I placed my hand over his. “I’m not worried about some girl you dated over four years ago. It’s fine. Leave it be.” He dropped his hand back around me. “For now anyway.” I turned and kissed him passionately.
We stumbled back over to the bed and fell on it. We giggled and continued kissing. The sunlight was streaming in through the windows. I suddenly became very aware of the fact that the only time Jackson had seen me naked was in the dark and that was suddenly about to change. The intensity of our kisses increased and all self-conscious thoughts fell by the wayside and nothing mattered but being with him.
***
It was almost one in the afternoon before we managed to make our way to the shower. Neither of us could stop smiling or giggling or being playfully stupid. We played and kissed and made love in the shower until long after the hot water was gone. I was freezing and my skin was covered in goose bumps but I didn’t care. I couldn’t get enough of him.
With every intention of getting ready to go over to Phoebe’s for our first Christmas together, we failed miserably and instead without drying off we found ourselves back in his bed. The entire world outside his room drifted away and nothing existed but the two of us.
After we’d both finally gotten dressed to make our way over to Phoebe’s I picked up the phone to call my house. Even with everything going on, I still missed my family dearly and it truly bothered me that my dad and Sidney were not here to witness my wedding. I paced around the living room waiting for my dad to pick up his cell.
“Hello, pumpkin, Merry Christmas,” his voice sounded cheery.
“Merry Christmas, Daddy. How are you?”
“I’m fine. I miss you though. It doesn’t seem like Christmas without you here.”
“I know. I miss you too. It’s weird for me too, being here for Christmas. But Boston is beautiful. Jackson showed me around the University. I love it,” I told him.
“Good, I’m glad. You sound happy,” he remarked.
“I am. I’m having a great time. Jackson’s family is so sweet. They’ve been taking really good care of me so you have nothing to worry about.”
“I wasn’t worried,” he informed me. “But someone wants to talk to you. She’s standing here huffing at me.” He laughed. “I love you, pumpkin. Have a great time and be careful. I’ll see you soon.”
“Okay Dad, I will. I love you too.”
“Hold on, here’s Sidney.” I heard the muffled sounds of him passing the phone to my sister.
“Merry Christmas, Pigeon.” Sidney’s voice rang in my ears.
“Pigeon? Why are you calling me Pigeon?” I asked.
“Pigeon’s take flight. Isn’t that what you did? Take flight to Boston to your little love nest away from Mom and Ethan?” she teased.
“Well, Merry Christmas to you too. And no, I didn’t exactly take flight. The Chandlers invited me to spend Christmas with them and I accepted. Anything’s better than sitting around being ignored by them for the entire break,” I explained.
“I know. I talked a little to Mom and she’s adamant about your wedding. She even gave me grief about my relationship with Landon. Now I’m not so sure about him showing up tomorrow.”
“I’m sorry. It’s my fault she’s giving you grief, but at least she’s still talking to you. That’s one step ahead of me.” I tried to make light of it.
“You know how she can be.”
“So, how are you? How was your finals?” I attempted to change the subject.
“Fine. I’m glad they’re over. Hopefully, the spring semester will be better,” she said.
“Are you still having nightmares?” I asked as casually as I could.
“Some,” her tone changed. “They’re just weird dreams, is all. I think my imagination is working on overtime.” She laughed awkwardly. “Either that or I’ve watched one too many Jane Austen movies.”
Jane Austen movies?
“I don’t get it? What do you mean, Jane Austen movies?” I gently nudged her to elaborate.
“Oh, it’s nothing really. It’s just weird. It’s like being in that time period. I don’t know why. For some reason it’s where my brain likes to wander.” Her voice sounded almost scared.
“That is strange.” I tried to remain calm. This was the first clue I had perhaps of where Sidney was traveling if she did in fact inherit EVE.
“I know, right? It figures,” she laughed. “Leave it to me to dream about the Romanticism period. Talk about bizarre.”
“What are they like?” I treaded carefully.
“They’re no big deal, Jocelyn.” She paused for a moment. “So how is Mr. Wonderful? Still walking on water?”
“Seriously, Sidney? You of all people are going to go there?”
“I’m just teasing. When are you coming home?”
“After New Year’s. When are you heading back to school?” I asked.
“Around the same time. I was hoping I’d get to see you. Maybe you can come up for a weekend or something after you get back.” I was surprised and delighted by her offer.
“That’d be great. I’d love to.”
“Well, I’d better get going. Give me a call when you get home. And have a great Christmas.” Her voice was light and happy again.
“I will, I promise. Take care, Sidney.”
“Always. Bye.”
“Bye.”
I looked down at the phone in my hand running over the conversation with Sidney once more. It was strange to say the least. I wasn’t exactly sure what to make of it. The Romanticism era? Is that where she’s wandering off to every night? And what time period was that. For the life of me I couldn’t remember. Early eighteenth century? Late nineteenth century? I had no idea. But just the fact that she told me that much was huge. Plus, it gave us something to go on. I couldn’t wait to tell the rest of my new family and Uncle Nicholas about it.
***
“I was wondering if you two were going to make it.” Phoebe greeted us when we turned up at her house at five o’clock.
“We’re sorry, we got distracted,” Jackson apologized while we took off our coats.
Phoebe glanced between the two of us standing there with our arms around one another and smiled. “I bet.”
His parents wished us a Merry Christmas and ushered us into the living room where the rest of the family was gathered. Unlike my own home on Christmas, there was no television blaring in the background, only the soft sounds of Mitch Miller singing Christmas carols. His family and my uncle Nicholas were formally dressed in direct contrast to how mine lounged around in pajamas the entire day. The smell of turkey and stuffing filled the house. The adults were sipping red wine from elegant crystal. I stifled a smile thinking of how I was positive that at this moment my dad was sitting in his recliner wearing pajama bottoms and a sweatshirt drinking a cold beer.
Jackson and I sat down on the floor beside the tree where the evening before we had gotten married. Everyone was in great spirits and shared stories from Christmas pasts, childhood memories, and opened presents. I sat silently leaning against my husband, thoroughly enjoying the atmosphere. It was the polar opposite from the structure of my own home life and resembled more of the life I was becoming increasingly aware of in my other world.
By late evening, after the dishes were done and the little ones were sound asleep, the nine of us talked about our trip to New York in the morning. It was so peaceful and homey sitting in the living room around the blazing fire and the lights of the Christmas tree. Jackson and I cuddled up together on the floor beside the hearth. I told everyone about my conversation earlier with Sidney. We all agreed it was a good start, but it still was not enough to go on to know whether or not she had in fact inherited EVE. However, I noticed that Uncle Nicholas was unusually quiet. When I asked him, he simply remarked that he was tired. But still, I couldn’t help but wonder if it was something more.
CHAPTER 32
Saturday, December 24, 1878
THE SNOW WAS FALLING in large fluffy
flakes across the ashen sky. I climbed from my bed and stepped over to my bay window, pulling the drapes aside. The entire world was covered in a thick blanket of snow. It was so peaceful and beautiful. But even that did nothing to squash the watermelon sitting in my abdomen. I tried to swallow but couldn’t. My throat was dry and rough as the full magnitude settled over me. I kept reassuring myself that I could get through this day. After all, I had already done this once before.
“Good morn,’ Ms. Jocelyn, today’s the big day.” Mimi strolled happily through my door.
I gave her the best smile I could muster. “Yes,” I squeaked.
Mimi laughed wholeheartedly. “Every bride feels like you do on her weddin’ day.”
“I think I’m going to be sick.” I jumped up and ran over to the basin, losing everything I had eaten the day before.
She placed the sterling silver tray with my breakfast down upon the night table. “Tis just your nerves.” She came over and carefully pulled my hair away from my face.
“I never thought I would be nervous. I have been waiting for this day for as long as I can remember.” I sat down at the vanity and took a deep breath.
“Your bath is drawn, child, please eat somethin’ before ya get a headache.” Mimi gently squeezed my shoulder.
“Ah Mimi, I cannot eat. My stomach is in knots.” I got up and began pacing across the foot of my bed. “Has Ms. Emily brought my dress over yet?”
“No, but tis early.” My eyes fell to the clock resting on the mantle. Nine thirty. The wedding wasn’t to begin until six o’clock.
“What was I thinking with a Christmas wedding? Christmas Eve of all things.” I paused to wring my hands a bit.
Mimi picked my robe off the foot of my bed and held it out for me. “Time to get in the tub.”
“Yes, Mimi.” I slipped out of my nightgown and wrapped the robe around me.
***
I soaked in the hot water trying to relax and swallow the chicken bone that I felt for sure was stuck in my throat. Mimi finally forced some toast with strawberry jam down me after much urging and threats to call my mother in. I barely got it down with the help of some very strong coffee.
After my hair was washed and set, I lay down across my bed. It was almost noon and the house downstairs was now deafening with activity. I was dying to check things out for myself but my mother had appeared a short time before and reiterated her speech from the night before. That I was to spend the day confined to my room since Jackson was milling about and I was not to see him before the ceremony. Instead, she insisted I take a nap so that I would be refreshed for the long eventful evening ahead.
Yet the hours passed so slowly and sleep would not find me. I stared at the hearth and watched the flames dance about while I listened closely to the noise drifting up from below. My body was so nervous and anxious. My restless spirit fought to stay awake. My mind drifted back and forth between my two lives. I noticed the silver pocket watch resting in its dark blue box on my nightstand. I reached out and picked it up, thinking about how terrified and intrigued I was of it only a short while ago. It was hard to believe that this small gift had ignited such a change in my life and opened up a whole new world. I gently placed it back in its case and settled back down under the duvet. I closed my eyes and tried to let the sounds below me drift away.
***
It was almost four in the afternoon when Olivia sat down beside me on my bed and gently woke me from my dreams. She looked so incredibly beautiful.
“Wake up, sleepyhead. It is time to get you married.” A sly smile slid across her lips.
I pulled myself into a seated position. My mother, Mimi, Elizabeth, and Emily were arranging garments across my bed. Mimi stepped forward and helped me on with my robe. I took a seat at the vanity and at once hands were all about me pulling and twisting my hair in various fashions. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a rather large garment case resting beside my dresser. I was sure that Emily and Mimi snuck that into my room earlier in the day.
Olivia and Elizabeth had on similar forest green taffeta gowns trimmed in matching green velvet. Bows rested atop their inlaid bustles and rippled in slight ruffles down the back of their full skirts. Emily had clearly outdone herself once again with her creative talents. Both wore their hair pulled back in chignons with traces of curls left loose to highlight their faces.
“How are you feeling?” Mother smiled down at me while Emily curled my hair.
I grinned back at her in the mirror. “All right,” I squeaked, finding it hard to breathe even without my corset on yet.
She placed her hand on my shoulder. “I know you will be fine. Just remember to breathe.”
“I believe Jackson is more nervous than you are.” Emily laughed lightly. “I will be surprised if he remembers which way to put his pants on. When I left earlier he was tearing around the entire downstairs trying to find his vest for almost thirty minutes before he realized he was already wearing it.”
“I’s recall all your brothers was like that before they married.” Mimi’s full chuckle filled the room. “They’s quite a site, they was.”
“Yes, yes they were,” Mother agreed, trying to pin back some fallen curls from her own hair.
***
Emily helped me drape her full-length ivory coverlet over my shoulders and gently placed the hood over my hair. She handed me the mink muff that matched it perfectly and wiped a tear off her cheek. Only she and Mimi had been allowed to see me in her gown before the wedding ceremony. We had wanted it to be a surprise. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that Jackson already knew about the dress.
“You are a gorgeous bride my dear. My son is a very lucky man.” She embraced me gently so as not to wrinkle any part of me.
“I am the lucky one. Thank you for raising such a man. I promise to take good care of him.” I kissed her cheek.
“I know you will, my dear.” She stepped back and straightened her gown. “Now, we best get going. Everyone has already left and your father is downstairs waiting for you.”
She hurried down the stairs and I heard her talking to Phoebe for a moment. Then the front door closed behind them.
My footsteps echoed on the stairs in the vacant house. The silence was deafening, void of the servant’s footsteps and voices. It was a rare occasion to find the house in such a state. I stopped in the foyer and did one last turnabout absorbing all the little silly things I had taken for granted. My hand rested on the banister while my eyes drifted towards the top of the stairs. I could picture the images of two small children climbing upon the railings and sliding swiftly down only to be met by a scolding Mimi at the foot of the stairs. I smiled to myself, remembering how much fun William and I had doing that just to get a rise out of her. She would scold us again and again but we never listened. She was sure one of us was going to break our necks sliding down the banister. I took a deep breath and sighed audibly. I would miss this home so much and I could not help but wonder where I was going to find myself waking up in the morning.
My father opened the front door with great haste. “My goodness, Jocelyn. I swear you are going to be late for your own wedding. Come along, child. We should have been at the church ten minutes ago.”
“Yes, Father, I am coming.” I crossed over the foyer to the threshold for the last time as a single woman, closing the door behind me and leaving my childhood forever. I carefully walked down the steps towards my future as Mrs. Jackson Chandler.
The evening air was brisk and I could see my breath as my father helped me into the carriage. He draped the heavy quilt over my lap before he seated himself across from me. Eddie took the reins and the carriage lunged forward. I shivered in the cold and leaned back against the seat.
“I cannot believe this day arrived so soon. I confess I have been dreading it since your birth.” My father leaned forward and placed his hand over my muff. “While I am quite pleased with your choice, I still feel the sorrow of waking up in the morning and finding your room empty. A
part of me wishes to keep you my little girl forever. But alas, I know I must let you go since you found it necessary to grow up on me.”
“I know, Father, a part of me wishes I could stay eight years old forever. Willow Pines has been the only home I have ever known.”
“I know you will be very happy and very well taken care of. Jackson is a good man.” He smiled lovingly.
The carriage pulled up in front of the church more rapidly than I could ever recall before. Every muscle in my body tensed and I struggled greatly to breathe beneath my corset and stays. Eddie opened the door and offered me his hand. He held a slight smile across his face that was quite rare for a man of his calm gentle nature.
I took his hand and willed myself to step down from the carriage. My whole body was numb and I felt like I was drowning in both excitement and fright. My foot did not register the ground beneath it as my knees went out from under me. Father lunged quickly from the carriage along with Eddie and grabbed me before I collapsed completely to the frozen ground.
“Jocelyn!” Father’s voice rang hollow in my ears as four arms wrapped around me.
“I’m . . . I’m . . .” I stumbled with words. “I am all right.” I steadied myself holding onto the two of them. “I got a little light-headed.”
“Are you sure?” Father studied me not with the eyes of a physician but those of a concerned father.
“Yes, I am sure.” I offered him a weak smile. “Are you ready?”
“Are you?”
I nodded and took his arm. Eddie reached into the carriage and took out my bouquet of white lilies and violets and handed them to me before walking up the church steps. He paused with his hand on the doorknob waiting for us to approach. I looked up for a moment at the skies above. The stars had just arrived and began sparkling in the cloudless night. My father followed by gaze just as a lone star streaked between the trees.
“Make a wish, my dear.”
“You make one Father, mine is about to come true.”
He kissed me gently on the cheek, and I squeezed his arm and we began walking up the steps together.
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