by Marie Silk
“Catherine, please,” interrupted Mrs. Price. “You have not let me finish explaining. Clara and I would like you to move upstairs with us as a member of the family.”
Catherine raised her eyebrows as the expression on her red face went from anger to elation. She pulled the apron off over her head and threw it in the air. “Why didn’t you say so in the first place?” she laughed. “To think—me—living upstairs!” Mrs. Price chuckled as she left the kitchen, satisfied that all would be well with her sister.
John invited Louisa to see the gardens before she left the house that day. Louisa seemed glad to accompany him. They walked together at a leisurely pace as John offered information on each aspect of the gardens down to the last detail. “You seem happy here, John,” Louisa observed. “I am glad that I came to visit, and that you were still working here.”
John took a deep breath while he summoned the courage to say what was on his mind. “Louisa, I’ve been thinking about you going West all by yourself. I think it would be good if you had a man with you. I heard it is no place for a woman by herself.”
“I see. Do you—have someone in mind?” she asked shyly.
“Well, I was hoping it would be me,” he blurted, looking at the ground. He glanced at Louisa quickly to see her reaction. Her cheeks were turning as pink as the roses behind her.
“You wish to go West with me?” she questioned.
“I will go anywhere with you. I would care for you and protect you…for as long as you would let me,” he told her. “It is the least I can do. It is—what I want to do.”
At the Valentis’ farmhouse, Phillip’s sister Serena answered a knock at the door. Fiona was standing there nervously, holding a basket of fresh goods from the kitchen. “Good afternoon,” Fiona greeted. “I am the housekeeper at Davenport House and I have brought this basket for Mr. Valenti.”
Serena smiled. “How kind. Thank you,” she said to Fiona. “I will be sure that he receives it.”
“Thank you, Miss,” Fiona replied. She managed a smile and turned to walk back to Davenport House.
“Who was that?” asked Phillip when he walked into the kitchen.
“It was the housekeeper from the grand house,” answered Serena. “She brought this for you.”
“That was kind of her,” Phillip remarked, rummaging through the cakes in the basket.
“She is sweet on you,” Serena said with a smile.
“Who? Fiona? She is a kind girl. She is only being neighborly.”
Serena raised her eyebrow. “I know how a girl looks when she is being neighborly, and how she looks when she is sweet on my own brother. You always did have a way of attracting the girls.”
Phillip tried to hide his smile. “Hush now, or I will not share any of these fine cakes with you,” he teased.
Mary and John Smith stood in front of the house to say goodbye to Louisa, who was soon on her way to Philadelphia. “Miss Mary?” asked John before Mary went into the house.
Mary giggled. “Why don’t we try to address each other as family now. I will even call you Father.”
Her father smiled. “Very well…Mary. Have you already told the minister that he should not come on Saturday?”
“I was going to send him a post but I worry that he will not receive it in time,” she replied. “I may need to visit him in town to explain.”
“Well—the thing is—I expect we may need the minister to come after all,” he said nervously.
Mary was bewildered. “For what reason?”
“For a marriage ceremony. Me and Louisa,” he replied quietly.
Mary gasped. “Truly?”
Her father nodded. “I hope that my children might be agreeable to it.”
Mary stepped toward him and kissed his cheek. “I think I may speak for my brother when I say we only want to see you happy…Father.”
Fiona entered Abigail’s bedroom with fresh linens. “How are you feeling, Miss Abigail?” she asked.
“I am much better. Thank you for caring for me when I was ill. I heard that you ran to the farmhouse to send Phillip for Dr. Hamilton.”
“I did, Miss. I am afraid I did not know how to use the telephone,” Fiona confessed.
“I am still grateful to you. I must thank Phillip the next time I see him for going for the doctor.”
“Yes, Mr. Valenti was very helpful that night,” Fiona recalled. “I went to deliver some cakes from the kitchen to him today, but a lady answered the door.”
“It must have been his sister,” explained Abigail. “Serena came from Pittsburgh to help Phillip with the children.”
“Oh,” Fiona replied, trying to hide her relief. “Is there anything else you need from downstairs, Miss Abigail?”
“I am alright for now,” Abigail answered. “Thank you, Fiona.”
When Fiona returned to the servants’ quarters, she found Bridget tidying the lobby. “Did you take the basket to Mr. Valenti?” Bridget asked her.
“I delivered it to his house, but Mr. Valenti was not there. I was unable to thank him in person,” Fiona answered, seeming disappointed.
“I am sure we will see him another time,” said Bridget. “I am only grateful that he arrived when he did last night!”
Fiona nodded in agreement. Her solemn expression then changed into a smile. “Just one of his arms is nearly as big around as my waist! I wonder if he was ever a boxer. He is built like one.”
Bridget giggled. “How would you know what a boxer is like?”
“You are too young to remember, but Father used to fight.”
Bridget gasped. “He didn’t! Mother would never allow such a thing!”
Fiona laughed. “Mother made him stop. She said she was exhausted of nursing his injuries when she had the children to look after on top of it all. Father may have been a fierce fighter, but he was no match for the guilt that Mother could heap upon him.”
The girls laughed heartily to envision it. Then Bridget asked, “Fiona, do you think that Mr. Valenti is handsome?”
Fiona felt her cheeks begin to burn and she covered her face. “Even more so, after he helped us last night,” she replied in a whisper.
Bridget smiled. “Perhaps you will marry him and live happily ever after in his beautiful farmhouse.”
“You must never suggest such a thing like this to anyone, Bridget,” Fiona told her sternly. “Father would disown me in an instant if he thought that I would marry an Italian!”
“Well…would you?” asked Bridget.
“Housekeepers do not marry,” Fiona sighed. “But if they did, and if Mr. Valenti were ever to ask me…I think that I would like to very much.”
Mary hurried into the library to telephone William. “You will never believe who is to get married on Saturday!” she began.
“It might be painful for me to guess, so you had better just tell me,” William replied.
“It is my father, John Smith!” she answered dramatically.
“John?” William asked in disbelief. “To who?”
“It is to my aunt. Oh William, there is much that I have to tell you. You will not believe all that has happened since we last spoke properly.”
“I believe you, Mary,” he said quietly.
“Is anything the matter? Has the outbreak become worse?”
“No, it appears to be over, thank goodness. You may tell Abigail that I spoke with the family of the boy who was selling food on the street. They said that a lady in town had been generous to their family and they had not needed to sell any more since that day. I believe this is the last we will see of the fever for now,” William said, sounding as though he was stifling a yawn. “I hope the clinic stays quiet the remainder of the week so that I can sleep.”
“But you will come for the wedding, won’t you? It will be held in the gardens at noon,” said Mary. “I know you and my father have been good friends.”
“It is true. Of course I will be there.”
Mary smiled. “I look forward to seeing you Satur
day.”
“Thank you,” he answered. “Goodbye, Mary.”
Chapter 13
The day of the wedding arrived and Mary was busy looking through her wardrobe, deciding for the tenth time what she would wear to the ceremony. Abigail entered the room unexpectedly. Mary gasped. “I have not seen you in days!” she exclaimed.
Abigail smiled cheerfully. “I have come to give you something, but you must close your eyes. It is a surprise.”
Mary giggled and closed her eyes. Bridget quietly followed Abigail into Mary’s room, carrying the surprise over her arms before she laid it out neatly on the bed. “Open your eyes now, Mary,” Abigail instructed.
Mary opened her eyes. There on the bed before her was the wedding gown that Ethan had given to Abigail. Mary hugged Abigail tightly. “Are you certain?” she asked.
“I will not be wearing the dress, and it really should have been yours anyway, Mary. You can be married in your mother’s wedding gown,” she replied kindly. “Do you realize that we are sisters now?”
“It seems too good to be true. I was worried for you when you had the fever,” Mary recalled emotionally.
“I am recovered now. You need not worry, Ethan has taken great care of me. He also told me of a cottage on the estate from your aunt. Have you seen it?” asked Abigail.
“It is a charming cottage, Abigail. But if it is not to your liking, there are dozens of rooms to choose from in the house,” Mary laughed.
“I feel like a princess on her way to a castle. After your father is married this afternoon, Ethan and I will take the carriage to the manor house. We hope to live there before summer is over,” Abigail explained.
“Oh, I see,” Mary replied quietly. “I will miss you dearly.”
“Won’t you be wanting to live there yourself ?” Abigail questioned.
Mary sighed. “I am worried that it will be too far from William if I go. Oh Abigail, I am worried that he has changed his mind about me. I cannot leave for Philadelphia now while things between us are uncertain.”
“You should talk to him, Mary. Perhaps it is only a misunderstanding,” Abigail suggested.
“I am hoping to find out today. Tell me, should I wear the blue dress or the green?” Mary asked.
Abigail smiled. “Oh, do go with the blue. It is darling on you and brings out the blue in your eyes.”
“The blue dress it is,” said Mary. She turned to Bridget, who had waited patiently in the room for Mary’s instruction. “Bridget, I have decided. Let us hurry, for we do not have much time.”
The ceremony was about to begin. Several chairs had been set out for the guests, which only consisted of Dr. Hamilton and everyone who lived in the house. Mrs. Price wore a cheerful pastel dress, much to her daughter’s delight. The others hardly recognized Mrs. Price at first, since she was not wearing her usual black frock.
Mary helped attend to Louisa, who wore a simple white afternoon dress for the ceremony. Louisa and John were soon standing in front of the minister amid rows and rows of flowers in full bloom. The others made sure that the seat next to Mary was left vacant for William. Mary smiled at him when he sat next to her. “Good afternoon, Dr. Hamilton,” she said, looking into his eyes. She could not understand why he did not seem as happy to see her as she was to see him.
“You are wearing colors again,” he remarked. “You look lovely, Mary.”
Mary blushed. “Thank you,” she whispered. The ceremony began. Mary hoped that William would hold her hand, but instead he sat rigidly in his chair, staring straight ahead. Mary could tell that something was wrong. She did not mean to ignore John and Louisa’s special moment, but she did hope that it would soon be over so that she could speak with William.
When the ceremony ended, William abruptly rose from his seat and left to shake hands with the groom. Mary looked helplessly at Abigail, who also observed William’s eagerness to leave Mary’s side. “You must talk to him, Mary,” whispered Abigail. “I thought you were only worrying too much before, but he does appear to be acting strange.”
“Now that you have confirmed it, I feel more nervous than I did before! What if he has found someone else and does not want to tell me?” Mary anguished over the thought of it.
“You must hurry, Mary. It appears as though he is leaving,” urged Abigail. Mary turned to see William hurrying around the corner of the house to return to the front drive. She rose from her seat and followed him as quickly as she could. His long strides were no match for her short ones confined by the skirt of her dress. She was soon holding her skirt in her hands and running toward him.
“William! Wait, please!” she cried, even though she knew it was unladylike to do so.
William stopped walking so that Mary was able to catch up. He turned around to face her. “Mary,” he said gently. “I was just leaving. Thank you for your kind invitation.”
“I hoped that you would stay so that I could tell you my news,” Mary said breathlessly.
William looked down at the ground. “I have already received a visit from…your fiance,” he said in a low voice.
“My what?” Mary asked incredulously. “I cannot imagine who you mean.”
William was both perplexed and hopeful at her answer. “Then it isn’t true?”
“I have never been engaged,” she replied. “Who was this person?”
“I have never seen him before. He came to the clinic to tell me to stop seeing you. He said you were engaged to be married.”
Mary huffed angrily. “It must have been that Charles Squire. Even I have never seen him before. The woman who I thought was my mother tried to force me to marry him. It is why I moved into the stable and told you I could not receive you at the house anymore.”
“You moved into the stable?” William asked. “Mary, I do not understand what is happening with your house, but I kept away because I dreaded hearing you speak of marrying another man.”
“I had no idea that you’d heard of him,” Mary explained. “It is a relief to finally hear the reason. I was afraid it was you who had found someone else.”
“No, I could not even think of it. But what is the news you were going to tell me?” William asked.
“There is so much to tell. I have lost Davenport House, but at the same time, I have inherited a manor house near Philadelphia.”
“Oh, I see. Then, you will be moving there?”
“I don’t want to be away from you,” Mary replied seriously. She was not going to wait for William to to kiss her this time. She put her arms around his neck and stood on her tiptoes to reach his face with hers.
Phillip Valenti walked around to the gardens to find the newlyweds. He would be driving them to the train station soon. Ethan approached Phillip gratefully. “I never got a chance to thank you for watching over the house while I was away,” Ethan said to him. “And for going for the doctor when my wife was ill.”
Phillip smiled and gave Ethan a strong handshake. “It was an honor. I am glad that Abigail has recovered. If you ever need anything, you know where to find me.”
Clara was looking at Phillip when he was not watching. She thought about how much she regretted parting with him the way she did. Perhaps it was not so bad that they had a difference of beliefs. Even Mrs. Price seemed to approve of him now. Clara gazed at Phillip thoughtfully, wondering what her life would be like if it was her wedding that was taking place today instead of John and Louisa’s.
Abigail went to have some cake where Bridget was serving it in the garden. “Thank you, dear Bridget,” Abigail told her.
“Miss Abigail,” Bridget said timidly. “I heard you speak to Miss Mary about moving to the other house. I wonder if you might take me with you. I can cook and clean. You will need assistance with all of the babies that you and Mr. Ethan will have. I can help with it all.”
“It is kind of you to want to come with me,” Abigail replied. “I must ask Clara first so she does not think that I am stealing her staff. I would love to have you, Bridget.”
“Thank you, Miss Abigail!” Bridget exclaimed. Fiona soon came to assist Bridget in serving the cake.
“Fiona,” Bridget whispered when they were alone. “I have requested for Miss Abigail to take me with her when she moves to the manor house.”
“I will miss you dearly,” Fiona replied sadly. “But I know how much you care for her.”
“Perhaps she will need a new housekeeper as well,” Bridget suggested.
Fiona smiled. “I could not let Miss Clara down when so many other changes are taking place,” she said thoughtfully. Fiona then glanced toward Phillip who was speaking with the other men. “Besides, I believe that I would like to stay at Davenport House for at least a little while longer.”
Mary and William were still standing together near the far side of the house where no one else could see them. It felt to them as if time had ceased to exist and they were the only two people in the world. Mary did not remember that just minutes ago, she had been attending a wedding in the gardens. She was now closing her eyes, basking in the waves of exhilaration that washed over her when she felt William kissing her back. She hoped that the feeling would never end, but she opened her eyes again when she could feel William gradually pulling away. “Mary,” he whispered. “Do you realize that we have been kissing all this while?”
“Yes,” she whispered back. “Isn’t it wonderful?”
“It is wonderful indeed, but I believe that your father will be leaving for the train station at any moment now.”
“Yes, I expect he will,” Mary replied distractedly as she continued to hold onto William and kiss his face.
William laughed softly against her cheek. “But Mary…there is something that I would like to ask your father before he leaves.”
Mary sighed dreamily. “Very well,” she said, reluctant to pull away and return her arms to her sides. “But I do hope you will come back to me after you have done so.”
William smiled. “Of course I will come back. There is something that I would like to ask you as well—something that I have wanted to ask you for a long time.”