by Lisa Prysock
“’Tis not one word of it true!” Geneva interrupted the conversation. She entered the parlor, no longer able to sit idly by on the staircase without defense. She could not allow Mrs. Berkley to believe the lies Bryn concocted in his efforts to salvage Elizabeth’s affections and loyalty. She calmly stated her case with her chin held high while Mrs. Berkley held her hands on her hips, turning to hear Miss Rosemont’s words. “Bryn Palmer accosted me on our front porch this afternoon, uninvited, without welcome, with force! I should report him to the constable! Furthermore, I wouldn’t marry him if he were the last man on the face of the earth! I as much as told him so this very day… He doesn’t deserve me, let alone my dearest friend in the world.”
“Say what you will, Miss Rosemont, but I am well informed and don’t believe a word you speak! I know all about the years you played with his affection.” Mrs. Berkley had transformed into an astonishingly over-protective, misinformed mother before their very eyes. This wasn’t the Mrs. Berkley who had treated Geneva like a second daughter over the years.
“I did no such thing!” Geneva exclaimed indignantly. “You are unaware of the circumstances, Mrs. Berkley. Though Bryn and I were nearly engaged a few years ago, we haven’t been romantically inclined in quite some time!”
“Then how do you explain today’s incident, Miss Rosemont?” Mrs. Berkley demanded, crossing her arms over her shawl.
“There is no need for you to raise your voice at my daughter, Mrs. Berkley! She is blameless. In fact, we have attempted unsuccessfully to prod her into accepting Bryn’s proposal… but I am beginning to see our Geneva has been trying to tell us otherwise for quite some time. In all honesty, we have failed to truly listen.” Mrs. Rosemont looked into her daughter’s eyes as she spoke, rising from her rocking chair to defend her offspring. “I for one would like to know exactly what Bryn did to our daughter today! What happened, Geneva?”
She motioned for Mama to step back, shuddering as she recalled the unwelcome advances. “I was unaware Bryn has a remnant of romantic feelings toward me! I would never do anything to interfere with Elizabeth’s beau and that you well know, Mrs. Berkley. I am informed directly of her feelings for him and his, for her. I have held their emotion for each other in the highest regard. I wish them nothing but love, prosperity, and happiness in the years to come!”
“Aha! So you admit you know they were about to become engaged, and as of this very evening, are now so; though I am not entirely certain it is a wise course of action at this point. Something is dreadfully amiss!” Mrs. Berkley tapped her brown shoe on the parlor rug smugly and crossed her arms. During this exchange, the Rosemonts looked inquisitively from Mrs. Berkley to Geneva, back to Mrs. Berkley, and then Geneva.
“Dreadfully amiss, indeed! I am glad to hear he heeded my advice to officially propose to her, as I will not have him! In fact, Mrs. Berkley, I prompted him to go after her! She happened upon the entirely reprehensible incident, for which I am not to blame. It was a completely unwelcome advancement and now, I am to be forever tormented by what he did because my dearest friend in the world may think I did something to cause this! I have not, nor ever would!” Geneva insisted, doing her best to minimize the anger in her voice. “Elizabeth and I tell each other nearly everything. My awareness of the engagement has absolutely nothing to do with the way Bryn has been behaving toward me.”
“How else has he been behaving toward you?” Mrs. Berkley inquired. Everyone looked at Geneva.
“Yes, how has he been behaving toward you?” the Vicar demanded to know. “If he has behaved inappropriately with my daughter, I will have him brought up on charges before the rising of the sun! So this is why you’ve been crying your eyes out instead of eating your supper!”
There was a brief pause while Mrs. Berkley observed Geneva’s puffy and irritated eyes, sore from the abundance of tears she had shed.
“Oh Papa! It was just a wretched kiss, but it was forced… and it was awful!” Geneva’s hand flew to cover her mouth as she fell into her father’s arms. “Elizabeth saw it!”
“W-w-well, this is positively dreadful!” Geneva’s mother stammered.
“I don’t think it is necessary for you to drag the constable into this…” Mrs. Berkley’s tone softened considerably.
“I think we will judge what is necessary for the protection of our daughter, Mrs. Berkley!” Vicar Rosemont stated as Geneva burst into tears on his shoulder. She hated seeing them argue. It only made her feel worse than she already did. He kept one arm around his daughter, and one arm free to emphasize his words… or perhaps toss Mrs. Berkley out the front door.
“Don’t you want to know if Bryn has crossed the line, Mrs. Berkley, for your own daughter’s sake? Why don’t you sit down with us at the kitchen table? I’ll pour you some tea while Geneva tells us the whole story.” Rachel Rosemont led Mrs. Berkley to the kitchen. The Vicar consoled Geneva by letting her lean on his arm while he led her to join them at the kitchen table.
Once seated around the table, Mama poured orange spice tea into cups while Geneva sniffled and blew her nose several times into the handkerchief Father offered. “My daughters are never with a handkerchief at the right time.”
“I seem to have the same problem, Vicar Rosemont,” Mrs. Berkley admitted as she stirred her tea. Mama placed a plate of apple bread left from dinner on the table.
Geneva drew in her breath deeply. She would have to carefully navigate the events without disclosing what she had witnessed across the street from the Fenway Street Mission. That matter, she decided, was left best to the Lord. There really wasn’t any more she could tell, except to explain the front porch incident the best she could. Father shook his head and flexed his fists a number of times. Mama patted his hand occasionally to keep him calm. The tears brimming in Jen’s eyes stemmed partly from feeling as used as the woman she’d seen on Fenway Street. Sharing Bryn’s darker moments would only seem like lies at this point to Mrs. Berkley, or cast more doubts and betrayal into an already troublesome situation for Bryn and Elizabeth.
Geneva dove into the explanation after drinking some of the tea Mama had flavored with orange peel, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. The tea revived her. Clutching the cup with both hands, she began her defense calmly. “A harsh, forced kiss is really all that happened on the porch… and an argument. I didn’t invite Bryn here today, nor expect the kiss when I opened the door. In my respectful opinion, Mrs. Berkley, and you know how much I adore Elizabeth… I think they make a lovely couple. I wish them all the happiness in the world! I believe at present, this display of behavior from Bryn is not unlike many other young men of his age. I believe him to be unsettled; mayhap a little frightened of the magnitude of this commitment and heightened responsibility. He could have come after me today, but ultimately, it was Elizabeth he went after, not me. If he truly loved me, he would have chased me to the meadows and sea cliffs where I took a walk to escape the memories my heart still contends with at this very moment.” She was bordering too close to her memories of him at the brothel, the passionately forced kiss on the porch, and the feelings for Bryn she had squashed as an act of obedience to the Lord. She decided to clamp her mouth shut.
There was a long silence while Father flexed his fists. Finally, he broke the silence. “Marriage is a responsibility not to be entered into lightly,” Vicar Rosemont’s Scottish accent became more apparent as he spoke. “I’m guessing he has a severe case of wedding jitters. ‘Tis best he finds a way through this now and not when the marriage be nigh upon them.”
“How do I explain this to Elizabeth?” Mrs. Berkley asked. “She feels he is still in love with Geneva! She accepted his proposal reluctantly after Bryn presented a story of defense and a good deal of imploring for understanding. He claims Miss Rosemont penned an invitation for him to call upon her. Evidently, he placed the blame on your daughter’s shoulders. Of course, Elizabeth confided the details to me.”
Geneva clasped her cup tightly and dove again into her own defense. “There i
s no such letter, and if any document is presented, we can prove it a forgery! The truth is, whether he was invited or not, it will matter little to Elizabeth. The damage has been done and there is nothing I can do to remedy the matter than what I’ve already done,” Geneva sighed. “I don’t owe Bryn any favors after the story he has concocted to demolish my good name, but another truth is we would never be happy together.”
Geneva continued, “You see, regardless of any amorous feelings he may have toward me, we are set apart for different paths in this life. I do not plan to marry anytime soon, if ever! My heart is set on my work at the mission, teaching, and writing… though few accept women writers in this day and age. His family wouldn’t care for my ambitions. I know my family is appalled to hear these things, but I speak truth. Elizabeth is perfect for Bryn. She will be entirely devoted to him. The Palmers will want a wife for their son who will bare children and bring sons into the world to carry on their shipping business. Knowing them as I do, they will want sons brought up in business, accounting, trade, investments, and everything they can learn about ships and the sea. Elizabeth will make a fine mother of sons and make Bryn Palmer the apple of his father’s eye in so doing.”
“I think I understand now,” Mrs. Berkley pulled her plaid shawl closer around her shoulders. “I’m still a little unconvinced I have the whole story, but I think you’ve given me a fairly truthful account, Geneva. I’m sorry I marched over here without giving you the benefit of the doubt. I should have at least asked you first for your side of things. I will say this: I don’t think you should make any attempts to visit Elizabeth. She’s elated about the engagement, but at the same time, she accepted him intrepidly. She is filled with doubts and heartbreak which I believe, in time, with a great deal of care and attention from Bryn, will go away.”
Mrs. Berkley sipped her tea and continued, “I’m not so sure he is the best choice for her at this point, but we’ve known him all of our lives. He has always seemed like such a reliable, loyal, capable, young man. They wrote lengthy letters to each other for nearly two years while he was abroad. Hopefully he will grow out of this derision rapidly since they have agreed to an engagement. You might send Elizabeth a letter though in a day or two. She’s going to need time to digest this information and try to make some peace with herself and Bryn about his side of the story. It could take days, weeks, or months for her to calm down. One thing about my Elizabeth as you well know, she doesn’t get over some things easily, but every now and again she surprises even me.”
“I greatly lament what this has done to our friendship. I want you to know I did everything within my power to stop it. I will simply have to leave this matter in God’s capable hands and hope Bryn finds a way to be truthful with her without losing her,” Geneva responded. “People don’t always tell the whole truth when it may hurt someone else, especially with regard to matters of the heart. I hope he considers the friendship Elizabeth and I have shared over the years.”
“I will convey this to Elizabeth and Bryn the best I can. I hope he has finally figured out where he stands. I don’t think my husband will like any of this one little bit. Mr. Berkley will demand an immediate wedding or a very long engagement, and I’m not entirely certain of the route he will insist upon. He may even insist they break off the engagement.” Elizabeth’s mother cocked her head to one side as she considered the reaction her husband might have.
“I’m sure once the engagement has been formally announced and the wedding has taken place, Bryn will settle down into a fine, honorable husband and everything Elizabeth deserves. We only want the best for both of them,” Rachel offered.
“Oh my, look at the hour! I think ‘tis my husband in our horse and buggy arriving now. He’s come to fetch me so I don’t have to walk home in the dark. I’ll be in prayer about all of this, and a good night to each of you. I hope things seem better after a good night’s sleep.”
The Rosemont family walked Mrs. Berkley to the front door. She didn’t give them a warm embrace as she stepped onto the front porch, but she did call out, “Nos da[10]!”
“Nos da!” Vicar Rosemont echoed with his wife as they waved from the porch. Mr. Berkley helped his wife into the buggy and waved back before picking up the reins. The horse clopping down the street as they drove away disturbed the quiet, dark night. They watched them drive away with concerned looks. The January night had grown chilly and their breath hung like clouds in the air. Once they had stepped back into the warmth of the foyer, Geneva, the last to close the door, sank against the door and closed her eyes. The evening’s tirade felt like a third release of Bryn to her though they hadn’t been romantically inclined in more than two years.
“How about a hot bath to calm your nerves?” Mama suggested.
Geneva nodded, unable to speak a word as her mind churned over the events of the past few days.
“I’ll start bringing up some kettles of hot water,” Mama offered, patting her hand comfortingly.
The steamy bath worked wonders for her frayed nerves. When she had washed and rinsed her hair, she stepped out of the bath water, dried off, and patted her hair dry with a towel. She slipped into a freshly laundered, long, white night gown. The linen gown had long sleeves and a plenty of white lace at the wrists. She tied the ribbons of the “V” shaped neckline and slid into a floral wrapper. Next, she stepped into a pair of rose colored slippers matching the wrapper. A little while later, she sat on the parlor floor with her knees pulled to her chest before a crackling fire, clutching another cup of hot tea while Mama brushed her hair.
“What a dreadful situation!” Mama remarked as she gently worked the brush through Geneva’s wavy curls, still wet from bathing.
“Well, I thought it went well, all things considered,” Papa said as he stared at the fireplace contemplating the events of the evening. He seemed as lost in thought as his wife and daughter.
“This is just the beginning of dreadfuls, Papa,” Geneva said from her seat on the floor at Mama’s feet.
“What do you mean?” The vicar looked at his wife and daughter blankly.
“Well, for one, your daughter won’t be welcome in her customary social circle until Elizabeth embraces her again and Bryn speaks truth. Knowing how spoilt Bryn is, he won’t be easily coerced.”
“Elizabeth Berkley is a sensible girl. I think the matter will settle down in a few days,” Papa said.
“Didn’t you listen, James Alexander? Days, weeks, perhaps months… according to one very protective mother!” Mama reiterated.
“They may still leave the parish, Papa. Bryn will soon have spread these half-truths all about Cardiff, at least in our parish. He is too proud to tell the truth anytime soon. It could be years before he tells Elizabeth the truth… maybe even never,” Geneva explained gently.
Father rubbed his eyes and stared at the fire, blinking, attempting to absorb the reality of the situation. “I’m always the last to understand these kinds of things,” he complained. “I would say a talk with the constable could change the outcome considerably… and rather quickly.”
“Then Mr. Palmer will use his wealth and power to silence the investigation on behalf of his son. The last I heard, there is little to be done over an unwelcome kiss from a legal point of view. There is however, something else we could do… but I didn’t want to mention it before. In view of recent events, none I believe are your fault Geneva, it seems the Lord may have had a purpose after all.”
“What purpose, Mama? Ouch!” Geneva jerked her head forward and squeezed her eyes shut as Rachel Rosemont brushed through a small knot. “Careful, Mama!”
“I’m trying, but your hair is so long! Give me just a moment and I will share the details with you when I’m done braiding your hair.” Mama finished twisting the braid, tied it with a ribbon, and sat back in her rocker for a sip of her tea. Her audience was completely attentive as she fished out a letter from the writing desk at the parlor window. She sat back down in her rocker and took another sip of tea before openin
g the letter. Finally, she set her tea cup back in the saucer on the table between them.
Holding the letter, Mama trembled as she spoke. “This arrived from your sister in Kentucky, James, not long ago. I didn’t want to consider it. To be completely honest, until now, I had wished the letter had never arrived. However, I think it may be an answer to our prayers as I consider the situation we now face. Aunt Millicent has invited our Geneva to come help her teach at the orphan mission school she founded at the plantation since the passing of Uncle George. There is more. She hopes to groom Geneva to eventually take over the mission someday. She has no heir to the plantation and estate, as you both well know. She is also offering to leave the estate to Geneva upon her death.” Mama handed Papa the letter to read.
Geneva jumped up from the floor and pulled Mama to her feet before Papa had finished reading the letter. “Oh, Mama! America? Ydw… America! I’m going to America… to be a teacher! I’m going to the states! Let’s dance, Mama!” Geneva pulled her mother around the parlor laughing, dancing, and singing a victory Psalm.
Father shifted in his chair to consider the matter, his mouth open in wonder as he viewed the contents of the letter while they danced. When he saw his daughter’s excitement, he could not dispute the idea. He made every effort to share in her delight by putting forth half a smile. It would be an enormous sacrifice, but he was proud of his daughter’s aspirations.
One could hardly deny a change of scenery for his daughter would be a welcome solution to the dilemma and an answer to the pull on Geneva’s heart strings. His wife couldn’t help but laugh breathlessly along with her daughter as she pulled her about the cozy room.
