by Jocelyn Kirk
Elena and Willa, followed by several girls, ran from the kitchen garden onto the back porch of the farmhouse. A sudden rain arriving on a brisk wind had caused them all to scurry rapidly to the porch, where they collapsed laughing on the creaking boards. Willa threw open the door to the kitchen, and the girls, remembering their manners, stood aside to let their teachers pass.
It was late September, and Miss Bellwood’s School for Girls had been in operation for three weeks. During that period, it had evolved that Willa would spend one day per week at the farm teaching walking and posture. This was extremely valuable to Elena, for it gave her a chance to tackle the mountain of papers that seemed always piled on her desk. It had the added advantage of keeping Willa safe for one day from the frequent visits of the Duke of Simsbury. Throughout the summer, he had become Willa’s serious suitor, to everyone’s astonishment. Willa, now just eighteen, viewed him as quite middle-aged. She was in awe of him, but to his attentions, she was, so far, impervious.
Elena settled herself at her desk. At least Willa’s heart seemed less devoted to Captain James Scott than it had been. The girl was too young to wed, and Elena had never observed any symptom of love on Captain Scott’s side, on the rare occasions that they saw him.
Her own heart was as confused as ever. Ben Garrick, accompanied by Drs. Garson and Soames, had gone off to Boston in July to attend their seminar and meet with fellow astronomers to compare findings. She was very surprised that two months later he was still away. Megan had received a few letters from him, and she hinted to Elena and Rosalie that he was very busy and not sure when he would return.
Rosalie was forthright in her assessment of the situation. “He’s trying to control his feelings for you, Elena. I advise you to come to an understanding of them yourself before he returns. This limbo the two of you occupy is not a good situation.”
Elena was fretful. “How on earth am I to do that? One day, I feel one way; the next day, I feel the opposite.”
As she began her paperwork on that rainy afternoon, she tried hard to push all thoughts of Ben from her mind. In all honesty, running a school had turned into a more arduous task than she had envisioned. Acquiring students had been the easy part, for her school had no competition in the area. But her constant concerns about adequate foodstuffs, the procurement of educational materials, the health and safety of the girls, making provision of wood, coal, and food for the winter, and the nearly constant supervision of fifteen young ladies had taken their toll on her energy and patience.
Elena leaned back and sighed. She was about to check her bank account statement, an activity that always cheered her, when heavy footsteps sounded, followed by a knock on the office door.
She opened the door, and to her utter amazement Ben was standing there. She seized breath to greet him, but words were somehow beyond her. He stood still and simply stared at her. On his visage was an expression she could not define, but a thrill ran through her body and her face reddened in a blush.
“I-I…” she stammered, trying to appear rational, “I am so very pleased to see you.” She could say no more. His eyes were glowing with a strange and dangerous light as they gazed into hers. He stepped forward, and her breath caught. She seized the edge of the desk to halt herself from leaping into his arms.
Ben tore his gaze from her, gave a slight bow, and stepped aside to admit his friends. Dr. Garson and Dr. Soames stepped forward, each eager to greet her with a hearty handshake and the smiles of real pleasure.
“My dear doctors!” she cried, grasping the opportunity to quell her own emotions. “I’m so very glad to see you. I hope your visit to Boston was pleasant and productive.”
“It was indeed,” replied Garson, “but we’re pleased to be among our friends in Mystic again, though it be only for a short time.”
“A short time? What do you mean?”
Ben answered her question. “Elena, I’m very sad to report that my two comrades here have bought passage on the Margarita Lane, and she’s boarding in two days.”
“What! No, Dr. Garson, Dr. Soames, you can’t leave before Megan’s wedding!”
Dr. Soames smiled. “I assure you, my dear, if we could stay, nothing would be more delightful. But our labors call us home.”
“To say nothing of Mrs. Soames!” Liam Garson laughed. “She’s threatening divorce if my dear colleague does not return soon.”
Elena seized a hand of each man. “It will not be the same here when you’re gone. Will you return next summer?”
“It may be possible,” Garson replied, “but I hope to see you before then.”
“Me! How could you possibly see me?”
The three men glanced at each other. Dr. Soames ahemed and said, “Come, Garson, let us teach the schoolgirls a bit of science.”
“Let’s do!” agreed Dr. Garson. “Pray excuse us, Miss Bellwood.” They scurried away.
Ben did not speak. He walked past her into the office and shut the door. He reached for her, and the surprise of his advance gave her no time to escape. She was in his arms, and he was kissing her before she had time to draw breath.
His arms about her and his mouth on hers made her light-headed and weak-kneed from the pleasure. Having no will to resist him, she did not try. He seized her head in his hands and let his lips wander to her neck and breasts. She moaned as his mouth moved lower, afraid but wanting and longing.
Panting, he suddenly stopped himself and held her tight against him. “God, I want you,” he whispered. “I can’t bear this raging desire much longer.”
Elena gasped as she whispered, “I-I feel the same.”
“Do you? How I have prayed to hear you say those words.”
“What shall we do?” she breathed. “How can we control—?”
“Elena, we must marry. For the love of God, say you’ll marry me. Say yes and put an end to my suffering.”
He gripped her shoulders and held her slightly away so he could see her face. His dark eyes seemed to pierce her soul as they gazed deeply into hers. His voice was hoarse with passion as he whispered, “Marry me, Elena.”
“Yes,” she breathed, barely able to speak. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer. Unable to resist, she raised her head and sought his lips. For a few minutes, they were lost to everything but their need for each other.
Finally, he found it necessary to push her gently away and walk about the room to collect himself. She collapsed into a chair, red-faced and breathing hard.
He faced her. “We must marry soon, for if you’re unable to halt my lovemaking, I will soon be unable myself.”
She nodded, completely aware that he was right. “I only hope,” she whispered, raising her eyes to his, “you’ll not soon feel you have made a mistake.”
He smiled. “We will no doubt have times when one or the other of us will feel that way. But I can promise you one thing: I will never curtail your freedom or try to make you less than you are. And you must be the same with me. I will never be a dandy spending idle summers in France. I will always be a studier of astronomy, and you must accept me as I am.”
He was serious, and she did not smile. “I promise.”
“I love you, Elena. I’ll be a good husband, come what may.”
“I love you too,” she replied. “I tried not to…but one cannot control one’s heart.”
He reached for her again, but sounds outside the door caused him to drop his hands and step away from her.
“You had better go,” she whispered.
“Walk outside with me. If we wait on the porch for Garson and Soames, we’ll be forced to behave ourselves.”
They stood together on the porch. Elena was about to speak when she saw a man walking down the lane toward the house.
“That man!” she whispered. “Everywhere I go I see him staring at me.”
Ben shaded his eyes and gazed at the man, who had stopped walking at the sight of them. “I’m not sure, but it looks like the man whose name is the same as someone Rosalie knew a long ti
me ago.”
“Do you mean Andrew Reed?”
“Yes. He’s here on business, I suppose. You say he has been staring at you?”
“It seems that way. Perhaps I’m mistaken.”
He smiled. “It hardly seems surprising that a man would stare at you.”
She shook her head. “He doesn’t stare in that way. He stares at me as if I were some species of animal he could not quite identify.”
He took her hand and kissed it. “You are certainly a species I have never run across before; no species in the past has inspired me to beg for matrimony.”
She smiled saucily. “Beware of what you wish for, wise men say.”
He laughed. “A man in love is never afraid—or wise. I’ll call on Rosalie this evening.”
“My aunt will be delighted at your news.”
“I believe you are right.”
Drs. Garson and Soames then appeared and after several minutes of pleasurable chat followed by fond farewells, the three men departed. Before returning inside, Elena glanced up the lane. Mr. Reed was only a speck in the distance as he trudged away from the house. Why on earth had he been coming here? And why did he turn back?
****
The village of Mystic was soon abuzz with the news of Dr. Benjamin Garrick and Miss Elena Bellwood’s engagement. Ben had urged her to marry immediately, but Elena’s sense of propriety and duty to her aunt prevailed. “Besides,” she told him, “your sister’s wedding has been planned for a year, and we would be highly discourteous to marry first.”
Ben shook his head. “I can’t for the life of me understand why Megan and Edward have had such a long engagement. What would prevent their marrying immediately?”
Elena did not understand it either, but she said nothing. Megan and Edward seemed more like good friends than lovers. But perhaps that was what suited them.
She, on the other hand, could think of nothing but her wedding night. She shivered with anticipation and fear as she thought of it, and she thought of it night and day. She would be his to do with as he desired, and if his passion now were any indication, he would desire a great deal.
One evening, when they were together in Rosalie’s parlor and Rosalie had stepped out of the room, she spoke her fears to him. “Ben…”
“Yes, my love.” He took her hand and kissed it.
“I-I…have a bit of trepidation…a little fear…”
“Of your wedding night?” he whispered.
“Yes. One hears terrible things. But you will be gentle…will you not?”
“No,” he whispered, squeezing her hand and grinning wickedly. “And I don’t really think you want me to be.”
She blushed and pushed him away. “You are ungovernable, and I can never get a serious word out of you.”
“I can’t think seriously. I’m too deliriously happy to have a coherent thought.”
Rosalie re-entered the room with Bramble ambling behind her. She poured fresh tea and set a plate of cakes on the table. Elena looked at Bramble’s expectant face and thumping tail.
“My darling Bramble,” she cooed. “Do you want Elena to give you a cake?”
Rosalie and Ben smiled at each other, recalling the winter evening when Elena had first met the wolf.
“Thanks to you, my dear niece, Bramble has grown plump.”
“I’m sorry,” Elena replied, “but just look at his eyes. Who could say no to him?” She seated herself on the floor next to the wolf and fed him a cake. Bramble did not grab for each morsel but took it carefully from her hand.
“He is the gentlest creature in the world,” said Elena. “How is it possible that wolves have such a terrible reputation as fearsome beasts?”
“They are carnivores,” Ben replied. “When they hunt in packs, they are fearsome indeed. But you have heard the expression ‘a wolf is safe among wolves.’ To Bramble, we’re his pack, not his prey.”
“He’s quite fearsome when it comes to the rabbits on the farm,” said Rosalie. “I know it is his natural inclination to hunt, but I do feel for the little creatures as he kills and devours them.”
“His behavior is no different from ours. We break the necks of chickens and devour them, to say nothing of cattle, sheep, hogs, fish…”
“Stop!” cried Elena. “Must you always be the scientist? I don’t want to think or talk about such things.”
“Very well. Let’s talk of something more pleasant. I want you to set a wedding date.”
“But we agreed to wait until Megan and Edward return from their honeymoon.”
Ben shrugged. “Megan has put off the wedding again. If we wait for those two to marry, my love, I might well be too old to carry you across the threshold!”
“Has she indeed?” asked Rosalie. “That does not augur well. Something is amiss.”
“I agree,” said Ben, “but Megan won’t tell me.”
“Perhaps,” said Elena, “she would tell me what’s wrong. Should I broach the subject with her?”
“Please do. In all honesty, I’m rather concerned about her, and Edward too.”
“I’ll call on her tomorrow.”
“And now,” said Ben, rising and pulling Elena from the floor. “I want a wedding date.”
“Why not next week?” said Rosalie. “This beautiful fall weather is perfect for a wedding trip. Willa can run the shop, Elena, and I’ll take over at the school. Megan might consent to assist me.”
Elena felt the now-familiar thrill jet through her body at the thought of being married in a few days. She blushed and covered her embarrassment by pouring tea for herself.
“Elena?” said Ben. “Next week has been suggested. Does it suit you? Edward, I’m sure, will be very accommodating as to the day and time.”
“Poor fellow,” said Rosalie. “It will be difficult for him to pronounce wedding vows on the two of you when his own plans have been derailed once again.”
“Yes,” agreed Ben, “but that’s not my concern right now. I won’t allow my sister’s indecisiveness to forestall my own happiness.”
Elena glanced at him, and the sight of his upright figure and handsome face made her blush once again. She wanted him so. She must marry him, for she wanted him so.
Rosalie and Ben were awaiting her answer. She grinned. “Next week suits me very well.”
Ben seized her in his arms and danced her about the floor, while she screeched and Rosalie giggled.
“You are outrageous!” she cried when he released her. “I truly must focus on making you into a gentleman when you’re my husband!”
“I wish you well with that plan,” he replied, laughing. He clasped her shoulders and kissed her on the forehead. Elena slapped him away.
“Go home, Ben, before you embarrass me further in front of my aunt!”
Ben went out the door whistling. Elena fell into her aunt’s arms and found that her tears were falling. “Oh, Aunt Rosalie, I must be the luckiest woman in the world to be loved by Ben Garrick!”
****
Elena performed her teaching duties the next morning and walked to the Garrick farm to call on Megan. Finding no one at home, she walked back, harnessed the horse to the gig, and drove to town. Megan was not in any of her usual places—the shop, the tearoom, the greengrocer, or the dressmaker—so Elena left the horse in Rosalie’s back garden and walked toward the harbor to see if she might spot her friend taking a stroll along the wharves. It was a beautiful fall day, warm and hazy as only October can be in New England. She strolled along a dirt path that bordered the river, admiring the silvery water and the graceful ships dancing slowly on its surface. Maple trees along the shore displayed scarlet leaves, and the calm surface of the river reflected every color. An amber-leafed weeping willow spread a graceful arbor over the pathway.
As she approached the wooden pier where Ben’s ships were berthed, she saw a man and woman standing together at the farthest point of the pier. She was too far away to identify them, and yet she felt sure the man was James Scott. Her first th
ought was that the woman must be Willa.
She sped up her approach, waving as she went on. At first, they did not see her, and as she walked quickly onward, she saw the man take the woman in his arms and hold her. She blushed at the sight, thinking she had stumbled on an intimate moment and should turn back. But then they parted, and the woman applied a handkerchief to her eyes. The woman was Megan.
James saw her then and waved her toward them. “Miss Elena,” he said as she reached them, “I am mightily glad to see you. I must get to sea, and Miss Garrick is sorely in need of a friend.”
“Megan, my dear, what is the matter?” asked Elena, frowning at the sight of her friend’s tearful face.
Megan shook her head and covered her eyes with her handkerchief. Elena turned to James. “Captain Scott, please feel free to go about your duties. I’ll see to Miss Garrick.”
“Aye, thank you, miss.” He patted Megan on the arm. “It will all be well, Miss Garrick, you will see.”
James jumped aboard the sturdy ketch Gremlin, and Elena carefully led Megan from the pier. Saying nothing, she conducted her to a stone bench and seated herself next to her friend.
“Now, my dear,” she coaxed. “You must tell me what has engendered these tears. What on earth can have happened to upset you so?”
Megan stared at the ground as she replied. “I’ll tell you…as difficult as it will be to do so.”
Elena silently waited for her friend to draw breath and begin.
Megan turned her teary face to Elena and looked directly into her eyes. “What I have to say may shock you,” she began, “but you are engaged to my brother and…”
Megan hesitated and Elena whispered calmly, “You may tell me whatever you want, Megan. I will never repeat your words to Ben or anyone.”
“I know,” Megan replied, “but what I meant is, you are about to wed. You may have little knowledge of one certain circumstance of marriage and have given no thought to it.”
“You cannot mean marital love,” said Elena with a blush, “for surely you do not think me that naïve.”
“No. I mean children. Have you ever wondered why some women have ten or twelve children and others have two or three?”