giver and began to hand out gifts from under the tree. Here there were no brightly colored wrapping paper, like her mother used when she was alive. Each gift was wrapped in brown paper and the recipient’s name handwritten on them. To Ester, it didn’t matter what was used to wrap the gifts, it was the love behind it all.
She watched as John’s brothers unwrapped their gifts. Socks, scarves, and gloves seemed to be the theme of the gifts. All the men gushed and thanked their mother for her hard work and thoughtfulness. Ester noticed that each item was well-crafted and marveled at Mrs. O’Brian’s skills with the needle.
“Ester, do you play?” Mrs. O’Brian asked indicating the scarred wooden piano.
“Yes, ma’am,” Ester answered humbly. Her mother had insisted that she learn how to play not only the piano. Daily she had been forced to sit and practice. Once she had learned the piano, her mother insisted the violin be learned as well.
“Oh good. Would you care to play for us today? My fingers don’t work like they used to.” She gave a weak smile and sad shake of her head. “We never appreciate our youth. It is only when we grow old and find simple things difficult, that we appreciate things more.”
Ester nodded and headed to the piano. Sitting on the bench, she flexed her fingers. As a child she hated those forced lessons. However, her mother had been right; there would come a time she would be thankful for the lessons. Today was that day.
Just as she began the first notes of Silent Night, everyone gathered around her.Their voices joined together and echoed about the room. Smooth and clear, they hit all the high notes and low notes at just the right time. Perfect unison was how she would later describe their group singing. When the song came to an end, she went straight into playing Joy to the World. Again, everyone joined in singing the song. She played several more Christmas songs and enjoyed the festive singing.
When the singing had come to an end, everyone headed for the kitchen. The sight that greeted her was not that of a Christmas dinner but more a Christmas feast. The table was covered in several platters and bowls all waiting for them to sit. Never in her life had see seen so much food on a table at one time.
“We all work hard and save up to contribute to Christmas dinner every year,” John said as he held her chair out for her. Then took his seat at the head of the table. With her to his left, his mother was to his right directly across from her. She sat and looked around the table at the faces of this happy loving family. Her heart swelled at being allowed to be a part of this day with them.
John held out his hand to her. She stared for a moment then realized that everyone would be holding hands. She placed her hand in his then placed her other hand into his brother’s hand on the other side of her. She tried to recall the man’s name but couldn’t. There were just too many of them to keep up with who was whom. Everyone closed their eyes and bowed their heads. She quickly followed suit.
“Bless us, O Lord and these Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty, through Christ our Lord. Amen.”
“Amen!” they said in union.
Ester felt her hands being released and opened her eyes. Sheer chaos broke loose as everyone began grabbing whatever they wanted from the table. Several of the men had stood up and stretched across the table to grab food. Unsure what to do, Ester placed her hands in her lap and stared at the pandemonium in shocked horror.
Never had she seen dinner erupt in chaos. Even her mother insisted that meals be conducted in an orderly fashion with manners firmly in place. At school, things were orderly. The food was passed on plate
or bowl at a time clockwise. Conversations were polite and soft voices used at all times. Here though voices were loud and booming. Darting her eyes around the table, she noticed Mrs. O’Brian smiling indulgently at her brood.
“Ester are you not hungry?” John asked.
“I am…I mean yes I am hungry.” She stammered and tried to find the right words to describe her predicament.
“I am sorry. I should have warned you my dear.” Standing he grabbed her plate and began placing food on it. When the plate was full, he sat it back down in front of her. “Around here you have to dive in or risk not getting anything.”
“Boys. We have a guest. Please try and use some of the manners I have drilled into thee.” Mrs. O’Brian chastised them.
“Yes, ma’am. Sorry ma’am.” All the O’Brian brothers said at once.
The Christmas Will (O'Brian Brothers Book 1) Page 13